Kentucky.... specifically Louisville...south or midwest? (food, best, metro)

[Louisvilleslugger]

Originally Posted by stx12499

I actually think Louisville could perhaps use such a gimmick to brand itself. The city just came up with a new slogan "Do something original," and is about to target several states with aggresive marketing campaigns.

It is true, Louisville once had a sign that read "Gateway to the South" on top of the LG&E substation that sits downtown at 2nd and river road in the 1930s. Now that this complex is being torn down for a new arena, I think it could be pretty cool to erect a retro looking sign on top of the arena with the same slogan. While Louisville is certainly not entirely southern, its a nice gimmick and certainly helps us brand ourselves with northern tourists.

That would be kind of cool

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by ajf131

Really? Well I can't speak for the '80s given I was born in '86, but I believe you. Makes me wonder the same thing about Waffle Houses, BenAround? Were they only in the South in the '80s too? I guess it'd sort of surprise me that Minnesota would not have the true Cracker Barrel stuff the other restaurant chains would given the whole idea of a restaurant chain in the first place is to establish uniformity. Cracker Barrel is a true Southern restaurant and their whole purpose seems to be to offer Southern cooking no matter what part of the country their located in. I'm not questioning whether the TC one was lacking the stuff you said it did. Just makes me wonder why it was.

Well, I was quite disappointed when CB came to MN and I couldn't get those southern dishes. You are right about national chains and uniformity, I hope CB hasn't succumbed to it because not enough northerners were buying the Southern food, would be too bad, since it seemed like Southern cusine is their concept.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

Cracker barrels open new stores all the time and who can blame em? They are in the buisness to make money and they are packed all the time so why wouldn't they spread out somewhere besides the south?

No problem that I see. I just wish they'd keep that Southern menuso Yankee boys like me can get my fix when I need it!

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by Ben Around

Well, I was quite disappointed when CB came to MN and I couldn't get those southern dishes. You are right about national chains and uniformity, I hope CB hasn't succumbed to it because not enough northerners were buying the Southern food, would be too bad, since it seemed like Southern cusine is their concept.

I think their concept is more home-cooked or country-style style food rather than explicitly southern. You know, the type grandma traditionally served from the cornfields of Iowa to the cotton fields of Alabama. This type of food is as popular with Midwestern and rural folks as it is with Southern people. In reality, any city in the south has much better places for "country-cookin" or "soul-food" than Cracker Barrel. Unfortunately, there aren't too many restaurants of this genre in the city of Louisville, but as you head south to southern KY and TN, these homestyle types of places are all over. We do have a place called Our Best, and this place is the "real deal"

Goin' to town: Little country restaurant set to challenge off-ramp king Cracker Barrel - Business First of Louisville:

[Ben Around]

Another interesting, informative post, Louisvilleslugger! I'd give you some rep, but the computer says I have to spread some around before I send any more to you.

"Some of the residential patterns of black settlement also paralled other urban south centers. In Midwestern cities blacks settled in older inner city neighborhoods, but in Louisville there was a tendancy for blacks to settle on the urban periphery..."

I lived in Miami for several years when I was growing up and noticed this same pattern. While Overtown (known as the "Central Negro District" when I lived there) was close in to downtown, there were many scattered black neighborhoods in the central city and in the suburbs, including one in Coconut Grove (actually spilling across the city line into upscale Coral Gables), Liberty City, Brownsville, Bunche Park, Opa Locka, South Miami, Richmond Heights and Naranja. As far as I know, these are still virtually all-black communities. Very different from Northern cities where blacks settled in old white ethnic neighborhoods in the inner city.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by Iúile

I'd say Appalachia has a very distinct culture from both the Midwest and South.

Interesting, Iuile. Would you say an Appalachian dweller from say, NY's Southern Tier or NE PA would have more in common with someone from Knoxville, TN than he would from someone from Erie, PA or Syracuse, NY? (Don't know, just asking.)

[Louisvilleslugger]

[quote=stx12499;795002]

Unfortunately, there aren't too many restaurants of this genre in the city of Louisville, but as you head south to southern KY and TN, these homestyle types of places are all over.

Are you implying that Louisville doesn't have a great deal of Southern themed resturants? If so just off the top of my head Big Mamma's, Kings, Indies, Southern hosptality, Pig out, ECT.

[stx12499]

[quote=Louisvilleslugger;795102]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Are you implying that Louisville doesn't have a great deal of Southern themed resturants? If so just off the top of my head Big Mamma's, Kings, Indies, Southern hosptality, Pig out, ECT.

Those places are more "soul-food" oriented and located in predominantly African American neighborhoods, and similar joints can be found in any major Midwestern city (or coastalone), especially Chicago and Detroit. So that does not prove Southernness IMO.

[Louisvilleslugger]

[quote=stx12499;795218]

Originally Posted by Louisvilleslugger

Those places are more "soul-food" oriented and located in predominantly African American neighborhoods, and similar joints can be found in any major Midwestern city (or coastalone), especially Chicago and Detroit. So that does not prove Southernness IMO.

So what would those restaurants be called in Nashville? Soul food and Southern food are almost synonymous, and actually there is a series on the Food Network called "The Secret Life Of" (it would pick a food and described it's origin, History, and it's role in pop culture) and they had an episode on Southern cuisines. Well for starters they literally took a map and included every state which they considered part of the region (which included Kentucky, and East Texas, But excluded Florida, Delaware, and Maryland). They then began with BBQ and went to African slaves cooking and how that eventually evolved into the key component in Southern cuisine and said it is commonly referred to as "Soul Food". BTW when they got to Kentucky they did mention Louisville.

[stx12499]

[quote=Louisvilleslugger;795271]

Originally Posted by stx12499

So what would those restaurants be called in Nashville? Soul food and Southern food are almost synonymous, and actually there is a series on the Food Network called "The Secret Life Of" (it would pick a food and described it's origin, History, and it's role in pop culture) and they had an episode on Southern cuisines. Well for starters they literally took a map and included every state which they considered part of the region (which included Kentucky, and East Texas, But excluded Florida, Delaware, and Maryland). They then began with BBQ and went to African slaves cooking and how that eventually evolved into the key component in Southern cuisine and said it is commonly referred to as "Soul Food". BTW when they got to Kentucky they did mention Louisville.

Chicago has a black community larger than all of Metro Louisville. Trust me that there is a lot more southern cooking there in AA neighborhoods. "Soul-food" and country cooking are much different! Soul-food has southern roots due to slave migration/migration due to racial tension and factory jobs, but this does not impart a southern flavor to a city. As you know, Chicago, STL, and Detroit were the major recipients of the industrial era Great Migration, thus their soul-food heritage--Fried Chicken, Collard Greens, etc. Does this make them southern? I think not!

How many country white people do you see at Indi's on West Broadway? I know the secret of Indi's wings and I am white, so you will find me in there, but I can count on one hand the number of whites I have seen when I pick up wings there for games (the wings may be the best in town). As you know, its no secret that most white people in Louisville are scared of the west end, and we even have had first time visitors on this board speak to that effect. It is sad but true.