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