Louisville in the Running to be Named the "Tastiest Town" in the South

Louisville’s restaurant scene is receiving national recognition as one of the region’s best. Voting begins today in Southern Living magazine’s Tastiest Towns in the South contest.Louisville and nine other food-loving communities are vying for the title of “Tastiest Town.” The competition includes New Orleans; Charleston, South Carolina; and Houston.Mayor’s spokesman Chris Poynter says Louisville should be recognized for its exciting restaurant scene.“We’re competing with New Orleans and a couple other cities, but we know we’ve got the best restaurants, we’ve got the best chefs and more importantly, we’ve got the best food,” he said.But even if the city doesn’t end up on top, Poynter says it’s a major accomplishment to even be among the finalists in the competition.“Us even being in the top ten really reflects what we’ve known in Louisville for awhile,” he said. “We’ve got great restaurants, great food, we’ve got a growing local food culture with our farmers’ markets, with the restaurants which are now focusing on local food, food within 100 miles of Louisville. So it’s really nice to be recognized by a national publication for that.”In the blurb about Louisville on the magazine’s website, Southern Living touts neighborhoods like Crescent Hill, NuLu and the Highlands. It praises chefs like 610 Magnolia’s Edward Lee for “preserving the region’s iconic flavors while subtly redefining Southern cuisine.”Voting continues until January 31. One vote per email address per day is allowed.