This post was written by our girl on the restaurant scene, StyleBlueprint intern Krista Walker.  She went for the wine and ended up gushing over the small plates menu. Here, through her photography and in her words, is why she endorses LouVino as a “trend worth trying.”
I love wine. So you can imagine how excited I was to finally try LouVino, a trendy wine bar with intriguing wine flight options named after famed Kentuckians like Jennifer Lawrence, Lewis & Clark and everyone’s favorite newlywed, George Clooney. When I got to LouVino and perused the food menu, though, I realized that the only thing better than sampling three rather generously poured wines at a reasonable price range of $10 to $20 was the impressive food menu.
As a restaurant built on the premise of “small plates,” the best way to enjoy LouVino is to go with a group so you can try as many menu items as possible. So rally your besties and make a date—these are the top picks you should try.
My suggestion is that you order a few snacks and then wait until they arrive before ordering from the land/aquatic sections of the menu. This makes for a nice, long dinner allowing you to savor each dish more fully, as they should be. And be sure to ask your server for help pairing wine and menu picks; our server was very helpful and selected the perfect pairs. We tried the Jennifer Lawrence and the George Clooney, shown below:
Now, onto the food. Grab a napkin because your mouth is about to water…
Sweet and smokey bacon marcona almonds
To be frank, this was an obvious choice because if bacon is involved, so am I. The almonds were a perfect blend of sweet and salty, and the flavor went marvelously with red wine.
Chef’s popcorn with caramel, sea salt and apple crisps
This festive popcorn dish came out topped with fresh baked apple crisps and drizzled in warm caramel. Â The perfect blend of sweet and savory, this was a tough one to stop eating.
Bacon-wrapped dates with stilton cheese and port drizzle
I’m not ashamed to share that these beauties didn’t last more than 10 seconds at our table. Bite-sized, these were a perfect mixture of sweet and salty as well and the stilton cheese packs a delicious punch inside. To underscore how amazing they tasted, let me just say that I dreamed about them later that night.
Loaded baked potato tots with bacon, cheddar, scallions and house ranch
One of my favorite food groups is mashed potatoes, so these were a must, and they certainly did not disappoint. Fried on the outside, creamy and cheesy on the inside, the only thing that made them even tastier was dipping them in the creamy house ranch. A plate comes with six, so there were plenty to share.
Mussels
For seafood fans, the mussels are a must! They arrive smothered in vino, chili and herbs, and served with garlic bruschetta. For $9, a generous serving of delicious mussels arrive in a sauce that could be considered a soup. The bruschetta was on point- perfectly toasted and crunchy, and was even more flavorful once dipped in the sauce.
Chocolate Chunk Beignets with Vanilla Bean Anglaise
Usually by this point in any meal, dessert is just not an option. However, when I told people I was going to Louvino, the overwhelming response was that the chocolate chunk beignets with vanilla bean anglaise were a must! And since I don’t like to let people down, well, we ordered the beignets. The recommendations were validated: the beignets, indeed, are a must! With just three to a plate, these bite sized, fresh-from-the-oven beignets were filled with warm chocolate and couldn’t be eaten without the vanilla bean anglaise.  It was a sweet way to top off our unique dining experience.
BONUS: Fried chicken tacos with crispy chicken, garlic mash, cheddar and pepper gravy
Because what more could a good ol’ southern food connoisseur love more than fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and peppered gravy on a taco? Unfortunately, the fried chicken tacos are not pictured because, to be quite honest, I forgot. When you have a heaping taco with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy on it, the last thing on anyone’s mind is to take a picture. With a reasonably large piece of chicken in the middle of a tortilla, mashed potatoes and then topped with cheddar and gravy, this dish was probably my favorite. Just know if you don’t order these on your visit to LouVino, then you may have your Southern status revoked. You’ve been warned! These are only $9.
LouVino is located at 1606 Bardstown Road. Parties of five or more can make reservations; fewer than five should get there early. Cheers!
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