In Louisville, 8Up Elevated Drinkery Kitchen is known for its rooftop view and swanky atmosphere, but where the real heart of the space lies is within the menu and with Chef Wesley Powell and his staff. With a focus on locality, seasonality and sustainability, 8Up’s rotating menu can’t be miss ed. I was fortunate to spend an evening enjoying the current offerings from the restaurant’s seasonal menu and chatting with Powell about the details of each dish, his journey to becoming a chef and what his passions are within the kitchen. Chef’s Charred Caesar For our first course, Powell brought us the Chef’s Charred Caesar and Asparagus Fries. From the jump, it was easy to see how much attention to detail there is in each and every part of Powell’s dishes. Powell explained that the salad we were tasting is no regular Caesar. It features an in-house, made from scratch sauce. For a flavor boost, salted and cured eggs yolks are grated into the romaine hearts. The real magic comes from the charred dust Powell uses for a wood-fired oven aromatic. With a belief in repurposing produce that could be considered waste, the dust is made from scrap veggies. The asparagus fries are tempura fried and paired with creamy and delicious lemon pink peppercorn aioli for a light but savory bite. Steak Frites For our second course, Powell presented the Steak Frites and my personal favorite, Lobster Mac n Cheese. The Steak Frites feature an in-house Chimichurri that changes weekly, depending on what ingredients Powell has in his kitchen, honoring the less-waste mindset he has adopted. The frites are breaded and then fried, which create a fry that will still be crunchy and tasty warmed up in the microwave or air fryer the next day. The Lobster Mac n Cheese, made with a Mornay sauce featuring Cheddar instead of the traditional Gruyère, features both Lobster and Langostino, giving it a flavor Powell describes as “one you’d find in Louisiana.” Rich with seafood flavor, the chef went the extra mile by making Lobster stock in-house to mix with butter and turn into the breadcrumbs that top this decadent dish. The legendary “Hog Hammer” complete with a view Powell carried the grand finale to us beaming with pride. The dish is called the Hog Hammer. Meant to be shared and ate with your hands, it features a 2-pound pork tomahawk, baked and deep-fried corn, blackberry jalapeno BBQ sauce, and jalapeno-infused watermelon. Only one local butcher will do this specific pork cut for the ambitious Powell. The butcher being Fischer Farms, located in Saint Anthony, Indiana, about 1-hour outside of Louisville. This one-of-a-kind dish is thoughtfully laid out and pieced together in the signature style Powell has curated. He shouts out his staff with this dish as well, complimenting how one staff member presented the dish. After tasting each item, its clear to see how much passion Powell has for creating spectacular, attention-detailed dishes. Opting out of culinary school and trading it for traveling and learning through work and experience, Powell carries his experiences with him through his cooking. Through crediting renowned Louisville chef Lawrence Weeks for a technique he’s adopted, educating us on the fact that Caesar Salad originated in Mexico, and honoring his Atlanta roots, Powell painted us a picture of a chef that simply loves to be a chef. Stating that he experiments all the time, Powell also teaches children the culinary arts and loves to read on all things food-related, and that urge to learn is reflective in the ever-rotating menu. True to his sustainable practices and the always-evolving mentality, he was excited to tell us about a new Pork Program he’s starting, where he’ll be smoking pork in-house using the wood-fired oven as it cools down after-hours. One thing is for sure: when you come to 8Up, you’ll have an experience that is unique to the city of Louisville. Perfect for dinner parties and elevated-casual hangs, come to 8Up for the view and atmosphere, stay for the fabulous food- where you’ll taste the love in each bite. The post 8Up Restaurant Louisville: Chef Wesley Powell’s Vision appeared first on LEO Weekly | Louisville Eccentric Observer. ...read more read less