Those drinks you see above were part of a festive evening spent at River House and the Levee, one of the city’s newest restaurants AND nightspots. Live music filled the spacious bar, even on a Wednesday night, and the band played a rousing rendition of one of my favorites — Standin’ on Shaky Ground. At dinner, I had the dish John Varanese recommended when he was on Rusty when the place opened — Grouper Cheeks. Perhaps the best single dish I’ve had in the ‘Ville in a long time.
Here’s news about the 3 podcasts I was involved in this week:
In Jtown: You might remember Judge Sadiqa Reynolds. Or you may remember her as one of Mayor Fischer’s department heads. But now Reynolds heads the Urban League, which is holding a Job Fair in Jtown June 29. She’s a great interview, as is Down Syndrome chief Diana Merzweiler, who appears on the show to talk about a big fundraiser.
On Rusty: You are gonna crack up when you hear Wil Heuser‘s impersonation of former Rusty guest Barbara Sexton Smith on the show. His new series, “Real Housewives of Louisville” also features friends of Rusty Angie Fenton and ex-WHAS anchor Melissa Swan. Also, I got to meet first-time author J. Patrick Redmond, whose new book “Some Go Hungry” is a page-turner about “God, gays, guns and green beans,” set in Indiana. It didn’t take long to read, and was a fascinating look at discrimination against gays from a very personal viewpoint.
On EatDrinkTalk: Our 7th episode features Steve Coomes interviews with Ole Restaurant Group chief Fernando Martinez and 502 Smokehouse owner Chris Williams. Plus, we get to talk about the Whisky Live event and a bunch of new content at the site — EatDrinkTalk.net.
In Rusty News: In LEO Weekly’s Summer Dining Guide, Larry Muhammad picks the Oxtails and Potatoes at Big Momma’s Soul Kitchen as his favorite local dish, while Erika Chavez-Graziano, the wonderful proprietor of Cellar Door Chocolates, likes the burgers at Grind. . . .The 40 Under 40 List of important people was announced this week. Mark Prussian of the Eye Care Institute and Mary Ellen Wiederwohl of Louisville Forward were among the judges. Winners included beer guy Trevor Cravens and Louisville City FC chief Amanda Duffy.
Other News: Hooray for Julie Denton! She was the only Metro Council member to vote against the new ordinance on short-term rentals, mainly Airbnb. Looks like homeowners who want to rent their homes, like me, will have to pay a registration fee. . . Don’t expect Jim Ramsey to exit quietly. Despite turning in a resignation letter, it was conditioned on the seating of a new board. This week, A.G. Andy Beshear fueled his feud with Gov. Matt Bevin by filing a suit saying the new Gov can’t do what he said he would do — replace the Board of Trustees. . . Together again? Chinanu Onuaku would become the 2nd former Cardinal to play for the Houston Rockets after he was drafted 37th overall in the NBA draft. Montrezl Harrell was picked by the Rockets last year. . . John Calipari provide a “faux apology” to Rick Pitino Thursday, saying his comments that were all about Pitino and the U of L sex scandal weren’t at all about that. “The stuff is blown up more than it should be, and if he took it wrong, I apologize.” Right. . . Civil War historians can start looking for a place to put that Confederate Statue at U of L after Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman ruled that U of L can move it. So get on with it. . . What would you do with $822 Million? Top priorities for the city’s new budget are road repairs and public safety. The Metro Council’s revisions cut money for tree planting and bike infrastructure. . .
ON Saturday I’ll be riding in the Bike MS event, starting my 25 miles at the Water Tower at 7:30 a.m. I’ll see you there.
