Louisville Restaurant News | Mayan Cafe revamps drinks menu

To bring its beverage program in line with its approach to food, the Mayan Cafe, 813 E. Market St., is replacing nearly its entire beverage lineup.

Inspired two years ago by a visit to Alice Waters’ restaurant in California where drinks included infused teas with flowers, manager Anne Shadle says, “We were having complaints that the ice tea wasn’t fair trade. We said, ‘Let’s get Coke out of here, let’s do all local beers, let’s go 100 percent sustainable organic with the wine and all craft with the cocktails.’

“That’s what we do with the food — the customers are giving us that leeway, so I’m sure they will with the drinks, too.”

Instead of soft drinks, Shadle says, the cafe will serve Latin juices. “We’re going to make stuff in-house … rice milk drinks and hibiscus water … tamarind juice and fresh-brewed organic ice tea.”

The new cocktail lineup will feature Latin-focused cocktails, Shadle says, using artisanal spirits. “The products are small batch … more care has been put into that product,” she says.

The Mezcal Mule is a spin on the Moscow mule, using del maguey mescal (in the tequila family), ginger beer and lime. The Sassafras Manhattan is made with Eagle Rare Bourbon, Art in the Ages root liqueur, sweet vermouth and bitters. The Rum Rhuby features Mt. Gay white rum, Art in the Ages rhubarb liqueur, pear puree, rhubarb bitters and lemon.

The St. George Pomegranate Smash contains St. George Botanivore gin, FruitLab jasmine liqueur, pomegranate syrup, fresh cucumber and pomegranate seeds. They will keep the barrel-aged blood orange margarita that was rolled out late this year.

And “of course we’re keeping Red Hot Roasters coffee,” Shadle says.

Shadle acknowledges there could be some reaction to removing conventional soft drinks. “But,” she says, “my staff is super good with explanation. We have a healthy local approach to everything we do here, and that doesn’t fall in line.”

More information: www.themayancafe.com or (502) 566-0651.

502 Restaurant Week set for February

Feb. 22 through March 3 has been named 502 Restaurant Week in Louisville. “Louisville needed a restaurant week,” says event organizer Belinda Gates of 502 Events LLC. “We travel a lot and see its effect on other cities.”

According to Gates, some 200 other U.S. cities hold restaurant weeks, in which restaurants offer special fixed-price menus. “We looked at a lot and studied a lot of restaurant weeks and did our research and knew we should do it here.”

The event has the support of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, according to Gates, as well as the Louisville Downtown Development Corp., where Gates serves on the board. That organization has discontinued the downtown Fleur De Licious restaurant week, Gates says.

“We’re all about promoting the restaurant industry and giving diners value,” says Gates. “It’s a win-win situation.” Restaurants pay to take part in the event, and diners choose from two fixed-price options at each participating restaurant and pay $50.20 per couple or $50.20 per person, depending on the restaurant (plus tax and tip) for a three-course meal.

What can diners expect? “We have high standards, so we’re telling the restaurants if they have a special item they’re known for, be sure to put it on the menu,” Gates says. “The diners will definitely get a good value. Hopefully, people will get to go in doors they don’t normally go through, and then go back.”

Gates hopes to have 30 restaurants take part. These are the first to have signed on: Amici Cafe, AP Crafters, Bistro 301, BLU Italian Grille, Decca, Harvest, Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge, Martini Italian Bistro, The Oakroom at the Seelbach, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, RYE on Market and Sway at the Hyatt.

Learn more at www.502restaurantweek.com.

Dinner at The Brown to feature country ham

A five-course dinner at the English Grill in The Brown hotel, 335 W. Broadway, on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. will feature smokehouse-aged country ham, bacon, sausage and prosciutto from Col. Bill Newsom’s Aged Kentucky Country Hams. Executive chef Laurent Geroli will infuse the meal with Kentucky bourbon.

This ham is “totally different” from other hams, Geroli says. “It’s the only one in the U.S. aged in a barn. Most of the ham in the country now is in climate control.”

The dinner, which is paired with cocktails, begins with a savory bourbon waffle with Newsom’s smoked cured bacon jam. Newsom’s smoked sausage po’ boy with pumpkin-bourbon mustard follows, with seared grouper with Newsom’s aged country ham brown butter, whipped parsnips and honey-bourbon carrots up next. Before dessert comes seared filet mignon with truffled cauliflower puree, fig jam and Newsom’s dry aged prosciutto. The meal is capped off with Newsom’s smoked cured bacon-chocolate souffle with bourbon Anglaise.

“I tried to mix sweet and savory,” explains Geroli. “You can play around a lot with ham … it’s just such a great taste in food.”

Nancy Newsom Mahaffey, “the Ham Lady” and owner-operator of Col. Bill Newsom’s Aged Kentucky Country Ham, will be on hand to talk about her grandfather’s 95-year-old, family-operated ham business and discuss the 300-year-old process of artisanal ham curing.

The dinner is $65 per person plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call (502) 583-1234. More information: www.brownhotel.com.

Tell Dana! Send your restaurant “dish” to Dana McMahan at thecjdish@gmail.com.