Louisville’s gamble on the Theatre Square Marketplace development is looking like a pretty good one.  The development, located on 4th Street midway between Broadway and Chestnut, opened officially today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the mayor and the governor.

Gov. Beshear called it “small business at its best.”  Eric Haner, a co-developer whose law offices are located in the new complex, said that the block is becoming “an inner city core of activity.”  Mayor Abramson said the area has been “coming along in a very classy way.”  Everyone’s excited.

And they should be.  The city’s investment of $140,000 in forgivable and low-interest loans seems to have been well-timed.  The section of 4th Street that was, a few short years ago, a “dead block,” can now boast one of the densest collections of restaurants in the city.

Theatre Square Marketplace, which itself is home to Nancy’s Bagels (owned by Haner’s sister, Nancy), Theatre Square Wine and Spirits, a gourmet grocery store, and Bon Apetit, is flanked to the north by Safier Mediterranean Deli, Sicilian Pizza and Pasta, and Cunningham’s, and to the south by Yafa Café, BBC’s downtown location, and the Brown Hotel.

(The lone blemish is the Villa Fontana club, which is best known as the site where U of L receiver Trent Guy was shot last summer.)

With a Sapporo opening in the old Café Kilimanjaro space, the area, which Haner called “the local end of 4th Street,” appears to be becoming Louisville’s newest locally-owned restaurant row.

Remembering Ferd’s- People are missing Ferd Grisanti’s, which closed 2 1/2 months ago. Well, they miss Ferd’s when it was actually good. The C-J’s Ron Mikulak has received an influx of mail regarding the late J-Town institution, including some recipes. [C-J]

International Fun- Louisville will once again be hosting the International WorldFest Labor Day Weekend at the Belvedere. The WorldFest will feature local ethnic restaurants and vendors, international music and plenty of chances to eat, shop and drink. Metro Government sets it all up.

A Versatile Soul- Soul food in the city? The new place is Versatile, on Baxter Avenue. Here’s a review from MetroMix.

The Greatest Sandwich of Them All- Critic Robin Garr took it upon himself to find the best BLT in the city, inviting four chefs to re-create the classic with their own unique style. Varanese chef Stephen Dennison was judged best, but, well, Garr seems to think there’s no such thing as a bad BLT. [LEO]

Volkfest is Not About Cars- Make sure your schedule’s clear for this Saturday, as the Volkfest invades Clay Street between Market and Main. German food, German music and of course lots of beer will be served on the closed-off street. The event is sponsored by BBC, O’Shea’s and the New Albanian Brewing Company. As a bonus, you can find out the winners of the 48-Hour Film Project.

Hot Brown Praise – The cowboys at CMT love the Hot Brown, and who could blame them? While we don’t know if we’d go as far to call the Hot Brown a “luxurious sandwich,” there’s no denying the appeal of the Louisville original, served at the Brown Hotel.  The Nashville writer’s short piece gives a quick history of the sandwich and praises Bardstown’s “indie scene.” Cool. (CMT)

Breakfast at The Brown- You can also get a high-end breakfast at the Brown, especially if you sample the new breakfast menu at J. Graham’s Cafe. Vanilla Belgian Waffles, the Hot Brown Florentine, and the Smoked Salmon Omelet sound like reasons enough to pay the grand ol’ hotel a morning visit.

Party Like It’s 1933- Brown-Forman is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition. That’s something to celebrate, especially when you’re the only whiskey company in the U.S. that existed before, during and after Prohibition. Part of its six-month celebration is the recognition of establishments which survived the dry spell, and unveiling a special Old Forester gift pack. Old Forester was legally sold as medicine during Prohibition, and became many a grandpa’s cough syrup.

BBC Never a Let Down – We kicked off this past weekend at BBC in St. Matthews, where we were happy to discover the Raspberry Meade and an excellent spinach and artichoke pizza. The meade is tasty and kind of on the sweet side (it’s fermented honey!), so you don’t want to drink more than one. The pizza was just as good, with spinach, chicken and artichokes covered in cheese on a chewy crust. If you go, be sure to eat outside on the air conditioned beer garden.

The addition of Molly Malone’s would be a feather in the cap of St. Matt’s ever-improving restaurant and bar scene. In my pub crawling days (admittedly two decades ago), that neighborhood’s best beer was found in a few green import bottles hidden among legions of brown-glassed Buds.

Since then, Bluegrass Brewing Co. and Brendan’s Restaurant & Pub (a sibling of O’Shea’s Irish Pub and Flanagan’s Ale House) have raised the microbrew draught beer selection and food quality bar significantly. And unlike longstanding icons, Dutch’s Tavern and Gerstel’s Place, Brendan’s vibe is much more pub than pick-up joint, a real plus for the married set eager only to share beers and bites with friends.

According to Business First, MM’s owners don’t know exactly when they’ll move in since the transition hinges on Buffalo Wild Wings’ departure. But you can bet I’ll grant it, as the Irish say, “cead mile failte” (a 100,000 welcomes) when it comes. When you live on the fringes of the city, a shorter driver to a great pub is always welcomed.

Though some fear the new Molly’s is too close to the old Molly’s on Baxter Avenue, I don’t. The limited number of truly good, friendly neighborhood pubs like those clustered in the Original Highlands leaves local fans of such fare vastly underserved. Some in the Baxter crowd may migrate to St. Matt’s, but that’ll only make more room for those who want to visit the original. The St. Matt’s spot will, in time, draw new customers and bring Molly Malone’s a new pot o’ gold.