Discovering Louisville

(photo taken from The Silver Dollar’s facebook page)

On a very normal trip to Chicago, I went to one of my old favorite haunts in Murder Town, a chicken shack called Feed.  Alas, my dining experience was ill-fated because the collard greens had gone WAY downhill.  In the past year, my life has felt a bit unlucky in the greens department - it sucks when something you love dies a violent hipster-staff-F’ed-this-up induced death.  Lucky for me on a dinner with the girls last week, I found my new favorite collard greens at a newish, hip dining spot in town:  The Silver Dollar.

The Silver Dollar is a honky-tonk that serves darn good food and fine whiskey.  It’s cozy.  The first thing I did was sit down and order my favorite StaceO combo - a nice bourbon and a cheap beer (below, Pappy Van Winkle in a shot glass, $11 and up, and a Lone Star Beer, $3).

The menu is pretty easy to navigate - there’s a little something for everyone, vegetarian to carnivore:

(photo taken from The Silver Dollar’s facebook page)

I got veggie sides because I was in the mood.  God bless the collards.  I also got green beans that had a nice flavor (see below), but I found them to be a little too oily for my liking (as far as being motivated to finish them).

I tried The Basket of Livers and was swept back in time to my Mema’s kitchen.  I know she’d like these fried livers.  They are nice and creamy with a crunchy, battered outside.

My friend Allison got the veggie burger:

Everyone at the table agreed that the veggie burger was surprisingly greasy, but then I had a moment of “A-HA!” - I’m not going to let the grease set me back as far as The Silver Dollar menu is concerned.  I liked everything that I tried, and if I go into eating there next time understanding that things might be a little bit greasier than I am expecting, it will be a-ok.  (Deep breath)

I will say that our sweet waitress was a tad overwhelmed, and I was never asked if I wanted more expensive bourbon (UPSALE, girl) and some condiments for other parties were forgotten, but overall I didn’t have a bad experience.  With every new place, I believe there are bound to be hiccups, so I’m going back with my bearded husband in tow for the fried fish and some red meat VERY soon.  And also, I will get collards.  LOVE those greens.  Favorite.  

Go check out The Silver Dollar.  It’s seriously fun to hang out there.

1761 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206 · Get Directions

502-259-9540

http://www.whiskeybythedrink.com

 Mon - Sun:5:00 pm-2:00 am

“Here are things you will find [at The Silver Dollar]: a grand space, steeped in history; the deliciously loud sounds of Bakersfield-style honky-tonk music and laughter; great cocktails; an extensive list of bourbons and tequilas; quick, smart service; a chef-driven menu filled with the vivid flavors from the Southwest — especially.” (from the Courier-Journal review - click the text to read entire article)

I love that now that I have lived in Louisville for going on two years, I have festive events to look forward to this year.  For example, A Very Portland Christmas is this weekend, and I’m going because I had a good time last year (and I got some nice Laura Fauna scarves).

Go!  It’s this Saturday.  According to the facebook event, this is a:

“$50 and under holiday gift sale — locally created art, craft and other local stuff by over 40 talented Louisville residents. 

Buy local! 
Handmade!
Art, Craft, Music, Love!
Everything $50 and Under!

Save your shopping for December 17th, support local artists, keep your money circulating in the local economy, and give a handmade gift that is more meaningful to your loved ones this year.”

Directions to Nelligan Hall at http://www.nelliganhall.org/

Nelligan Hall 2010 Portland Ave., Louisville, KY View Map · Get Directions

I know I often blog about Greenhaus and their monthly Friday wine and chocolate tastings, but I honestly have so much fun at these things that I have to spread the good word.  I always find a great new wine and a cool new friend.  YOU should go too.  I usually peak my head in around 6/6:30. OpenHaus
December 16th, 4-8 p.m. 
Free

Well, “call me Ishmael,” cause I just ate a huge meal at Moby Dick this past weekend.

This weekend we were running errands - we even brought our pup - and then our tummies started to grumble.  Now until actually eating at Moby Dick, I haven’t heard much, nor did I know what to THINK of this restaurant.  I love sneaking and eating at your average Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, and I’ll even do 1 yearly pop at McDonalds for fries and a BigMac (and I always get sick and repent after I do this), but for some reason Moby Dick scared me.  Fear of the unknown fast food chain…  It’s spooky.

Bern works with our friend Laura, a tiny and petite picture of health, who told him that the food at Moby Dick is good.  Her top choices are the fried clams and the fried cauliflower.  And as we were driving to Whole Foods, Bern spotted the chain and told me what Laura suggested.

Bernhardt got the fried fish sandwich on rye, and it was really tasty:

And I got Laura’s top picks - the clams:

And the cauliflower:

Yes, it’s a lot of fried food, and I don’t think I’ll be able to eat this kind of stuff more than maybe twice a year, but DAMN - it was really good.  I NEVER expected Moby Dick to be this clean, fresh, and awesome.  I’m pleasantly surprised.

This write-up on Hello Louisville explains this chain quite well.  Check it out.

And if you’re ever on the road in Louisville and you see a Moby Dick, try it.  It’s pretty darn great!

Over Thanksgiving Holiday, while strolling around NuLu with family, my Uncle Ken ducked into the candy shop that has changed my holiday gift list:  Muth’s Candy.

I’ve never been in Muth’s until that point, mainly because I’m always in that area on Sundays or Mondays, both days that Muth’s is closed.  It’s your typical old-timey candy-counter:  charming, candy-filled, and full of whimsical decoration.

When we walked through the door, a man named Stanley greeted us with a Modjeska Candy.  I honestly took it to be polite; I’m not a candy-sample person because I’ve been grossed out a couple of major times in my childhood.  But I mechanically took the sample and thanked him…and then…WOAH.

What you see above is a marshmallow - homemade - and it’s covered in homemade caramel goodness.  Honestly, it tastes like the fluffiest caramel you’ve ever eaten.  You don’t really taste the mallow…  It’s just this buttery awesome - it tastes like I’ve often imagined taking a bite out of a cloud could be.  Look inside:

A 4 oz bag costs about $4.99 and an 8 oz. bag is $8.99.

So far, I’ve bought these delightful candies for my father-in-law, my stepfather, and my stepmother.  It’s such an easy gift if you think about it - it’s special candy made locally in Louisville, it has an interesting history (read about it here and print it out for your gift box), and…well…  I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t LOVED this candy yet.

Muth’s has been making candy for a long time.  They are proud of their history, they’ll tell you all about it when you come in, and if you get there a 30-minutes after closing time they’ll even unlock the door and sell you candy anyway (but I suggest you get there during their open hours - they hooked me up in a family gift emergency).  And if you live far away, they even ship.

Muth’s Candy Store 630 East Market St Louisville, KY 40202 1-800-55MUTHS

The Modjeska:  ”An irresistible combination of a soft marshmallow gem and light caramel was created by Edgar Busath. Being friends, Rudy was given a copy of the original recipe. * Due to the high content of cream and butter in our modjeskas it is best if they are enjoyed within 2 weeks of shipping.”