After 35 years, Uptown Cafe is closing. How to recreate some of its most iconic recipes (2024)

Kathryn Gregory|Louisville Courier Journal

After more than 30 years of business in Louisville's Highlands neighborhood, Uptown Cafe is closing.This upscale spot for American fare at 1624 Bardstown Road is perhaps best known for its approachable menu, featuring things like Fried Green Tomatoes, Chicken Piccata, a Hot Brown, a Maple Chipotle Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, a variety of top-notch pasta dishes, the iconic Uptown Cafe Burger and, of course, its decadent desserts.

To help you keep that nostalgia for Uptown Cafe alive, here are a handful of recipes from our extensive archives that the chefs have shared with us over the years at The Courier Journal. We're sure each of these will put a smile on your face.

So thanks for the memories, Uptown Cafe. We'llmiss you one bite at a time.

Smoked salmon and bowtie pasta in lemon cream sauce

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely minced
1 teaspoon garlic, peeled and finely minced
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chicken base, or one teaspoon dry chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives
¼ cup lemon juice
4-5 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 cups heavy cream
2 ½ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons minced fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 ounces capers, drained
1 pound bowtie pasta (or other short pasta shapes), cooked al dente and drained (if not using immediately, lightly toss in vegetable oil)
2 or 3 good handfuls fresh spinach, washed well, dried and stems removed
4-6 ounces smoked salmon, sliced
Parmesan cheese, grated
Minced parsley or additional dill (for garnish)

Sauté onion and garlic together in oil, until translucent, but not browned.

Deglaze pan with 3 ounces dry white wine (add wine and stir up any browned bits clinging to bottom with a wooden spoon. Boil until wine is almost but not quite gone.) Add chicken base, or chicken bouillon, white pepper, chopped chives, lemon juice and Tabasco. Stir in heavy cream and milk.

Twice-baked cheese grit triangles

Serves 15 to 20

12 cups water
¼ pound butter
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Tabasco
3 cups Weisenberger grits
1½ pounds grated white cheddar cheese
½ cup blue cheese crumbles
6 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Add water, butter, salt, garlic and Tabasco to a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Whisk in grits. Lower heat, stir and cook 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Whisk in cheeses. Add a small amount of grits to eggs to temper the eggs. Return the grits/egg mixture to the pan.

Pour into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan andbake 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Refrigerate overnight.

Cut into 15 equal size squares. Remove from dish. Cut each square diagonally to make two triangles. Turn each triangle on its side; cut straight down to form two thinner triangles, resulting in 60 pieces.

Place on a sheet pan. Bake until slightly crisp, 10 to 20 minutes.

Rosemary Dijon roasted rack of lamb

Serves 12 to 15

6 racks of baby lamb or New Zealand lamb (about 6 pounds, two to three servings per rack)
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Dijon glaze (see below)
Fresh mint, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse lamb with cold water. Pat dry; season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, without oil, over high heat. Sear lamb, skin-side down. With tongs, flip over lamb racks; sear until well browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a large roasting rack or sheet pan. Evenly coat meat with the Dijon glaze. Cover ends of rib bones with foil. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of meat reads 125 degrees for rare or 130 for medium-rare, 15 to 20 minutes. (Remember that meat will continue to cook about 5 degrees more after being removed from oven.) Remove from oven; loosely cover with foil and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. To serve, slice between rib bones. Garnish with mint.

Dijon glaze

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
8 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of four lemons
1 tablespoon black pepper
½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon whole thyme
¾ tablespoon ground rosemary or two tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced

Mix together all ingredients. Set aside.

Creamy vanilla cheesecake with fresh raspberry topping

Courtesy of Jenna Miller, Uptown Café

1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
7 tablespoons melted butter
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 pounds softened cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together the first four ingredients. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, pressing firmly. Refrigerate.

In a large bowl or food processor, blend together the cream cheese, 2 cups of sugar and eggs, one at a time, until creamy, taking time to scrape down the side of the bowl. On low or pulse speed, blend in sour cream and vanilla.

Pour batter into crust. Smooth top with a spatula. Bake until center barely wiggles, about one hour. Turn off oven, leaving the door ajar; let cheesecake cool for about an hour. Remove from oven; refrigerate six hours or more.

Remove side of the springform pan. You may serve the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan or may remove the cheesecake and place on a serving plate. Top with raspberry sauce. Serves 10 to 12. Refrigerate leftovers.

Fresh Raspberry Sauce

1 to 2 pints fresh raspberries, rinsed and patted dry.
⅓ to ½ cup sugar, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Rinse and pat dry the raspberries. Mix together the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice, leaving the raspberries as intact as possible.

Pear andcranberry tart with crumble topping

Serves 8

1 9-inch pie shell, blind baked (partially pre-baked)

Filling

½ cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups peeled, thinly sliced pears (about 6 medium; I like Anjou)
¾ cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cookie sheet in oven to preheat. In a large bowl, combine½ cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Gently toss in pears and cranberries. Spoon into cooled crust.

In a small bowl, mix crumble topping with a fork until well blended(see ingredients below).Sprinkle over the filling, lightly pressing down. Place tart on preheated cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes to one hour or until crust is evenly browned and pears are tender. The tart is best served warm.

Crumble Topping

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons softened butter

Chocolate bread pudding

Serves 10

1 day-old loaf (1 pound) French bread,cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup strong coffee
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup powdered cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1 cup Heath Toffee bits
Chocolate sauce or caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Evenly place the bread in the dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream and coffee.In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugar with the cocoa; mixwell. Add this to the milk mixture; whisk to combine.

In another bowl, add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and Heath Toffee bits. Pour the mixture evenly over the cubed bread. Let stand about 30 minutes or until bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture. Bake one hour or until set.

Serve the pudding warm and top with chocolate or caramel sauce.

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