I ❤️ Kentucky

Carrie and I spent the weekend in Louisville, and the visit reinforced the fact that I love Kentucky like it was where I was born to live.  From the small-town feel of the big city you get in Louisville to the rolling bluegrass fields and horse ranches of the countryside it's an amazing place that reminds me of my real home in Portland, Oregon but adds so much charm and history, not to mention actual seasons.  And we can't forget the bourbon.  From great bourbon bars to the largest and best bourbon distillers in the world both Louisville and Lexington are amazing whiskey towns. 

Mar 3, 2017

Day one of our anniversary trip to Louisville was a long drive, where we checked into the historic Seelbach Hotel followed by a great bowl of Burgoo and cocktails at one of the best hotel bars in the country, The Old Seelbach Bar.

The Old Seelbach Bar features an amazing whiskey selection in addition to being one of the oldest bars on Louisville's Urban Bourbon tour. 

Traditional burgoo was made using whatever meats and vegetables were available—typically, venison, squirrel, opossum, raccoon or game birds, and was often associated with autumn and the harvest season. Today, local barbecue restaurants use a specific meat in their recipes, usually pork, chicken, or mutton, which, along with the spices used, creates a flavor unique to each restaurant.​

The Seelbach takes things to a new level featuring pork, rabbit, and venison in their burgoo. This combination of meats with the traditional okra, corn, and potatoes whose starches leech out to thicken this amazing soup create a concoction thick enough to stand your spoon up while still leaving an ample amount of broth to be soaked up by their amazing bourbon bread.​

The Old Seelbach Bar features an amazing burgoo

​March 4, 2017

​We started with a quiet morning and breakfast in bed from the amazing Gatsby's on Fourth Cafe in the hotel. We then took a drive through historic Louisville. We tried to get in for a tour of the Angels Envy distillery that opened across from Slugger Stadium since the last time we were in town, but tours were sold out for the day. Instead we took a drive out Old Bardstown Road through the historic neighborhoods East of Downtown known as The Highlands.

​We came back early afternoon and walked down the street from the Seelbach to another historic Louisville hotel, The Brown for lunch. Our favorite spot in the hotel, the Lobby Bar wasn't open yet but I got some pictures before heading down to the historic J. Graham's Cafe on the first floor.

The Lobby Bar at The Brown Hotel

Lobby and mezzanine from The Brown Hotel's front desk

​J. Graham's Cafe is the originator of the Hot Brown, the city's signature sandwich which was developed in the 1920's to satisfy late night diners looking for more glamorous than ham and eggs after attending the historic dinner dances hosted in the 4,300 sqft Crystal Ballroom which regularly accommodated more than 1,200 guests per night.

The J. Graham cafe in the Brown Hotel's daylight basement is one of Downtown Louisville's oldest

​We of course both chose the Hot Brown for our lunch, and as always were not disappointed. The amazing mornay sauce is as ever the centerpiece of this amazing open faced sandwich, combining Pecorino Romano cheese with a perfectly made cream sauce with just a hint of nutmeg to draw out the nutty flavors of the cheese. This sauce covers the base of Texas toast and Turkey before being sprinkled with more cheese and thrown under a broiler. The sandwich is then covered with 2 strips of bacon before being garnished and served. There is no better sandwich in my experience, and I've eaten some amazing sandwiches in my travels.

The world famous Hot Brown originated in this historic cafe

Mar 5, 2017

Wallace Station

Country Ham and Pimento cheese on wheat from Wallace Station is an amazingly well constructed sandwich.  The salt and sweet from the ham are the perfect foil for the creamy spice of the pimento cheese.  Pimento cheese is one of those southern creations we just don't find most places in Oregon unless we make it like Grandma did.

Wallace Station's Country Ham & Pimento cheese sandwich features a house made white cheddar pimento cheese. 

Carrie had the Turkey Rachel, Roast turkey, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and creamy slaw.  A southern take on the Ruben with house made slaw that takes it to a whole new level.  She said it was a great sandwich, and her clean plate said she wasn't just being polite.

The Turkey Rachel from Wallace Station features an awesome house made slaw

Who knits a sweater for a bottle of ginger ale?

There are some things that you learn in bourbon country that don't happen anywhere else.  There are bourbons that you can only find there like Kentucky Spirit and Ancient Ancient Age.  You also learn that for more than 75 years most of the state has relied on a local bottling company called Ale-8-1 for its primary mixer, not the international brands.  It's a brand so much a part of the bluegrass tradition that the name isn't enunciated any more, it's called "A Late One" instead.  

So I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that a beverage that is loved this much arrived with sweaters.  And not just sweaters, but sweaters that were knit with the sodas name and a winter design. 

I gotta tell you, I've always loved ginger ale with whiskey.  Until the first time a bartender handed me "a late one and rye".  When the label described it as "Crisp, clean, real Ginger with a hint of Citrus" they are under selling the difference it makes. Now ginger ale just won't cut it.

It isn't widely known or distributed, but thanks to the miracle that is the internet you can buy it online direct from the company. 

Do yourself a favor and keep some stocked in your fridge or wet bar. 

Fat Boy Whiskey Review: Duke - Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

From John Wayne's son Ethan and the folks at Monument Valley Distillers comes the bourbon The Duke always intended to make during his lifetime but never had the chance to.

Nose has a light citrus note before a solid caramel and vanilla overtake your senses.  A slight burn at the front of the pallete gives way rapidly to caramels and honey, fading into oak and leather. 

A Small Batch bourbon bottled at 88 Proof this is a nice everyday sipper if you can find it.  Thanks to the folks at Caskers.com for another great whiskey.

Fat Boy Summer Road Trip 2014 Part 2: On the Road Day 8

We woke up after far too little sleep in Nashville this morning with another long day of driving planned, but wanted to see a couple things in the daylight before we left town.  We went by and snapped a picture of the Nashville skyline in the morning sun and a picture of LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans.  Our final stop was to the Nashville Farmers Market to grab a fresh lunch before hitting the road for Joplin, MO to hug an old friend and have dinner with her.

The Nashville Farmers Market is huge, with five buildings in total.  Two "Farm Sheds" contain stalls for local farmers to sell fresh produce and feature everything from turnip greens to fresh peaches and heirloom tomatoes.  In the middle is the Food Court, an enclosed building that is home to several permanent restaurants, an international foods market, and quite a few temporary food booths selling everything from handmade pastries and gelato to traditional Indian and Jamaican foods. 

The final two structures are the "Flea Market", featuring booths from dozens of different vendors.   Here you can find all kinds of thins from clothing to household goods and designer fragrances.

In the Food Court we decided on a crepe from Music City Crepes. They intrigued me with hot savory crepes filled with meat and cheese.  I had mine with ground beef, cheddar cheese, olives, onions, and fresh spinach.  It was a nice refreshing yet substantial meal to hold us through the 600 mile drive planned for the day. 

 From Nashville we headed out on our long drive to the Southwest corner of Missouri.  Crossing the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and the Ozark mountains. 

Our route took us to one of the biggest river joinings in the world.  In the span of two miles Route 51 took us across the Ohio River from Kentucky into Illinois, then across the Mississippi River from Illinois into Missouri just a mile north of the point where these two mighty rivers join.  You are in Illinois so briefly that the only indication is a sign saying you are on the Lincoln historical trail just before you leave while crossing the Mississippi.

The Ohio River looking from Kentucky to Illinois

Bridge over the Ohio River on Rt. 51 North of Wycliffe, KY

Bridge over the Mississippi River on Rt. 51 just south of Cairo, IL

A large storm was moving in as we were crossing Missouri.  It went from bright daylight to dark in less than 15 minutes.

By the time we got to our destination in Joplin, MO the storm had passed and the sun was back.

We checked into the Holiday Inn in Joplin and then met up with Katie, a good friend who lives just west of Joplin for dinner at the Steak n Shake before calling it a night.  It was a long drive but worth it to have a few hours catching up with an old friend and having a meal together before heading to bed for Sunday's journey.

Tonight's Drink: Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel

The only single barrel bourbon bottled in bond, this is a bourbon with proud tradition. It also was named American Whisky of the year for 2012, no small feat it a ever expanding bourbon culture.

The nose has creamy caramel and tobacco notes, with hints of citrus and leather.
It starts hot on the palette, rapidly fading to honey and sweet corn with a smooth finish that leaves you with a faint taste of copper and green grass.
This is an amazingly complex whiskey that hits all of the right notes while remaining as pure and uncut as it's long history.

93/100

Tonight's Drink: Hirsch Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Light amber/honey color.

Nose has strong honey and caramel notes out of the bottle, opens up with vanilla and toffee with a couple of drops of water.

Taste starts out smooth, light caramel and toffee fading to citrus and bluegrass.

Overall a nice drinking bourbon that is easy to afford for a 6-year old bottle. 86/100

Athenian Grill: Greek Bistro & Market by Ilias Pappas — Kickstarter

 When we were in Kentucky, I wrote about the Ambassador Day at Makers Mark on day two of our visit.  One of the great things about that day was the amazing greek food we had from Athenian Grill in Lexington and their booth on the food court there.  Now Athenian Grill is working to open a permanent location in Lexington, and has turned to Kickstarter for funding.  While most of the awards for backers are only going to be valuable to people in the Lexington area, the $50 reward includes shipping of their scratch-made pastries anywhere in the U.S.

If you are in Lexington, or really anywhere in Eastern Kentucky, I encourage you to consider supporting Illias in getting this restaurant built, you will love his food and his passion.​