Steve J.
Yelp
Outstanding. Simply outstanding. Even on a repeat visit (see below).
We're attending an event in Louisville, and wanted to catch up with an old friend from the area over dinner (6/24/2022). The Exchange Pub & Kitchen came up in a Yelp search, was relatively close (12 minutes from The Galt House, no tolls), and in an early-morning "find my way" visit, exhibited good parking and a funky late 19th Century exterior.
We called to make a reservation for 7:15 p.m., but later called to move it up to 5:30, as our friend was an early riser. No problem - our request was immediately accommodated. Due to traffic on the I-64 bridge over the Ohio River, we ran a few minutes late. Another phone call to tell them we were on our way - no problem!
We pulled into an empty parking spot on the street, made our way to the entrance, and were immediately taken to our booth. May we have a table instead? Again, absolutely no problem.
Our server, Tyler, took drink orders, returned in no time with the drinks (spouse had a superb Paso Robles Merlot from Grayson Vineyards) and with water all around and soft drinks for those of us not imbibing (during dinner, he kept the refills coming on the non-alcoholic drinks). We picked three items from the varied menu: Yakisoba with added Atlantic Shrimp, Smoked Salmon Salad, and The Chop, a large porkchop with roasted veggies (including roasted radishes - a treat!). We had the grilled asparagus to share (though we all shared nibbles of each others' entrees). While waiting (not long) for our dishes, I asked the folks at the front about the history of the building, which they very capably provided. By the time I got back to the table, the dishes had arrived. Every single thing we received was absolutely delicious.
The manager (owner?) stopped by to see how we were doing, and we happily shared our delight in the food and service.
Tyler stopped by frequently, observed subtle cues and anticipated our needs, and couldn't have been better. During one of his later visits, he asked about dessert. The three of us shared the Bourbon Smoked Chocolate Chip Cookie (with ice cream) - which came out molten, and was happily devoured as well.
All in all, we were extremely happy with our dinner. In fact, we were so happy, that my spouse and I stopped in again (6/25/22) for lunch.
We were again immediately seated, and were visited by Alyssa, who impressed the heck out of us with her professionalism.
We ordered a soft drink and a water, then the Thai Coconut Mussels, and a Cobb salad with added chicken. Again, outstanding food and outstanding service. The coconut milk and spicing for the mussels were amazing. The blackened chicken added a nice touch to the Cobb salad. Neither of us could finish our dishes (we took the wonderful ciabatta bread with us, as well as the last soft drink refill in a to-go cup). Alyssa, like Tyler, was incredibly tuned in to subtle cues, and appeared just in time, but not imposingly at all. Alyssa provided even more background on The Exchange, as well as their sister fine-dining restaurant, Brooklyn And The Butcher, nearby.
Alyssa described the Sunday Brunch at Brooklyn And The Butcher so invitingly, we have reservations for tomorrow morning (6/26/2022) there on our way to the airport and home to Southern California. Now, if we could only find a couple of restaurants with food and staff like these in Thousand Oaks!