After closing back in December for remodeling, the Highlands Tony Boombozz location (1448 Bardstown Rd.) reopens today under a new name, Boombozz Pizza & Tap House. The new location features a full bar in addition to the same gourmet pizzas that have made the Tony Boombozz franchise a success.

Owner Tony Palombino wanted the revamped Highlands location feel like a “comfortable, cozy favorite local hang-out.” The venue seats more than 150 people, has a to-go structure that is separate from the dining area, features 21 beers on tap, and boasts Kentucky’s first frosted bar top designed to keep beverages from getting warm before they’re finished.

Well, Since You Asked Nicely: Roger Baylor, co-owner of the New Albanian Brewing Company in New Albany, is taking advantage of the recent push to buy locally-grown food by asking people to drink locally-brewed beer in this week’s LEO. If you need an excuse to make it a beer night, you’ll want to check out Volkfest on August 23rd. Volkfest is a celebration of German culture featuring food, beer, and live music with proceeds to support three local charities.

Organic’s Uh-Oh: If you’re under the impression that organic foods are somehow higher quality, then you’ll certainly be surprised to know WHAS-TV reported last week that Whole Foods recently recalled ground beef sold in several U.S. states, including Kentucky, due to a possible E. coli contamination.

An Excuse to Shop at Save-A-Lot: Save-A-Lot stores across the state have begun to stock their shelves with Kentucky Proud produce, salsa, popcorn, and beverages. Kentucky Proud foods are all grown and produced in Kentucky.

Reviews: In the C-J, Marty Rosen reviews La Que. In the LEO, Robin Garr reviews Buenos Dias Café.

Openings: A new bakery called the The Cupcake Shoppe is opening soon on Lexington Road at the site of the late Tiger Lilly. Panera Bread will be opening a new location at Fourth and West Market in October. Salsa Thai recently moved from Jeffersontown to a smaller, more manageable location at 526 West Main Street at the site of the old City Wok.

Food, Wine, and Politics: Bon Vivant Savant‘s next Wine & Wisdom series will be held at Primo on September 2nd and 9th and will feature two Q&A sessions, one with Congressman John Yarmuth and one with Anne Northup, as well as a three-course Italian meal and selected wines.

Other Items Worth Noting: The Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen is scooping it in with revenue up 45 percent over last year. Texas Roadhouse is honoring gift cards from two bankrupt steakhouses, Bennigan’s and and Steak & Ale. Peaches are in season, and Ron Mikulak published several tasty-sounding recipes in the C-J last week featuring this fresh ingredient.

Mention baseball, and fine dining usually doesn’t come to mind. That is unless you’re talking about Louisville’s Slugger Field. In the last few years, two eateries on the premises have broken the mold when it comes to standard ball park fare. One of them offers modern American comfort food standards in a lively, less formal setting; the other allows diners in search of upscale fare with a regional twist to indulge their appetites in elegant and trendy environs.

Slugger Field – it’s not just for baseball anymore.

Browning’s – named for Pete Browning, the original Louisville Slugger – offers casual sit-down food in a warm brew pub atmosphere at manageable prices. Starters range from $5 to $8 and include items like collard greens and artichoke dip, country ham and melon, shrimp and crab bisque, and a fried green tomato and pickle plate.

Well-proportioned salads – pear and blue cheese, corn cobb, and southern fried chicken are three of the most popular choices – average $7-8, and there are more than a dozen burgers and sandwiches available. Prices start at $8 and end at $12, and some of the favorites are the half-pound bison burger, the pulled pork sandwich and the veggie wrap with fried oyster mushrooms, cucumber, roasted red peppers and tomato vinaigrette. Nine entree options, including beer battered grouper, stuffed meat loaf, grilled lamb skewers, and bourbon barrel smoked salmon, average $13 per plate.

Desserts such as strawberry shortcake and a root beer float go for about $4. In addition to daily specials, there is a happy hour (Saturday’s lasts all day!) as well, and this is a perfect time to sample one of several hand-crafted micro brews concocted by brewmeister Brian Reymiller.

Park Place on Main serves upscale and innovative dishes that justifiably earn it a spot on the roster of better Derby City restaurants. Much of its success resulted when renowned Louisville chef Anoosh Shariat stepped in several years ago to reshape and improve the menus at both restaurants. But even though Shariat has moved on since then, the kitchen has been left in capable hands. Jay Denham, Maysville native and culinary alum of prestigious Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., has designed an innovative menu that relies on simple Kentucky ingredients presented with contemporary flair at Park Place.

Raised on a beef cattle and tobacco farm, Denham enjoyed a childhood with parents who used fresh, wholesome ingredients to prepare family dinners. Much of the choicest produce came from his doctor grandfather’s bountiful five-acre garden, and it was there, relegated to afternoons of hoeing and weeding, that Denham gained valuable insight into the farmer’s life. Down on his knees between rows of tomatoes and onions, he experienced firsthand the dedication and hard work required to put food on another person’s table. Years later this would shape his career in the kitchen. Impressive stints at restaurants like the Oakroom at Louisville’s Seelbach Hilton and Viand Bar & Kitchen in downtown Chicago only reinforced the notion that eating local is best.

Since arriving at Park Place in October of 2005, he says “we pride ourselves on using quality sustainable ingredients brought to us by growers from the region. Showcasing local products raises the consciousness of the public to the variety and quality of local foodstuffs.” Given the recent trend toward more informed consumers in the food industry and their desire to minimize carbon footprints, it seems that Denham’s commitment to sustainable agriculture fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between him, producers and diners.

This liaison manifests itself in the eye-catching dishes Denham assembles at Park Place, where he classifies the cuisine as “global American with an emphasis on fresh seafood and beef with seasonal ingredients.” Local products shine in “small plate” favorites such as the smoked trout with pepper cress greens, pickled beets and lemon hazelnut vinaigrette ($8) and the Bibb lettuce with English peas and buttermilk dressing ($7), but they also leave their mark on the bourbon skirt steak ($10) with sorghum and Kentucky blue cheese and the asparagus and mushroom risotto ($7).

In the entrées (large plates), roasted garlic, baby bok choy and sweet potato puree accompany the rack of lamb ($32), and oyster mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and frisee sit on the plate with the Kentucky-raised strip steak ($35). The salmon ($23), encrusted with horseradish, comes with spinach and walnut puree and balsamic-port reduction, and the roasted chicken ($28) has a grit cake with sun dried tomato and goat cheese. Other locally inspired ingredients found on the plates at Park Place include pickled beets, aged country ham, green beans and lion’s mane mushrooms.

And, since Park Place patrons are at Slugger Field, after all, Denham has made sure to offer a selection of ball park-inspired noshes to keep it real. Two of the quirkier items – at $8 each – are the duck corn dog with Jezebel sauce and the pop corn calamari with remoulade.

Much of the fresh produce Denham incorporates in his creations comes from local growers such as Field Day Farm, operated by Ivor Chodkowski in Jefferson County. A local leader in the effort to bring farms and restaurants together, he was honored at a fall dinner at Park Place when Denham featured freshly harvested beets, tomatoes, corn, okra, garlic, melons, beans and squash on the menu.

“I wanted this event to be the first of many in which people who eat the food get to know the people who provided it,” says Denham.

Other honorees included Dan Moreland, an aquaculturist who promotes the raising of freshwater prawns, tilapia and striped bass on Kentucky farms, and James Durr of the Kentucky Bison Co., an entity dedicated to increasing the awareness of alternatives to feed-lot beef.

This closeness to the land is reflected in a recent makeover of the restaurant that replaced the dark, rich hues with lighter, less somber earth tones reminiscent of green apple and sage that play off the warm shades of chocolate and butterscotch. A team from Rowland’s Design used the vibrant palette and a variety of textures and patterns in the fabrics on seats, pillows and benches in the dining room and bar to create a comfortable yet sophisticated ambiance that matches Denham’s fresh style. Apart from a revamped food list and updated décor, the top-to-bottom alteration included adjusted menu prices designed to lower the average check price while maintaining the upscale quality of the fare and making the restaurant more approachable.

Whichever restaurant you choose, chances are you’ll hit a home run next time you’re at Slugger Field. For more information, call (502) 515-0172.

Sullivan Going For Gold– Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies is sending 22 culinary students to Beijing to bring a little home cookin’ to the US Olympic Team. The students will work with New York’s Framboise Catering to prepare the food for the American athletes at the U.S.O.C.’s High Performance Training Center. NCHS is the only collegiate culinary program in the United States to have been invited to cook for the American team.

Bastille at The Brown– Looking to show a little French pride and celebrate Bastille Day in style? Head to J. Graham’s at the Brown Hotel on July 14 for their French buffet. For $14 you’ll be able to enjoy authentic French cuisine, including pistou soup, veal blanquette and cod provençale. A glass of wine is included in the price.

Gourmet Pizza– If French isn’t your thing, head over to Puccini’s in St. Matthews for some untraditional Italian. The Indianapolis-based pizza chain has rolled out five new gourmet pizzas in what seems to be an effort to compete with California Pizza Kitchen and Tony Boombozz. It looks like it might be worth a visit. The Campfire comes with smoked sausage, sweet onion marmalade, and gorgonzola cheese. Another notable offering is the the Shrimp Santori, which includes shrimp, sesame chili oil, red onions, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh rosemary.  The chain, which has locations throughout Indiana, will add two new Lexington stores soon.

New Albanian Expansion — The New Albanian Brewing Company will be opening up a new brewing facility and taproom this fall in downtown New Albany. While the new Bank Street location will serve food, co-owner Roger Baylor wants the NABC’s microbrew to be the taproom’s main focus. “We want our beer to be the main focus, like it is in a Belgian café,” Baylor told the C-J. The taproom is slated to open in October.

Meridian Café — If you’re looking for a place to get lunch in St. Matthews, we strongly encourage you to stop by Meridian Café. This St. Matthews institution in the cute old house serves up some of the best hummus around, and a heck of a sandwich. Try the East Coast Turkey sandwich, with white bread, turkey, cranberry sauce and apples. You won’t be disappointed.

Makes me almost envious of downtown office workers—almost.

Knowing I was having lunch there last Friday, I packed an empty growler and cooler (for the ride back to Oldham County), had lunch and asked my server to drop the growler at the bar while I paid the tab. When I finished, a jug o’ John Shield’s Blacksmith Porter awaited my pick-up and I was out of there. (Click here for Browning’s complete list of microbrews.)

One caveat: Bring your own electrical tape to seal the top. Unlike some other growler-fillers around town, Browning’s doesn’t seal theirs. The result was some flattening of the beautiful black brew on the somewhat bumpy ride home.

Still, a half gallon of great beer for six bucks … who can complain about that?