“It’s Kind of Saucy and Messy” — Damaris Phillips Takes Guy to Her Louisville Neighborhood Spot
When Damaris Phillips, winner of season nine of Next Food Network Star and Triple G judge, wanted to show Guy Fieri her hometown pride, she took him straight to the Highlands neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Her pick? Grail House, a restaurant carved out of an old house where the food reflects the things the owners grew up eating.
Louisville natives Tyler Trotter and Lorie Beck opened Grail House with a specific vision — comfort food that hits those nostalgic notes. They brought in trained chef and Kentucky native Andy Myers to refine and amp up the dishes. The result is a brunch menu served seven days a week, because why reserve the good stuff for weekends?
The Fried Bologna Sandwich: A Louisville Brunch Staple
“There’s something about a fried bologna sandwich if you’re from this region,” Damaris explained. And Grail House doesn’t just slap some store-bought bologna on bread — they make everything from scratch.
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Chef Andy starts with a spice kit: grated nutmeg, Dexter roast black pepper, coriander, garlic powder, salt, curing salt, paprika, and non-fat dry milk powder. That milk powder? It’s for emulsifying — “brings it together, ties it up,” as Andy put it. Add ice water to all-beef meat, grind it twice (partially freezing between grinds), then case it up. The sausage gets smoked with cherry wood for that great color, vacuum sealed, and cooked in an immersion circulator to 155 degrees.
The sandwich comes together on a Brioche bun with New York white cheddar, a sunny-side-up egg, finishing salt, cracked pepper, hot sauce, and baby mustard greens. Always two slices of that house-made bologna — not just because Guy and Damaris were both there.
Guy’s verdict? “That is straight up legit awesome. It’s super flavorful — this is kind of a cross between a nice summer sausage and a bologna. The balance is really great and the texture is the best part about it.” He called it dynamite, adding that the egg “makes it kind of saucy and messy,” then declared, “I don’t like any sandwich that’s not going to run down my arms.”
Lamb and Grits: Southern Comfort Elevated
Damaris wasn’t done. “It’s not like any other grits dish that I’ve had anywhere else,” she promised about the lamb and grits. Similar to how a Cheesy Shrimp Hot Plate transforms a simple concept into something memorable, this dish takes a southern staple and makes it “grow up a little bit.”
The lamb sausage features lamb belly and pork shoulder mixed with kosher salt, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, curing salt, rough-chopped garlic, onions, fresh cilantro, mint from their herb wall garden, hot sauce, and harissa. After grinding, the sausages cook in a circulator for two hours at 155 degrees to render out some fat while keeping all that flavor.
The grits? Milk, water, and — as Guy noted when he saw it — “a pound of butter.” Add the grits, cook 15-20 minutes, season with salt and hot sauce, then fold in shredded cheddar. Top with the seared lamb sausage, a fried egg, finishing salt, cracked pepper, chiffonade of mint, and ras el hanout spice.
“The texture on the sausage is spot on,” Guy said. “This has that distinct strong flavor of the lamb and that harissa coming through.” Damaris finally got her bite and declared, “The egg is everything on there. The grits are perfect, not too heavy.”
More Than Just a Meal
Grail House sits in a unique Louisville spot where Tyler and Lorie have built a small empire — a converted church next door serves as a beer and dinner joint sharing a patio, and there’s even a bed and breakfast upstairs with three rooms. Wake up, come downstairs, eat brunch. That’s the kind of regional hospitality you don’t find everywhere, much like the community feel at Tacos y Birria La Unica in LA.
As Damaris put it, Grail House represents “a perfect combination of new and old Louisville, right here on the crossroads of the Midwest and the South.”
Looking for more Triple D spots? Check out our restaurant directory to find Flavortown locations near you.