Fine Dining in the Big City

Louisville

Discussion

Kentuckians have always had a love hate relationship with Louisville. As a rural state, there has been a historic resentment of the big city. As a state in love with basketball, there has been a historic resentment of the huge city high schools which stood in the way of beloved small town teams in their quest for the state championship. As a state devoted to University of Kentucky Wildcat basketball, there has been an intense rivalry with the archrival University of Louisville Cardinals. As a conservative state, there has been two centuries of disagreement with the liberal Lousville Courier Journal, the state's most influential newspaper. Yet Kentuckians come to Louisville all the time. They come for the Kentucky Derby. They take a week of their vacation for the State Fair, one of America's largest, where they display their livestock, harvests and baked goods and socialize with friends from every corner of the state. For 20 years (before it was moved to Lexington) they took another week of their vacation and came for the State Tournament. They come for NCAA games, for a long time at Freedom Hall, and now at the sleek new Yum Center (right). They come for the annual steamboat race to cheer for the Belle of Louisville (above right). They also come for world class dental and medical care.

They also come for school field trips. The Louisville Zoo (left) is one of the nation's finest. There are science centers, museums, research centers, riverboats and various events at the University of Louisville. Actors Theatre has long been the center for live drama in Kentucky. And much of the state watches Louisville TV stations and listens to Louisville radio stations.

As a major city, Louisville has the largest concentration of restaurants in the state, and many of them are outstanding. For a long time, it was the place to go for ethnic or specialty restaurants, although lately Lexington and Bowling Green have developed their own. Louisville certainly has the most top tier chefs in the state, with cutting edge menus and sophisticated decors.

In addition to its famous downtown and major thoroughfare restaurants, Louisville has long established neighborhoods with their century old local hang outs. Down along the river, out by The Downs, or in little villages within the larger metropolitan area, the city has treasures tucked away in every corner.

As in Lexington, we have grouped restaurants by cuisine and location.