The Highlands in Louisville is definitely known for its eclectic dining venues and busy Friday nights. Well, the traffic was nothing new on Bardstown Road at 715 on a Friday night, but this little place with an up and coming chef was a nice little surprise.
My friend Sarah and I went there for an evening of shared food and conversation. Love these meals. She knew the chef, so we got to place a special order (it had recently been taken off the menu).
I totally forgot my camera (blame it on Friday-night brain) so you’ll have to deal with descriptions.
To start: sweet potato fries. I’m used to large, regular-fry looking, sweet potato fries – which I LOVE! But these were different. When our waiter asked if we would like them for dessert or an appetizer, I knew I was in for a treat. He quickly brought out a small bowl set on a plate of petite cut fries. A light snow-dusting of powdered sugar with a small bowl of dipping: saffron honey. I could have downed the whole container of saffron honey. If saffron weren’t so expensive, I’d go buy some and make some for myself. The very last bite (once we had dumped the bowl of fries on the plate), was laced with the chili powder that had been dusted on the place. AMAZING. That was the best bite of the whole meal.
Jody, the chef, made us this wonderful Persian–version of paella. It served both of us and we weren’t stuffed, so that was good. The rice was perfectly done – not sticky or crunchy. There was plenty of seafood in it: shrimp, cod, scallops, and mussels. He didn’t skimp. It was very seafood-y so you would have to enjoy seafood to appreciate this dish. The only thing I could say that was a disappointment was it was not very complex in flavors – very monochromatic if I can use that word to describe food? But, we ate it all!
When the waiter brought our check, he also brought out these lovely tea shots as a palette cleanser I guess. Simple, yet a perfect way to end a meal.
So, if you are looking for something out of the ordinary and somewhat unknown still (so no wait on a Friday night) – go to Blue Lagoon on Bardstown Road. (order the sweet potato fries).
