Louisville Restaurant To Do List

Shortly after creating the Louisville To Do List (LTDL), Gabe and I made a Louisville Restaurant To Do List (LRTDL). Here it is:

Blind Pig
Sari Sari
Bodega
Hillybilly Tea
Irish Rover

Also on the list, but already visited:
Palermo
Swan Dive
“Veg Smokehouse”
El Mundo
Bank Street Brewhouse
Mayan Café

This weekend, we tried the “Veg Smokehouse,” formally known as Smoketown USA.

When I moved to Louisville a year ago, I read a review that mentioned some tasty-sounding vegetarian dishes offered at this place, and I thought, “I’d like try this smokehouse.” I’m a bad, seafood-consuming vegetarian (some call my dietary habits pesco-vegetarian, but when I talk to serious non-meat eaters, “bad vegetarian” seems more accurate) and have considered re-introducing the occasional meat into my diet. Apart from last year’s Thanksgiving binge, this has yet to happen, and I stuck to the veggies on Saturday night.

Smoketown USA has two vegetarian entrees – a black bean burger, recommended by our waiter, and a Portobello mushroom sandwich. I followed the recommendation and was pleased. There are also salads, and for other bad vegetarians, Smoketown USA offers two fish options, plus a Friday fish special. Most of the sides are veg-friendly, and the menu clearly marks those that contain meat.

I’ll return to Smoketown USA for more food, but I’d also bike down and sit around for an afternoon of beer-drinking and book-reading (this is not something I do, but it sounds like a Saturday afternoon well-spent). It’s a friendly place. A 60s-70s pop cover artist – guy with guitar – took requests and welcomed new arrivals. Everything is for sale: lamps, tables, chairs, knick-knacks in the back room. The owner came out to let us know about our shopping possibilities and introduced himself to all the patrons as a “Jewish redneck massage therapist.” I did not ask about the location of his massage business, but I have been looking for salt and pepper shakers, and Smoketown USA had a selection. Perhaps I’ll find something when I return for book-and-beer time. Until then, if you have an extra, awesome salt and pepper shaker set, you could bring it there – they take items on consignment.