Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/842307
LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 7.17 75 The joy of eating from a food stand. By Anne Marshall Photos by Mickie Winters THE SPREAD Clockwise from top left: Stevie J's BBQ on West Jefferson Street, Taqueria Cabrera on Taylorsville Road, Dairy Del on Seventh Street Road, Hill Street Fish Fry, Don's hot dog stand across from the Jefferson County Courthouse and Big Mike's Shaved Ice in the Highlands. On this late-April day, winter's prickly blanket has lifted and sun- starved flesh emerges, longing for the kind of air that calms rather than induces shivers. e sky winks its brilliant blue. Two friends and I are mid-road trip on Indiana State Road 64, windows rolled down, relishing springtime, feeling free, happy and hungry. Our initial thought: Press on to New Albany for lunch, where we'll find someplace with outdoor seating and enjoy this lovely day. We hit the brakes upon a curious sight — a pudgy hut with blue and yellow trim waving flags from Greece and the United Kingdom. A neon sign advertises gyros. Our plans change. We don't scour Yelp for reviews. Instead, our gut instincts tell us A.J.'s Gyros To Go is the right move. We walk up to the window and discover two menus — one a mammoth list of ice cream options, the other a generous of- fering of Greek food. We're in Someplace, Indiana, where none of us expected to find a food stand serving up spanakopita, Greek salad, hummus, falafel, gyros and Styrofoam cups of kalamata olives. (Later, when we pass a nearby drive-in movie theater, we'll learn we're in Georgetown.) Warm weather and food stands: ese two should go elope already. During all that blustery business in January, I drive past the Dairy Dels of the world and mourn their comatose state. ough some stands that serve real food (fish, barbecue, tacos) instead of frozen sweets may stay open all year, there is joy lost when one must rush into heated quarters to eat, instead of plopping at a picnic table and risking a sunburn. I'm not quite sure what qualifies as a food stand. Panchito's on Preston Highway feels like an ice cream stand, with its outdoor seating and melty treats. But one could argue it's more of a compact building with tables outside. Same goes for Hill Street Fish Fry not far from U of L's campus. Taqueria Cabrera on Taylorsville Road in Jeffersontown consists of a trailer and one picnic table in a gas station parking lot. But folks still devour nachos and tacos in this unconventional atmosphere. At A.J.'s we order a chicken gyro, a ba- con and hummus gyro and a falafel plate. Maybe the sunshine and the surprise of ethnic fare in an arguably pasty part of Indiana makes it all taste better, but we Take a Stand