Kentucky Eatin'

Hello again! Didn’t think I’d be posting so soon, didja? Well, this a special treat seeing that I am trying to pass the time before I head off to Cardiff for grad school. Also, this is a special entry because it’s a travel and food blog entry! I recently had the pleasure of visiting my sister and her husband in Kentucky and got some fun and fine dining out of the trip. Well let’s not dilly-dally! Let’s get to it!

First off, I’d like to welcome you to Tom + Chee. This little gem serves sooooo many different kinds of grilled cheeses with classic tomato soup (hence the name). However, I couldn’t help but order the Grilled Cheese Donut. That’s right. Grilled cheese slapped between two toasted glazed donuts. Now, this sandwich didn’t sound particularly appealing to me, but when someone comes up with something that just might make your arteries scream, well... I can’t help but be curious. Overall the Grilled Cheese Donut wasn’t too bad. The cheese was melted just right and the sandwich didn’t feel heavy. It was smooth and gooey and soft. Nevertheless, it just tasted like a donut with melted cheddar cheese. Did I love it? No. Hate it? No. There is a baker’s dozen challenge with the Grilled Cheese Donuts and I think it’s totally doable, though I think you’d want to detox after consuming probably a week’s worth of calories in one sitting. If I lived in Louisville, I’d definitely frequent this place to taste all their different grilled cheese combos (but thank goodness I don’t ‘cause otherwise I’d probably have to run everyday).

As cliche and touristy as it is... I did have fried chicken in Kentucky, granted it wasn’t from KFC. My dad was pretty adamant about having Kentucky fried chicken so after a morning of picking fresh fruit and veg at Huber’s Orchard and Winery, my family and I popped into the orchard’s mom and pop restaurant and got some fried chicken with plenty of starchy and filling sides. The fried chicken was pretty good. The batter and skin never slid off the chicken and the mashed potatoes were lovely and smooth. The meal also came with free fried biscuits and apple butter. However, nothing was particularly amazing. I love spices, so I would have liked a more flavorful batter, but that’s just me. The moral of the story is: just because there’s a worldwide fast food chain called, “Kentucky Fried Chicken” doesn’t mean that Kentucky is the land of the best fried chicken. 

Last on our restaurant tour was Seviche--a pretty snazzy restaurant with great seafood. Everything was so fresh and tasty. The menu is continually modified based upon which fresh ingredients are available and the chef seasons everything perfectly. I had the scallops and they were impeccable. Great crust and perfectly cooked. Gordon Ramsay would be proud. They also have a great selection of desserts and I melted when I took a bite out of their Tres Leche Cake. Genius idea of putting crushed macadamia nuts in it. My parents had the Avocado Ice Cream, which was quite fun and tasty. Very smooth and clever (the ice cream rested in a dark chocolate shell and had a bourbon ball in it to represent an avocado seed). The restaurant is a bit pricey, so I only recommend it for very special occasions. Oh, and the presentation of the food was spot on. I mean, look at these photos!

I also had the pleasure of going to the Bourbon Trail (which I soon learned was not really a trail but a name given to an area where a lot of distilleries were located). My family and I toured the Wild Turkey Distillery and afterwards we had a bourbon tasting. Since my sister and her hubby are seminary students at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, they couldn’t join in on the tasting. More for me then! Although we’re only allowed to taste two different bourbons (two cups per person), I got to take my sister and her husband’s glasses and try six different bourbons and could actually taste the difference between each one (whiskey typically just tastes like fire to me, so it was really nice to be able to identify different flavors in each one). 

And lastly, but definitely not least (How many times have I used this transition phrase?!), here are pictures of the beautiful food my sister cooked at home. She made a really tasty pork noodle dish and mushroom bourguignon. Serious props.

The next time I’ll post I’ll probably be in the UK. I’m so excited to start this new chapter in my life at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (if this is your first time tuning in, I’m getting my Masters in Theatre Design at RWCMD)! I probably won’t have much time to post this next year because of my work load. I apologize to the handful of people who follow my blog in advance (thanks for following at all). Nevertheless, I will probably update my personal blog more often. So if you like my writing or just me, you can follow this blog.