
Dana McMahan
Eiderdown
Eiderdown restaurant in Louisville's Germantown neighborhood
From the moment I signed on to the exciting 120 Eats project, I dreaded getting to Jefferson County. It's a bit easier in other counties where I rely on friends and readers and word of mouth to find our feature. But here in the county I've called home for nine years, I've come to love an awful lot of local food businesses. And it's been my job as a freelance food writer to get to know a great many of Louisville's best places. How would I ever limit myself to one?
Well, for the magazine I had to, and you'll read about Eiderdown, the restaurant that is practically my second home, in the next issue. But I wanted to highlight some of my other favorites around town -- places that make me so glad to call Louisville home and that make this such a cool place for folks to visit.
So (in no particular order) here are a few of my favorite things:
Please & Thank You: A writer in a coffee shop - yes it's a cliche. But the fringe benefit of working in this fun little cafe/record shop is great music, super friendly baristas and just about every day running into someone I like to talk with. And bonus: it smells like chocolate chip cookies.
Grind burger truck: What kind of a burger turns a burger hater onto the bliss of a hot, juicy burger? This one. Their custom blend of locally raised, pastured beef that sizzles on the grill just long enough to sear the outside (they know I like mine rare) is so extraordinarily delicious that I start to go through withdrawal when I go too long without one.
Greenhaus: The day this little shop opened up in my Germantown neighborhood was a happy day. Besides their small but lovely selection of craft beer and interesting wines, they offer some of the best of other local goodies, like Cellar Door Chocolates, Blue Dog breads, and Sapori D'Italia cheeses.
Red Hot Roasters: Once in a while I treat myself to a coffee concoction at this sassy, funky drive-thru, but mainly I love to buy the freshly roasted coffee beans for my morning infusion of caffeine. Even before I take a sip of the kickstarting brew, the sight of the cheerful canister can summon a smile (no easy task when I've just awoken).