Destination Dining: Brooklyn and the Butcher

From the outside, Brooklyn and the Butcher looks like any other historic brick building. But walk through the entrance, and this new restaurant in an old hotel is all urban luxe. First stop: a check-in desk held over from the hotel days, complete with the original wooden mailbox divider on the wall. The host grabs the key assigned to your table and walks you to a dining space that glows with white marble and high-back booths of soft, gray leather. Chef Robert Temple oversees a menu designed for meat lovers who want a more relaxed version of an old-school steakhouse, so consider starting with Korean barbecue baby back ribs, prepared with kimchi and apricot-basil vinegar, a house favorite. Pair it with the warm ricotta and toasted crostini, and you may think there’s no room for main courses. But this is a steakhouse after all, and you are duty bound to try one of the butcher’s specialties, which range from an 8-ounce flat iron up to a 34-ounce tomahawk ribeye. Exquisite sides, like sweet-potato spoon bread and bone marrow bread pudding that’s moist on the inside but crisped on the outside, are sweet surprises—like a mint on your pillow at turndown. 148 E. Market St., New Albany, 812-590-2646

Hours

Tues.–Fri. 5–10 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 5–10 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 4–8 p.m.

Drive Time

2 hours

Know Before You Go

An intimate speakeasy in the basement has after-dinner drinks and desserts for diners in the know, so ask your server to save you a space for later.

What’s Your Hurry?

Cross the river to Kentucky and stop at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory for a dose of baseball history. 800 W. Main St., Louisville, Kentucky, 877-775-8443