Steve Coomes: In modern restaurant journalism, the details are 'softened.'

For my money, and on a daily basis, Steve Coomes is the finest local writer on food, dining and drink. I'm not sure his thoughts in this essay are directly applicable to writing about beer.

Then again, I'm not sure they aren't.

COMMENTARY: IN MODERN RESTAURANT JOURNALISM, THE DETAILS ARE ‘SOFTENED’, by Steve Coomes (Eat Drink Talk)

As a journalist, I’ve covered dozens of sporting events, yet at none of these was I asked to pay for my seat on press row. Far as I know, no other reporter has either. It’s assumed that if you work for a credible media outlet, you can “get credentialed” with a free pass that gives you some of the best seats in the house and walk-around access to places fans only dream of going.

No matter what happens at those events, reporters are expected to write it as they see it, even when things turn ugly. It even seems that part of a sports reporter’s job is to find fault so as to appear objective.

My career as a restaurant reporter is lived in a markedly different fashion. People in my trade used to follow the old saying, “Never accept more than a cup of coffee” so you’d never get too friendly with your subjects. If they were restaurant critics with any integrity, they couldn’t even accept that, and the publications they wrote for reimbursed all expenses.

But a paradigm shift is underway in restaurant reporting. Due to the continued paring back of staffs at all publications, more and more freelancers are employed to cover this industry. Those freelancers are not only paid low sums for their work, they’re rarely reimbursed for meals, drinks, tips or the miles rolled up driving to dinner and home.

And yet as reporters, they’re expected to be non-biased chroniclers of what they eat and what they learn about the people who serve those meals. They’re expected to become experts in their understanding and recollection of the subject matter, which requires a significant investment in time if they’re going to be good at that work.

In 2016, here’s where things get a little tricky ...

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Tipping abolition explained.

It's hard to argue with the reasoning. Last year I covered this topic at my other blog.

A growing number of restaurateurs want tipping abolished; you should, too, by Steve Coomes (Insider Louisville)

Last week, Amanda Cohen, chef-owner of Dirt Candy, a celebrated restaurant in Manhattan, penned a column for Eater.com titled, “Why Tipping Is a Devil’s Bargain.” Overall it’s an argument to end the questionable practice of tipping because it’s not fair …

To kitchen workers who work hard and earn disproportionately less

To guests who don’t always relish the responsibility of figuring out their server’s reward

To service employees who are at the mercy of so many things out of their control that ultimately affect their tips.

Cohen takes a lashing from numerous commenters on the piece who say she’s naïve, that her suggestions for correcting the problem are mathematically inept, that she’s back-of-the-house biased, plus other names not worth repeating. Regardless of whether the criticism is fair, she deserves big props for her willingness to say out loud that tipping is one hell of a screwed up way to pay a staff.

The PC: A Birthday Drinking Song.

(Published at LouisvilleBeer.com on March 10, 2014)

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A Birthday Drinking Song

(The Potable Curmudgeon seeks to avoid self-aggrandizement when it comes to his own place of business. However, today is a special case)

Today is the 5th anniversary of Bank Street Brewhouse.

As luck would have it, Monday is our Ruhetag (in German, “rest day”), so the toasts must wait until the 11th.

The first official day of business at BSB came on March 10, 2009, and ever since then, NABC has been a three-legged stool: A front-of-the-house in two different buildings, plus a brewery at each, which we treat as one. Let’s see; that’s three, two and one, and it equals three.

A digression on Bullitt County wineries.

I'm delighted for Steve Coomes. See what I mean? Remove "Bullitt County" and replace with "Southern Indiana," and it's exactly what this blogging beer guy has been saying for at least five years, maybe more.

To understand why a portion of my craft beer time is spent advocating for local wineries, consider that for me, rooting for the underdog is a genetic necessity.

So is a chronic inability to refrain from informing those possessing misguided views, in the loudest possible terms, that they're off base. In terms of locally made wine, they need to give these wineries a chance. They need only visit the winery, tell winery staff that sweet wines aren't to their taste, and ask for samples of drier wines.

But it's deeper than this with me. I remember when the only good beer we could get came from far away, and how much I wanted it to be from here, instead. Now that the Louisville metro area (and the extended region) has plenty of good beer made close by, there remain substantial numbers of beer drinkers continuing to insist that for a beer to be good, it must come from far, far away.

Bullshit. We make great beer hereabouts, and great wine, too. The very least I expect of alleged experts is to acknowledge it, for the best and simplest reason of all: I'm telling the truth.

Take it away, Steve. Great article, indeed.

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Bullitt County winery tour surprises cynic and signals promise for burgeoning industry

By STEVE COOMES | Published: MARCH 6, 2013

The drive up to Brooks Hill Winery is one of the area’s most scenic. Ascending the winding two-lane, rock-walled stretch happens quickly and makes your ears pop. At the top of the knob the view opens; several hundred feet below is the convergence of Bullitt and Jefferson Counties, an impressive vista that’s worth the drive by itself.

The grounds at Brooks Hill Winery.

But you don’t make the drive just for lookin’, you drive about 10 minutes beyond the southern edge of Metro Louisville to taste wine, quality wine made right here in Kentucky.

Seriously.

My guide on this Bullitt County winery tour is Tom Kohler, a full-time CPA, amateur winemaker and studied oenophile who’s nudged me for months to join him on a visit to all four Bullitt County wineries.

Steve "Insider Louisville" Coomes on Gravity Head.

Thanks to Steve Coomes for a fine write-up on Gravity Head at Insider Louisville.  I vaguely recall being interviewed by him some time last Friday morning.

Contrary to its name, Gravity Head is an uplifting experience for serious beer geeks

“Since we’re drinking beer at 8:30 in the morning, does that make us alcoholics?” a friend asks only half sarcastically. “I can’t say I’ve done this — on purpose, anyway — in a long time.”

Me, either, I tell him, save for last year’s Gravity Head kickoff at the NABC Pizzeria and Public House in New Albany.

That marked the first time in decades I drank beer so early, the first time ever that it was actually good beer, not to mention, consumed under civil circumstances. (That short-on-civility event was the Talledega 500 NASCAR race in 1987. Just use your imagination) ...

Coomes: "C-J’s star ratings are an offense to serious restaurants."

Steve's point is well-taken, and my point in passing it along is for you, the beer enthusiast, to apply the same variety of skepticism to the beer ratings that guide your purchases.

I might add that in a strict Louisville-centric context, Steve might be guilty of piling on. As much as I cherish the writing of the Courier-Journal's restaurant critic Marty Rosen, whom I consider the local gold standard of erudition, the newspaper's overall influence and reach continue to wane. Who actually is reading the paper and seeing the stars?

Stars and Gripes: C-J’s star ratings are an offense to serious restaurants, by Steve Coomes (Insider Louisville)

Really? Proof and Asiatique are only one star better than a grilled cheese shop and a bar?

Ryan and Roger and Ian on the radio. Read below to find out when.

(June 23 update: Ian Hall (The Exchange) will be joining Ryan and the Publican on Chefboyardean ... read Steve Coomes's column here)


Those damned Louisville-area television stations forgot all about me after the Sherman Minton Bridge reopened earlier this year, so it’s time for me to take my talents to Clear Channel radio, at least for one Thursday night next week.

I’ll be joining Ryan Rogers, whose Feast BBQ is days away from opening in New Albany, on Chefboyardean next Thursday (June 28) from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at 1080 AM Talk Radio, WKJK.

Chefboyardean is hosted by the legendary Louisville chef Dean Corbett, but Dean’s out of town next week, so stepping in as the radio program’s guest host is my former beer student, the freelance food writer and all-around great guy Steve Coomes. Just like Steve, I have the perfect face for radio, although Ryan’s fairly photogenic.

We’ll be talking about Feast, NABC and downtown New Albany’s dining and drinking scene. Tune in.

Coomes: "Beer is booming in the Bluegrass."

And it's another fine essay on locally brewed craft beer by Steve Coomes. Speaking for myself, it isn't just that I have too little time to write about beer the way I once did. It's also that others are writing about beer, and quite well. I can barely keep track of regional developments, and that's a very good thing, indeed.

It doesn’t rival bourbon, but beer is booming in the Bluegrass, by Steve Coomes (Insider Louisville)

 ... Jason Schuster, specialty beer brands manager for River City Distributing, and one of two certified Cicerones (beer experts) in the state, attributed part of the beer boom to the area’s long-established restaurant scene.

“When you have a great restaurant selection like we do, and you have open-minded chefs who try lots of different things, you attract diners who like that kind of food,” he said. “It’s only natural that people who love that kind of food would be open to trying different kinds of beer … and our sales increases prove that people want much more than standard lagers.”

The Publican in Edible Louisville.

Local brewers join the movement to build better beers, by Steve Coomes.

The story appeared in Edible Louisville Magazine - Local Food Magazine of Louisville. It's "A community-based publication that promotes the local food, farms and cuisine of Louisville Kentucky."

"Chef Joshua Lehman leaving Bank Street Brewhouse for Ivor Chadkowski’s new Harvest."

Apologies, because I am late in getting this link posted. In it, food and drink free-lancer Steve Coomes gets it right on the money, as usual, with testimony from the chef himself.

Chef Joshua Lehman leaving Bank Street Brewhouse for Ivor Chadkowski’s new Harvest, by Steve Coomes (http://www.insiderouisville.com/, April 1, 2011).

Thanks, Chef Josh: Praise for Bank Street Brewhouse in Louisville Magazine and Insider Louisville.

The February edition of Louisville Magazine contains a great review of Bank Street Brewhouse by freelance food writer Steve Coomes. You can read it here, on pages 72 & 73: Pub Grub Euro-Style.

He didn't stop there, also recently posting expanded ruminations on-line at Insider Louisville: Bank Street Brewhouse & Brasserie is well worth the drive to New Albany. It is an understatement of epic dimension to say that we appreciate these observations. Thanks go to the reviewer, and also to our staff on the ground, without whom none of it would be possible.

In my earlier interview for the Louisville Magazine piece, I had confided to Steve that the learning curve at Bank Street Brewhouse has been steep for ownership. I told him, "It's fair to say none of us knew how little we actually knew about this before we got into it."

Of course, I was primarily referring to Chef Josh Lehman's kitchen, the entity now consistently garnering rave reviews like these. It's been true for an expanded brewing operation, as well, but when it comes to beer, I personally stand on firmer ground even when the challenges seem huge.

That's why we're so proud of the work that Chef Josh and his team have done in that impossibly small galley space, and I'd like to recognize their efforts by quoting a few passages from the Insider Louisville shout-out:

... The Franco-Belgian-inspired foods coming from chef Joshua Lehman’s kitchen dispel any notions about a low-rent experience. Additionally, patrons here appreciate and understand the beer and the food; in other words, this isn’t a corner tavern pouring cheap, soulless lagers and serving pickled eggs from jars. It’s first and foremost a restaurant.

Since – as a critic – I’m supposed to taste multiple dishes in one visit, I don’t get to linger slowly over just one item, which in real life, I prefer to do. When next I return, I’ll do precisely that with the croque madame ($12), one of the most soul-satisfying ham, cheese and Blue Dog Bakery wheat slice striations I’ve ever eaten. (I recommend washing it down with a medium-hoppy ale) ...

... I rarely have specials when I’m eating for a review because there’s no assurance people reading that copy 45 days later will get to enjoy them. But Lehman’s specials on both nights sounded simply incredible. That this talented chef gets to exercise his creative muscle in this understated setting is a tribute to his bosses’ willingness to do something a bit daring. Costing $20 and up, they’re easily 50 to 100 percent higher than items on the standard menu. But based on my regrets over not being able to order any of them, I consider them a treat well worth trying.

Thanks to Steve Coomes, and thanks to Chef Josh.

C1 Collaboration Ale's tappings in Louisville on Tuesday: Flanagan's, Nachbar.

Over at Mojo, food and drinks blogger Steve Coomes offers a fine paean to local brewing creativity, celebrating Tuesday's C1 Collaboration Ale release at Flanagan's, and pointing toward Jerry Gnagy's White Porter at Bluegrass Brewing (St. Matthews).

Flanagan's pouring NABC's C1 collaborative brew

Also note that later the same evening, at 10:00 p.m., it will be Nachbar's turn at pouring C1.

Steve Coomes now blogging at LouisvilleMojo.com, and that's good.

Damn. First Rick Redding moved, and now Steve Coomes. Now I have to update my Mojo password and get back in the habit of checking in there.

I wanted everyone to know that as of today, I’m will be blogging regularly for LouisvilleMojo.com’s dining pages, a move that necessitated my departure from my role as The Courier-Journal’s Dish columnist after nearly two years.

If you're interested in local food and drink, you'll need to read what Steve will be writing at Mojo -- simple as that.

In fact, in his very first Mojo blog, Steve states open disagreement (not personally, in general terms) with the Curmudgeon's oft-repeated, anti-chain worldview. How's that for branding ... and I'll keep reading, anyway.

Seriously: Good luck to Steve.

Readers, adjust your bookmarks.

Bank Street Brewhouse in today's C-J.

Good press for the business in the morning C-J: Long-awaited Bank Street Brewhouse opens in New Albany (by Steve Coomes).

When Steve, a veteran free-lancer, visited the Brewhouse last Sunday, we were chatting about beer and he revealed a forthcoming trip to Italy to write about a pizza competition. I told him that Italian microbreweries are red hot, and then in the days since he did more research and found one near his destination. Now I'm envious that he'll get there before I have the chance. Italian beercycling, anyone?

Here's the link to a Bank Street discussion at the restaurant forum: First Visit: NABC Bank Street Brewhouse.

From all of us at NABC Bank Street Brewhouse: Thanks for coming in the past week. Next week you should be seeing the evening food menu phased into place, as well as a special involving cask-conditioned Thunderfoot on the hand pull and elegantly styles duck on the plate in front of it. Cheers!