LouLife

Third Avenue’s black-bean burger and its wheatberry salad.

If the ghost of Elvis ever paid a visit to Louisville, you can pretty much guess he’d check out Third Avenue Cafe. Not only does this Old Louisville restaurant display a shrine to him, but also a bench where a statue in his likeness welcomes customers.

That’s just part of the restaurant’s charm. Third Avenue combines a bit of kitsch with a laid-back atmosphere where guests are encouraged to linger. As diners sit at tables decorated with colorful vinyl cloths they can quiz companions with trivia cards that are sandwiched between salt and pepper shakers. They might also sit atop a black-and-white-tiled stage highlighted by white Christmas lights, behind which a wall mural depicts Old Louisville’s Victorian homes. It’s in the back of the former apothecary where bookshelves display antique pharmaceutical items, old U of L basketball team photos, and the aforementioned Elvis mementos.

While the restaurant’s decor doesn’t take itself too seriously, the food does. From barbecue tofu to jerk pork sandwiches to a traditional corned beef and Swiss Reuben to one made with smoked tempeh and soy cheese, the place offers a diverse menu that includes some of the most impressive vegan choices in the city. All items designated with a (V) can be substituted with vegan “meats and cheeses,” and all vegan items are fried in separate fryers.

I began a recent lunch with Jamaican hummus ($6), made with kidney beans instead of the more common garbanzo beans. This red, chunky dip exhibited a smooth texture with slight heat, arriving with toasted pita slices coated in black and white sesame seeds. The lunch menu’s focus is on salads and sandwiches. The latter come with a choice of mesquite-seasoned potato chips, pub fries, honey-mustard cashew coleslaw, basil potato salad or wheatberry soybean salad. My hand-formed black bean burger ($8.50) displayed a moist, firm bl/files/storyimages/of black beans, grains, vegetables and spices. While it didn’t possess the heartiness of a beef burger, it still packed a flavor punch. It arrived on a tomato focaccia roll with a smother of roasted red pepper aioli, tomato, lettuce and onion. I added a slice of Cheddar cheese for $1 extra and chose crispy and well-seasoned pub fries as a side.

The three-cheese grilled cheese ($7.25) and fish sandwich ($9) were also first-rate choices. The grilled cheese fused Cheddar, provolone and Swiss into a creamy bl/files/storyimages/nestled between crisped buttered wheat bread slices. The fish sandwich became quite a feat to eat. It featured one of the largest hand-breaded grouper fillets I’ve seen, fried until golden and crisped, served atop thick marbled rye, with housemade tartar sauce.

The cafe also offers interesting soup specials. You can’t go wrong with the always-on-the-menu tomato basil ($3.50 for a cup). Creamy and laden with chunks of tomatoes and a stiff garlic kick, this soup was a pleaser. It came with slices of white bread and herbed butter.

The dinner menu expands into pasta dishes and entrees, most of which come with a choice of sides that include ying-yang rice, green soybeans and baked potato. The Moroccan steak ($15) began with an aromatic stew that mastered the often-difficult tangy, fragrant nuances of Moroccan food. It was chock-full of tomatoes, garbanzo beans, dates, cilantro and onions and successfully married savory and sweet elements together. Three pieces of grilled flank steak from the Green River Cattle Co. (based at Greensburg, Ky.) were perched on top. While the beef was hormone-, antibiotic-, and preservative-free, it also arrived dry and was hard to cut. Even the nicely seasoned coating couldn’t mask the tough texture. I chose buttery and velvety macaroni and cheese and mashed sweet potatoes as sides. The sweet potatoes melded perfectly into the stew’s underlying broth.

Being adventurous, my husband ordered the vegan meatloaf ($11). We were both a bit wary. Our previous experiences with vegan interpretations of meat dishes often resulted in unrecognizable, bland concoctions. I can happily report the opposite. Served in a ramekin, the meatloaf looked more like a casserole than a loaf. The mixture of French lentils, bulgur wheat, vegetables, herbs and spices arrived underneath a blanket of savory tomato sauce. We were both pleasantly surprised with the texture (more grainy than meat-like) and layers of flavor due to the herbs and spices. It came with creamy mashed red potatoes.

Our server mentioned that Desserts by Helen prepares desserts daily for the restaurant. Whoever made that business decision for Third Avenue should be commended. We couldn’t have been more pleased with — or stuffed after — our delicious slice of orange dreamsicle cake ($6).