The store, dedicated to specialty craft beer (!), has won a special spot in our heart. Craft bottles, growlers, beer flights, tastings, daily food stuffs from The Patron. Hello, heaven.

Located on the corner of Shelby & Market, we plan on moving in to the store ASAP. It appears NuLu is shaping up to be a great hood.

Some details:

Closed Mondays
Tuesday – Thursday open 12:00 Noon to 10:00 P.M.
Friday & Saturday open 12:00 Noon to 12:00 A.M.
Sunday open 1:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Telephone 502.569.BEER

746 East Market Street
Louisville, KY 40202

Anyone been/checked it out yet?

Beer No Matter Where It’s From: Fans of football and good beer have a great day ahead  Saturday.  Flanagan’s Ale House will host an event dubbed East Coast, West Coast, No Coast, in which brewing giants Dogfish Head (from Rehoboth Beach, Del.) and Stone (San Diego, Calif.) meet brewmasters from the Bluegrass Brewing Company (the Ville!) in a celebration of some of their finest beers.  For a list of all beers present, check here and here.  The event, which starts at 5 p.m., carries a $5 cover (and presumably something for every beer you order), with all the proceeds benefitting Henry’s Ark in Prospect.

Meet a Master Brewer — Delivering the Stone cold brew to the East Coast, West Coast, No Coast event will be Greg Koch, the owner and founder of Stone Brewing Co.  Before heading over to Flanagan’s he’ll be at Ray’s Monkey House Café hanging out with his pal (and mayoral candidate) Dr. Nimbus Couzin.  Starting at 2:30 he’ll be giving away Stone pint glasses, chatting with customers, and maybe even drinking some of that 13th Anniversary Ale.

And a Master Distiller — To celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month, Jack’s Lounge will be hosting the first in its Master Distiller Dinner Series on Sept. 29.  The guest at the dinner will be Wild Turkey master distiller Jimmy Russell, who will join mixology queen Joy Perrine to create Wild Turkey cocktails to go with each of the dinner’s three courses.  A spot can be reserved for $60, plus tax and tip.

And a Master Cause — Morton’s Steakhouse is partnering with Feeding America to raise money for local and national food banks.  The Louisville Morton’s is hosting a cookbook signing event on October 13 to promote its new “Morton’s: The Cookbook,” with $5 from the $59 ticket being donated to Feeding America.  The steakhouse will also auction off a dinner for six at the Chef’s Table, featuring dishes from the book as well as wine pairings.  Morton’s also plans to auction a 3-litre bottle of Chateau St. Michelle and an autographed copy of the movie “Scream,” which stars David Arquette and Courtney Cox.

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.

Original. And Extra Original — Louisville Originals, the organization of local, independent restaurants, now has more than 10,000 members in its 7-month-old rewards program.  Members of the program accumulate points each time they eat at Louisville Originals restaurants and can exchange those points for gift certificates.  To celebrate the milestone, Louisville Originals restaurants are offering two double-points days, on Sept. 15 and Sept. 22.

Ray’s gets political, again — Nimbus Couzin, the Louisville mayoral candidate and owner of Ray’s Monkey House Café, hosted peace activist Cindy Sheehan for a talk and book signing at Ray’s on Sept. 10.  Couzin said the event in his café as well as Sheehan’s appearance at Bellarmine University were both very crowded. Depending on one’s opinion of Ms. Sheehan, who became a national figure when she mounted a month-long protest outside then President Bush’s Texas ranch, her appearance at Ray’s may or may not have helped Couzin’s chances in the mayoral race.

Unwelcome Publicity – A story in the Courier about Sergio’s World Beers’ recent relocation to Story Avenue from Shelbyville, Ky., led to a strongly-worded, unequivocal denial that the bar and restaurant was officially open. A post on Sergio’s website says that they prefer to serve only an exclusive group of literate food and beer connoisseurs. The post also says that the entire 1,000-beer collection will soon be available. If you have the cojones, Sergio’s can be found in a shotgun-style building on Story Avenue.  It doesn’t have a sign, so look for a window with flags in it.

Ham it up with Derby Pie — The deadline for submitting photos for the 2010 Derby Pie calendar is only three weeks away. Kern’s Kitchen, the exclusive bakers of Derby Pie, are hoping you have some shots of you and your friends posing with your favorite early-May dessert.  The best photos will be included in the calendar; as if that weren’t prize enough, winning photographers will receive a Derby Pie as well as a copy of the calendar.

BLU celebrates award with ½ price promo — To celebrate its status as one of the country’s best restaurants to go to for wine, the BLU Italian Grille is offering half-priced wine bottles every Wednesday.  Wine Spectator magazine honored BLU with its Award of Excellence in its August issue.  “We are extremely proud to be honored with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence,” said Mehdi Spadavecchia, Marriott’s Food & Beverage Director.  “Our wine list includes over 200 selections and we are very excited to be considered as one of the best wine lists in the country,” he said.

English Take on Kobe Beef: Chef Laurent Geroli is trying his take on the Kobe beef dinner—first offered to the Louisville public by chef John Varanese—at the chef’s table at the English Grill on Friday, Sept. 4.  Each of the 12 seats at the chef’s table, which was once named one of the top-10 in the country, will cost a cool $295, and will get you a three-course dinner.  Geroli says he “threw caution to the wind,” in preparing this one, and, it sounds like, spared no expense.

What Would the Cost Per Bite Be? The 2009 Kentucky State Fair Grand Champion ham sold at auction for a record $1.3 million.  The Sutherland Foundation and Republic Bank matched bids to produce the record, with half going to U of L’s Bucks for Brains program.  Sutherland is donating its half of the ham to Proof on Main’s Bucks for Brains fund-raiser, which will feature the ham on its menu.  The ham was a big ‘un, weighing in at just under 16 lbs.

Prospect Pasta Place: The Prospect Plaza shopping center has a new tenant in Bistro 42, set to open on Sept. 1.  Home-style Italian is the fare, with a focus on pasta dishes.

A Cause for September: This month’s charitable promotion at North End Café benefits Community Health Charities, which helps place the needy with services they need.  CHC is asking for donations of most any kind, from manila envelopes to children’s development toys to postage stamps.  Anyone who brings in a donation during the month of September will receive a five-dollar discount.

If NuLu needs one thing to solidify its status as the Louisville district that’s become the hippest, the fastest, it’s a wine bar.  If it needs two things, it’s a wine bar-art gallery combo.

Louisville businessman and wine connoisseur Mike Schnell has found what seems like a perfect place for one—in the old Hausman Jeep dealership building on East Market Street—and has begun work to open as soon as next spring.

Schnell, who says he’s long wanted to open up a place like this, is close to beginning renovation and addition work on the two-story structure, located at the northern corner of Market and Campbell.

The plans call for a wine bar and restaurant on the first floor, as well as a large patio area, complete with outdoor fireplaces.  The art gallery will be on the second floor, with doors leading to a green-roof terrace that will be built above the first floor patio.  (Schnell’s contracting firm specializes in, among other things, building green-roofs.)

Both floors will feature creative seating arrangements that, Schnell hopes, will make for a less-structured, more pleasant night out.  “We’re trying to create a wine, art, and dining experience,” Schnell said.  “There won’t be that pressure to sit, eat, get up, and leave.”

The restaurant—to be called Crush on Market—will feature a large wine bar (Schnell’s goal is around 75 different wines) and light fare dishes and tapas, with an emphasis on great wine pairings.  The wide variety of wines will be stored in a giant wine cellar, which will also be used as a private dining option.

Next door to the restaurant will be a retail wine shop called Cask 55, which Schnell described as “the complete wine store.”  He said it will feature a large inventory of wines that are harder to find, as well as a regular schedule of wine tastings, pairings, and cooking classes.

The inspiration for the restaurant/wine bar/art gallery fusion came from Schnell’s visits to New York and California, where Schnell said proprietors have been blending wine with art and dining themes for quite some time.

Pointing to the area’s increasingly diverse interests, Schnell thinks the same kind of model can work in NuLu, and plans on featuring local as well as national artists in his gallery.

New menu worth the hike: The Westport General Store’s tradition of serving fine southern cuisine in a comfortable (if remote) setting and at comfortable prices will continue with some new menu items.  The restaurant has announced a new menu from Chef Rafael Hernandez that will include a “smokehouse section” featuring brisket, spare ribs, chicken, and salmon, as well as new appetizers and dinner specials.  Oldham Countians take note!

World Beers coming to Louisville: Sergio’s World Beers, the purveyor of some 1,000 beers from around the globe, has received the go-ahead from the ABC to start selling alcohol at its new home on Story Avenue in Louisville.  The bar and restaurant had been in a state of limbo since closing the doors of its Shelbyville location in late July, but owner Sergio Ribenboim is planning to start serving beer on Friday, August 14th.  Eat before you go though, because the kitchen still has a few kinks to be worked out.

Mark’s has a dollar menu? Who knew it was possible for Mark’s Feed Store to become more kid-friendly?  In addition to the regular “Kids eat free” special every Tuesday, Mark’s stores will feature 99-cent kids’ meals on Sundays in August.  News of this was a little late getting out, so there are only three more chances to cash in before September rears its ugly head.

Canadian booze giant moving into the Ville: The first of two related stories here.  Liquor Barn and Shoppers Village Liquor, the largest independent liquor store chain in the Commonwealth, has agreed to be bought by the Liquor Stores Income Fund, a conglomerate based in Canada that operates or has a stake in 225 liquor stores.  Liquor Barn GM Brad Williams said loyal customers shouldn’t be too worried about drastic changes.  “We will continue to support local and regional beverage products, food products, charities and the arts communities here in Louisville and throughout Kentucky,” he said. “Over the years we’ve tried very hard to support our local friends and business entities and that is still our plan.”  Whew.

In St. Matthews, Liquor, liquor everywhere! And now the second.  Have you noticed  the construction going on at the old Huffman car dealership on Shelbyville Road?  You know, the place across the street from the Beverage Warehouse liquor store?  It’s going to be…another liquor store!  Liquor Barn, the newly acquired chain noted above, is planning to open a titanic new liquor store there in November.  The move has understandably ruffled the feathers of the Beverage Warehouse, and its owner, Greg Anastas, has complained to St. Matthews and the Kentucky ABC that the new Liquor Barn violates Kentucky law because it is less than 700 feet from an existing liquor store.  Anastas is right, if you draw the line from door to door, but the statute says the line should be drawn along the nearest legal street crossing.  Rules are rules, but it’s not like St. Matthews doesn’t have enough places to buy liquor anyway.  Eats will keep you apprised. [BizFirst]

A little rain never hurt no one: Maybe Pamela Campbell, the owner of the Old Louisville Coffee Shop on Fourth Street, had that Tom Waits song in her head yesterday when she helped customers and strangers alike to find higher ground inside her store.  Campbell spent the worst of yesterday morning’s storm venturing out into the small rivers that overtook downtown to help pedestrians to safer footing.  As a customer put it, “it would have been really easy to lock her doors.”  But she didn’t. [Courier]

New Green Blossoms: Rainbow Blossom will be hosting a party on August 8 to celebrate the opening of its new store in the Highlands.  They plan on having food samples, music, yoga, and info sessions on herbal medicine, sustainable food production, and environmental protection.  Speaking of the latter, Summer Auerbach, Rainbow Blossom’s VP of operations, said the new store will receive LEED certification for its building design, which features energy-saving lights and appliances and recycled building materials.  Plus they sell Café Kilimanjaro’s sauces and syrups! [Rainbow Blossom]

Threes at Z’s Fusion: Z’s Fusion is trying something different every Wednesday night—a promotion called “Creative Cocktails.” Pair three tapas with three cocktails for $10 each.  The menus will have comment cards on the back so patrons can offer their own creative input.  Hey, I love experimenting with food, and I’ll drink anything they put in front of me—as long as it’s bourbon on the rocks.

Wick’s Still Waiting: Wick’s Pizza has delayed the opening of its new New Albany location until at least the fall, according to owner Michael Wickliffe, as it endures a long wait for a state liquor license. New Albany mayor Doug England says he’s petitioned the state government to pick up the pace, but an inspection and a comprehensive background check has to be completed before Wick’s can buy the license.  Wickliffe said he had hoped to move into the southern Indiana riverfront location, which had been home to the former Speakeasy jazz club, by the end of this summer.  Now it’s looking more like late September.  Until Wick’s can sell beer there, I’ll be enjoying Fat Tire with my pizza at Rocky’s. [News-Trib]

Pencils for Pies?: North End Café has teamed with Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Teen Challenge, and Neighborhood House in a promotion aimed at helping local children with their back-to-school shopping.  The Frankfort Avenue restaurant is offering a free dessert coupon to customers who donate back-to-school items.  In September, North End will offer a similar promotion to benefit Louisville health charities.  [LEO]

The reopening of Browning’s at Louisville Slugger Field has been somewhat of a local success story – after closing in March 2008 because of the recessing economy, it was reopened by partners Anoosh Shariat and Paula Barmore.

I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Shariat and Barmore at Browning’s and sampling a few menu offerings. The partners rushed to open the restaurant within a month of their decision to purchase the space and are still trying to get everything perfect, having already changed the menu once. However, you wouldn’t know that walking into the restaurant – from the fresh flowers surrounding the outdoor patio to the menu that seems to cater to all tastes, Browning’s seems as though Shariat and Barmore have been running it for decades.

According to Barmore, the most popular menu items have been the Browning’s Burger, Hot Brown, and Helles Battered Grouper. While some of the menu is a reflection of the offerings from the restaurant’s first life, there are some new additions such as the Fried Macaroni and Cheese and Grilled Portobello Wrap.

In addition to their regular operations, Shariat and Barmore hope to cater to the business crowd downtown by offering meeting space in both Browning’s and Park Place, the former upscale restaurant space next door.

Park Place will be the more upscale, white-tablecloth location for meetings and other special events, but Browning’s also has private dining areas for more friendly, low-key gatherings. The partners also hope to host beer-tastings and other interesting events for individuals looking for a private space for a get-together.

Everything I sampled at Browning’s was interesting and delicious, and the prices were definitely recession-friendly. Plus, the portions are huge, so two light eaters could share an entrée and appetizer for a meal costing less than $20. The beer is incredibly affordable as well – glasses of Browning’s brew run at $4 a piece, about what you would pay for a bottle of Bud down at Fourth Street.

The food at Browning’s is worth the money, and eating there goes to support two individuals who refuse to give up on the locally-owned dining scene even when times look bleak. And right now, we could use a few more success stories.

Read more from Jessica at her About Louisville blog

Mark Your Calendar: The Louisville Original second-quarter discount gift certificate sale will begin at 10 a.m. on July 16. [Originals]

Contemporary Piano Bar: Dress up like F. Scott Fitzgerald and bring your date to the Brown Hotel lobby bar on Thursdays and Fridays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to enjoy half-price signature cocktails and tapas while listening to Broadway and jazz-era hits by professional pianist Sue Ann Stone.

More Music and Deals: On Thursdays evenings this month from 6 to 9 p.m., you can enjoy live music and half-price wine at the Prospect Bristol Bar and Grille.

Better than a Date at Olive Garden: Be at the old Ferd Grisanti Restaurant on June 14 to experience Taste of Italy, an Italian buffet feast featuring dishes from several local Italian Restaurants. Proceeds of this event will benefit victims of the April 6 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy. [Courier]

More Tastes: The 2009 Taste of Frankfort Avenue is set for June 28 in the Clifton Center. The event features tasty fare from 28 local restaurants. [Clifton]

What More Could You Ask For: Anything that combines books and food sounds like a good time to me. On the second Wednesday of every month, The White Oak (at the old Artemesia location) is hosting a dinner and book club discussion featuring books with a food theme. [Courier]

Read more from Jessica at her About Louisville blog.