The title of this post is overly dramatic, but what else is new? We were in Kentucky over the weekend for a friend's wedding (in case you didn't read about the dress debacle here). We had a great trip. Spent lots of time cutting loose and catching up. Please enjoy the following sights and bites of Louisville, Kentucky.
Thursday when we arrived it was sweltering. I basically left the heat and humidity of Houston for the heat, humidity and overall steaminess of Louisville in the midst of a heat wave. It felt like 110 at midnight. This kind of weather obviously called for an arrival cocktail, so we headed to the Old Seelbach Bar for some drinks. If there is one thing I love, it's a bar that has old carved wood and is about 100 years old. Also, did you know that F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed at the Seelbach and it was the backdrop for Tom and Daisy Buchanan's wedding in The Great Gatsby. This is 100% my kind of thing. So way to go Michael the bartender with the very groomed mustache, best Pimm's Cup I have ever had.
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| Pimm's Cup with Muddled Cucumber and mint. Perfect for 110 degrees. |
The signature Seelbach Cocktail kind of tastes like bourbon flavored champagne with a citrus twist. Really it's much more complicated than that. If you want to attempt it, here is the recipe. S and I both agreed that these are deceptively strong. After having one later that night at 11, I can actually attest to it. Another amazing thing, the bar menu (that we snacked on) is delicious and insanely cheap. You could literally get an extra value meal at a fast food joint for $7.50 or you could get the roasted beet salad with fresh arugula for $8. The cheese plate was HUGE and only $9. Insane.
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| What was left of the Seelbach Cocktail when I decided to take a photo. |
That night I ate dinner with the other wives and went to Proof on Main on the recommendation of my friend E who is from KY but currently lives in Austin. Proof seems to be an extension of the 21C contemporary art museum, but is its own entity. They focus on sourcing fresh food from local farms and they feature contemporary art throughout the restaurant. Like the installation of flying seagulls above us, with a chosen few in mid explosion from an apparent alkaseltzer/cracker mishap. Very appetizing. Also, upon arrival we were greeted by a giant golden statue of David. Obviously I took a photo for you to enjoy the view from behind.
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| Think 5 stories high. The other side would have gotten me flagged as a porno blog. |
We started with a bottle of champagne and an order of the Charred Octopus on the recommendation of a different Seelbach bartender. GREAT recommendation. It was a dream.
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| Charred Octopus, bagna cauda, lime, & toast |
We switched to the Alchemist 2009 Pinot Noir for dinner. It is an Oregon wine from the Willamette Valley. I have had it before and it was just as good as I remembered. For more on that, go here. Everyone was very happy with their entrees. I ordered the salmon and the two ladies I was with both had the scallops.
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| Pan Roasted Scallops, Creamed Summer Corn, benton's ham, broccoli, spicy pecans |
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| Seared wild caught Sockeye Salmon, Giant White Beans, Chorizo, Herbs and Kale |
To answer your question, Yes, I did feel like one of those strange people you see at restaurants who take pictures of their food. But I had had enough wine to want to share and to not care. We had dessert back at the Old Seelbach bar in liquid form... remember that 11pm Seelbach cocktail? Then went out for a few more. The weekend was wonderful, lots of wedding festivities started after that, and on a final note, if you enjoy a good dive bar and you are visiting Louisville, you need to visit the 3rd Street Dive Bar. Worth the trip and our bar tab for 2 kettle one and sodas and a miller high life was $9. That is unheard of. Louisville is an inexpensive town.
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| Third Street Dive |
My plan after you Louisville update was to give you some good toddler food updates. **Warning, things are about to get kind of gross** Instead we got home, relaxed, and were about 15 minutes from toddler dinner when L lost her newly acquired footing and what we think happened is that she hit her chin on the coffee table so hard that her two top teeth came down on her two bottom teeth knocking them out of place. I think the movie "There Will Be Blood" was written about this moment. Because there was. A lot of it. Seriously, look away now... I am including a tee shirt shot.
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| And this was just her shirt. S's shirt was about five times worse. |
The good news is while we were rushing to the emergency clinic (technically our first "trip") her dr called and said we could reevaluate in the morning. Then she perked up and ate dinner and let me brush her teeth a little and went to bed like a champ. Hopefully she won't be too sore tomorrow. Above is my excuse for lack of recipe content. Below is a closing photo of a very easy spinach salad.
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| Really could eat this salad every night. |
We used fresh spinach, chopped the ends and washed and dried in the salad spinner (love that guy). Chopped cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, and crushed garlic on top. The dressing is underneath and is made up of balsamic vinegar reduction, ev olive oil, sriracha (just a bit), and some fresh squeezed lime juice. It was a really delicious salad. We ate it with some grilled chicken thighs last Monday night before our 4th of July travel marathon began. The entire thing took about 15 minutes.
My next major decision of the day is as follows: Does an almost trip to the ER with your child call for a glass of wine or a few ice cream drumsticks? Hmmmmm
-RT
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