While I was in Louisville recently, I had an open evening. So I met up with my sister, Nancy (whose birthday just happens to be today), and we went to Jack Fry's, a local favorite in Louisville.
Jack Fry's is truly an institution in Louisville. Jack Fry opened his doors just after Prohibition ended in 1933 and ran it until he sold it in the late 70's. Given that the area around Jack Fry's was going upscale with shops and restaurants, Jack Fry's abandoned their old formula of beer and sandwiches and went to a gourmet menu with an extensive wine list. Today, owner Susan Seiller and executive chef Shawn Ward have turned Jack Fry's into a four-star restaurant in the heart of the bohemian Bardstown Rd. area south and east of downtown Louisville (see map).
From the outside, Jack Fry's isn't much to look at. Inside, it's cozy and warm with dark brown walls filled with pictures from Louisville's past. There's a number of photos to do with the Kentucky Derby and other past events in Louisville's history.
Jack Fry has a guy playing soft jazz on a piano. It's not too loud and provides a wonderful audio backdrop to conversations going on in the restaurants.
Jack Fry's has two sections - the main room up front where the bar is located; and the back dining room that features booths and tables. We were seated in the back dining room right by the hostess stand.
The booths were roomy and comfortable. Even though Jack Fry's is a small place, you don't get a claustrophobic feel when you're seated. We were greeted by our waitress, Ashley, who was adorned in a tux minus the jacket. I wanted to get a bottle of wine, but I'd had a long day and I needed a cold beer. My sister ordered up a glass of chardonnay to start out.
Jack Fry's menu is what I would call American-bistro style. While not a huge menu, it's interesting enough that I had trouble trying to figure out what I wanted. The appetizers looked great - shrimp in a red eye gravy with shittake mushrooms and tomatoes poured over grits was one that caught my eye. And they did have foie gras on the menu at a time when many restaurants aren't serving that delicacy any longer.
For dinner, I went with the house specialty - a veal chop stuffed with Fontana cheese, wild mushrooms and sage. My sister got the old stand-by - Jack Fry's filet mignon served with prosciutto. And I ordered a bottle of the 2003 Franciscan Cabernet to go with our meal.
After we both finished a house salad, Ashley brought our meals to us. The presentation was wonderful, the portions were good sized and the taste was wonderful. Actually, I didn't think I had a stuffed veal chop as it didn't appear that anything was stuffed into it. However, my last few bites found the stuffing and it was very good. I also had a side of fingerling potatoes, asparagus and brussel sprouts (the brussel sprouts I didn't like).
My sister's filet was cooked to perfection. She also had a little herb potato cake on the side that she said was very good.
For dessert, I was very stuffed but I was talked into sharing the creme caramel - vanilla custard with a caramel topping and a burnt glaze on top, sort of like a creme brulee. It was sinfully great. But, OH! So rich!
My sister told me that Jack Fry's was famous for their gourmet burgers. In fact, they even feature them as a main entree on their dinner menu. I told her that I had to be back over this way the next day so I'd try to stop in and get one. Well, it turned out that I didn't have time to stop in, but I'm sure I'll be back in sometime in the next couple three months.
Jack Fry's is pricey - with tip the bill came to $180 bucks. But the food is great, the service is impeccable, and the place has loads of history. Before I left, I had to walk around the bar area up front to look at the pictures and memorabilia they had on the walls. Jack Fry's is truly a neat place and one that I'll definitely go back to.
(Click here to see my visit to Jack Fry's for one of their gourmet cheeseburgers.)
Uncle Will! Jack Fry's is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in LVV! Thanks so much for your voicemail when you were there ... when are you coming to San Francisco?? xoxokristin
Posted by: Kristin | April 15, 2007 at 10:16 PM