Paseo blends Mediterranean, Middle Eastern flavors for 'fresh and light' dishes in Louisville
Living in one of the best foodie cities in the U.S. means having many unique restaurants from which to choose for your next meal.
Paseo — the on-site eatery of The Myriad Hotel on Baxter Avenue — is one of those places. Blending Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors with a dash of Kentucky culture, the restaurant on the site of the old disco ball factory serves several dishes I have yet to see anywhere else in Derby City.
This week, I chatted with executive chef Jeremy Frederiksen about popular picks, the new lunch menu, and upcoming pool parties. Here’s what I learned.
Paseo was partly inspired by its disco-ball roots
The site on which The Myriad Hotel, Paseo, and coffee shop/cocktail lounge Switchboard sit was once home to Omega National Products. The factory produced about 90% of the country’s mirrored globes during the disco era.
“The Hotel being The Myriad, (and) the patented name being the ‘Myriad Reflector,’ — all of that kind of (inspired the restaurant),” Frederiksen said. “We built the kitchen (by) playing off of some Miami-style when it came to connecting the hotel (with) fun, disco styling through the pool (and) into the dining room, keeping it fresh and light.”
That fresh and light vibe carries through to the food as well. Paseo’s dishes are full of flavor without being heavy or greasy.
“Our culinary director, Mike Wajda, talks about blue zones and … healthy food,” Frederiksen said. “We really embrace that with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors. We like to go with a lot of big flavors, using quite a few different spices to encapsulate all the way from the South of Spain … through the Middle East.”
Frederiksen adds that the way people in Spain like to dine is how the team hopes Paseo guests will enjoy their meals.
“Taking your time, enjoying wine, or having some small bites and … just having the community of getting together was a big driver for us.”
The seasonal paella at Paseo is a customer fave
Frederiksen says the paella is the most-ordered item, hands-down. Paseo offers two versions — land and sea — and guests are fond of both.
“Folks love the sea paella,” he said of the rice dish boasting wood-fired prawns, scallops, little neck clams, and smoked trout roe.
The land option — which currently features duck confit, green beans, smoked olives, and radicchio — has been popular, too.
“We change the land paella during the winter,” Frederiksen explained. “We were running a beef cheek, (which) we kind of transitioned into a (braised) short rib. Now we’re moving into (the) duck confit, and that’s taking off quite well.”
Paseo offers separate menus for brunch, lunch, and dinner
Though paella is only served during dinner, a wide variety of other tasty dishes are available throughout the day.
My favorite Saturday and Sunday brunch offerings include the semolina hot cake with lemon ricotta and locally made Barr Farm strawberry preserves; and the yogurt parfait with orange marmalade and chocolate-pistachio toffee. For a more savory option, I like the New York strip with fried eggs, harissa, and berbere aioli.
Just last month, Paseo also debuted a new lunch menu, available Tuesday through Friday. One item worth noting is the gin-cured lox, which can be added to different dishes.
“The lox is very popular,” Frederiksen exclaimed, adding that the tandoori chicken salad sandwich has also been a hit. “(It’s) the same tandoori-style chicken that we do at dinner. We pull the dark meat and add a little bit of the yogurt sauce back into it. … It’s one of my favorites.”
He adds that there’s also a new dessert available, courtesy of pastry chef Sydney Ulrich.
“It is a tahini cheesecake that is whipped (and) piped into kataifi,” he said, explaining that kataifi is shredded phyllo dough. The cheesecake also features orange and fennel syrup and includes halva, a Middle Eastern treat that is tahini-based but boasts a fudge-like texture.
“(It also uses) fresh strawberries from Barr Farms,” Frederiksen said. “It looks very elegant, and it’s fantastic — I really like that dessert.”
Start with the toast, and be on the lookout for specials
If you’re a Paseo newbie, and unsure what to order, Frederiksen recommends starting with the tartine of the day.
“It changes every once in a while,” he said, adding that the current version features house-made focaccia that’s dusted with za’atar as soon as it comes out of the oven. It’s served with house-made buttermilk ricotta, Kentucky Broadbent country ham, Marcona almonds, asparagus, and fresh-cracked black pepper.
“I think (it’s) a really good intro because it’s (so) fresh,” Frederiksen said. “It’s not too filling, but with all the salty components, it really gets you ready to move onto your entrees.”
He adds that in addition to what’s on the menu, sporadic specials are made available and announced on Instagram — it just depends on what unexpected fresh ingredients come his way.
“If a farmer walks in the door (with) beautiful asparagus,” he said, “we’ll run something with it really quick.”
Get ready for summer pool parties at Paseo
The Paseo team has thrown parties for New Year’s Eve and the Kentucky Derby and offered specials for various holidays and occasions. Next up on the docket are a couple of pool parties; one featuring locally owned craft cocktail brand Ponyboy Slings, and another for the upcoming Kentuckiana Pride Parade and Festival.
“Our involvement with Pride (is) really exciting,” Frederiksen said. “It’s going to be a big one.”
I’ll be sure to check Paseo’s Instagram for additional pool party info — but in the meantime, I think I’ll have a piece of tahini cheesecake.
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.
Paseo
WHAT: This wood-fired cookery features thoughtfully sourced dishes made with ingredients from local purveyors and inspired by the flavor profiles of Southern Europe.
WHERE: 900 Baxter Ave.
SERVICES: Dine-in and carryout; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30-10:30 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
CONTACT: 502-632-7935, paseolouisville.com
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Paseo blends Mediterranean, Middle Eastern flavors in Louisville
