I've been to The Grape Leaf several times over the past few years. The first time I went, I thought the food was just wonderful, so I returned a few months later and didn't receive the quality that I had gotten the first time around. Not even close. I tried again a year or so later, and was so disappointed that I scratched the restaurant from my list of favorites. But a few weeks ago, at the request of my mother, I returned to find a gorgeous restaurant with food that was simply stellar. In fact, it was so delicious that I have to say each item we ordered was the best version of the dish that I've ever had in Louisville.
To start, we ordered Falafel, which were crispy, creamy, warm, and wonderful. A refreshing mango smoothie made with fresh fruit was gigantic and tasty. Then came a Greek Salad, which was a unique version that strayed away from the typical dish - it had melon, strawberries, almonds, and other special additions that took the tomatoes, feta, olives, and cucumbers to a new level.
For our main courses, we ordered the Beef and Lamb Gyro with Cauliflower Rice and the Eggplant Parmesan, the latter having been a repeated order for my mother who gushed about it for weeks after ordering it for the first time. The gyro was tender and incredibly flavorful, and the yellow cauliflower rice, studded with onion and almonds, was so warm and delicious that I could have eaten an entire plate of it. As for the eggplant parmesan, it was spectacular. Not only was the dish beautiful (it's the cover photo for this article), but it was a revelation for the quality of vegetarian food in this city. It was wonderfully unique. I don't typically like eggplant parmesan, but I wanted to trade lunches with my mother. If you visit The Grape Leaf, make this dish a must-try.
In addition to a tempting menu similar in the number of choices to that of Ramsi's, the inside of the restaurant is gorgeous and the restrooms are sparkling clean.
When my mother visited a few weeks ago, she left her wallet behind, and the management did everything they possibly could to contact her and keep it safe until she could retrieve it. They even called to stop her credit card. She was so impressed that she insisted we have lunch there, and I am very glad she did because I got to fall back in love with The Grape Leaf.
Visit soon so you can fall in love, too.
The Grape Leaf
2217 Frankfort Ave.
