Bar Hopper: Furlong's

(Credit: Joseph Lord)

Bars and restaurants come and go, but rarely do they return. Furlongs served Louisiana-inspired dishes in Crescent Hill until closing in 2005, but managed to reopen in Middletown last year in a bigger — if less desirably located — building. But Crescent Hill's loss is Middletown's gain.

The building used to house Garrett's steakhouse, but the new owners have renovated it, adding trademark decor pegged to thoroughbred racing in Louisiana. The bar greets you when you breach the door. It's expansive, with one elevated side lined with chairs and the other ground-level side lined with stools.

The draft beer offerings included Newcastle, Blue Moon and Sam Adams Winter Lager — decent in a part of town not known for its beer snobbery. Furlongs also serves on draft Abita Amber Ale, from the preferred brewery of Louisiana beer drinkers. It's one of my favorite beers, but it's not common to find on tap in Louisville, so I ordered an ice-cold glass — a reasonable $4 — and enjoyed it at the bar.

The food prices are heftier — dinner entrees run in the $16 to $20 range, while appetizers are $8 to $12. The food is tasty, but I'd patronize Furlongs mostly for the big bar, which gets even bigger and better on weekends. The front of the building is lined with heavy plastic curtains that, along with heaters, allow Furlongs to use its outdoor bar in the colder months. The New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl contenders, and I can't think of a better joint in Louisville to cheer them onward and upward. The entire enterprise is fancier than a sports bar, but more comfortable than a fine-dining restaurant.

My only quibble with Furlongs is access into the parking lot, which sits yards away from the busy Hurstbourne Parkway-Shelbyville Road intersection. The building is easy to miss — a Qdoba blocks the view from Shelbyville Road until you're right on top of the parking lot entrance.

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