Mesh. Oh My!!

If you live anywhere in a 5 mile radius of St. Matthews, you have likely been a witness to the seemingly unending construction process of the new Mesh Restaurant located at 3608 Brownsboro Rd.  This is the spot where the old Bauer's/Azaelea Restaurant was controversially razed in order to house this new restaurant offering from The Cunningham Group out of Indianapolis.

I was excited to be asked by a friend, who happened to procure a table at Mesh, for their lunch VIP soft opening today.  As I pulled into the huge, expanded parking lot, it was with great anticipation and excitement to see handsome, quasi-contemporary architecture with a hint of rustic flair .

Dining Room punctuated with warm woods and stone decor

Jeff, the cheerful front desk host, immediately asked to take my coat and led our group through an abbreviated tour of the restaurant.  My first impression was one of warmth.  Although Mesh has an open concept with soaring ceilings, they managed to convey a sense of cozy sophistication and elegance by employing a considerable amount of stone and wood decor, a lovely fireplace and an abundance of natural light.


As we made our way through the bar area, I chatted with Brittany, one of the bartenders who will be manning the expansive yet inviting horseshoe shaped bar as well as the many high tops and booths within.  She and her twin sister, Ashley, are orphan transfers from the  now defunct Austin's Restaurant and I was relieved to see they landed so firmly on their feet.  She informed me, with a bit of heartache, that Mesh does not yet have a proper Happy Hour but will have cocktail specials from time to time.  Louisville is a big Happy Hour town ... so Mesh ... you need to seriously rethink this arrangement!  I got to take a look at their bar drink menu and it has a reasonably extensive wine list with wine by the glass prices starting in the $9 range, a long list of delicious looking cocktails and a particularly fun Kentucky Bourbon cocktail menu.

Mesh Bar area. Cyndy Tandy & Tyra Amrein

Upon being seated at our table, we were greeted pleasantly by our server, and handed an abridged menu. They did not want to overwhelm the kitchen staff with the full menu today and so we were to each pick one appetizer and one entree off the mini-menu to 'test drive'.  I asked to see their full dinner menu as, of course, I'm super nosy.  On their full menu, I was relieved to see that  they are working with several locally sourced products.  Blue Dog Bakery, Kenny's Farmhouse Cheeses, etc. I am hopeful that this list will grow over time.  After perusing the dinner menu, I was intrigued by their  extensive and highly inclusive dishes that would fit the bill for most everyone's taste.  Prices ranged from $18 to $38 for entrees.  For those wanting to nosh in the bar area, there were several delicious looking appetizers on the menu as well as a fantastic looking charcuterie & cheese menu.

Mesh's Full Dinner Menu

The soft opening appetizer menu included a lobster bisque, a signature Mesh Salad and a beet salad.  The entree choices were everything from Bucatini to steak frites to mahi mahi as well as other delectably descriptive items.                      

For my appetizer, I chose the Beet Salad.  The salad arrived promptly and was absolutely stunningly plated.  There was a bright beet juice swipe around the perimeter of the bowl, a fresh mound of peppery arugula lettuce dressed with a lovely vinaigrette accompanied by large cubes of both roasted golden and red beets.  This dish also included 2 deep fried pucks of locally culled goat cheese.  The salad was magnificent.  It was slightly under-dressed for my taste, but all in all, this was a big winner for both presentation and taste!

Roasted Beet Salad with Fried Goat Cheese

The next course chosen was the Steak Frites.  With this dish, Mesh skillfully makes use of 'sous vide' which has quickly become a trendy and contemporary cooking technique but if implemented incorrectly, it's disasterous. ( http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/01/why-cook-sous-vide/ )
The Steak Frites consists of a sous vide then grilled tri-tip steak served with house cut pomme frites (french fries) dusted with parmesan, sea salt & pepper as well as a house made garlic aioli.  I ordered my steak medium rare and it arrived more on the medium side.  I gave them a bit of a pass on that small faux pas because I judge most Chefs on something super simplistic.  Can you season a steak properly?  In this instance? ABSOLUTELY.  They nailed it! The steak was seasoned to perfection and the taste was spot on.  The fact that it was slightly overcooked was quickly forgotten.  I'm a sucker for good French Fries and these did not disappoint.  They were properly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside with a faultlessly judicious amount of salt, pepper & parmesan cheese.  Our entire table agreed that this dish was strikingly successful.

Steak Frites Entree with house made garlic Aioli

The ambience in Mesh is diametrically both kinetic yet unhurried.  There is an open kitchen concept so you hear and see the hubbub and controlled kitchen chaos yet the dining area clearly gives off a distinct laid back, yet sophisticated vibe.  They have an outdoor dining patio that I was not able to see but was assured by staff that it is spectacular and this spring, summer & fall it will be a hotbed of activity!

Open Concept Kitchen Area with controlled chaos.

I am delightfully happy to report that Mesh employees better eat their Wheaties and take their vitamins because they have an absolute dynamite winner on their hands.  The masses will be congregating at the doors soon for their big public opening.  Get ready, St Matthews!  You've got a new neighbor that is glaringly ready to please!  CONGRATS Mesh!! I predict a wildly successful year for you!!

Mesh will be open to the public beginning Wed, Feb. 25th
Lunch & Dinner as well as Brunch on Sat and Sun's.

Mesh will be taking reservations online starting Monday, March 1.  

Go to:  http://www.opentable.com/mesh-louisville