Kentucky & Ohio for Alex's 50th Birthday

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9/16/2023 (Sat)
11:45 Angel's Envy
13:00 Doc Crow's
14:30 Rabbit Hole Distillery
17:15 Hell or High Water
19:45 La Bodeguita De Mima Cuban Restaurant and Rum Bar
9/17/2023 (Sun)
13:00 Churchill Downs
20:00 The Grape Leaf
9/18/2023 (Mon)
19:45 Nami
9/19/2023 (Tue)
10:00 Lux Row
11:30 Five Brothers Bar at Heaven Hill
12:30 Bardstown Burger
13:00 Willett Distillery
15:00 Preservation Distillery
19:30 Impellizzeri's Pizza
21:00 The Irish Rover
9/20/2023 (Wed)
Waffle House
15:30 Kentucky for Kentucky
16:30 Hartfield & Co.
20:00 Kiki College Hill
21:00 Big Chill
9/21/2023 (Thu)
11:30 Findlay Market
13:30 Jungle Jim's
14:00 New Riff
15:30 Party Source
17:30 Skyline Chili
9/23/2023 (Sat)
11:00 Libby's Southern Comfort
19:30 Charlotte FC vs. FC Cincinnati (TQL Stadium)
9/24/2023 (Sun)
08:15 OTR Bagel Bar

9/16/2023 (Sat)
Angel's Envy [Directions]
11:45 Distillery with tours, tastings, and a bar

The tasting was great, the bar looked great (but we were too rushed to check it out) but the tour was terrible. Bad jokes and even worse acoustics.


Doc Crow's [Directions]
13:00 BBQ & Shellfish restaurant

I was excited about BBQ and was excited about their whiskey. With a 60 page whiskey menu, I was sure they knew what they were doing. Sadly, their bartender did not. We ordered Sazaracs and Old Fashioneds. They both came with cubed ice and were indistinguishable. The food was fine but not remarkable.


Rabbit Hole Distillery [Directions]
14:30 Distillery with tastings and a bar

While sold as a tour, this was really just a tasting. The "tour" is a self-guided wander around the facility. Since distillery tours tend to be awful, that was a pleasant surprise. The tasting was great. They offered 8 different whiskeys and we got to pick 5 to try. We finished with cocktails on their top-floor bar.


Hell or High Water [Directions]
17:15 Fun speakeasy

This very pretty bar is located through an unmarked door. We had to ask for directions to find our way to it. Once inside, we enjoyed cocktails in a pretty venue. The cocktails, while good, were not at the level I'd expect from a high-end speakeasy.


La Bodeguita De Mima Cuban Restaurant and Rum Bar [Directions]
19:45 Cuba Restaurant

A highlight of the trip. We sat on the deck outside and had a great meal while listing to live music coming from downstairs.


9/17/2023 (Sun)
Churchill Downs [Directions]
13:00 The home of the Kentucky derby

A day at the races is always fun. OK food, decent drinks, some (successful) betting and a lot of relaxing while watching the horses. Be sure to get seats in the shade as the direct sun got to be a bit much. And if you bet a non-boxed trifecta to win that hits, as we did, you're going to have a great day.


The Grape Leaf [Directions]
20:00 Mediterranean restaurant

Our planned dinner location, the Irish Rover, was closed for the evening, so we wandered down the street and found this nice place with good food and large portions. The lack of a liquor license, normally a negative, gave us a needed break.


9/18/2023 (Mon)
Nami [Directions]
19:45 Modern Korean BBQ

One of the best meals of the trip. We started with the dukborri rice cakes and then got a variety of pork and steak for dinner. The cocktails were interesting, tasty and a really nice match to the food.


9/19/2023 (Tue)
Lux Row [Directions]
10:00 Medium Sized Distillery

We started day with a 10 am tour and tasting at Lux Row. This was better than most tours with opportunities to try both the mash and the white dog.


Five Brothers Bar at Heaven Hill [Directions]
11:30 Clear and high quality bar

Heaven Hill has no shortage of options for visitors, but with a long day of tours, we opted for just a stop at the bar. The cocktails were really well made and delightful to enjoy on the patio.


Bardstown Burger [Directions]
12:30 Independent Burger Shop

This was a perfect stop for a quick lunch in the middle of our bourbon tours. The burgers were good and the service quick.


Willett Distillery [Directions]
13:00 Medium-large Distillery

This distillery dates back to immediately after prohibition. Our tour was led by a very excited 21 year-old just out of college. The highlight of this tour were the grain-guarding cats. Willett has a really tasty variety of bourbons and ryes.


Preservation Distillery [Directions]
15:00 Woman owned micro-distillery

We went here for a tour and overproofed tasting. Some of the best, and most expensive, whiskey we tasted. While the distillery is very new, the owner has a long history in making blended whiskies. The tasting was excellent. As an added bonus, the property has a herd of long-horned cows.


Impellizzeri's Pizza [Directions]
19:30 Solid Deep Dish Pizza

While far from the best pizza I've had, this was a nice meal with good beer that was desperately needed after a day of drinking.


The Irish Rover [Directions]
21:00 Classic Irish Bar

We headed for the Irish Rover with dreams of Scotch Eggs dancing in our heads. Unfortunately, we arrived just as closing time and the kitchen was already closed, but well poured Guinness and whiskey more than made up for it.


9/20/2023 (Wed)
Waffle House [Directions]
The Southern and Midwestern fast food institution

Waffle House didn't just meet expectations, it exceeded it. The food was just fine, but the environment was truly different. The service was kind and welcoming, and that our waitress looked shockingly like Pennsatucky (Orange is the New Black) made it perfect.


Kentucky for Kentucky [Directions]
15:30 Tchotchke store featuring cocaine bear

This small store has a variety of Kentucky focused shirts, bumper stickers, and tchotchkes. In a back-room, they have the infamous cocaine bear stuffed and ready for photos.


Hartfield & Co. [Directions]
16:30 Newer distillery located in Bourbon County

Starting in1919, the county that Bourbon was named after has been dry. No alcohol could legally be produced there. With changes in the law, Hatfield & Co. was able to open and start making bourbon in 2014. It's a small facility (and frankly not particularly exciting bourbon) but it's a great part of history and Paris is a very cute town.


Kiki College Hill [Directions]
20:00 Neighborhood Izakaya

A great meal. Alex decided to nap, so it was just Zach & I. We split a great bottle of sake and enjoyed perfectly made gyoza, ramen, and kushiyaki. Highly recommend. After dinner, we chatted with the waiter and got some great recommendations for other places to go to.


Big Chill [Directions]
21:00 Friendly neighborhood bar

This bar was recommended by our waiter from dinner (Kiki). It was just a few doors down and a great pick. Good IPAs on tap and Belgians in the bottle. There was also a solid whiskey selections -- but after the last few days -- beers seemed more reasonable. The bartender, Alex, was friendly and funny. During days she shucks oysters at Findlay market and invited us to stop by. Will likely be added to tomorrow's plans.


9/21/2023 (Thu)
Findlay Market [Directions]
11:30 Historic market with an assortment of small booths

Our bartender at the Big Chill, randomly also named Alex, mentioned that she had a second job shucking oysters at the market and invited us to come by. Turns out, Findlay Market was only about 2 blocks from our AirBnb. Not only was it convenient, it was great. We repeatedly went back, visiting different vendors. Espresso, waffles, beer, pastries, and of course, oysters, were consumed.


Jungle Jim's [Directions]
13:30 The largest supermarket in the US

Jungle Jim's is absurdly large. As Alex describes it, you can measure your visit in how many beers you consume as you're wandering around, And yes, the shopping carts do have beer holders. We unfortunately, timed this badly, putting it at the end of our trip, so we were deliberately not buying anything at all. If you're going to Cincinnati, start your trip at Jungle Jim's and get food and snacks for the rest of the trip.


New Riff [Directions]
14:00 Modern Distillery

A great tour with lots of personality. Probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't the 7th distillery we visited on this trip.


Party Source [Directions]
15:30 Giant liquor store

Wow. This was quite the selection. Despite having already bought way to much, I couldn't resist picking up a couple of rare beers here. It conveniently shares a parking lot with New Riff.


Skyline Chili [Directions]
17:30 The original Cincinnati chili restaurant

Going to Cincinnati and not having Cincinnati chili is like passing on fish tacos in San Diego. Even if you don't like it, you should do it. Spaghetti with beans, onions, and a strange cinnamon chili. It's certain something different.


9/23/2023 (Sat)
Libby's Southern Comfort [Directions]
11:00 Traditional southern cuisine

Our brunch consisted of Cheerwine and bourbon slushes with hushpuppies, deviled eggs, and great sandwiches. One of the outstanding meals of the trip.


Charlotte FC vs. FC Cincinnati (TQL Stadium) [Directions]
19:30 Soccer with one of the best booster clubs in the US

We started by marching to the game with the booster club. The march started with 50 people, then grew to 200, and my the time we got the stadium, there were thousands of people in orange and blue marching and chanting. This is a serious booster club. They didn't stop chanting through the entire 90 minute match. The energy was huge and it helped that Cincinnati won 3-0.


9/24/2023 (Sun)
OTR Bagel Bar [Directions]
08:15 Cute bagel shop just across the street from Findlay market

Went here for breakfast on my last day. While they had some specialty bagels like flaming hot Cheetos and fruity pebbles, I stuck with a standard: everything with lox. It was solid.