It’s sure to get your sweetie in the mood, and you’ll be happy when the check comes and you see how much you saved by eating in. For under $50, you can use recipes from my first cookbook, Adventures in New Kentucky Cooking and the upcoming Bourbon Cookbook to whip up something as good as you’d find at any local restaurant. All the recipes are designed to serve six, so make the necessary adjustments or invite two more couples over and make a night of it. Don’t forget the roses and champagne.

To start, mix up a batch of shrubs. Raspberry shrub was one of the most popular drinks in the America of the 1800s and owes much of its popularity to the Temperance Movement, which promoted it as an alternative to hard spirits and beer. The word shrub comes from the old Arabic word meaning drink and amounted to a tart, fruit-based syrup that would be cut with cold water and sometimes alcohol to produce a refreshing summertime beverage. In Kentucky, as in most parts of the country, shrubs were also known as vinegars, no doubt because vinegar was a key ingredient used to macerate the fruit, and they could be made from a wide variety of fruits and berries. Not surprising, Kentuckians often added bourbon whiskey to their shrubs for a more potent concoction. The beautiful pink color makes this the perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail.

Raspberry Bourbon Shrubs

• 4 cups fresh raspberries (frozen will work)
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• Sparkling water
• Bourbon

Simmer the raspberries and vinegar in a large saucepan for 20 minutes or until the berries have started to break down. Transfer the mixture to a blender and purée. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, strain it through a sieve to remove all the seeds and pulp. There should be at least 3 cups of juice, if not, you’ll have to add some water to make up the difference. Transfer to a saucepan with the sugar and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is thick and ruby red. For each shrub, you will need to mix together 1 part syrup with 2 parts sparkling water and a splash of bourbon. You won’t even taste the vinegar, by the way.

Read the rest and get the recipes after the jump…

Then, start off with the following appetizer using one of my favorite local delicacies, smoked spoonfish. The spoonfish, also known as the paddlefish or spoonbill catfish, is one of the tastiest byproducts of recent trends in which Kentucky tobacco farmers have turned to aquaculture as a way of diversification. This relative of the sturgeon has firm, white flesh that has become a favorite with seafood aficionados across the country.

Lewis Shuckman, a third-generation fishmonger who operates the family business at his west Louisville smokery, has won numerous awards for his smoked treats. His smoked spoonfish has also gained national recognition for its exceptional quality, and Kentucky spoonfish caviar such as that produced at Schuckman’s has received attention around the world for its exceptional quality. Paired up with savory pancakes flavored with sweet potato, the smoked fish is sure to be a hit.

Smoked Spoonfish with Sweet Potato Pancakes

• 1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 ¼ cups cooked mashed sweet potato
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• ¼ cup melted butter
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup flaked smoked spoonfish
• Unsweetened whipped cream and chopped green onion for garnish

Sift all the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoons onto a hot greased griddle or skillet and fry, turning once, until browned on both sides. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream topped off with flaked spoonfish and green onion.

After you’ve finished the appetizers and cocktails, move on to the soup, which you can make in advance and reheat to serve. Although it has a wonderfully creamy texture, there’s no dairy here, other than a bit of butter. If you want to make it vegan, use olive oil and vegetable stock instead. Now might be the time to pop the cork on that bottle of champagne.

Bourbon Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4-5 cloves fresh garlic, smashed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 cups butternut squash, diced, peeled and deseeded
• 1 cup bourbon
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 6 cups chicken broth
• ¼ cup honey
• Pumpkin seed oil

Sauté onions and garlic with the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat until onions become translucent. Add squash and cook an additional 5 minutes. Turn up the heat and add bourbon, cooking until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in salt, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and cumin. Pour in chicken stock and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until the pieces of squash have started to break down. Add honey and use a handheld blender to puree the soup in the saucepan until perfectly smooth. Correct the seasoning and enjoy with a healthy drizzle of pumpkin seed oil.

Now, it’s time for the salad course. This creation is another take on the famous open-faced sandwich from Louisville’s celebrated Brown Hotel, and incorporates all of the main ingredients from the original, but adds the crisp crunch of iceberg lettuce and the tangy zing of bourbon and buttermilk in the dressing. Pop open another bottle of bubbly if you’re out, or switch to a bottle of sauvignon blanc if you’re in the mood for something else.

Cold Brown Salad with Bourbon Buttermilk Dressing

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1 small turkey breast, cooked and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 6-8 slices cooked bacon
• Asiago cheese
• Toast points

Wash the lettuce and cut into 6 wedges. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, bourbon, salt and pepper. Assemble individual salads by laying several slices of tomato over each wedge of lettuce and drizzling with buttermilk dressing. Top with chopped turkey and bacon, and garnish with slivers of Asiago cheese and toast points.

For the main course, try one of my most popular recipes: filets of beef marinated in bourbon. The steaks need to sit in the bourbon for a while, so make sure you do that before your date arrives. As a side, make a skillet of corn and lima bean maque choux, a Louisiana-inspired succotash. If you want, you could open a bottle of cabernet sauvignon to go with the entree, but everybody knows champagne goes with everything, so pop open another bottle and fill up your glasses. Or, switch over to a bottle of rose champagne. Trust me, it’s not the pink champagne that your parents drank on the night of their honeymoon. Any decent wine shop will have a couple of varieties of this trendy sparkling wine. And it’s pink: think cupid and roses.

Bourbonnaised Filet Mignon

• Six 4-ounce filet mignons
• 1 cup bourbon
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown mustard
• ¾ cup heavy cream

Lay the filets in a single layer in a shallow dish and pour in the bourbon and lemon juice. Place the dish in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least four hours, turning each filet over at least once to ensure an even marinade. To cook the filets, melt the butter in a well-seasoned skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Season each side with salt and rub with a bit of the brown sugar. Once the butter has started to sizzle, sear each filet for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the steaks to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. To make the sauce, turn the heat under the skillet up to high and add the leftover bourbon marinade. Once it begins to boil, whisk in the mustard and cream and reduce the sauce by half. Correct the seasoning. Spoon over the filets and enjoy.

Corn and Lima Bean Maque Choux

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup diced green bell pepper
• ¼ cup diced celery
• 4 cups corn (about 6 ears)
• 2 cups frozen lima beans, thawed
• 1 cup bourbon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onions, peppers and celery for 2-3 minutes. Add the corn, limas, bourbon, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the cream and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, correct the seasoning and serve piping hot with a garnish of chopped parsley.

And, for the piece de resistance: everybody’s favorite, crème brûlée, for dessert. The flavors of orange and bourbon are perfect together in this creamy, not-too-sweet finish to your Valentine’s Day feast courtesy of the Bluegrass Peasant.

Orange Bourbon Crème Brûlée

• Juice of 4 large oranges, about 1 cup
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 8 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon iodized salt
• Sugar for the top

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk together the orange juice, bourbon and sugar in a heavy skillet and cook over medium heat until the liquid reduces by half and forms a syrup. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. There should be around ½ cup of syrup. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and frothy, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the cream, vanilla, and salt. Add the cooled orange-bourbon syrup and continue whisking. Divide the mixture between 6-8 ramekins and transfer the individual ramekins to a large baking dish. Set on the middle rack of the oven and add enough very hot water so that at least half of the ramekin sits below the surface of the water. Close the door and bake in this bain marie for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees and cook for another 45 minutes. Remove the hot water bath and allow the custards to cool in the water. Once they have cooled, sprinkle about a teaspoon’s worth of sugar over the top of each and caramelize under a broiler or with a kitchen torch to achieve the signature sugar crust.

So, pop open another bottle of champagne and get out that box of chocolates. Turn the light down a little more, and get out the candles. You can leave the dishes for tomorrow. I got you started; now the rest is up to you.

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

The Beginning

Three Minutes Later

We tore it up! You have to go get some. Marsha may be the best baker in town.

In other news, two great stories from David to come tonight/tomorrow.

Here are two things you can do to keep the holiday spirit alive:

Have a party to take down your Christmas tree on January 5th or 6th.

The most depressing part of the holidays for me is having to take all the ornaments off the tree and try to wrangle it out to the curb with a minimum of needle-loss. It’s the ultimate anti-climax in my books. It’s even worse when you’re doing it all by yourself. So, I’ve learned that inviting friends over for an end-of-the-holidays dinner party can provide a wonderful sense of Christmas closure, not to mention it goes a lot faster when you’ve got lots of people to help you untrim the tree. This is also a great way to make sure that you’re not one of those schmucks that still has the tree up when Easter rolls around.

On a side note, nothing says you have to actually tell your invitees that they will be helping you take down the Christmas decorations. I just invite them over for dinner, and once they’ve been liquored up a bit, I casually pull out all the ornament boxes and say: “Oh, by the way…”

What are they going to do, refuse? Usually not, especially when you tell them they don’t get any dinner until the tree comes down.

Have a Twelfth Night feast.

The twelfth night of the twelve days of Christmas counts as the official end of the winter holiday season and is also a traditional day for wassailing apple trees. In the Kentucky of yore, revelers keeping alive the yuletide customs of southern and western England would gather in orchards where they sang to the trees, poured offerings of hot cider over their roots, and left cider-soaked toast in the branches for the birds. They would also make lots of noise with shouts and gun fire to scare away evil spirits and invite good luck for the coming year.

If you don’t want your neighbors to think that you’ve got a couple of screws loose, you can forego the honoring of the apple trees and offer your guests a cup of mulled cider instead. Or, prepare a jug of the lamb’s wool wassail alluded to in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream: Take 1 quart hot ale and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and sugar to taste. Add 6 roasted apples that have been cored, peeled and mashed and serve in heat-proof goblets. The lamb’s wool moniker comes from the fluffy chunks of white apple that float on the surface of the wassail.

Menus for a Twelfth Night dinner can vary, but I like to do something traditionally English. Start off with cream of mushroom soup with dry sherry, then have smoked salmon from Scotland (with Champagne, of course), followed by roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and honey-glazed root vegetables as the main course. Finish it off with a nice plate of Stilton with a glass of port, and don’t forget the King Cake for dessert. A distant cousin of the New Orleans treat we associate with Mardi Gras, this Medieval sweet is more like the fruitcakes we know in this country. In early America, the person who found the bean hidden inside the pastry became the king for the evening and enjoyed an honorary position of prominence for the night.

January 6th also symbolizes the beginning of the carnival season, so there’s one more reason to celebrate and keep the spirit alive. Whatever you do, have a glass of something for me. Happy holidays from the Bluegrass Peasant!

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

Dear Mark: To answer your question briefly, no. In this country, “supper” and “dinner” are generally considered synonyms, both of them referring to the evening meal. However, as is so often the case, one’s individual use of the word most likely depends on geographic and economic factors. In general, people often consider dinner a more formal affair, whereas supper is a less formal repast. “Supper” tends to be served in more rural areas as well, and in some places they serve “dinner” at lunchtime. I remember coming across a cookbook when I was younger that explained that “dinner” was served in the evening on every day except Sunday, when “dinner” was served as the big noontime meal. For Sunday evening, it explained, “supper” was served. I like the idea of a laid-back meal on Sunday night after a drawn-out affair during the afternoon, and I still tend to do it that way today: dinner six days a week, supper only once.

For more information, go to this excellent site I found that explains the historical evolution of these two words in this country.

Dear Mr. Language Man: My family wants plum pudding for the holidays this year, but my daughter doesn’t realize that this is more like a cake than an American pudding. Also, we were watching the latest Harry Potter movie at home, and the students of Hogwarts were talking about pudding, and it evidently had nothing to do with custard. Can you clarify for me? — Linda B., Lexington, KY

Dear Linda: First off, when our English friends talk about pudding at mealtime, they mean dessert. In Pink Floyd’s The Wall” you can see the implications: “If you don’t eat your meat, you can’t have any pudding.” In the British Isles, pudding could be anything from cake, pie, or ice cream to trifle or pudding in this country. North American puddings evolved from the British egg-based custards and constitute a relatively recent arrival on the dessert scene. What the English call a pudding – such as their plum pudding or Christmas pudding – is a steamed concoction that indeed is more like a cake than a creamy custard.

This page walks you through the ins and outs of making an English holiday pudding. Learn everything you ever wanted to learn about pudding at Wikipedia’s website.

Dear Mr. Language Man: What is mincemeat? I don’t get it.  — Alan L., Louisville, KY

Dear Alan: This is the time of year when mincemeat pies make a rare appearance on kitchen tables around the country, and as people warily eye them from afar, not sure if they should try a piece or not, the persistent question remains: Is there or isn’t there meat in these things?

Look up the term “mincemeat” or “mince meat” in any dictionary, and you’ll find that it’s defined as a spiced mixture of chopped fruit such as raisins and apples with other ingredients. The other ingredients are often molasses, beef suet, brandy, and chopped, or minced, meat. (In England, by the way, they generally buy “mince” or “mince meat” and not ground beef.) In this country, I find that most makers of mincemeat pie opt for the meatless version (the filling for which you can buy in cans at the grocery store,) however, you will find the die-hard pie fanatics who insist on packing these treats with as much chopped meat as they can. Aside from sweet mincemeat pies, there are also savory varieties available, those being more akin to the hearty meat pies that constitute an integral part of British cuisine.

For more, read Linda Stradley’s fascinating explanation on the history of pies.

Included is my favorite recipe by Mark Twain for English Pie:

To make this excellent breakfast dish, proceed as follows:

Take a sufficiency of water and a sufficiency of flour, and construct a bullet-proof dough. Work this into the form of a disk, with the edges turned up some three-fourths of an inch. Toughen and kiln-dry in a couple days in a mild but unvarying temperature. Construct a cover for this redoubt in the same way and of the same material. Fill with stewed dried apples; aggravate with cloves, lemon-peel, and slabs of citron; add two portions of New Orleans sugars, then solder on the lid and set in a safe place till it petrifies. Serve cold at breakfast and invite your enemy.

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

C.C. Cohen Restaurant & Bar
101-105 Market House Square
Paducah, KY 42001
(270) 442-6391

The Cohen Building in downtown Paducah dates to the 1860s, and over the years it has housed a clothing store, a dry goods store, a liquor dealer and a distilling company. Nowadays it’s known for the restaurant named for the family, the Cohens, who owned the distinctive corner structure from the early 1920s until 1980. Musician Alan Raidt currently owns the building and his band frequently headlines at the C.C. Cohen Restaurant and Bar, which has become an important stop for both locals and tourists in western Kentucky.

The menu at Cohen’s features a wide selection of steaks, seafood, ribs, salads and sandwiches and the atmosphere could best be described as laid back and unassuming. The appetizer section of the current menu has items such as oysters Rockefeller, fried hand-battered mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, fried crab claws, and julienne onion rings, and house specialties include king cut prime rib and New York strip with jumbo shrimp. The rest of the menu has some fifty pasta, chicken, salad and sandwich options and guests can end their meals with one of a daily selection of desserts or a drink at the well-stocked bar.

Read the rest after the jump…

But, beware… spirits of a different nature are said to be afoot at C.C. Cohen’s. Bartenders have seen glasses mysteriously slide along the bar when no one was there, and many employees have become convinced that a ghost wanders the restaurant at odd hours. Workers have come into an empty restaurant to find chairs moved around or opened salt and pepper shakers tipped over on the tables, and others report that electric signs and lights often flicker to life while the cord lies – unplugged – on the floor. Ask employees for the ghost’s name, and they will all tell you the same thing: Her name is Stella.

Stella Cohen Peine, the last member of the Cohen family, lived upstairs after her husband was killed in a nearby alley and died in her apartment in 1980, and since then her restless spirit has roamed the halls of her family’s former property. Today, the upstairs parlor has been designed in the image of the Cohen sisters’ living room, complete with their portrait still hanging on the wall, and Stella has been featured on several television shows about haunted locations.

The Oakroom at the Seelbach Hilton
500 South Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
(502) 585-3200

Built in 1905, the Seelbach Hotel opened to much fanfare in downtown Louisville and soon entrenched itself as the grand dame of the city’s top hotels. Over the years, it would play host to presidents, celebrity writers and the most infamous gangster of all time – Al Capone. Today, the former gentlemen’s lounge and billiard room has been converted into the Oakroom, the state’s only AAA Five-Diamond restaurant. The culinary team of Todd Richards, Jerry Slater, Duane Nutter and Ethan Ray provide a colorful menu featuring classic ethnic cuisine with a contemporary twist that uses natural, local ingredients infused with Mediterranean, Asian and European influences. Despite the modern take on dining, the Oakroom revels in its history and strives to keep its local legends alive and well.

Diners at the Oakroom often receive impromptu tours from friendly servers who show off the private dining alcove – the blackjack room – where Capone would drink and gamble during his visits to the Oakroom. The beautiful room has secret doors leading to hidden passageways through which the notorious mobster would make his escape when police raided the place; one way led down to Fourth Street, while the other led to tunnels under the hotel. The room supposedly even had pedal-operated spring-loaded doors that could be shut in an instant by an outside guard who kept watch for the police. A large mirror that Capone had sent from Chicago so he could watch his back still hangs in the room today. It’s hardly surprising that the shadowy form of a squat man in 1920s attire has been seen emerging from the blackjack room, only to vanish into thin air seconds later.

Although numerous ghosts are said to haunt the Seelbach Hotel and its award-winning Oakroom restaurant, none has gained the degree of fame as that of the mysterious Lady in Blue. For years, guests and employees alike have reported eerie encounters with an ethereal woman in a blue dress who appears now and then around the elevators on the mezzanine level outside the restaurant. According to a newspaper article from 1936, a local girl, Patricia Wilson, fell to her death in an open service elevator after word of the tragic death of her estranged husband reached her. Whether the death was accident or suicide remains a mystery today, known only by the tragic figure of the Lady in Blue.

The English Grill at the Brown Hotel
3202 South Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
(502) 585-3200

For more than 80 years, the Brown Hotel has towered at the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway in downtown Louisville. The majestic Georgian-Revival style exterior is trimmed in stone and terra cotta, and the grand interior features classic English Renaissance architecture with an opulent two-story vestibule with intricate hand-painted, coffered ceilings, marble floors, finely carved mahogany furnishings and Palladian-style windows. Off of this elegant lobby sits the English Grill, the hotel’s nationally recognized, AAA Four-Diamond fine dining restaurant where executive chef Laurent Geroli – assisted by chef Kyle Wilson and restaurant manager Neil Ward – treats guests to signature Continental cuisine with a Kentucky flair.

The English Grill boasts an extensive wine list with over 200 selections and has a signature dessert known as the Chocolate Striptease, a decadent ganache-covered chocolate cake with milk chocolate mousse that is coated in chocolate shavings, flambéed and served with mixed berries and chocolate sauce. Entrées include coffee-rubbed Angus filet mignon, Amish free-range chicken stuffed with mushroom mousse, and pan-seared red grouper, but the most popular of all the dining room’s creations continues to be the Hot Brown, the open-faced sandwich with roast turkey and toast points smothered in cheesy Mornay sauce that was invented by chef Fred K. Schmidt in 1926, not too long after the hotel first opened.

Since the hotel was built in 1923 at a cost of $4 million, it has been a magnet for many prominent guests and celebrities, and some of these early patrons have apparently stayed on to enjoy the luxurious surroundings – even though they died years ago. One of these is none other than the hotel’s builder, J. Graham Brown, himself, whose ghostly apparition has been seen strolling the grand lobby in the wee hours of the morning. Even paranormal pooches have made appearances at the Brown, their phantom barks causing diners in the English Grill to raise an eyebrow in perplexed amusement. Most agree that the dog is Woozem, Mr. Brown’s beloved poodle that accompanied him wherever he went. Today, a statue of J. Graham Brown and Woozem stands outside the Brown Hotel, a reminder of the man and his adored pet.

Claudia Sanders Dinner House
3202 Shelbyville Road, U.S. 60
Shelbyville, Kentucky 40065
(502) 633-5600

In 1959, Claudia Sanders accompanied her husband, the Colonel, from Corbin, Kentucky to Shelbyville, where they took up residence in a one-hundred-twenty-five-year-old dwelling known as Blackwood Hall. The stately home would also serve as the base of operations for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the booming business soon resulted in the construction of an adjacent building, which later became the famed dinner house where Claudia Sanders would showcase her own brand of southern cooking. Although she and the Colonel have long since vacated the premises, their spirit of hospitality still lives on at the renowned eatery…in more ways than one. Busboys have seen chairs slide across the room of their own volition, and receptions have spied vague, shadowy figures ascending the grand staircase near the main entrance. Some guests and employees have even reportedly spotted apparitions of both Claudia and Colonel Sanders in Blackwood Hall and the neighboring dinner house.

Although the Sanders’ welcoming spirits still live on in Blackwood Hall, it’s the down-home style of southern cooking that keeps hungry guests coming back to the Claudia Sanders restaurant. Hardly a surprise, fried chicken enjoys a place of prominence on the menu at Claudia Sanders, but there are plenty of options for those looking for something different. Popular dinner selections include fried sugar-cured country ham with red-eye gravy, grilled center-cut butterflied pork chop, and baked Kentucky trout. Claudia’s Kentucky hot brown sandwich and the eight vegetable platter are favorites as well. Those with a sweet tooth enjoy homemade desserts such as Mom Blakeman’s chess pie, fruit cobbers and Claudia’s chocolate pecan pie.

Jonathan at Gratz Park
120 West Second Street
Lexington, KY 40507
(859) 252-4949

Known for its Bluegrass favorites such as burgoo with beef, bison and pork, and country ham potstickers with bourbon-soy dipping sauce, Jonathan Lundy‘s Lexington restaurant has consistently scored rave reviews from topnotch food publications around the country since its inception in 2001. Other popular appetizers include cracker fried oysters over Tabasco maque choux and sea scallop hot browns, and supper standards feature dishes such as bacon-wrapped filet of beef, shrimp and grits, and Kentucky bison brisket braised in cola and served with a salad of sweet potatoes and roasted corn.

Whatever you order at this upscale downtown eatery, chances are you might see a ghost or two at Jonathan at Gratz Park or the quaint boutique hotel that shares the building with it at 120 West Second Street. Overnight guests have reported waking up to find strange men staring at them in their rooms, and intoxicated apparitions have been seen cavorting in the hallway. Patrons exiting the restaurant have had unsettling encounters with a diaphanous lady in a white dress and hat, and others have spotted a little girl in Victorian dress playing with her dolls near the elevator. Although no one knows who the ghosts are, most believe the hauntings tie into the structure’s history: Dating to the early 1900s, the building was originally used as a medical clinic and had a morgue on the lower level. Most sightings have occurred during the day, so visitors needn’t worry about ghosts disturbing their leisurely dinner or overnight stay. In fact, when horror writer Stephen King stayed at the hotel he complained that the ghosts didn’t make an appearance during his stay at Gratz Park Inn.

The Mansion at Griffin Gate
1800 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511
(859) 288-6142

Situated atop a beautiful grassy knoll, The Mansion at Griffin Gate offers its guests exceptional continental cuisine served in a historic 19th-century setting with crystal chandeliers and rare antiques that create a gracious ambiance. Since it was first built over 150 years ago, the two-story antebellum mansion has seen many distinguished owners and architectural improvements, yet the charm and tranquility of a bygone era has managed to survive. Despite its relaxing atmosphere, visitors to this Lexington landmark have gotten a jolt by unnerving supernatural encounters there.

In the elegant dining rooms with their polished fireplace mantels and gleaming paneling, lights have a tendency to go on and off all by themselves. A ghost named Gretta has been known to slam doors, rattle the chandeliers, tug on dresses and pinch people on the front stairs. At times, the playful spook has even locked individuals in an upstairs bathroom and rapped out a series of rhythmic knocks on the door before opening it to reveal a completely empty room. Thought to be the young daughter of David Coleman, the house’s original owner, legend has it that the child died in 1872 when a fire destroyed the original mansion that had been built in the 1850s. Since then, her sad spirit has haunted the mansion she once knew as home, trying to relive the childhood that was denied her.

Most recently, Chef Nicholas Trueblood has been leaving his own mark on the kitchen at the Mansion, using seasonal ingredients and exotic spices to create innovative dishes that showcase the best of local flavors. Dinner guests at the Mansion can start with first courses such as rabbit soup, marinated beet salad, and shrimp tempura with spicy aioli and fried sage. Entrées include bacon-wrapped rack of lamb with flageolet beans and horseradish cream, smoked king salmon with fingerling potato confit and pickled ramps, whole roasted poussin with morel fricassee and fava beans, and grilled Kobe steak accompanied by Spanish cheese fondue, marinated red peppers and caper berries. A ten-page wine list put together by cellarmaster Aaron Jutte offers patrons the chance to complement their dining experience with spirits of a different kind at the Mansion at Griffin Gate.

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

For the remainder of the year Holly Hill Inn will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. In addition, on Saturdays and Sundays a three-course brunch menu featuring free-range eggs from Waterworks Farm in Shelbyville and homemade corn muffins and buttermilk biscuits with local sorghum, jams and jellies will be available from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. for $15. Call (859) 846-4732 for more information.

The new lunch menu is as follows:

First Courses & Small Plates

• Newfangled Tomato Dumpling $8
• Summer tomato stuffed with creamy spinach wrapped in crisp filo pastry with sweet pepper gastrique
• Jumbo Lump Crab Salad $9
• Gelled tomato consommé, with lemon basil pistou and pickled vegetables
• Water Works Farm Salad $8
• Woodford County Lettuces with soft-boiled Waterworks egg, house cured bacon lardons, crumbled Barren County Blue Cheese and a punchy sherry vinaigrette
• Holly Hill Inn House Salad $7
• Woodford County lettuces tossed with lemon herb vinaigrette and crumbled Capriole goat cheese
• Late Summer Red Pepper Bisque $5
• Crème fraiche, chive and tiny croutons
• A Selection of Three Mattingly Farmhouse Cheeses $5
• Sugared Walnuts, roasted grapes and water crackers

Read the rest after the jump…

Entrees

• Quiche of the day with a Holly Hill Inn Salad or Soup $10
• Brochette of Beef Tenderloin Tips with Provencal Butter $13
• Richard’s baby roasted potatoes and our farm vegetable of the day
• Kentucky Poussin $13 for a half bird
• Pan roasted with lavender salt, Kentucky grapes, Richard’s baby roasted potatoes and our farm vegetable of the day
• Cast Iron Pecan Crusted Trout Meunier $10
• Richard’s baby roasted potatoes, and our farm vegetable of the day
• Fresh Tuna Nicoise $12
• Roast fresh ahi tuna with little green beans, roasted red peppers, tomato confit, kalamata olive, baby potatoes and aioli
• Traditional Kentucky Hot Brown $9
• Hand cut roast turkey with white cheddar Mornay and bacon over toast points with Parmesan and marinated tomatoes

Desserts

• Lisa’s Famous Jameson’s Chocolate Bread Pudding $4 with Whiskey Sauce
• Mike Wright’s Woodford County Logan Berry Pie $4; A la mode $5
• Laura’s Famous Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie $4; A la mode $5
• Evan’s Orchard Apple Crisp $4

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

Both hail from Louisville and fell in love with the idea of their own cupcake shop after extensive travels and visits to cupcake bakeries in other cities. “We felt it was only fitting that our hometown had a cupcake shop too,” says Marshall.  “We choose St. Matthews for our location because we support the revitalization of the community where we were raised. We hope to quickly expand into the Highlands and farther east in Louisville.”

According to Marshall, pastry chefs at the Cupcake Shoppe will bake all their creations each morning by scratch – and in small batches – using the finest ingredients like real vanilla, European chocolate and butter. (“We use absolutely no shortening!”) A daily assortment of 12 flavors will be available, along with beverages to go along with the freshly baked cupcakes. “We are unique because our cupcakes come in many different flavors and can be custom designed by us to create your special memory. Our bakers have the expertise to design custom cupcakes to match any special occasion,” she says. “Our cupcakes can even be gift wrapped for a special occasion.”

“We will also take special orders one day in advance and can deliver them directly to your car for curbside service,” adds Bilharz. “We will also have a website in which you can order our cupcakes online.” For more information send an email to info@louisvillecupcakes.com.

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

Dear Mr. Language Man: I recently read a posting by a local food writer who told of his discovery of “migas” at a breakfast restaurant. He included a pronunciation hint and wrote that “migas” is pronounced “mee-yas” with a y-sound where the g is. Is this correct? From what I learned in Spanish class at the university, we were taught that the g in Spanish is hard before a, o, and u (like the g in the English word “gate”) and that before i and e it is a soft sound like a raspy h in English. Please enlighten. — Harry S., Louisville, KY

Dear Harry:

It appears your Spanish teacher did a good job. The g is indeed hard before a, o, and u in Spanish. “Migas” is correctly pronounced “mee-gahs” with a g like the g in the word “gate” in English. Unless there is some remote dialectical group that I do not know about (a distinct possibility), the sounds that generally produce the English y sound are the “y” and “ll” in Spanish. Although the hard g sometimes appears to fade a bit at the beginning of words in spoken Spanish, I don’t see any way a “g” could come out as a y sound in Spanish. Your initial impression was correct.

Dear Mr. Language Man: I was watching Nigela Bites the other night and she was making a dish with something she called an “aubergine,” I believe. It looked like an eggplant. Is this what they say in England for eggplant? — Manny in Minneapolis, MN

Dear Manny:

Yes, in England they call eggplants aubergines. I guess it must be the proximity to France. They don’t use the word zucchini when talking about our favorite summertime squash, either; instead, they use “courgette,” the French word for our zucchini.

Dear Mr. Language Man: My friends and I got into an argument the other night when we were watching a British sitcom on PBS. One of the actors used the word “ta” several times. My friends says it means good-bye, but seeing that the actor did not get up and leave after saying it – nor did any of the other people on screen – I told them it cannot logically mean good-bye. Do you know what this word means? I’ve never heard it before. — Julie W., Simpsonville, KY

Dear Julie:

Your friends are mistaken. In British English, “ta” does not mean good-bye, as in “ta ta.” A single “ta” means nothing more than ‘thank you’ in British English.

Dear Mr. Language Man: I was reading James Joyce the other day. His characters were eating blancmange. What is it? — Scarlet B., Indianapolis, IN

Dear Scarlet:

Blancmange, (pronounced /bləˈmɒnʒ/ or /bləˈmɑːndʒ/), is a dessert made with cream and sugar thickened with gelatin or cornstarch and often flavored with almonds. Usually set in a mold and served cold, it is one of those dishes you don’t see much nowadays, although it was quite a popular dessert in Victorian and Edwardian America. A similar dessert seen today would be panna cotta. Blancmange supposedly originated in the Middle Ages and usually consisted of cow’s milk or almond milk, rice and sugar. Sometimes made from chicken as well, this “white food” was considered to be an ideal food for the sick.

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

Food You Might Regret Having Eaten: If you’ve recently eaten a pepperoni-stuffed Hot Pocket, you may regret your decision even more than usual. Last week Nestle Prepared Food Company recalled more than 200,000 pounds of Pepperoni Pizza Hot Pockets due to possible contamination with foreign objects.

I Prefer the Term Food Connoisseur: A report released by the Trust For America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation last week listed Kentucky as the 7th fattest state in the nation. Maybe if the food at our local restaurants wasn’t so good, we wouldn’t be tempted to eat so much so often.

What Happens When You Make Decisions After Too Many Drinks: Some administrators at local universities are pushing for government officials to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. If they could only get it pushed back to 11 months, it might help out the woman who was arrested at the fair for filling her infant’s bottle with wine.

Speaking of Drinking and College Students: Marty Rosen reviewed The Granville Inn last week in the C-J, a popular drinking spot among UofL students. It must have been reviewer week in Old Louisville. Robin Garr reviewed the neighborhood’s Carly Rae’s in last week’s LEO.

Vote for Your Favorite: If there’s a restaurant in Louisville that you feel has the best Japanese/Italian/Chinese/Indian food of them all, cast your vote for them in this year’s LEO Readers’ Choice Awards. I just finished voting a few hours ago, and there’s an entire page covering just about every local food-related category I can think of.

by Jessica Elliott, About.com:Louisville