Restaurant Review: Smokey Bones (Louisville, KY)

One of our latest dinner nights turned out to be a"Guys Night Out" at Smokey Bones on Hurstbourne Gem Ln. here in Louisville, KY. My regular dinner companion Ken, our friend John, and another good friend of ours by the name of Mark decided to spend a couple of hours eating barbecue and watching the Final Four at Smokey Bones. It was a late Saturday afternoon. And the joint was packed. Smokey Bones, like a lot of places in this town, is a good place to eat and watch the game. Ken and I frequent Smokey Bones about once every 6 to 8 months.

On this afternoon, I started with some very tasty Teriyaki Shrimp appetizer. I was the only one who partook of an opening course. Mark dug into a large plate of St. Louis style Ribs and Chicken Tenders, which he enjoyed. His only complaint was that the french fries were overcooked. His favorite part of the meal was actually the crisp, steamed broccoli. John also enjoyed the St. Louis ribs with sides of coleslaw and beans. I started to go for the St. Louis style, but at the last minute decided to go with a combo of Memphis style ribs and pulled pork. The pulled pork was excellent; tender and juicy. Of course, I doused it in Georgia-style barbecue sauce- my favorite. But, I have to say that my ribs were extremely dry, and little meat on the bone. Granted, a rub compared to a bath in Barbecue sauce is going to be drier. But these ribs did not have enough meat to balance the amount of rub on them. And the rub was extremely salty, even for Memphis style. Having said that, this was my first time to have a bad experience with ribs at Smokey Bones. On every other occasion that I have dined there my St. Louis ribs have been fantastic. Ken decided to be the odd man out, dining on Beef Brisket and Smoked Turkey with beans and a loaded baked potato. Ken's overall comments was that his food was good, but could have been better. Seems he was experiencing a bit of the "dry" problem with his food as well.

Despite being very busy, and constantly on the go, our server Gary was up to the task and kept our glasses full and did an excellent job of keeping up with our requests and needs. It was obvious he was under the gun, and he handled it like a true professional. We all tipped him well for his diligence.

Since my partners in crime had passed on appetizers, they were all about dessert for the encore. Both John and Mark got the Leaning Tower of Chocolate Cake, a rather large slice of what should be chocolate heaven from the picture on the menu. However, both John and Mark complained that the cake tasted like it had been frozen and then thawed, and had a decidedly stale taste to it. I went for the shot-glass style Chocolate Fix, with cake, filling and whipped cream. It was a bit pricey for its size, but quite tasty.

Overall, I would still recommend Smokey Bones as a great place to go fill up on barbecue and watch the game. The entrees average about $14-15. There are lots of combos available to suit any taste. The appetizers and the desserts are a little pricier than some places. Although my review this time around may not sound "great", I have had enough good experiences at Smokey Bones to recommend it. Mark's overall analysis was one of value vs. content, he did not feel like he got what he paid for, and John concurred with him on this. As for Ken, his overall thoughts were "good".

I usually try to keep a low profile when I am reviewing a restaurant. I keep notes on my smart-phone, and try to enjoy the entire experience. But, when Gary brought surveys to the table and asked for our opinions, I had to decline and let slip that I was doing a review. This was when we found out about the Smokey Bones club. No fault of Gary's I suspect, but I would recommend that their servers ask customers when they first sit down if they will be using their Smokey Bones club card today. This lends to a more natural introduction to the product, and if the customer is already a member, reminds them of it. We did get a visit from the Manager, Nick Porentas, who was especially accommodating. He seemed to be a conscientious manager.

That being said, a note to Smokey Bones as a whole. I would ditch the surveys. Statistically and stereo-typically speaking, if you are putting out surveys you already know where your issues lie. Surveys usually only serve to confirm those suspicions. The servers at Smokey Bones have got it covered. I have always found their expertise and professionalism to be of the best order. Where Smokey Bones needs to concentrate is on the consistency of food quality. Four of us sitting around that table each had very different experiences with our food. There was no consistency in the quality of what we were actually eating, and that affected our enjoyment of the overall experience. Do that, and you won't need surveys. Your customers will feel compelled to tell your servers what a wonderful dinner they had. In the meantime I will look forward to my next venture there in a few months.

If you want to get more info about Smokey Bones, look at a menu, or find a location near your city, click on over to their website: http://www.smokeybones.com/

My Overall Rating: * * * 1/2

Ken's Rating: * * * 1/2

John's Rating: * * * 1/2

Mark's Rating: * * *

on a scale of 5 Stars

Restaurant Review: The Grape Leaf (Louisville, KY)

As you can see from my Top 10 list, The Grape Leaf is another one of my favorite places to eat. I usually try to get there at least once every 6 to 8 months. If you live in the Louisville area, or nearby, and you are a fan of Mediterranean food- specifically Lebanese- then know that the Grape Leaf is the best in town for just that. Set on the trendy Franfort Ave. strip of restaurants and boutiques, the restaurant is cozy and casual, mush as you would expect for a Lebanese or French Bistro.

For this outing, not only did my usual dinner companion accompany me, but another friend of ours named John came along as well. Ken started out with an appetizer of Spanakopita, which is a phylo pocket filled with spinach, feta, lemon and sumac. Ken reported that is was a tasty, flavorful beginning. John opted for the hummus filled grape leaves. I chose what I always choose for a start when I go: the creamy, smoky hummus, with warm, soft pita bread. Honestly, the best hummus around.

For our main course, we dug into some authentic and typical East Mediterranean delights. The Grape Leaf's Signature "Nabil's Mixed Grill" of kufta, succulent lamb chop, lamb kabob along with Tzatziki Sauce and honey mustard was the perfect dinner for Ken. While John went with a simpler Lamb Gyro filled to the brim with sizzling lamb, cool cucumber, ripe tomato and crisp Romaine lettuce. I decided to try something new, something I had never had there before. Of course, it was still going to have lamb. Because when I think of lamb, and invariably crave lamb, I think of the Grape Leaf. So, I dined on something called the Lamb Shawarma Sandwich. A warm flour tortilla filled with tender grilled and marinated lamb, Romaine lettuce, cucumber, tangy onions, sumac and tahini. And then grilled again. I must say, it was probably the best way to prepare a tortilla as ever I have had. The veggies were crisp and full of flavor. The lamb- in all our dishes- cooked exactly the way lamb should be, from the outside inward. Our entree's also came with a choice of spiced rice.

This night, we opted out of dessert for one specific reason, and it is the only thing that marred our trip to The Grape Leaf. And that, unfortunately, was our service. I was actually fairly disappointed, because I do "talk up" this restaurant to friends. So, I was quite unhappy that our server was slow to refill our drinks, slow to check up on us, even slow to bring the change back. Ken actually had to approach the server at the front of the restaurant to get his change back after waiting some time. I would like to be able to say that since it was a Saturday evening around 6:30, that our server was just too busy. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as we noted the 3 servers on several occasions hanging around the front register gabbing instead of helping clients.

It is also important to note that about 50% of the menu is on the pricier side. This is one of the reasons I don't eat there more regularly. But, there are a few exceptions of economical dishes. The average price for an entree is about $16.00. You will be looking at an average of $7 for an appetizer. You can also order a la carte.

All in all I still enjoyed myself. And we greatly enjoyed the food. Again, I honestly believe this is the best Mediterranean place to eat in Louisville. If you would like to get more info on The Grape Leaf, driving instructions, or take a gander at their menu, click over to : http://www.grapeleafonline.com/

Wolf's Rating: * * * *

Ken's Rating: * * *

John's Rating: * * * 1/2