Rosen Cheers 'Old School' Kern's Korner

"Except for the occasional hiatus," writes Marty Rosen, someone named Kern has been running some kind of kwaintly-spelled tavern in the Louisville area for about 80 years. The latest incarnation of Kern's Korner landed on Bardstown Road some time ago, and Rosen enjoys a small, wood-paneled room "where the brightest light comes from a TV screen." Nobody calls him "Norm," but it still reminds him of a certain syndicated series:

[Kern's Korner] is populated by the friendliest cast of folks you've ever seen outside a fictional TV tavern. This is a place where even if nobody knows your name, you're going to be treated like a newfound friend.

Rosen notes his enjoyment of "Louisville-style" chili, which he describes as having "a spice profile that's more about depth of flavor than heat." He also enjoys a chili-covered "Huge Hot Dog" that "in the world of knife-and-fork chili dogs … might well qualify for best in show." Somewhat confusingly (for a person picturing a world of knife-and-fork-chili dogs) Rosen says Kern's chicken and ham salads might "qualify as well" for this imaginary award. After citing other sandwich options such as braunschweiger and bratwurst, Rosen wraps up by awarding Kern's Korner 2.5 out of 4 stars and declaring:

Kern's Korner serves the kind of simple, unselfconscious tavern food that could once be found in neighborhood taverns all over the city. … Kern's is one of those rare places where tradition always trumps trends."

[Courier-Journal]
· Old school still rules at Kern's Korner [Courier-Journal]
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Kern's Korner

2600 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, Kentucky 40205