EATING AT MESH AND LOUVINO
January 9, 2024
As I was thinking about what my second review should be on my recently launched site, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to tell the story of visiting Mesh and LouVino on the same weekend sooner rather than later! So here it is. My lady and I were headed to Doc Crow’s on Whiskey Row, but we were stuck in traffic not realizing Pink was performing at the YUM! Center later that evening. Traffic was horrendous and finding a parking spot was impossible. My lady was happy to drive us that evening and I didn’t say a word when she made a wrong turn and we ended up in Jeffersonville, Indiana. As we were driving through Jeffersonville, we talked about a recent conversation we had with our good friend Ted who had recommended Pat’s Steakhouse. We set the GPS for Pat’s and were headed that way. We’re driving down Brownsboro Road and my pretty lady notices the restaurant Mesh. She immediately says I’ve always wanted to try Mesh let’s go there. We went in and I knew Mesh was going to be a place she would enjoy as she loves subdued lighting and warm ambiance. We take our seats at the bar and love the chill vibe Mesh has to offer. This place is hopping, and the bartenders had lightning-fast moves the entire time we were there.
We started with the smoked salmon dip with pickled onion. Neither one of us had ever tasted smoked salmon dip so we thought we would give it a try. The texture was so smooth, the taste was out of this world and the zing of the pickled onion was the perfect compliment. For our entrees, I ordered the scallops with white cheddar grits and my pretty lady ordered the caprese pasta. Both entrees were good, but not great. (Looking back on my 2023 and all the places I ordered scallops, only one restaurant met my expectations. I will share more about that special restaurant in the future). The scallops at Mesh reminded me of the frozen scallops from Costco and their texture was slightly overcooked.
As we were enjoying our meal, we noticed an older couple having, what looked to be, a great time. The gentleman had a white bandage on his nose. It was a mystery to us, and we discussed why he may have had the bandage. “I hope he didn’t break his nose from falling” and “I wonder if he had skin cancer removed” was what my lady had mentioned. We were both concerned.
Another person that caught our eye was one of the bartenders. I wish we could remember her name. All night she was crushing it! She didn’t take a break for one second and she demonstrated true showmanship.
Now here’s where it gets complicated! The main bartender taking care of us returned the receipt in the folder after we paid. My debit card was not in there. I asked the bartender for it. He promptly takes the folder and returns it with a plastic card. We leave Mesh feeling full and satisfied.
The next morning we decided to try LouVino in Douglass Hills for brunch. I ordered the French toast, and my lady went low carb with eggs and bacon. Both entrees were scrumptious. The server was inattentive, and the bartender seemed disorganized. What I remember from the brunch was waiting twenty minutes for a new beverage after letting the server know I wanted it. Then as soon as the bartender brought it to me, the server showed up with the same drink one minute later. And when it took longer than it should to get a coffee refilled, we had mild frustration.
I went to pay for our brunch, pulled out my wallet, and realized the card I got back from Mesh was not mine. It belonged to a woman who I’ll call “Julia” and I’m assuming she dined at Mesh the night before. My beautiful lady took care of the charges and we immediately called Mesh. The person we spoke to about my missing debit card responded with “Let me check the safe” and then followed up with “We don’t have it”. We told him the name on the card I received and asked if he could check their system, perhaps their Loyalty Club and see if she was a regular customer. He seemed uninterested in our suggestion. With no fire to rectify the situation, we decided not to visit Mesh in person about it.
Instead, we Googled the name on the card and found an address and phone number. The residence was close to Mesh and we prayed that maybe, just maybe “Julia" had my debit card, and we could meet up. It took two days, but I finally made contact with “Julia”. The good news is, it was indeed her card, and she was thrilled we had it safe in our possession. The bad news is “Julia” did not have my debit card. She was anxious to come over and pick it up as it was her Costco credit card and she wanted to make a trip to Costco later that day. Her side of the story is interesting! “Julia” handed a bartender her credit card to pay for her meal and that person misplaced it. Mesh made her pay for her meal with loyalty points, and “Julia” went home without her credit card. When she came over to pick up her debit card, we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was the same couple we had noticed at the bar. Her husband still had bandages on his nose. I didn’t ask what had happened to his nose, but “Julia” did mention her frustration with Mesh raising the price of the burger and the quality not justifying the price increase.
My heart went out to her. I could tell that burger was a once beloved entree and the experience with her credit card left her befuddled. I know my pretty lady called Mesh once again because she is fierce like that. She spoke to the manager who apologized but offered no immediate action. While I wish I could talk more about our entrees it was the lack of customer service that weekend that stands out the most. It was truly like I had lived an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm!
Have you been to Mesh or LouVino? Comment on my IG @bourbondappergent
