well, should i ever find myself in louisville, kentucky for some reason (mint juleps at the derby, anyone?) i have two items on my itinerary:
first, i need to check out the new boutique hotel (opening in april) called 21C, which is filled with amazing contemporary art from the $10 million collection of it's owner, steve wilson. almost as cool may be the building itself that houses it; taking up four warehouses and a former bank, it cost $26 million to refurbish and 6 years to finish. not much content on their site yet, but there are some details about it in this article from the NY Times T magazine... this weekend's issue was all about travel, and chock-filled with great info i want to take note of.
secondly, while i'm in good ol' louisville, i must have what may be the most amazing (and heart-attack-inducing) sandwich on this very planet: the hot brown. so, imagine an open-faced turkey sandwich on toast, with a sort of gravy and topped with bacon and parmesan cheese.... scandalous, right??? sign me up! i think i first saw this described on some PBS show about road food, and i have been dreaming about it ever since. and here's a complete review on the fabulous roadfood.com, an essential point of reference for any upcoming road trips. i hear the sandwich is available all throughout louisville, but i think i'd like to go to the original source to have one - the brown hotel, a louisville institution since the 1920's. until you get to kentucky, here are some recipes to try.... and while you're cooking and frying and toasting and eating, be sure to get in the kentucky mood by listening to my favorite album, the tennessee fire, by my favorite louisville boys, my morning jacket. good stuff!
