June 9, 2018
This is an installment in the Gazette’s summer series “On The Road.”
New Albany, Indiana lies just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky but a visitor might feel transported to space, the final frontier, while eating lunch here at Lady Tron. This quirky diner stands out from the staid 19th Century buildings that surround it in the town’s historic downtown.
Originally built by Valentine in the 1950s, this eatery is the latest iteration of a long line of diners and late night greasy spoons to inhabit the structure. Few would have imagined back then, in the pre Sputnik era, that it would one day house a restaurant festooned with sci-fi kitch.
And few today would wander hungrily into Lady Tron with expectations much beyond a humble burger deluxe and a decent cup o’ joe. But those who do enter will be delighted to find that the chow here is astonishingly good and the menu offers new takes on old classics. Take the soup, for example. One recent afternoon it was a delicious watermelon/cucumber/mint concoction that instantly cured the impending heatstroke that the swelter outside was causing. Or the grilled cheese that featured thick sliced sourdough bread and smoked gouda, and arrived with a bonus half a sandwich!
The spot’s namesake sandwich, the LT, was a delicious concoction of shredded maple beef and applewood bacon, green chile queso, and chipotle sauce on a toasted bun. Patrons are advised to arrive very hungry if they hope to get through the ample portions at Lady Tron without resorting to a take out box for leftovers.
On a recent Saturday, Owner Summer Sieg was running the operation by herself and she was a blur of motion in the kitchen, juggling a half dozen orders at once. She’s from nearby and after years of toiling in other people’s restaurants decided to boldly go where she’d never gone before and open her own. The spot celebrated its first birthday in January and is well into its second summer here. The capacity is just a dozen or so counter stools, so feel lucky if you come at a time when there’s one available. Lady Tron is clearly a local favorite but well worth a visitor’s time if in or around Louisville, like say for next year’s Derby.