A bar and restaurant combo, the Rudyard Kipling has long been a fixture in Louisville's independent arts scene, providing a venue for live music, avant garde theater, and literary readings. The kitchen's specialty is Kentucky cuisine and includes burgoo, soupbeans and cornbread, Boonesborough snappy cheese, and delicious hickory jalapeño blackberry salad dressing. Another good bet: pizzas with whole wheat crust. Signature drinks include the Pile Driver (named after owner Ken Pyle), a fabulous bloody mary, and sangria. "The Rud" is like no other venue in Louisville.

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