After a caesura precipitated by the birth of a baby, I've emerged from the wilderness to Yelp again. My wife and I went to the Bard's Town twice in 2 weeks, which probably gives you an inkling that we thought the place was not too shabby. I was intrigued by the concept of this restaurant - a main dining area and bar, a lounge area with a stage for local bands, stand-up comedy and other small acts, and a theater on the next level. As interesting as this idea is, if the food is disappointing, the rest of it can appear a gimmick. On our first visit, I ordered the Bison-tennial Burger and my wife got the First Folio Fish; we also got an appetizer - the Much Ado About Empanadas (empanadas stuffed with potatoes, chorizo sausage, spices and served with a red pepper aioli). The food was unbelievably good, as was the service! We finished off the meal with the Gooey Butter Cake. My wife is from St Louis which is the birth place of the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake so we were a bit skeptical. The first bite obliterated any apprehensions we may have had. We were in heaven, and there was the distinct possibility that our unwillingness to share would prove to be detrimental to our marital bliss. Neither side was willing to yield. Eventually, after much quibbling, we decided to compromise and the cake was split down the middle with surgical precision. The next time we went to Bard's Town, we got the delectable empanadas again and ordered a Gooey Butter Cake apiece to avoid further discord.
Review Source:You will not be disappointed. They have a good selection of food and drinks. There is always something going on whether it be live, music, comedians, plays, etc. Its in a great area, they need to do away with the parking spaces out front and make a patio, then they would really be funky shaqin it.
Review Source:Like all great theater this restaurant comes in two acts!
Act One:
You enter and find your transported into a friendly bar atmosphere. You are given the menu which includes an interesting exposition of unique gourmet treats and an introduction of characters by surrounding helpful staff and dining patrons.
Act Two:
You climb a winding staircase and entre into the second floor of the bards town. Above the restaurant and bar area is another fill bar and the exciting element of a theatrical stage! I attended during one of the weekly improv troupe and had a great laugh.
As a note although many times they have cocktail service during the shows it is always good to ask the downstairs bartender if there will be service upstairs. Check out the Bards Town website to arrange when to see a good show upstairs.
To conclude you'll find after one visit to this Bard that parting will be such sweet sorrow....
Following my previous review, which included a not super service experience, I was contacted by one of the owners of the Bards Town in an attempt to rectify the situation and inviting me to come back and change my mind about the place.
This visit was leaps and bounds better then the first food experience. From the moment we walked in the door, the staff was on the ball. Our waitress was fantastic! We took her recommendation for dinner and both got the special: pulled pork sandwich, mine with the sweet sauce and hers with the bourbon sauce, and the macaroni and cheese as our side. We also ordered the Billy's Cheese as the starter (delicious). The pulled pork was fantastic, but the real stand out was the mac and cheese. Like....it was CRAZY good. I ate waaaaaay too much.
After dinner, we stayed to watch a friend's band play, and they were kind enough to hold our leftovers in their fridge until we left (so glad I remembered to grab it on the way out).
I sincerely hope that the wonderful service we received was a reflection of what is actually the norm here and not as a result of my using a gift certificate sent to me following my other review. Because if this truly is the norm, this is certainly a place that deserves to be revisited. Perhaps often.
If only for the mac and cheese side alone!
I will be back for sure.
Update to review a meal at the restaurant portion and another play in the theater ...
Dinner was good, not great but good. Â Service was friendly and properly attentive. Â The club sandwich was average with no real hint of the blue cheese mayo but there was nothing wrong with it at all either. Â Dinner companion's shrimp dish appeared good quality and disappeared quickly. Â Closer to 3 stars than 4 on the food.
Another good play, even simpler sets that before but laugh out loud funny and a definite good time. Â Really, for $10 you can't beat it for an evening's entertainment. Â Oh, and when the program says "adult themes" they mean ADULT themes :)
As a small theater venue, this stays well within the 4 star category in my book.
I cannot say enough good things about The Bard's Town. Â Granted, yes...I have some biased favoritism. I started to waitress there last fall, but I even go there on my days off to eat! Â The food is ah-mazing, so I was incredibly surprised to see some users review it so negatively. So I'm sticking to my review of the food, since reviewing my service or that of my peers doesn't make any sense. Â But the entertainment is super rad as well! Â Everything from comedy and poetry readings, to live music and plays can be found here!
Here's my guide to (some of) my favorite things on the menu: Â
Appetizer: Corndelia (a veg-head options for lovers such as myself). Â If you're more on the carnivorous side, go loin-ee pops and you won't be disappointed. Â
If you go for the specialty entrees on the right-hand side of the menu, you'll have the option of starting your meal with a regular side salad, Caesar side salad, or a cup of the tomato bisque. Â All are delicious, but if it's not a KY summer day, go for the bisque. It's out of this world!! **Note: The bisque is a perfect complement to the Corndelia, in my humble opinion.
If you're going to sandwich town, the Reuben cannot be beat. Â Throw in that extra buck for the Mac-n-cheese upgrade, and you will not be disappointed.
If you're hungry, or looking for a real culinary treat, get the Rigate Diablo. Â Add the house made sausage and you'll have a dish worthy of the most pasta's among us. Â It's incredible...seriously. Â
And if you're STILL hungry (which you won't be, the Diablo is huge-mongous), you've gotta try the Gooey Butter cake. Â Think homemade chess square (except better) covered in a bourbon caramel sauce and whipped cream. Â YUM!
One more thing to mention, then I'm done. Â SO many of the items at The Bard's Town are made there. Â From the salad dressings and hummus, to the sausage and dessert. Â They're fresh, they're delicious, and they're all waiting for you at The Bard's Town! Â So I hope you come visit. Â Feel free to ask for me, and I promise to give you the best service I can!
--Bryn
what a wonderful bar! Â i remember when this was big dave's; what a change shakespeare can make.
i went here with my friends for pub quiz, so naturally it was busy. Â however, our waitress was friendly and constantly checked in on us. Â the menu, as expected, plays on the bard's plays and life. Â typical bar food (well, at least for the highlands) and quick service on drinks. Â i must say that the gooey butter cake was cloyingly sweet, but it went well with a nice ale to wash the sugar down.
add the nerdy/geeky atmosphere of pub quiz, and it makes for a wonderful place to go...at least on pub quiz night. Â how it is on other nights, i'm not sure.
this served as my introduction to louisville and most definitely eased my homesickness for new orleans. Â great menu, friendly staff, diverse crowd with none of the attitude i've begrudgingly come to accept as a part of life. Â ate my first bison burger - i'm a fan! Â apparently there was a poetry reading going on in their performance space and i left before the band finished setting up, but i'd love to come back and check out the entertainment as well.
Review Source:My wife and I stopped in here a few months ago when they first opened. Â The food is really good and we have yet to have anything close to a bad meal. Empenadas and The Globe for apps are phenomenal, the salads are fresh and the dressings rock, entrees are so well balanced its crazy. We have had the Taming of the Stew and The Pasta Diablo with the homemade Italian sausage, extremely good all around. Â The have live music most nights and provide other entertainment which have yet to check out but will very soon. Its a casual relaxed atmosphere, not loud and obnoxious. The service is great always friendly and prompt. Â We highly recommended this place, we are foodies and it does not disappoint.
Review Source:
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