Eating Out

For good Italian food, try Pesto's Italian Restaurant in downtown Louisville. It is one of the best Louisville restaurants. The food is always fresh and the service is excellent. The dinner and weekend service includes persian cuisine as well. One of their best dishes is the tortellini. It is homemade and the sauce is thick with lots of flavor in it. The other good pasta entrees are the penne with either the shrimp or italian sausage. One of the best things about Pesto's is that you get good portions of food. For hours and directions, check out their website, pestoitalian.com.

To enjoy a summer evening while dining on fine cuisine, stop by Bistro 301. This Louisville restaurant is located downtown at 301 Market Street and has outdoor seating. Customers can eat such entrees as mussels and fries with saffron aioli, chicken & brie salad, turkey Reuben, veggie wrap with hummus & tomatoes, shrimp & grits, cheese stuffed tortellini with chicken, smoked salmon pasta, and jumbo crab cakes with mixed greens. At dinner, relax with a glass of wine or cocktail and feast on delights like shrimp ceviche, martini seared salmon, chicken pesto primavera, and pork chop with shallots & apples.

For classic Italian cuisine with a modern flare, stop by Marriott BLU Restaurant. Customers can relax with a cocktail while eating banana ravioli in a caramel sauce or house fries with bourbon barbecue sauce. For full lunch or dinner, a few of the entrees offered are grilled tuscan veggie sandwich with gorgonzola cheese, chicken club sandwich with prosciutto, provolone, basil mayo, & paprika chips, sea bass caprese salad, crab stuffed portabella mushrooms, lamb chops with cauliflower truffle, and braised veal shanks with risotto. Reservations can be made online through their website, blugrille.com. This is one of the classier Louisville restaurants.

For upscale Japanese cuisine and one of the freshest sushi bars in town, go to Caviar Sushi Bar at 416 West Muhammad Ali Blvd in the recently renovated downtown area.

This is one of the newer Louisville restaurants. Enjoy such delectables as fried oysters, beef sashimi with spicy sauce, grilled hibachi scallops, and sliced sirloin steak strips and vegetables. The sushi varieties are endless here. Favorites are "new orleans roll" with spicy crawfish and tempura flakes, "heaven roll" with tempura shrimp, cream cheese, tuna, & mango dressing, hot shrimp tempura roll with fried shrimp and spicy tuna.

For great food made with produce by local farmers, stop by The Mayan Cafe at 813 East Market Street. This Louisville restaurant serves some of the best fare in the area like pork enchiladas, salmon filet with tequila-lima cream sauce & black rice, mayan burger made with grass-fed ground beef, calamari ceviche, and black bean cakes with avocado sauce. For dinner, try the smoked salmon quesadilla, black bean & goat cheese empanada, and pan-seared scallops in a salsa negra sauce. The drink list is extensive. Quench your thirst with a glass of wine or a cold beer.

For excellent Italian cuisine with a contemporary flare, visit Proof on Main in the 21c Museum Hotel. Backed by well-known chef Michael Paley, this is one Louisville restaurant not to be missed. In the morning, feast on smoked fish platter with egg frittata, bison pastrami hash with poached egg, truffle oil, & artisan toast, and lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberries. In the afternoon, treat yourself to a bison burger with cheese, tuna salad, or handmade tonnarelli. In the evening, dine with your significant other and enjoy yellowfin tuna with avocado & radishes, and braised beef tripe with cranberry beans.