There are a great many moving parts to be gleaned as the debut of Nostalgic Cocktail House + Restaurant arrives on Valentine’s Day.
The Courier Journal’s Dahlia Ghabour has authored what I consider as the definitive preview of Nostalgic, and you are encouraged to visit the newspaper’s site and read it: Naive owner opens upscale Nostalgic bar, chophouse in this Louisville neighborhood.
In the meantime, following is a brief bullet list of pertinent factoids drawn from her coverage.
- Nostalgic is located at 1306 Bardstown Road in the Highlands. The owner is Catherine MacDowall (founder of Naive), and executive chef is Drew Corman (also of Naive).
- Nostalgic can be considered the Bellwether Hotel’s house restaurant and bar, as the two are connected to each other inside, with separate egress outside, although there is no common ownership.
- Nostalgic’s raison d’être is precisely that: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, with “upscale versions of the most nostalgic foods (and drinks) from your childhood.” As an example, potato skins encrusted with caviar.
- The dinner menu reflects more traditional chophouse fare, including ribeye, smothered pork chop, penne pasta—but not to omit an upscale version of hamburger helper.
- According to Corman, as quoted by Ghabour, “each dish is different in the way we approach it. You look at every ingredient and think, what would be a more interesting, fun, silly version of it? How do you cook it if you want to elevate it?”
- The cocktail list is called “The Drinks That Made Us,” as created by interim beverage director Eron Plevan, and is divided between “classic cocktails” and “nostalgic drinks inspired by childhood treats,” including Rice Krispy-infused rum and a cereal milk Alexander.
View the entire menu here. Nostalgic’s hours of operation currently are listed as Tuesday through Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to midnight, with dinner service concluding at 10:00 p.m.
