Finding myself, along with my date, stranded in the typical torrent of traffic on Shelbyville Road on a Friday evening, I realized that getting to a restaurant on Bardstown Road, or Frankfort Avenue for that matter, before we started gnawing on my steering wheel was out of the question.

Bardstown Road obviously has its advantages, with its youthful image and casual ambiance, but as of that Friday evening, Shelbyville Road is no longer Plan C for a night out with the lady.

So we ended up calming our growing starvation at the hip, eclectic Italian cuisine restaurant Café Lou Lou.

The colorful setup and witty artwork immediately diverted us from the colorless, boring void of Shelbyville Road.

The clamor of music attracted our attention and added to the upbeat nature of the café.

A casually dressed waitress set us down in a comfortable booth, where we found what we had been waiting for, a menu.

Being a frugal guy, I noticed that the prices weren’t as steep as I would have guessed, but the array of food was the main attraction.

The menu is made up basically of pizza, pasta and calzones, but littered throughout are Italian sandwiches and salads with a Mediterranean twist.

We ordered shrimp and grits as an appetizer, but the Jamaican-style chicken wings, the hummus and the mussels seemed appetizing as well. The hefty servings made the appetizers seem more like meals and were all under $9.

Moving on to the main course, I ordered a muffaletta sandwich, consisting of ham and salami topped with an olive salad and baked panini bread.

Along with our appetizer, this was enough to feed the two of us, for under $20.

Café Lou Lou serves up Italian food with distinct flavors of Mediterranean and Cajun cuisine.

Calzones and pizzas can be made to your liking, where the customer can pick out exactly what he or she wants to eat. A large serving of pasta could feed two or three people for under $15.

A perfect place to bring a date this spring, try Café Lou Lou at its only location on Sears Avenue, right down the road from Trinity going towards Browns Lane.

If you’re seeking the fun of Bardstown Road but don’t feel like making the trip, get a bite at Café Lou Lou.