Louisville Grub

epicuriouslouisville:

Brunch in Louisville: so many options, so little time

The cheese and fruit plate from the North End Cafe (wonderful spot)

Soft boiled egg with prosciutto from Blue Dog Bakery  (overrated, but what a dish)

Flank steak with Poblano sauce from The Silver Dollar (one of my alltime faves)

A ganache latte from Please and Thank You (SO GOOD)

Bacon from The Blind Pig (don’t think they do brunch, but lunch?)

Best Doughnut You’ve Never Had

I’ve eaten my fair share of doughnuts in Louisville.  I love Nord’s, Sugar & Spice, Dunkin Donuts, etc more than I can tell you.  But one of our best doughnuts does not come from a doughnut shop at all.  It comes from Great Harvest Bread Company.  They simply call it a Gourmet Baked Doughnut.  It is the only doughnut they make, and it is incredible.  The Gourmet Baked Doughnut is cake-like and covered in delicious sugar granules.  Make plans to get one tomorrow.  You won’t regret it.

Bluegrass Brewing Company

This past Thursday, a buddy and I met to eat dinner, have a few beers, and watch some football at the St. Matthews location of Bluegrass Brewing Company (commonly referred to as BBC).  It was my first time there, and I was really looking forward to going because I am a craft beer fiend.  There are few things I crave more than a really well-made beer.  It certainly was not my first time drinking BBC beer, but it was my first time having it at the brewery or eating their food.  So, did it live up to my expectations?  Well, yes and no.

Let’s start with the food.  I ordered the Bison Burger ($11.99).  There are 3 considerations for a burger - the meat, the toppings, and the bun.  The bison meat did not disappoint.  As soon as I bit into the burger, I literally thought, ‘That’s some tasty meat.’  It was cooked well; moist and full of meaty deliciousness.  You can spice up your burger a bit by having it dressed one of four different styles…South of the Border, Germantown, Smokehouse, or BBC Bluegrass (each ranging from an extra $2-$2.50).  While tempted to have the Germantown Bison Burger (sauteed peppers and onions, sauerkraut, beer cheese), I wasn’t looking to turn it into a $15 burger.  So, I told the waitress (who was really nice by the way) I’ll take it however it is normally dressed; which I believe was lettuce, tomato, and mustard or mayo.  It did not come with cheese.  Had I realized that, I certainly would have had them add it.  As it was, I was not impressed by the toppings.  They did not add much to the burger.  However, my biggest disappointment was the  bun.  A good bun can take a burger over the top.  This bun did not do that.  It looked and tasted like the buns I would buy at the grocery store when I’m grilling for a bunch of people, and buy a bunch of cheap buns because…well, I’m cheap.  All in all, it was a good burger.  With higher quality bread and toppings, it could have been a great  burger.  As a side, I had the garlic fries.  They were good, but not memorable.

Let’s be honest.  If you come to a brewery, it is not for the food.  It’s for the beer.  I started out my meal with the Dark Star Porter.  The porter was smooth and had a light chocolatey flavor to it.  It was a quality beer.  I’m not raving about it, but it was good.  It’s the kind of beer that I would order if I was out at a chain restaurant; without many choices of craft beers that offers your normal fare of Bud, Miller, etc.  I would rather drink beet juice than Bud or Miller.  So, this beer would be like manna from heaven in this situation.  On the other hand, I’m never going to order it when given a wealth of high quality craft beers to choose from.  The next (and last…only in moderation my friends) beer I partook of was a new seasonal beer they recently added called ‘Thing 1.’  In case you don’t have kids or have blocked out your own childhood, that’s a Dr. Seuss reference. Thing 1 is a Belgian Amber Ale, and it is a thing of beauty.  I LOVED this beer.  I’m drooling just thinking about it.  I have never seen Thing 1 served anywhere else, but I wish they would produce it in mass, bottle it up, and make it available everywhere.  It was a perfect amber color, easy to drink,  and had a ridiculously delicious honey flavor to it.  I would buy Thing 1 anywhere, anytime, regardless of what else is offered.  It became one of my favorite beers; truly top notch.  It made my night.

All in all, BBC gained a fan.  I’m never going to go there because of the food, but I look forward to having another beer or two with friends.  Next time, I’ll probably just have an appetizer along with my beers to save money.  By the way, I got their pretzel and beer cheese appetizer ($5.99) to go for my wife, and it was delicious.  They have TVs all over the place, so it is a great place to watch a game.  If you’re a beer fan, you should support this local brewery.  Bring a couple friends and hang out for a while over some quality craft beers.  

Follow on twitter @BBCBeerPimp