Against the Grain

On a warm sunny day three 20-something girls get off of work from Churchill, the CVB, and Frazier respectively, and meet up in their dresses for what else, a nice cold beer on a patio next to a ball park.  I can’t even tell you what the inside of Against the Grain looks like, but what I can tell you is that the patio is inviting, and the beer is on tap.

Located right outside of the Louisville Slugger Field, home of the Bats, ATG boasts being Louisville’s only Brewer-owned brewery.  There are 6 different types of beer to choose from (hop, smoke, dark, malt, session, and whim) that are always in rotation, changing constantly.  During the meal we consumed 3 hops, 1 session, and a whim (I don’t know the name of the actual beers but they were all tasty).  Sharing a smoked beer cheese with house kettle chips we caught up and watched as the city ended its day and went about getting ready for the evening.  I personally was not a fan of the beer cheese but the other two enjoyed it.  We finally decided on some dinner ordering the following: The Angry Bovine, The Carolina, and The Memphis.  For the most part we found the meat to be dry and the coleslaw to be smoky but not in a good way.  My suggestion is if you are headed to a game and want to get a craft beer before going in to watch the Bats that you do so at ATG, but the food could be passed by and you would not be amiss. 

Coals Artisan Pizza

I saw someone with a piece of pizza on Friday and that started a craving.  Luckily for me my parents happened to be driving through town on their way back home from Easter week vacation in Louisiana.  Perfect reason to go out to eat (not that I really need an excuse)!  Normally when they are in town I ask what they want and take that into consideration, this time I just said, “We are going to get pizza hope you didn’t eat it yesterday.”  There are so many different pizza places and types of pizza places in town: by the slice, whole pizza, giant pizza, New York Style, Chicago style, chain, privately owned, regular, gourmet.  I decided on Coals Artisan Pizza, one I have been to a few times.

Coals is located off of Frankfort Ave in St. Matthews. It has a great ambiance to it, and there is a little space you can look through to see brick oven ablaze.  Because I went with my parents I asked them to send me their thoughts, I have to tell you, my father may be a professional, or at least he thinks he is “The water was crisp and refreshing, with just the right twist of lemon.”  We ordered the Coal Oven Wings, fired in the oven and covered in rosemary, lemon and garlic.  They were a great change from the ordinary wings you get at most places, which was good for my mother because she is not normally a wing fan not liking buffalo sauce, but she thought “the garlic butter offered a great taste.”  We ordered the Middletown pizza with fennel sausage, margarita pepperoni, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano.  The pizza, we all thought, was good could have used a bit more toppings and my dad said the crust on a few of his pieces was burnt.  Overall it had a great flavor, the sausage being a bright spot.

With so many pizzas’ to choose from and the option to create your own I am sure there is something everyone can find to their liking.  Add the full bar and wine selection and you have yourself a place that is worth giving a shot.

Let Me Tell You Why Louisville Is My City

Louisville.  I don’t know how else to put this into words so I am just going to throw it out there.  I freakin’ love this city.  Seriously you guys, this city is that place in my heart that I will always find home.  I literally had a moment last night where I was sitting under an old fire escape ladder, eating a gourmet food truck burger, drinking a tasting of beer, watching burlesque dancers get ready for their show and all I could think was “Am I really that farm kid from the middle of nowhere Indiana right now?”  I mean don’t get me wrong, I have been a lot of places, done a lot of amazing things in my short time here on earth so far, but sometimes it just hits me, this city is cool.  While we may not be what some consider a “big city” we are big enough for me, and all without losing that southern charm I love so much.  I have a lot of things I want to review in this blog so let me cease and desist on my adoration of the Derby City and get started on things.

First let me start with the newest food truck in Louisville, Grind.  Can I just say that the opening of this truck was a show of social networking at its best.  J and I showed up around 8:30 to see a line which I can only assume started forming way before the 7:30 opening.  A brand new food truck and the power of the internet in a city that loves local, gourmet, and supporting each other; awesome.  While there was a wait, I am not at all going to grumble about it, it is what it is and honestly it didn’t take all that long.  When we got to the front of the truck we were greeted by Liz who was personable and stoked about the turn out.  There were 3 options: classic burger, b&b (bacon and brie), and veggie burger.  J and I are not veggie burger kinda girls, especially when bacon and brie are options.  We both ordered the b&b with red pepper jelly.  We waited a bit longer to get our food (again expected and not at all an issue, it means my burger was freshly cooked) and we were finally called to pick up our white boxes with the prize inside.  The buns were AMAZING. They were buttery, almost like a croissant but with the consistency of a bun.  I don’t know where you guys got these buns but whatever you do, please, never change them. The brie/bacon/red pepper combo of savory/salty/sweet was great.  However, with all of those combos going on I will admit, I can’t really tell you what the hamburger itself tasted like.  We both would have liked a say in how done our burgers were, not that they were overcooked, and I realize that would have added to the wait time.  Something to maybe think about once all the kinks are worked out and it’s not opening night with a line half a block deep!  We both agreed that the price was a little steep.  It’s hard to justify a $9 burger that you have to stand to eat when benches aren’t readily available.  None the less J and I both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would proudly sport Grind t-shirts around town.

The truck was parked outside of Haymarket Whiskey Bar.  The bar harkens back to prohibition era days, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s in a building built in 1885.  While I love the building, the bar itself, not so much.  Haymarket knew the food truck was going to be coming, knew that they were going to have a live band (I’m getting to that review) and a burlesque troupe (hang on that’s coming too), and still they had 1, let me repeat that, 1 bartender.  The place was packed, and the area is tiny.  I can forgive them for only having one bathroom, not much you can do about that, but 1 bartender, come on guys.  Not only was there only one bartender, but to top it of he was snide and rude.  I will not be making a special trip to visit this bar again anytime in the near future. 

As for the entertainment, it was fun and well, entertaining. Billy Goat Strut Revue was great, lending to the prohibiton era vibe with their jazzy classics.  I am not afraid to admit I now have a crush on the upright bass player (if you have a wife please don’t let her come after me).  The Scarlet Jazzibelles were my first burlesque show; I give those women’s props.  NABC was on hand with some beers to taste and taste we did.  They were pretty good, the IPA was a little bitter after a while, but was still not bad. 

Overall, I came away with this: there was nowhere else I would have rather been on a crisp Friday night in April then in the city I love the most.  We may not be LA, Chicago, or New York, but we have a lot to offer.  Heart, soul, pride in local ownership, and a community that supports and cares for each other.  Here is to you Louisville: may you never change and if you do may it be in a way that makes you even better!

A Living Life First

It is not my common practice to announce where I am going to be going next, but there are first’s for everything.  I am a huge fan of the food truck movement.  And am especially happy for the fact that Louisville’s seems to keep on thriving.  A few months ago I found out that fellow bloggers Liz & Jesse were going to venture into the food truck business.  Score!  Of course you know I am going to back another writer’s endeavor, especially if it means I get to eat in the process.  This Friday is the day when their gourmet burger truck Grind is going to roll out and greet the city.  And I for one will be in line at Haymarket Whiskey Bar  (bonus live music!) to see if the burger lives up to the Louisville cuisine.  (My money is on yes!)  I encourage the rest of you to come down and join.