Brooke & Billy’s Bites Bourbons and Brews

I have been loosely following the evolution of this restaurant since moving to town – which is to say, I’ve been to each iteration once but not yet more than twice. We first visited it as Coach Lamp, then we visited again after the Restaurant Impossible redesign. The food was good both times, but it did seem the restaurant was having trouble carving out a place. This current version aims for a reasonable price point and a simple but well rounded menu of American eats. It seems like a good addition to the neighborhood.
We visited on a day when the weather was pleasant so we were able to take advantage of the patio, which is very nice. If it weren’t for the patio, this would probably be a three star review, but a good patio on a nice day is worth a star in my book. I had the fried chicken, which came with mac and cheese, and Matt had the portobello and swiss burger and fries. This is a town with some stiff competition in terms of fried chicken and burgers, so I was not surprised that neither of these entries to the Louisville food scene are the best ever. But they were solidly executed and we were pleased with our meals. Of the two, the burger was better, perhaps because it was a more creative menu item. That said, there is nothing wrong with a little simple comfort food in generous portions.
We had beers instead of cocktails, which may have been a mistake. The draft beer list is short and not particularly interesting or cheap. Next time I will definitely consider a cocktail or maybe get a bottle of beer, because that list was a little longer. But there will be a next time, especially when the weather gets nice again.