A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words....Whoops

If a picture is truly worth a thousand words...then whoops. I almost never leave the house without my trusty sidekick...my camera. But even this food blogging, picture taking, restaurant loving girl makes a mistake sometimes.

I couldn't simply leave these two places off my list just because I was forgetful and left the house without my camera (pre-dinner cocktail hour may or may not have been the true culprit here).

So here's a quick shout out to two Louisville restaurants that deserve a little recognition...even without photographic proof.

1.) The Blind Pig: http://theblindpiglouisville.com/

Any establishment that is committed to making their own Chorizo, Boudin and more, is worth visiting. Their food is rustic but prepared with love, and it shows.

The hubby had the Cassoulet and I ordered the Cod with Chorizo. Both dishes were flavorful and featured their house-made sausage creations. Their wine/beer selection and knowledge was another plus in my book.

I will certainly be back to The Blind Pig for the food, however I'll also be sure to return for the hospitality. Both our server and the manager were more than attentive and friendly, they were downright awesome. We actually ate at The Blind Pig a few months back while scouting out Louisville as a potential hometown. The manager gave us his card and his email address, then offered up his assistance in our daunting search for a rental house. I'm sure had we taken him up on his offer he would have happily driven us around town for our own private tour.

A restaurant can't succeed on good food alone. The Blind Pig not only has good, rustic fare...they also have good, solid hospitality. If you ask me, that's a recipe for success.


2.) FABD Smokehouse: 1202 Bardstown Rd

I work with urbanspoon.com to both promote my blog AND restaurants I enjoy. If you read my blog often you'll recognize the UrbanSpoon link at the bottom of all my review posts. Every restaurant has a diner's rating...a certain percentage of likes and dislikes. While preparing this post I realized that only 52% of voters liked this BBQ joint. They're friggin' crazy. This place is amazing.

We ate here our first night in town. After a long day of driving and unpacking we wanted some cold beer and hot BBQ. This place hit the spot.

They have two locations, one of which is on Bardstown Rd, practically in our back yard, and I hope they'll continue to open more.

The beer was good and cheap. The BBQ was smoked to perfection, flavorful and authentic. The sides were awesome (their potato salad is my new fav...sorry Grandmom!). But best of all...they offer smoked brisket.

Now, I'm not a BBQ snob. I recognize that different regions have different styles, sauces, etc. The hubby is North Carolina born and raised so he's a fan of pulled pork with a vinegar based sauce, but he's also a fan of good 'ol fashioned smoked meat. He (and I agree 100%) believes that if you're going to have pulled pork on the menu, you don't need to have pulled beef as well. You DO, however, need some type of smoked, Texas style brisket...and FABD had it.

I've found that many chain BBQ joints cut corners and just make big batches of pulled beef...smother it in sauce...and slap it on a bun. It really is the easier way to do things, so if you've got dozens of restaurants, easier is, well, a no-brainer.

FABD offered a good variety of BBQ...simple and not-so-simple to make. And for that, I salute them. Add reasonable prices to the mix they really should have at least a 90% rating on UrbanSpoon.

I know I'll be back!