What you should order at Switchboard restaurant in Louisville, including tin fish
Coffee shops offer a change of scenery when I need a break from my home office, so I’m always excited to learn about new ones opening — like Switchboard, which started welcoming customers in September. But the space — which used to house an actual switchboard — isn’t your typical coffeehouse. Part of The Myriad Hotel, it is a cafe by day and a cocktail lounge by night.
Tim Quinlan and Lauren Davis — food and beverage director of The Myriad Hotel, and restaurant manager of the hotel’s onsite eateries, respectively — got me up to speed on all the happenings at this Highlands destination. Here are five things to know.
Made-in-house pastries top the breakfast menu at Switchboard
From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Switchboard serves a variety of treats crafted by in-house pastry chef Sydney Ulrich, formerly of The Grainwright and Decca.
“She’s worked in a lot of … great spots in the area,” Quinlan told The Courier Journal. “She is exceptionally well known in the baking community for her lamination. She’s incredibly talented.”
Though most sweets — including cinnamon rolls and the muffin of the day — are served only in the mornings, the Switchboard Cookie is offered all day.
“It’s a chocolate chip tahini cookie with Maldon sea salt and sesame,” Davis explained.
Guests can pair a pastry with their favorite coffee beverage, like a cappuccino, cortado, Americano, or latte. Syrup options include everything from vanilla and hazelnut to blackberry, cinna-cardamom, and baharat tarragon.
Tapas and snacks with a Mediterranean-style vibe at Switchboard
“The vibe definitely changes,” later in the day, Davis said. “In the morning, we have some of the stools pushed to the side, so it’s a little easier to walk up (to the) pastry case on the bar. (And) the menu offerings are different.”
Afternoon to evening menu options include a variety of tapas and snacks, including a duo of smoked eggplant labneh and nduja whipped labneh. The thick dips are presented side by side in little jars, with housemade lavash crackers.
“It’s a super creamy, savory treat,” Davis exclaimed.
The smoked fish rillette is another delectable choice. Also whipped and served in a jar, it is brought to the table with a selection of accouterments, including housemade pickles, pickled peppers, marinated olives, and pickled cucumbers.
“You could put that all together to make a meal,” Davis said, “but it’s also a nice little treat to have with a glass of wine or cocktails.”
Switchboard’s more savory options start being offered around 11 a.m., but Davis explained that if guests request labneh and rillette before then, baristas Liam Bain and Margot Witt will accommodate.
“The focus is to really lean into … that Mediterranean style of noshing,” Quinlan said. “It’s, in a way, a tapas bar. (If you) feel like having a little snack, we have great options for you. They absolutely are on brand with what we’re doing next door in Paseo restaurant. It’s not just bar nuts in a tin.”
Be sure to order the tin fish at Switchboard
“Our culinary director, Mike Wajda, really wanted to guide us in this direction,” Quinlan said of Switchboard’s tin fish program. “It seems super casual, yet it’s some of the best seafood you can find in the world … be it razor clams or mussels.”
Served in tins, as its name would imply, the program includes mackerel in olive oil, octopus in garlic sauce, and sardines in tomato sauce, to name a few. The dish comes with its own set of accouterments, as well as crackers and a specialized hot sauce. Fully embracing the tapas vibe, guests often consume the dish with toothpicks.
“That’s how you should be eating (it),” Quinlan said. “If you’re in San Sebastian in the Basque area of Spain, that’s how you would be eating those things. We want to have people get to know Switchboard as a (place) that can have those nice, upscale, unique offerings.”
Switchboard serves one-of-a-kind cocktails, too
The Hang Up, which Davis named as a play on Switchboard’s history, is the most popular cocktail. A collaborative creation between Davis and bar lead Maggie Luckett, the bevy features baharat tarragon, Old Forester 100, and Turkish tobacco bitters.
“Everybody loves an Old Fashioned, and we have so much bourbon tourism that comes through here,” Davis said, “Everybody loves it.”
Bar offerings also include a variety of beers, sake, and wine. Staying in the same vein as the wine program at Paseo, most of the wine offerings at Switchboard are from the Mediterranean region, with a few California selections as well.
“I wanted stuff that (goes) along with the food that we’re serving,” Davis said. “There’s also some higher-end bottles of bubbles. … There’s a little something for everyone.”
Caviar and Champagne at Switchboard for New Year’s Eve
Guests looking to ring in 2024 at Switchboard can look forward to a caviar and champagne program.
“It’s going to lean into the sparkling wines that (Davis) has as part of her current menu,” Quinlan said, “as well as some smaller-format … bottles.”
He added that though Switchboard is typically closed on Sundays, it will be open on Dec. 31. Also, operating hours for both Switchboard and Paseo will be extended to midnight or 1 a.m. for the celebration, which will include a ball drop near the pool.
“(It’s) a great way say goodbye to the last year and ring in the new one.”
Know a restaurant that would make a great feature? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
Switchboard
WHAT: Part of The Myriad Hotel, this is a restaurant that serves coffee and pastries during the day and cocktails and bar bites at night.
WHERE: 900 Baxter Ave.
SERVICES: Indoor dining and carryout; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday
CONTACT: myriadhotel.com/food-and-booze/switchboard; 502-632-7931
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Switchboard at The Myriad Hotel in Louisville: What's on the menu
