Review: Cunningham's

(Credit: Arza Barnett)

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The entry for Cunningham’s Restaurant takes up quite a bit of space in the estimable “Encyclopedia of Louisville” (University Press of Kentucky, $39.95). And so it should.

The restaurant is a fixture in Louisville history that traces its lineage to 1870, when a combination delicatessen and horse stable opened at Fifth and Breckinridge streets.

During the roaring 1890s, it would become a “rooming house” of ill repute, and during Prohibition, the restaurant’s main lure seems to have been a “soft drink” stand that thrived until federal agents shut it down. In 1942, Cunningham’s made history again, when it turned its parking lot into Louisville’s first “drive-in” restaurant — with waiters who predated the advent of carhops.

Until 2001— when a fire destroyed the original building — eating at Cunningham’s was a portal to Louisville’s distant past. Every wall was adorned with vintage photos of Derby-winning horses, sportsmen and Louisville street scenes — and diners looking for a bit of intimacy could take their meals in secluded private dining rooms behind swinging wooden doors.

In 2003, Cunningham’s reopened on Fourth Street between Broadway and West Chestnut Street. And though the newer modern space could never hope to recapture the crumbling majesty of the old, it’s still something of a time machine.

Nearly 300 vintage photos were recovered from the fire, and every wall enshrines old thoroughbreds and old buildings. On one wall, there’s a photo of the historic Pendennis Club still under construction. On another hangs an image of the Mary Anderson Theater circa 1907. On a third hangs an image of Henry Watterson’s Fourth Street mansion in 1895. And at the back of the dining room, there are still a handful of swinging doors that open into private dining rooms.

The menu hasn’t changed much either. Cunningham’s was cooking old-school long before retro blue plate specials became trendy. Though recent visits found food quality inconsistent, on balance, Cunningham’s remains a good choice for folks in search of hearty meals and efficient service downtown.

 The bill of fare includes hot turkey and hot beef sandwiches, the former served with yellow giblet gravy and cranberry sauce, the latter with thick, brown gravy, both with scoops of mashed potatoes ($7.50). Side dishes include well-seasoned green beans, long-simmered cabbage, grilled onions ($1.50), and scoops of cottage cheese garnished with sweet chunks of canned pineapple ($2.50).

Cunningham’s has long had a reputation for its hand-breaded fried fish, which remains a reliable choice as a dinner ($11 with salad and vegetable) or sandwich ($6 with chips and pickle). The breading, crisp and golden brown, clings nicely to the moist, fresh fish, and squeeze-bottles of house-made tartar sauce served as a sweet, tangy contrast to the lightly salted breading.

Corned beef and cabbage ($7.75), on the other hand, was simply atrocious. A pair of boiled potatoes and a generous portion of braised cabbage were fine, but the meat arrived in thin, dry, tasteless slices that looked as if they’d just been plucked from a bag of lunchmeat. A little cup of grated horseradish served alongside and a bright green scallion draped across the plate were nice touches, but not enough to compensate for that misguided meat.

Through the week, Cunningham’s serves cafeteria-style specials through the lunch rush (as well as its standard menu), and on Sundays the restaurant offers an all-you-can eat buffet that’s well worth the $11.95 tab.

One recent Sunday afternoon, the dining room buzzed with happy chatter, the staff attended meticulously to the steam table, and the food was satisfying, varied and flavorful. Tender slices of roast pork, crisp, peppery fried chicken, slices of well-done roast beef simmering in rich broth, and a full complement of country-style sides were on offer. The mashed potatoes weren’t made from scratch — but the gravy certainly was.

The cakes and pies weren’t made in-house, but the piping-hot peach cobbler had definitely come straight from the kitchen. And though I’d arrived far too late for the breakfast items that are served from 10:30 till shortly after noon, I can’t wait to find out what that kitchen does with biscuits and sausage gravy.

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