Much was focused this week on Mitch McConnell’s appearance at a luncheon sponsored by the Jeffersontown Chamber. Plenty of protesters showed up at the Marriott, but none were able to get anywhere close to the Senator, who took only a few questions from the audience, mostly about healthcare. Of course, Mitch and his colleagues don’t like talking about a topic for which they don’t have an answer.
But let’s move on to more pleasant topics, like how I’m never going to lose any weight with this kind of schedule.
It all started Saturday at the Tailspin Ale Fest at Bowman Field, where a cool wind was blowing, occasional raindrops were falling and the beer was flowing. Thanks to an excess number of volunteers, my beer pouring post (Christian Moerlein of Cincinnati) was already ably manned, so there were a few free hours to sample some of the record number of choices. My favorite turned out to be a Pineapple Shandy made by Travelers Brewing in Vermont.
Monday was the Taste of 502, a five-year-old event held at the Seelbach as the kickoff to the organization’s Restaurant Week. And while there were some great restaurants handing out samples, the floor was dominated by bourbons, beers and spirits samples. It is not wise to mix tequila, vodka and bourbon, I can tell you that.
The recovery from that was near complete by Thursday, when I was invited to Das Meal II at Shelbyville’s Science Hill Inn.
Chef Ellen Gill McCarty, and Michael Beckmann, spoiled us with several courses of German food paired with beers from Gordon Biersch.
Now I’m laying low until Saturday, when I’m excited to be attending my first Gravy Cup. The biscuits & gravy competition is being held for the first time at the Mellwood Arts Center.
Here’s who I’ve been talking to this week:
RUSTY SATELLITE SHOW
If Mike and Medora Safai are able to do half of what they want to do at their new building in Shelby Park, it will transform the neighborhood and become a new hotspot for drinking. The Safai Coffee owners recently bought
the 61,000 square foot building for the coffee brewing operation, and so much more. Mike is an immigrant from Iran, and you’ll be interested to hear the interesting story of his move to the U.S. and the success he and his family have had here. Read about it on EatDrinkTalk.
My other guest is Zach Fry, the man behind the Gravy Cup. The rise of the event, now in its fifth year, is an amazing story to hear. For details, check my story on EatDrinkTalk.
Check out the 190th Rusty Satellite Show here:
EATDRINKTALK
Steve Coomes sat down with the man behind one of the city’s culinary institutions on the occasion of the Bristol Bar & Grille’s 40th anniversary. Check out the conversation in which Doug Gossman explains he never expected the kind of longevity and multiple locations the Bristol has enjoyed for four decades. My interview is with Ed Hartless, Cordish’s top local executive who is seeing to it that 4th Street Live! is focused on attracting locals, both in terms of restaurant operators and visitors. He also explains how he helped negotiate the new Edward Lee restaurant, Whiskey Dry, to come downtown.
Listen to the show here:
