Thursday, May 6, 2010

Lunch At Paradise Café

We did not spend much time in Louisville city proper, but what time we spent was exceptional. We decided to have lunch first and Peggy had a place all picked out, Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. As we drove by it looked like a cross between an outdoor flea market and an art deco diner ~ nothing subtle here!

We walked by the red painted railing that defined the patio dining. It was topped by bright blue wooden planters filled with thousands of large neon silk asters; lime green, orange, day glow yellow and brilliant raspberry. The whimsy continues as we headed toward the front door, flanked by wildly colored organ pipes and a large kneeling gorilla painted shiny lime green. All diners enter through a small gift shop, The World of Swirl, filled with wild and exotic items like “Onion Ring” flavored breath mints.?!?

We opted to sit on the patio; the sun was streaming down through red umbrellas. There were about a dozen tables covered with brightly covered oilcloth. Our table covering was brilliant blue with large red cherries and strong green leaves. The table next to us reminded me of an oilcloth that I had purchased twenty years ago in Mexico. This one was yellow with large pink peonies, plus red orbs and connecting greenery. You could not help but be cheerful in such a bright and uplifting atmosphere.

We, of course, were outrageously cheerful ~ we were on vacation! The very first thing we noticed was the top item on the dessert menu; Very Berry Pie, made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples and rhubarb, served with cinnamon crunch ice cream. We planned the rest of our lunch around the pie! Working backwards we chose the Fried Green Tomato BLT with a side of herb braised lima beans and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

Sharing an entrée seemed to guarantee that we would have room for our coveted dessert.
The service was delightful and they kept the lemonade and ice tea coming. The ladies at the table next to us oohed and aahed over our dessert which was indeed a hefty portion, even to be shared by two gals on vacation.

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling along the Ohio river, flooded with recent rain fall. We roamed from Main Street to Market Street, making our decadent dessert not such an extravagance. My legs ached and Peggy’s feet hurt as we wound our way back to the car. Lunch, though not forgotten, was now replaced by the anticipation of Steve’s smoked flank steak and potatoes, waiting for us at home. Oh, I love vacation!

* annette

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