Baxter Station Delivers for All Appetites
Baxter Station Bar and Grill is much more than a neighborhood bistro. No matter what you’re looking for, Baxter Station has it on the menu.
Famished? Look no farther than the Kentucky-raise bison ribs, treated with a dry rub before being smoked slowly on a smoker just outside the restaurant. The ribs come with French fries, coleslaw and a bourbon-laced barbecue sauce ($19.95).
Looking for a light bite? Baxter Station’s menu lists 11 different sandwiches ($7.95–$9.95) and eight types of salads ($4.50–$9.95). Looking for fine cuisine? Opt for New Zealand lamb chops, rubbed with mint, rosemary and garlic before being grilled to your taste. They’re served with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and a piquant yogurt-mint sauce (half rack for $16.95 or a full rack for $24.95).
Going for the ultimate in home cooking? Baxter Station provides a zesty and generously portioned version of that New Orleans classic, red beans and rice ($8.95). For an additional $4.95, the chef throws in a hefty grilled Andouille sausage.
Opening in the Irish Hill neighborhood of Louisville in 1989, Baxter Station moved into a building that for nearly 80 years housed Stottmann’s Tavern, a favorite watering hole for railroad men. Those days live on in the many nods to rail travel that owner Andrew Hutto includes at Baxter Station: the entrancing mural of a traincar with Art Moderne trim that makes it clear the car hails to the heyday of passenger rail in 1930s, photos of the Stottmann’s regulars and a motorized model Baltimore & Ohio train that, every 90 seconds, zooms by overhead on a shelf that’s nine feet above the floor.
Your meal will begin with a serving of cheddar cheese and chile biscuits, made right on premises. You’ll love their smoky flavor. You won’t want to miss Baxter Station’s appetizers — particularly, the Pan-Steamed Mussels, which come served in a savory broth of white wine, butter, garlic and red pepper ($9.95). Paired with a small salad, the dish would make a perfect lunch. Others will jump at the chance for perfectly fried calamari ($7.95) or crab cakes ($9.95).
Now comes the hard part: selecting an entrée! Should you go with Chef Mark Albert’s special for the evening? Or with the Bourbon-Lime Mahi Mahi, marinated in bourbon, lime juice, soy sauce and ginger; then roasted and topped with a singular ginger-cherry compote ($17.95)? Maybe you’ll opt for the center-cut pork chop, smoked over cherry wood chips before being seared and finished with a bourbon sauce ($16.95).
“We smoke the pork chop, the chicken, the barbecue sandwich — we smoke all our own meats, even the bison rib,” explained server Jeff Hager.
While pastry chef Amy Berry prepares seasonal desserts, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake — so beloved that patrons buy whole ones — is available year round.
Oh, Baxter Station offers 24 beers on tap and stocks 30 wines priced below $30. Cheers!
HelloLouisville Tip: Baxter Station can get pretty busy; why not make reservations online?
Posted on May 20, 2011 by Ivonne Rovira
