Blog Recommendation

My friend Amanda started a blog called Happy Introvert a while back. While I was very excited when she announced this because she is an awesome person and a great writer, I forgot to add it to my Google Reader and then I forgot about it entirely. Oops! Fortunately, she just tweeted about her latest entry, and I re-remembered the blog (and immediately subscribed to the RSS). And man! Amanda has been busy! Although Happy Introvert isn't strictly a food blog, she does a lot of posts (with lots of photos!) about vegan cooking. And even though I'm not vegan, I'm all about reducing my intake of animal products, so I'm totally interested in these yummy-sounding recipes. You should check her out!

I had been hearing really great buzz about the Comfy Cow for a few months, so a couple weeks ago I finally ventured out to Westport Village with my friend Eric to sample their handmade ice cream. I had a scoop of white chocolate coconut almond in a cone, and it was amazing. I came home and told Neil about it and asked him if he would accompany back to the Comfy Cow in near future for A Monkey's Delight, the Comfy Cow rendition of a banana split.

I am a banana split fiend. I have been ever since I was a kid and my grandpa would take me to the Ice Cream Factory (RIP) after movies at the Village 8. I'm pretty sure the Ice Cream Factory's banana split was called the Roller Coaster, and it was exactly as a traditional banana split should be; served in an oblong glass dish, scoops of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry nestled between two banana halves, each scoop covered in the appropriate topping. And for purists, there are definitely appropriate toppings: chocolate sauce on the chocolate scoop, strawberries on the strawberry scoop, and pineapple on the vanilla scoop. Three liberal dollops of whipped cream follow each topping, along with a sprinkling of nuts, and each mound of deliciousness is crowned with a cherry. That is the consummate banana split.

A Monkey's Delight bends the rules a little bit.

Our Signature “Strawberry” Fields Forever, Chocolate and Vanilla ice creams loaded with homemade strawberry, marshmallow and chocolate toppings, then covered with thick, rich whipped cream, chopped peanuts and maraschino cherries... All this nestled within a large, ripe banana.

And it doesn't come in the traditional banana split dish, simply because it won't fit:



I will admit that while the marshmallow topping was good, I still prefer pineapple. But that is a small quibble. This was a damned good banana split. I really appreciate the fact that they make all their toppings there; there was none of that weird fakey chemical taste you get with cut-rate banana splits from the likes of Dairy Queen. (And seriously, how can a place called Dairy Queen not even have ice cream? Or at least more than one flavor of soft serve? Ridiculous.) Now it is true that all this homemade deliciousness is going to cost you; with tax A Monkey's Delight came to $11 and change. But you get what you pay for, and A Monkey's Delight is definitely worth the splurge. I imagine most other things at the Comfy Cow are, too.

The only thing that marred our visit - and this is really not a criticism of the Comfy Cow, more just a feminist rant that marginally even belongs in this blog - was one obnoxious young male employee, who was loudly lecturing his young female coworkers about rape. "Seventy-five percent of women in the US have been raped," he said. Uh, no. "I encourage all women to take self-defense classes."

"I encourage all men to stop raping women," I replied to Neil. Seriously, kid! Go take a women's studies class and shut up so I can enjoy my ice cream!

Delicious Summer Sandwiches

We're having quite a heatwave here in Louisville, and I feel like I've been kind of fast-forwarded into summer (which is fine with me!). The weather put me in the mood for these delicious grilled veggie sandwiches. We didn't feel like messing with the real grill, so we just slapped the veggies on the George Foreman. It's nothing fancy, but the lemon garlic mayonnaise with the feta is a great combination. I'm looking forward to making these throughout the summer, especially with veggies from the farmers market and/or my own garden!

Edible Louisville

This morning I noticed a strange and interesting new magazine on the coffee table. Edible Louisville, read the title, Celebrating the Pleasure of Local Food and Beverage. I gave it a cursory flip-through, as I was getting ready to leave, and I liked what I saw.

"Hey," I said to Neil as we were having lunch at Lunch Today, "where did that Edible Louisville magazine come from?"

"Oh yeah! I got that at Heine Brothers. The cover says it's $5.95, but it was free."

It turns out that this is the latest publication from Edible Communities, which publishes similar magazines in cities across the country. And this isn't any bush league magazine, either; the design and photography look great, and it's edited by long-time Courier-Journal food editor Sarah Fritschner. This first issue contains a feature on Capriole goat cheese, gardening commentary from Jeneen Wiche, and a reprinted Wendell Berry essay. Good stuff! I'm assuming that Neil got this for free because it was the first issue, and that going forward the $5.95 cover price will be in effect, but I think I might be willing to cough up $32 for a six-issue subscription.

Tangentially related: The magazine has a little blurb about Butcher's Finest beef, which is available at ValuMarket. I had noticed that ValuMarket was carrying fresh (as opposed to frozen) local beef and had been looking forward to trying it, but this blurb, which had a definite promotional tone, turned me off. "All beef... is born and raised for its first few months on grass at participating farms throughout the state. The cattle are then shipped to the Midwest for fattening and finishing. After processing, the beef is shipped back to Kentucky." Is it just me, or does it seem totally ridiculous for anyone to call this local? My whole reason for eating local meat is to avoid the use of fossil fuels for transporting the animals/meat and to avoid the inhumane conditions and environmental problems associated with feedlots. As far as I can tell, the only way that Butcher's Finest differs from regular factory farming is that the cattle are born in Kentucky and then returned to Kentucky to be eaten. So what? I call bullshit on this whole thing.

California (and Oregon) Dreamin'

So Neil and I are finally getting married this May. I'm very excited about the wedding, but I'm perhaps even more excited about the honeymoon. We're spending four days in San Francisco and then driving up the coast into Oregon, staying at little seaside motels and enjoying the gorgeous beaches and forests. In true Erin and Neil style the trip is shaping up to be quite food-centric, and I'm wondering if we might have to extend the San Francisco portion of the trip a bit to fit in all our eating. Here's what we have planned so far:

Foreign Cinema - A former classmate told me about this place at my 10-year high school reunion last summer, and I immediately wanted to go there. It sounds both fun and delicious!

The Rogue Ales Public House - We are both huge fans of Rogue beers (mmmm, Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout), and while the food sounds like average pub grub, it will be a blast to go somewhere with all those great beers on tap. And it's only a mile from our hotel. :)

Cowgirl Creamery - This creamery's Mt. Tam cheese is one of my very favorites, and it so happens that the first time I had it was the night that Neil proposed to me at L&N. In fact, it may be the cheese that my mouth was full of the moment he popped the question. I am super psyched about touring the creamery and sampling their other cheeses!

Chez Panisse - I'm a big fan of Alice Waters and have been quite excited about going to Chez Panisse, but looking over online review just now, a not-unsubstantial number of people seem to think that it's over-hyped, overpriced, and not very good. Perhaps we'll just do lunch there.

Those are our big plans so far. I am still researching our possibilities for amazing sushi, and I'm also looking forward to trying little hole-in-the-wall ethnic places. And we haven't yet made plans for winery visits, although those will definitely be part of the trip.

I feel very fortunate to be marrying someone who is an adventurous, passionate eater. Our honeymoon will definitely be a celebration of our love for each other and our mutual love of food. <3

An Interesting Wine Event

A couple days ago I got a note from John Bojanowski at Clos du Gravillas. This native Louisvillian has been living in southern France for the last 11 years growing grapes and making organic wines alongside his French wife Nicole. This week John will return to Louisville, along with some wines that will be making their Louisville debut. It sounds like some good stuff is coming out of Clos du Gravillas and this might be worth checking out!

Clos du Gravillas Wine Pouring
Friday, November 6 5:00-7:00 pm
Liquor Barn Springhurst
4301 Towne Center Drive
Louisville, KY 40241

Ramsi's Sunday Brunch

People! Did you know about this? I've actually known about for quite some time, since Michelle over at Consuming Louisville blogged about it. But the fact is, despite her glowing review, I was reluctant to try it. I used to eat at Ramsi's a lot, but a combination of weird/bad service, irritating menu changes, and mediocre food added up over time and we stopped going there. But Neil's mom and her partner wanted to take us out today to celebrate my birthday, and there are only a handful of restaurants they really like, including Ramsi's. So we decided to try the brunch.

OMG! This is vegetarian/vegan paradise (although there's plenty for meat-eaters, too). I can't begin to tell you everything that I had, let alone everything that's on the buffet. Here's a sampling:

- Scrambled eggs
- Tofu scramble
- Bacon and sausage
- Spinach alfredo eggs benedict
- Vegan huevos rancheros
- Vegan biscuits and gravy (!!!)
- Black bean cakes (which I topped with vegan queso)
- Blackened grouper
- Some kind of pot roast-looking meat
- Tortellini salad
- Croissants
- Beignets
- Fresh fruit
- Banana pudding, carrot cake, vegan chocolate mousse, and other desserts

And that's probably not even half of it. And there's an omelet bar! Everything was fresh and hot, unlike the food on a lot of brunch buffets. This is definitely our new favorite brunch destination. (I'm also happy to say that we received great service from Neil's sister Rachel.)

I really highly recommend this brunch to everyone, and especially vegetarians and vegans. Delish!