Proof On Main — Restaurant in Louisville

Proof on Main is a very nice restaurant located in the 21c Museum hotel and complete with, what we assume are, common elements at all the restaurants in the various 21c Museum hotels (we were at the Nashville one earlier in this trip) including EXCELLENT food and drinks, cotton candy with a color unique to this hotel, and a smattering of giant red penguins (blue in Nashville!) who will join you for dinner!

We were in town for 2 nights and sat at a table with our local friend for hours (we kept monitoring the room to make sure there was at least one empty table to make sure we weren’t keeping anyone else from being seated) and the staff was VERY friendly and accommodating throughout our time there.

I started with the Smoke Rings Cocktail (it was mandatory [in my mind] that every drink in Kentucky was bourbon based, if not straight up Bourbon. This one was made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, PF Dry Curacao, Ramazzotti Amaro, Lapsang Souchang Tea, and C&K Absinthe) - OK, I mean absinthe and Bourbon, together at last! This was really really with a perfect smokey favor, the right amount of sweet, and an impressive giant ice cube in the middle.

I also had the Chilled Carrot Soup (Another common element amongst the various 21c Hotel restaurants is a different chilled soup in the summer) This wasn’t sweet like I thought it might be, but had lots and lots of flavors, all good…This was a unique to eat a soup where different bites tasted differently…I liked it a lot.

The bread and butter service was good for me and they were nice enough to bring gluten free bread for the the two GF eaters I was with. They didn’t love the gluten free bread, but were happy it was offered.

Their menu is seasonal (which is always a sign of an awesome restaurant.) I had the Ricotta Cavatalli pasta dish (no longer on the menu as I write this). It was also really good with lots of flavor, perfectly cooked pasta, and a nice lemon flavor to it. Also it was beautifully presented!

My wife had the Roasted Heirloom Squash - She said “Last Year’s Tomato Jam” was the star of this nice and satisfying dish. She thought the tamale part tasted good but the consistency was slightly off for being called a tamale…a little too wet/thin. (Hey were from Southern California…the home of Mexican food so we have high standards here.

Other vegetarian options were available, including cheeses, grits and various veggie sides.

I closed out with the Raspberry Fig Mousse dessert which sounded and was amazing…a lavender honey infused house made gelato…a thin pretzel-like (but sweet) cracker surrounding the fig mousse. Very very very good. (Note the three “verys” Often desserts at fine dining restaurants don’t live up to the rest of the food. That was not the case here. This was excellent.

We loved everything about our experience here and are excited to check out other 21c Museum hotels and restaurants wherever they may be. Oh multi-colored penguins of the world…we’re...

Overall a good meal. We really enjoyed it, but not spectacular and definitely not a 4.5 rating – more like a 3.6/ 3.7. However, it is a strong choice for a nice meal and drinks. I would choose Proof for its drinks and the bar rather than the food selection.

Located in the 21c Gallery Hotel the setting is really cool and fun. The walls and ambiance all add to the decor. The restaurant, however, does not seem to fit this style with the booths, tables and seats being more in line with a chain or or mid-level eatery.

The bar has very good and unique drinks and the bartender was a skilled mixologist and cool for conversation. We really enjoyed the mixed drinks. They made a delicious paper airplane. Their selection of whiskies and bourbons was respectable.

The waitstaff for the restaurant had a bit of an attitude. They were ok after chatting with them for a bit, but first impressions were less than inviting.

The bathrooms are really cool and very clean. They have one wall with a water fall that allows one to see outside. A bit of a surprise at first and definitely causes one to take a look outside to verify that it is indeed one way. Really cool effect.

The menu is limited, but in these times that is to be expected. That being said, some of the items needs a bit of attention. —The octopus has great spices. It was a little too crispy on the ends and way too salty - they did very well with spices and just confused salt with taste... take away the salt and it will be good. —The burger patty was delicious and cooked as ordered. The bun, however, was not great. It wasn’t crispy with the lower portion turning into mush, not sure about the type of bread – it could have been better to match the fantastic meat. The sauce was nice, but it lacked something. It was just ok. The fries were not great. A little flaccid, we were able to find some crispy ones- the seasoning was nothing spectacular- really needed something for this plate to stand out. —The Pork Chop was again ok. The meat was done well and juicy, but was a little bland. The hominy and other side spices was fantastic. It really helped the dish. It was good, but nothing worth noting.

We had a good meal, but the quality was not there...

With a heavy heart, I'm compelled to articulate the severity of my experience. Upon approaching the table, our server spilled a quarter of the water glass on my pants & shoes; zero recognition, apology or even napkins offered. Whatever, I was in town with 4 friends and we just finished a barrel pick at Old Fo; good times only. We all order cocktails, apps & entrees. Cocktails arrived - excellent. Food arrives for everyone but me. Ordinarily, a server will notice when there is one setting with missing items, and will say "let me check on ..." Nope, not at 21c. Again, good times only... no complaining, etc. About 20 minutes pass, and my friends finish their apps & entrees. We're all in need of more drinks, and I have zero food while all the other food plates should be bussed. Zero attention. We're all looking toward the wait staff who are gossiping behind the bar. Was the bar slammed? Nope, it was 4p on a Friday - 3 tables in the entire bar & restaurant were seated, maybe 4 people at the bar. Problem is, my entire group has a background in service; we all grew up in the industry and are now owners/managers. My friend approaches the bar to point out that we're in need of drinks & food. Server approaches and is acting annoyed that we're looking to buy more drinks and figure out when/if my food will come. Is the inquiry met with a positive attitude? Nope; disdain. Server says, "the kitchen read the order wrong." If that were true, then my app should have come already - neither had arrived and we're at 30m since order placement. We point this out, Server replies "yeah, but we're slammed in here." I look around and point at the 1 other table seated in the bar and say, "absolutely not." Then, with visible disdain Server asks "wanna speak to a manager?" Manager handles things appropriately and took over for the server. It's all bizarre, because there were multiple staff all talking at both the host stand and behind the bar. What exactly were those ppl tasked with doing? Literally, the manager was doing everything from that point on; making cocktails, expo food, seating ppl. Proof on Main used to smack, hard. Now it just...