Spring in the Air...

.... or at least there was during the past couple 60 degree days. Even Windpocalypse 2009 was a nice warm day. Sigh, no more.

But the most beautiful sign of impending Spring? Backseat Sandbar blogged today about the first Waterfront Wednesday featuring Kenyan band Extra Golden. Sure, it's not til April, but seeing Backseat Sandbar's post in my Google Reader puts me in a tippy-top mood for starting the weekend. (Of course, that's about to be squashed a bit after a couple hours of sitting in the chemo chair... blech!)

Weekend plans: That Shipwrecked thing at Actor's and my FIRST meal at Jack Fry's. (I know... it's crazy I haven't been there! Do shame, Lou.) Working on the humble abode. And then work work.

But now I have a Waterfront Wednesday to look forward to!

Top 10 Most Romantic Restaurant: Just in time for V-day

Forbes Traveler has named the English Grille at the Brown Hotel to its list of the Top 10 Most Romantic restaurants in the US.

According to the article:

the English Grill in The Brown Hotel in Louisville has a romantic, wonderfully spacious setting ideal for the intimacy of a couple. With an AAA Four-Diamond award, the restaurant does indeed have the sophisticated, warm, wood-paneled, stained-glass charm of a Noël Coward salon, and a new chef from Montreal has crafted one of the most delectably festive menus in the city, with specials like a seared veal chop with garlic, local corn, sorghum syrup and a lick of Buffalo Trace bourbon. The coffee-rubbed venison loin with wild mushrooms and blackberries is absolutely irresistible.

I don't know about you, but devouring a thick, gooey, hot, gut-busting Hot Brown doesn't exactly put me in the mood for L-O-V-E.

More like N-A-P.

But then again, I've never been to the English Grille. I'm always just so proud when Loueyville makes awards lists.

It's called REALITY tv? Woz on DTWS

I know. I know. I'm NOT a Dancing With The Stars fan, either. (Or an Idol fan. Or a fan of dueling pianos. Sometimes I think you learn more about what I don't like from Loueyville than what I do like. Am I a Negative Nancy??)

Bear with me. I AM making a Loueyville connection here (sorta).

Apparently tonight, Dancing With the Stars announced their new line-up of... stars (that word is used loosely, I think), and this season includes the coolest guest ever, and Lou's favorite IdeaFestival 2007 speaker: Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. (See... sorta Louisville news)

My first computer was a MacIntosh, but the only Apple thing I own now is my U2 edition video iPod. Still. Lou [hearts] Woz. I can't help it. Loved him at IdeaFestivel. Loved seeing him sometimes when I'd flip through channels and catch him on that Kathy Griffith Bravo show. I'd date him. Heck yes I would. (And not for the money, cynics.)

Anyhoo. I think this is one of the loveliest reality program celebrity choices ever just because I can't, in my WILDEST dreams, imagine Woz doing the mambo. You bet I'll be YouTubing it after the fact.

What? You thought this would make me want to watch? Silly.

Save the Date: Bouchercon 2009 in Indy

I know, I know, we're jumping the gun a bit here, but I've always wanted to go to Bouchercon, and now that it's going to be so nearby I don't have any whinybaby excuses for missing it. Bouchercon is the World Mystery Convention, the largest annual meeting of mystery writers and mystery fans.

The event features Michael Connelly as the Guest of Honor and is October 15-18 (I know, I know, I can barely plan what I'm doing tomorrow let alone what I'm doing in EIGHT months, but I thought I'd give y'all a head's up).

The best part of these events are usually the panel discussions. And the list of attendees features a lot of great writers and a couple of great writers who are Friends of (this) Lou including: Jack Getze, author of the Austin Carr series including the books BIG MONEY and BIG NUMBERS and dear, dear friend of Lou, and Nancy Pickard, Edgar & Agatha winner and acquaintence of Lou.

Just before this event on October 14, Sisters in Crime is presenting "SinC Into Great Writing!" a dinner, seminar, and keynote event featuring Nancy Pickard and friend of Lou, NYC Literary Agent Donald Maass. Register here.

INKY High School Journal Party

Mama doesn't get very many press releases. Send Lou press releases!

The INKY High School Journal readings sound right up my alley, and like a lovely follow-up to seeing My So-Called So-Called Life. I'm gonna make an effort to be there. We really like the whole Jeffrey Lee Puckett / Bridgid Kaelin / Laura Shine aspect. All Louisvillagers that Mama has little local crushes on. And isn't Tori Murden McClure the Louisvillager who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean?!

And it's in Gil Holland's Green Building. What more could you want in a Saturday night?

I wish I could make more of an effort with this posting, though, but like the White Rabbit, I'm late for a very important date! (No, not that kind of date... sheesh... )

So here's the press release in its entirety.

Tickets are still available for InKY's 5th birthday party fundraiser at the Green Building. Support the literary arts in Louisville and join us for a special night of melodrama and manifestos...High School Journal!

Read the sneak preview in the Courier-Journal!

Writers and readers will share the chronicles of their adolescent angst through emotional diary entries, passionate poems and stories, righteously indignant record reviews and school paper editorials, and much more.

Featuring performances by adventurer and university administrator Tori Murden McClure, WFPK's Laura Shine, novelist Brian Leung, musician Brigid Kaelin, writer Crystal Wilkinson, The Courier-Journal lifestyles editor David Daley, music journalists Peter Berkowitz and Jeffrey Lee Puckett, with music courtesy of the Bourbon Brothers (Charles Spivey and WFPK's Michael Young of Roots n' Boots).

Plus free food from Clements Catering and drinks from Clements Catering, Upland Brewing and more!

Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Green Building
732 East Market Street
Louisville, Kentucky
7:30PM

NTDWL: Super Bowl Commercial Peeve & Bonnaroo 09

I know, I know, this has nothing to do with Louisville. But my other two time-wasting hobbies are the general consumption of pop culture and reading Louisville, pop culture, feminist, and liberal blogs. So, of course I tuned in to much of the Superbowl, only to watch the commercials and BRUUUUUUCE! (Who by the way is headlining Bonnaroo 2009, more on that in a sec.) And, of course, like a good feminist, I was fracking disgusted by ads that showed dudes biting into chips and chick's clothes flying off. (I won't even touch the Danica Patrick ads-- what a waste of a potentially awesome role model for the young girls in NASCAR families.) And of course, I read all the blogs decrying said ads.

But I haven't seen one blog or article discuss the ticked me off the most-- because it was the most "innocent." WTF was up with the Bridgestone Mr. Potato Head ad?? You know, the one where Mr. Potato Head drives and Mrs. Potato Head nags and bitches and yap, yap, yaps until.... they hit a pothole and her mouth pops off! And suddenly all is right in the world.

Ugh. It still makes my blood boil...

... But on Superbowl night, said boiling blood was soooooothed by the sweet sweet sounds of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who, as I said, will be headlining Bonnaroo 09. Artists announced today include Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, David Byrne, Al Green (!!!), Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint (and we can only hope a performance by Elvis AND Allen who recorded and toured together after Katrina), and many, many, many bands to make the indie crowd go all gooey including the Decemberists, Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ting Tings, and Bon Iver. (I give 'em all a [animal] collective shrug... Bonnaroo's as good a time as any to give them all a little check-out). Anyway... Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Erykah Badu... some serious chick power at this 'Roo.

Mama is so there. Maybe this time, she'll remember it.

Uh, Just so you know: We [heart] Matt too

Seems like everyone today has given a wee shout out to Matt Landan, owner and general liontamer of Derby City Espresso, who was the subject of a lovely Courier-Journal profile aujourd'hui. (What's with the random French? Dunno.)

Jake @ Page One
Backseat Sandbar
Evening News Roundup @ Broken Sidewalk
And the article quotes Michelle from Consuming Louisville.

So yeah, just so you know. Mama loves Matt and DCE too.

Design Star Louisvillager: The Real Story

Fun fact about Lou: She has no taste. Or she has taste, but it's not very good. Her design ethos runs somewhere along the Velvet Elvis meets Martha Stewart meets Mardi Gras lines. Jarring. Incongrous. Hey, I like it, but...

So remember how Mama made a couple of New Year's resolutions? One was to take classes? Well, to make good on that we signed up for an interior design class with the JCPS Lifelong Learning program. It was supposed to start today, but Icepocalypse 2009 has postponed the start of all the classes that were supposed to start this week. The good news: there's probably still time to sign up for Carpentry II: Joints and Rafters, if you're so inclined.

In other Louisville design news, tomorrow at 5:30pm on the Louisville at Home show on the WB our new friend Tracee Dore will be sharing the real scoop from behind the scenes of last season's Design Star.

Hopefully within the next few weeks, I'll have a chance to sit down and chat with Ms. Dore. She was very sweet and forthcoming in a recent email, saying that she took full responsibility for her actions, but that the show's producers really did set out to make her the villian.

"But this villian has a husband who's a cop, three adorable kids and a business," Dore writes. "I hate to shop- they sooo left out the details like that I had to go to 7 different places like the drywall distrubutor, tile store, lighting store, lumber yard, etc... there was no Lowe's or Home Depots on the list of places we could go. The challenges really all went great for me- they just showed every bad part, but no good comments from Vern or other judges."

Dore says she and Michael from the show remain best of friends and are looking at possibly teaming up again in the future.

I'm sure we'll learn more from the design veteran tomorrow on Louisville at Home (oof, what a cumbersome website). She promises that "It shows the real me." Mama can't wait!

Happy Groundhog Day! (Insert agitated groundhog sound here)

Going to see Punxatawny Phil check out his shadow (or lack thereof) has been on my "bucket list" ever since I saw Groundhog Day (one of my top 10 favorite movies).  But this year, I'm seriously ticked at the little bugger.  Six more weeks of winter? 

And tonight we have a 60% chance of more snow? 

And it's only February 2.  Last year our biggest snowfall wasn't until March.

Enough already, okay?  Enough.  Damn you, Phil.

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Reason #65725 I Don't Watch American Idol

Apparently when Idol was in Louisville, Paula (Ms. Abdul if you're nasty) freaked out and took it as a threat when a contestant said, "Be careful" on his way out the door. I admit I haven't heard "Y'all be careful" as a sort of Southern "ta ta now" very often. But sure I've heard it.

What makes turns this mess into a whole lot of awesomeness is that American Idol apologized. Like, officially. To, like, the city, I think. Comments on their website suggested that the "Be careful-er" was a bit odd and threatening. But still.

What makes it even better? Perez Hilton picked up on it.

Reason #65726 I don't watch American Idol: according to my monkeys on the ground (a bunch of teenaged girls), there really wasn't very many people from LOUISVILLE on the Louisville show. Lame.

Running for the Dore

Rut roh.

(That shuffling noise you hear is Mama dancing around, maybe backtracking, maybe dancing with something akin to glee... float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and all that.)

Looks like Loueyville.com has finally caught the eye of Ms. Tracee Dore, Design Star alum. And when her comments on my July post first came through via email this afternoon, I thought that she was responding genuinely... thanking me for commenting on her exquisite taste (which I did). And I did a big ol' happy dance. But now that I go back and look at the posts... I'm thinking maybe she is a little less than happy with Lou.

Note that the last time I mentioned her was in my 1/21 post.

(If there is good news to be had in this corridor, FYI, it's in retail not
in food... Scout's new home store is beautiful and right next to the brand new
flower shop boutique... Red Tree seems to be doing well... Joseph Ley's...
always-our-favorite-Design-Star-baddie Tracee Dore's store. No retail stores
have closed in the past year or so, to the best of my knowledge.)

Favorite. Favorite? That counts for something, right?

Gulp.

Mama doesn't like conflict. Mama hopes that Ms. Dore isn't unhappy with what she read.

That being said, I will cowboy up and see if I can't get some scoop on Ms. Dore and what she's been up to. I have joked privately that if Ms. Dore wanted to kick some of her bad-ass rep to the curb, she could always go all Ty Pennington on some deserving, sweet, breast cancer survivor, teacher, Katrina survivor whose house was destroyed during Hurricane Ike... (uh, that would be me.)

Clearly, Ms. Dore isn't a regular reader of Loueyville.com. She does, after all, refer to Lou as "Mr. Loueyville."

Amusingly enough, two or three months ago, I ran Loueyville through the GenderAnalyzer, an engine which purports to be able to tell you the gender of any blogger and back then it was 78% sure that Lou was a guy. Now it says that it's 61% sure that Lou is a woman. Distaste for "Wicked" aside, I guess I'm getting more girly. (LouReads shows 67% likely to be a woman... I guess it's my devotion to Mary Russell)

Anyway, I'm flattered she took the time to comment. I will indeed try to get some scoop. And I hope that she gets the fact that every Reality Show needs a bad-ass, and she was definitively cast as that bad-ass in Design Star.

But she does, my friends, have exquisite taste.

Snow My Goodness: It's Worse Out There Then You Thought

Or maybe I'm just speaking for myself...

This morning Honorable Contractor for the Humble Abode called and said "Show me the money." Problem was, my check book (I thought) was at the Humble Abode. So Honorable Contractor picked me up in his 4-wheel drive for what ended up being a three hour tour of our fair city (checkbook= not at Humble Abode). And wow. It was way worse than I thought.

Louisvillagers without power, I salute you. Thankfully the ResInn has remained blissfully powered up and warm. My heart goes out to those of you shivering in the dark. I can't imagine. Truly.

Hotels downtown are doing a booming business. I spent around 2 hours in the lobby of the ResInn reading and listening to the desk clerk answer the phone on average once a minute to say, "No, sorry, we're all booked up." That was around 2pm, and at that point the only place with rooms was the Galt House. Roommate and his woman and I went to the Galt House for drinks a few hours ago, and it was jammed.

I went to go see "Wicked" tonight at the Kentucky Center. It was a sold out crowd, and suprisingly it seemed like just about everyone showed up. I fear I may be losing my teen-chick cred: I hated "Twilight" (you can read my review of the book about "sparkly bear-sucking vampires" here) and I was thuddingly unimpressed by "Wicked." Really. I don't get it. It's precisely the kind of musical I can't stand: the "let's sing about even the totally trivial stuff" kind of musical. No thank you.

Hotel bars and restaurants downtown are packed. Bearnos by the Bridge was open. So was Prime Lounge. Stevie Rays is closed. Bank Shot Billiards is open. I'm pretty sure Connections was open.

My monkey on the ground (ie Roommate) says that between the Back Door (which has no power) and Highland Avenue only our street has power-- I'm so happy for my neighbors. He was taking his woman to the Irish Pubs of Little Dublin and the Outlook. Says everything around the Highland/Baxter split is packed.

The good news is this: If Hurricane Ike hadn't brought that tree down on my house, it probably would have come down last night. When it was freezing. And wet. Instead of sunny and warm and lovely like it was in September. I feel very lucky.

Stay warm, Loueyvillagers. You're in my thoughts.

Authors at Carmichael's on Frankfort Tonight 7:30p

(cross-posted from Lou Reads)

Jason Sanderson is a very sad man. He has a sad job (repo man). His family life is sad-- first wife and only child are both dead. His current home life is sad-- he's married to a woman who neither understands him (keeps dragging him to new age-y couples groups) nor his loss (stages a horribly gauche and insensitive sort of grief intervention on the 10th anniversary of the death of the son-- perhaps the most brilliantly written and upsetting scene in the book).

Lory Llewellyn is a very sad woman. She has a sad job (accountant for her skeezy step dad's eponymous hotel). Her family life is sad-- mom ran away and stepdad is, as I said, skeezy, and an alcoholic. Her current home life is sad-- almost ten years ago her lover died in a helicopter crash and she's never recovered. She's a cutter. She's reclusive.

The parallel stories of these two depressed and depressing folk who share their love and loss of Sam Sanderson, Jason's son and Lory's lover, run in elegant and poetic prose until they converge (perhaps inevitably, but somehow the convenience is tempered by how poetic the whole book is). Infused with and often critical of both quack spirituality and the "real" deal, MOTEL OF THE MYSTERIES is an exploration of grief, of family, of dependancy.

This is a sad book. It will make you hurt. But the writing is so extraordinarily good that you'll enjoy that pain. This is McElmurray's second novel. The first, STRANGE BIRDS IN THE TREE OF HEAVEN, was also a gorgeously crafted book, but it was a little harder to follow, a little more abstract. MOTEL has been very well received. One blogger named it her novel of the year.

McElmurray was born and raised in Kentucky. Her book is published by the local Sarabande Books as part of the Linda Bruckheimer (who I keep confusing with Linda Wurthhiemer) Series in KY Literature (click here) -- which I'd never heard of until I came across this book.

And she's reading tonight (with Sean Hill and Elizabeth Bradfield) at 7:30pm at the Frankfort Avenue Carmichael's. Check it out and pick up the book.

Soap Box: Blog For Choice

I know, I know. Earlier today I decried my lack of focus.

But I still have 15 minutes left of 1/22 to join in the annual "Blog for Choice" challenge. On the anniversary of Roe Vs. Wade, it asks us: "What is your top pro-choice hope for President Obama and/or the new Congress?"

Please, President Obama, help your fellow Americans understand how important the Supreme Court selection is. My heart screamed during the Roberts/Alito nomination processes. It felt like no one else was paying attention. Please, please President Obama remind us that the power of the Supreme Court can outlast your presidency. It can overpower your presidency. It just doesn't often take center stage like your presidency does.

I'm sure Al Gore would join me in imploring you to make a big honking deal of any Supreme Court nominations you make or any Supreme Court decisions you challenge.

Roe v. Wade is in the hands of a very select group of people... people YOU can select... people the average American doesn't believe has big, huge sway upon their lives.

Who didn't feel like Angela Chase?

[Cue voiceover: a stilted, moody, somewhat melodramatic teen girl. One gets the sense she'd make a good Juliet some day.]

You know how sometimes... it's the little things that make you proud of a place? Like when the weather's been bad? And you're not really sure what you're doing here? And you miss all the people you left behind when you came here? And then something really small makes you suddenly feel like you... belong? Like you need to be here. Like things are happening, and maybe you want to be part of this place that's changing?

Things like IdeaFestival and Waterfront Wednesday do that for me. Forecastle Fest and Good Folk Fest. Stuff like that. Places you can go and feel like this city is full of really amazing people thinking and doing and creating really amazing things. And it's like you're not in Kentucky after all, not the Kentucky that you've been warned about. It's like you're someplace... else. Someplace better.

So tonight? Tonight I went to see My So-Called So-Called Life at the Kentucky Center and it was like that. I'm not really even sure I liked it or understood it, but I was, like, wow. This is dark; this is surreal. There are real-live teenagers on that stage, like, grappling with some seriously twisted and difficult stuff. There are, like, real-live teen girls on that stage... making out! And nobody's walking out. Nobody's flinching. More importantly, there had to be tons of real-live adults behind that production who decided that it was okay, that this is theater, that this is art. And that in the real world, real-live teenagers grapple with their identities and with all kinds of pain every single day.

And it, like, made me proud, you know? It made me proud to know that there's a place in this city like Walden Theater where they're not afraid to tackle these sort of issues. And where they, you know, honor the humanity of teenagers.

It's weird. It's like you go to the theater to be entertained, and you come away... struck.

My apologies to Angela Chase...

There's only two more shows of My So-Called So-Called Life. And, you know, I'm not sure I really liked it. It was dark; it was weird. Some of it felt vaguely awkward. But, man, you can't help but be thrilled for them: for Walden, for the parents, for everyone behind that production. Because if nothing else, it pushed....

If you've been weighing whether or not to go, I implore you to go see it. Not because it's great theater-- although the young woman who played Pearl was stunning-- but because the house was less than half full tonight. And it would be really nice to send a message to Walden.

And that message would be: Thanks. Thanks for crossing some pretty forcefully defended teen theater lines. Those kids who grapple, who are grappling... I'm sure they're wicked grateful. And so are the adults who support them.

Social Media Overload

Yesterday, I attended the fantastic Let them Tweet Cake event at Sweet Surrender (gosh, I wish I liked sweets) sponsored by Michelle at Consuming Louisville. And I listened to the streaming audio of Michelle's appearance on State of Affairs (listen to it here) with two other Louisville bloggers from the excellent Backseat Sandbar and Broken Sidewalk. And I came to the following conclusions:

1. I am nowhere near the geek that I thought I was, or would like to be!
2. My social media chops need serious work.
3. Everyone who's anyone Twitters.
4. I really need to do a better job of surrounding myself with fantastic, smart women because even us thirty-mumble-somethings need role models.
5. And my big take-away from the State of Affairs show was that the best blogs are focused, and Loueyville ain't focused. Then again, Mama ain't focused... so there you have it.

I can't say that Loueyville (or Lou) will get more focused in the coming days, but at least that little birdie is now tweeting in the back of my brain.

Speaking of tweeting, Loueyville IS on Twitter. (I checked into my account last night and the most recent tweet was: "Watching the Derby Post Selection. Go Denis of Cork!")

Taking Credit Whether It Is Due Or Not

Why not, eh?

So... remember my little rant in the form of an Open Letter to Local Business Owners? The one in which Lou praised the Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour folks for putting fliers in all of the Res-Inn rooms and putting their poster in an acrylic stand on the front desk? The one in which Lou wrote:

But Local Owners, you gotta put yourselves out there a little more. Us Loueyvillagers don’t want to see you croak. We don’t like driving by the Spaghetti Warehouse (or whatever it’s called) and seeing it full to bursting, while 301 Bistro across the street has empty tables.

Well, lookee what Mama has here in her little hotel room... a little acrylic stand with a card advertising Bistro 301, and its new hotel delivery service...

Nothing to Do With Louisville: Do the Obama!

I know, I know... there's absolutely NO reason for me to post this video to Loueyville.com, but we DO have a new president today, and he IS pretty fantastic. And this CNN mash up Obama getting down (and boogie-oogie-oogying) on Inauguration Night made me SMILE almost as much as watching the Former Occupant get on that helicopter and fly away. Two reasons:

(1) I just love that he did "the Bump" with that lady. The Bump gives me all kinds of warm fuzzies and reminds me of weddings from the 1970's.

and

(2) I think we can say for certain that there is an "Obama Dance" and it is basically "Shake your fists up around your shoulder and step-touch, step-touch, step-touch while wiggling your butt." It's kinda white-guy-ish, but nowhere near as embarrassing as Bush's "Flail Dance."

Not Jenicca's II: New Place to Open in Old Space

According to an article in today's CJ that tries to convince us Loueyvillagers that the restaurant scene ain't as dire as we all know it is, the former home of Jenicca's is about to become the home of a new fine dining restaurant, brought to you by the Wiltshire Pantry catering service folks (who also own the former Jenicca's building). According to the article, owner "Hershberg plans to do the bulk of food preparation at her catering headquarters in the Highlands. 'I'm not even going to need a separate prep staff,' she said. Wiltshire on Market will only be open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and Hershberg is embracing the 'small plate' concept.

In the article Tamara Ikenberg cites the losses of Park Place, Brownings, and Primo but fails to mention the loss of Market on Market or Jenicca's or Mellilo's-- not to mention the quasi-closing (Are we dead yet?? It's so hard to tell.) of sometimes food-serving bar/pool hall Ice Breakers. Six (or seven) restaurants within just a few blocks of each other, all very much a part of that East Market corridor we were all so proud of just a year or so ago.

Wiltshire on Market and the upcoming Green Building eatery 732 Social will attempt to plug in some of those holes in the corridor, but let's be realistic, what was once a food destination in the city is no longer. These rapid-fire restaurant deaths make the article's title ('Sky not falling' on dining scene-- a quote from some natty U of L economics prof) ring pretty derned false, if you ask me. Things may be good in the Highlands (or "not as bad as we sometimes think they are"), but in this much-hyped area, just a stone's throw from the future home of our arena, we've got some ghost town shit going down.

(If there is good news to be had in this corridor, FYI, it's in retail not in food... Scout's new home store is beautiful and right next to the brand new flower shop boutique... Red Tree seems to be doing well... Joseph Ley's... always-our-favorite-Design-Star-baddie Tracee Dore's store. No retail stores have closed in the past year or so, to the best of my knowledge.)

I don't know about this (small) influx of more fine dining in that neck of the woods. The only two restaurants open for dinner in the area are Mayan Cafe and Artemesia, both priced out of my budget except for special occasions. Both 732 Social and Wiltshires claim to have embraced the "small plate" trend, a style of dining that strikes me as being very trendy and perhaps short-lived.

We'll see what happens. I wish them luck. And while it's nice to hear good economic news at times, it would be better if that news felt honest.

A Favorite Restaurant Burned by Something Other than the Economy

This morning as I drove to work, NPR told me that Bardstown at Grinstead was closed for a fire at Cafe Mimosa.  Looks like the end result is that the building is a total loss.  I've been remiss to not have mentioned my appreciation for this restaurant before.  They were the only Highlands restaurant (to my knowledge) that delivered to my "new" home at the hotel.  Nice people.  Good food.  Inexpensive.  And besides the fact that they put these icky, dry, flakes on the sushi rolls unless you told them not to, I would have had nothing but praise.

Check out the strangely beautiful picture from the CJ website. 

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National Poll Reveals Something Everyone Already Knew

Leo's blog FATLIP reports, "Having trouble finding a date here in Louisville? Apparently you can blame your dating woes on the city itself: Possibility City ranks fifth among the nation’s worst cities for dating, according to this poll."

Don't worry, Mama's not moving to Austin-- the best city to find a date, according to the poll.

But still, "The only cities deemed worse for dating were Kansas City, Witchita, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit."

So sad.

What Are YOU Doing Inauguration Day?

I don't remember anyone ever asking me, "Are you doing anything special for inauguration?" before, but I've been asked that several times this year and have started asking the question myself.

Derby City Espresso is hosting an all-day Good Bye Bush Party with $1 espresso shots and $1 PBR on the 20th.

What are you doing Inauguration Day?

Do Banjos Count?

Rick at the Ville Voice mentioned in passing today that there's still a law on KY's books that requires that Metro Council members (and other elected officials) must swear an oath that they haven't fought in a duel.

The Secretary of State website sez:

In Section 228 of the state’s constitution there remains a link with Kentucky’s violent past. That link is the famous “dueling clause.” Since 1891, the commonwealth’s officials have had to swear or affirm that “since the adoption of the present Constitution, I being a citizen of the state, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within the State or nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons [or pianos? that would be okay by me... reference my distaste for dueling pianos, here], nor have I acted as a second in carrying a challenge nor aided or assisted any person thus offending, so help me God.”

I don't know why, but that just made my day....

Good Riddance, 2008!

Lou and Roommate dragged ass on their New Years' plans after their southern friends bailed on coming up to the Ville. As a result, we missed a chance at Avalon's yummy-sounding, and extremely reasonably priced, $75 pp dinner seating at 930p. So, we'll be kissing 08 behind at Bearno's by the Bridge with Butch Rice and an open bar. (Mama needs to remember to pace herself...)

Mama's keeping it simple this year with resolutions like:

... develop a skin care regimen appropriate for the 30-mumble-mumble year old that you are. No more of this scrub your face with $3 soap shit.

... write more. Both on Loueyville and in "the real world."

... take some classes. In what? Dunno. Just classes. I have 12 months to figure that one out.

... talk to more strangers. Seriously. If some crazy lady starts a meaningless conversation with you at Heine Brothers or Molly's this year, it very well may be Lou.

I wish you all heaps of comfort and joy in 2009. No matter how good your 2008 was (mine blew), I hope your 2009 is even better.

Off to tart myself up for Irish New Years' at Flanagan's.

Kisses, y'all.

MMJ on EW for ROO08

Loueyville's own My Morning Jacket is listed alongside "The women of Mad Men" and Viola Davis from Doubt (which I just saw an hour ago-- amazing movie) on Entertainment Weekly's "15 Great Performances of 2008" list.

Unfortunately for me, I heard but did not see the performance listed-- their 12am performance at Bonnaroo 2008. Faithful readers will remember that I went to 'Roo 2008, but it was less than two weeks after my first major surgery and I was definitely out of my gourd to even go (but I'm glad that I did). I had retired to the tent by midnight on that night, so I caught only the beginning of the show and only the audio.

Good job, hometown boys. Stay humble!

CW: All Cissy All the Time

I'm assuming that since I haven't read about this in any of our local media blogs, this issue is a very localized issue. But ever since 12/23-- maybe earlier, the local CW station on my television (and all tvs in the ResInn) has been frozen on a tableaux of Cissy Spacek in bed, hovering over the prone body of some man. I IMBD-ed her and still cannot, for the life of me, figure out which movie it is.

Both Roommate and Big Mama Lou have said, whilst channel surfing, "Huh, that station was on the same scene last time I was flipping through the stations." Because of Lou's intimate relationship with the toob this past week, she was able to set them straight, pronto.

I'm not sure why this is blog-worthy. A little crazy birdie inside my head wonders: maybe so few people watch the CW that no one has actually noticed.

Anyhoo, today (well, yesterday, if we're being honest) is Cissy Spacek's birthday. She's a Christmas baby. And I hope that somehow she knows that she's gotten more face time than Hannah Montana, at least in this little corner of Loueyville, over the past few days. And that's both hard to do and rather nifty.

Thank you for the well wishes over the past week. Surgery went well, but Mama's still feeling kind of crappy. Big Mama Lou came in from the Northeast to take care of me and celebrate the holidays, and she's taken a lot of my time and attention. I should be back on the case next week.

The friends from Florida cancelled on New Year's, so's everything's changed and up in the air. Very sad. Very sad. Hope y'all will keep sending suggestions.

Quills-- A little birdie told me mid-January

This past weekend, I bumped into one of my favorite baristas (os?) from the late, great Quills Coffee and Books, and he said we could look forward to seeing the new Quills open at the location on Bardstown next to Flanagan's sometime in Mid-January. This is hugely welcome news.

(Hopefully my Ike-crushed house will "re-open" around the same time!... sigh, probably not)

I told my Quills friend that, while I've been seeing a few other coffee shops since July, I'd been unable to forge a meaningful relationship with any of them.

And truly, before I got sick, I did have a very meaningful relationship with Quills; I went there at least four or five times a week. Quills was indeed my "second home" for a year or so, and I have missed it terribly-- especially since I've been displaced from my "first home," too.

Which meant that when I started reading posts like this and this about my favorite coffeeshop's "Christian underpinnings," this godless heathen was aghast. Yes, Mama can be a bit oblivious to her surroundings at times, but aside from the occasional Bible-reader or even the occasional Bible-study group that I saw there, I had never noticed any blatant religiosity about the place or about the wonderful people who worked there.

I'm looking forward to having them back.

... on another note, my already irregular blogging may get more irregular for the next week or so. Surgery tomorrow, hopefully with a much better rebound time than the last one. But if I'm down for longer than I expect, happy holidays and much love!

An Open Letter to Local Business Owners

My dear purveyors of good stuff,

Right now, I live in a hotel. And before you ask, the answer is: No, there's nothing glamorous about living in a hotel. I used to think living in a hotel would be sexy. Manny Ramirez lived in a hotel the whole time he played for the Sox. Kelsey Grammar's character in the tragically short-lived sitcom "Back to You" lived and loved in a hotel room. Heck, it worked for Zack & Cody for three seasons until they took their game onto a cruise ship. (Please don't ask how I know this. Let's just say that convalescing makes strange TV bedfellows. FYI: Dan Savage brilliantly eviscerated said show on This American Life last year, claiming Zach and Cody were turning his son into the worst kind of heterosexual.)

Alas, the Residence Inn is not the St. Gregory from that mid-80's Aaron Spelling show starring Brand Walsh's dad/Babs's husband (are they still married? is anyone still married?).

Last Friday, I came home from work to find that the housekeeper (and yes, having a housekeeper IS sexy-- that's the best thing about hotel life) had left a flyer for 32nd Annual Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour on my coffee table. And when I went downstairs to check about my mail, there was another full-color flyer for the Home Tour displayed on an acrylic stand. And I thought, "Oh how nice. I'm a little broke right now, but I can always hit it next year."

A few hours later, it dawned on me that I've been living in this *&^%^&* hotel for almost three months now-- Ooohh! No, today is my three month anniversary! I've now lived in a hotel for 1/4 of a year. Sigh.-- and that was the very first piece of local advertising I've seen pass through the doors of the joint. Sure, there's the obligatory "brochure shelf" tucked out of sight down an unused corridor, but the Home Tour folks put that full-color photocopied, attractive, festive ad in my face-- both in my room and right on the front desk-- all weekend long. And if I hadn't been a Villager, hadn't known that I'd have another chance to go at the 33rd Annual Home Tour, I would have jumped at it.

At least a couple times a week, I'll be hanging in the lobby or waiting in line at the front desk, and I'll hear some tourist or business person ask for dinner recommendations. If they're looking high end, the answer from the front desker is always the same: Jeff Ruby's. If they're just looking for something to fill their bellies, the front desker always directs them to... you guessed it: 4th Street Live.

Sometimes I stick my nose in. Sometimes I don't. I almost always stick my nose in when I hear folks mulling over dinner options in the elevator or in the hallways. (This takes a lot of effort as Mama is painfully shy around strangers.)

There are lessons to be learned here, Owner friends. First of all, there are 140 guest rooms in the Res-Inn. If the Home Tour people paid 15-cents per color copy, that meant that they spent in the neighborhood of $21 to blanket my hotel and get a brochure into the hot little hands of every single person staying at the hotel that weekend. A single, day-of-purchase ticket for the Home Tour was $30. If one Res-Inn resident hit the Tour, the Tour still made $9.

There are approximately 17,000 hotel rooms in the Louisville Metro area. That's a lot of color copies, sure. But if you're having a special event and you can share the cost with other businesses (Trolley Hops and Bardstown Aglow and Buy Local First and Louisville Originals folks, I'm looking at YOU), you've got quite the captive audience in hotel dwellers, whether they be tourists, businessfolks, or townies like me.

Secondly, if you're a local business within comfortable walking distance of a hotel, why don't you drop off some discount coupons for the front deskers to give out to arriving guests? It's only because I'm such a 'net nerd that I discovered the ill-fated Park Place's awesome Happy Hour deal. Heck, if Park Place had put a little ad in every Res-Inn welcome packet saying: "Hey, we're a high end eating establishment, but you can enjoy fine cocktails and appetizers at half price EVERY DAY and eat and drink like a classy person for the same price you'd pay at TGIFridays" they might have lasted a bit longer. Likewise, it's only through active interweb hunting that I've found out about the daily deals at the BBC Taproom and Artemesia. You don't even need to make it a discount coupon. Why is there no 1/4 page b&w photocopied flier on our brochure rack advertising BBC's daily specials? That's nutso!

And finally, I love me my front desk friends. They're a super sweet group of folks. I have no doubt whatsoever if you, Local Owners, scratch the front desk folks' backs a little, they'll scratch your backs A LOT. Just after Hurricane Ike, I was in a Highland coffee shop (Highland Coffee, to be exact) and a woman from one of the neighborhood Irish pubs came in and handed the baristas coupons for free beers on a particular night. I was behind her in line, so I didn't hear everything she said, but it was something along the lines of: we're thanking our neighbor businesses because we had power and were able to serve food during the dark days and our neighbors sent a lot of business our way. Aw. That's classy, folks.

There are approximately seven or eight people who work the front desk at the Res-Inn. Give them each a gift certificate for $25 at your eating establishment (you know they'll spend more than that). Give them a 25% off coupon for your store. If you're a tourist attraction, let them in free. And don't just do this once-- do it aggressively-- there's all kinds of turn over in the service industry, and you want to keep YOUR business at the front of their minds.

I'm still sick about the fact that I've seen six restaurants within walking distance of the Res-Inn go belly-up in the past three months: Primo, Market on Market, Melillo's, Jenicca's, Park Place, and Browning’s (she intones the litany of the dead). I’m trying to do my own broke-girl part by signing (and abiding by) the LEO’s Shop Local pledge. As soon as I’m finished with my work (if you can call this “work”), I’m heading over to Wild and Wooly to submit my 10 Buy Local receipts to enter their Holiday Passport contest.

But Local Owners, you gotta put yourselves out there a little more. Us Loueyvillagers don’t want to see you croak. We don’t like driving by the Spaghetti Warehouse (or whatever it’s called) and seeing it full to bursting, while 301 Bistro across the street has empty tables. It’s not that we don’t like the Warehouse—it’s yummy and cheap. We’re not unhappy that 4th Street now has a Panera Bread, as long as Panera doesn’t put Toast in jeopardy. Lou will probably end up spending her New Year’s Eve at one of 4th Street Live fine establishments. So, I’m not anti-chain. I’m just pro Local, for all the reasons one should be.

Rant over.

Lots of love,
Lou

Bluegrass Hotel Project

When I first found out I was moving to Kentucky (I make it sound like it came as a surprise, but it was me who made the decision to move), the first thing I thought of was how happy I was to be moving to the "bluegrass" state. Back when Roommate and I were an item, and he lived in Tennessee and I lived in NOLA, my favorite parts of visiting him were getting to see great bluegrass music live.

I naturally assumed that my new life in Loueyville would be chock-full of hot, sexy, live bluegrass. But... not so much. I take some of the blame. I haven't been very good about tracking down the good stuff. But I find it funny that when I mention loving bluegrass music to my students, they react like I'd just declared my love for polka.

Anyway, the Bluegrass Hotel Project was announced today at the Jockey Silks Bar at the Galt House. It seems like it should be a bigger deal than the few paragraphs the CJ devoted to it.

Named after the Bluegrass Hotel, a Victorian mansion in Cherokee Park where
many of the musicians used to stay, the project will highlight a time and place
when musicians from around the country flocked to Louisville to play bluegrass.

The project will include a two-hour television documentary to be broadcast
this time next year, a CD, DVD and a book. It is being produced by former
Bluegrass Alliance member Bill Millet.

Sam Bush, one of the musicians on hand today, said he had his own place to
stay when he moved to Louisville from Bowling Green at the age of 18, but he
stayed some nights at the Bluegrass Hotel. He said he and the others were
at the press conference “because we all had a great experience when many of us
moved to Louisville in the early ’70s.”

Sam Bush was/is in town? Hopefully he'll be back on March 6 when the Galt House will be hosting a festival/concert to celebrate the project.

$20 Art Show @ Mellwood Center Tonight

I remember the good ol' days when I used to buy my "art" at mall kiosks and from sidewalk vendors, when my "fancy" art was the poster that was--gasp-- nicely framed. Simpler times, my friends, simpler times.

While my taste has improved, my income... well, not appreciably. And that's why I love me some $20 Art Show goodness.

Last Downtown Trolley Hop, U of L hosted one such show in the Noir et Rouge Gallery at 333 E Market. I scored a gorgeous, framed oil painting by one Matthew Wallace, and I can't wait til I'm back in my house to put it on my wall. (And Matthew, honey, you hurry up and become a big and important star in the art world so I can hock that puppy on Ebay and retire early, ok?)

Tonight there's another such show at the Mellwood Art Center from 6p-9p. I learned my lesson at the U of L show; I went around an hour into the show and 75% of the stuff was sold. (Matthew, honey, I'm not saying that yours wouldn't have been my first choice anyway. It probably would have.)

Go early. Buy art. Feel festive.

BTW, as Michelle noted earlier on Consuming Louisville, there's a new-ish letter press in town, housed at the Mellwood. They were out at BBC during the Trolley Hop, giving away free coasters with Hunter S. quotes on them. Hound Dog Press will also be at the $20 art fair. All Mama wants for Christmas is funky letterpress Loueyville.com business cards from Hound Dog Press. It's only $95 for 100 cards. Sniff. I've been a good girl all year long. Please.

Maybe if she bats her long lashes at the very cute boys who own the joint, she'll get a discount. Or one of the cute boys! Either one would do!

Good Riddance 2008: Prime Scene

Not really MY scene, but I thought I'd add it because the venue is so pretty. Prime Lounge on Main St downtown is hosting J-Dub's 7th Annual NYE Party.

It's $30 and that includes a cocktail and a champagne toast.

Here's the flyer: http://www.primeloungeky.com/images/events/nyepartybg.pdf

Good Riddance 2008: Bearnos and Butch by the Bridge

Bearno's by the Bridge is pretty smart in that they're offering free shuttles to area hotels. You couldn't pay me to be behind the wheel in this city on New Years' Eve. Honestly, I would rather not even be on the road. Louisvillagers love their drinking then driving, alas....

The NYE Party is 8pm-2am and includes: "Music by Strumbeat, Butch Rice and DJ Larry. Open bar, buffet, champagne toast, party favors." The cost is $80 pp or $130 per couple.

I haven't been able to find out more info about the food that they're offering, but they're primarily a pizza place.

I like this particular location-- right by the river bridge. I like Butch Rice, too. You can hit his website at www.butchrice.com or his MySpace page here. Kinda low key for a par-tay...

Good Riddance 2008: Asiatique Asian Fusion

Asiatique is a hot swanky restaurant in the Highlands. I've been twice and the food is always awesome. The price is right, foodwise, but alcohol is not included. And I'm way confused by the 2 hr table limit... but this is the 2nd best food option I've put on the list (next to Proof).

From their website:

Asiatique will feature a four course dinner for $65 per person. This price
does not include alcohol, tax or gratuity. Reservations made and
seated before 6:00 will be $45 per person. All seatings are for 2 hours
from the reservation time and are subject to additional
charges for reservations seated past the 2 hour limit.

You can check out the yummy menu here:www.asiatiquerestaurant.com/menus/event.shtml

Good Riddance 2008: Blues is Alright for 2008

Stevie Ray's Blues Bar is the closest drinking establishment to our hotel. They're hosting a NYE party, but right now their website is a little sparce for information. Here's what it says: Table is for (4) people and are $150, this includes guranteed seat, 2 bottles of champagne, party favors and a night with The Predators. We only have 32 tables to sell...this night always sells out, last year all tables were sold before the week of Christmas.

It's hard to find out much information on the Predators-- googling "Predators Louisville" was a bit unproductive. But I did find this video. They look like your standard white guy blues band. http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-predators-at-blues-n-barbecue/3283407846

Thirty-two tables makes it seem like it would be a nice, manageable night.

Pros: Cost; I've yet to have a BAD time at Stevie Rays
Cons: the Blues seem appropriate til Midnight, but it would be nice to kick off the year with something more upbeat. :)

Good Riddance 2008: You Can't Not Be On A Boat

Rosencrantz: Do you think Death could possibly be a boat?

Guildenstern: No, no, no… Death is “not.” Death isn’t. Take my meaning? Death is the ultimate negative. Not-being. You can’t not be on a boat.

Rosencrantz: I’ve frequently not been on boats.

Guildenstern: No, no. What you've been is not on boats.

I just went through this very same discussion with my students the other day when we were talking about "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" by Walt Whitman. You can't "not be" on a boat because even if you're totally still, even if you're asleep, even if you're dead, if you're on a boat, you're still moving. (technically, I said, you could be docked and not moving and I get that; it's the thought that counts) We'll have this same discussion when we talk about Huck Finn next semester-- not only are they on a raft and therefore always "be-ing," the raft is rudderless, so they're at the mercy of the stream.

Thought I'd interject some philosophy/lit into the discussion.

What better way to begin a new year than to be NOT "not be-ing" on a boat??

The Spirit of Louisville Riverboat is hosting a New Years' Gala from 10p-1am. Includes dinner and costs $55. Doesn't sound like there are any drinks involved. I have seen talk of live music in regards to this, but I haven't been able to find out who.

http://www.belleoflouisville.org/schedule/cruisedetails.php?cd=1459

Pros: Profoundly symbolic

Cons: Probably a lot of grannies-- I do love grannies, though

Good Riddance 2008: 21c

My gut told me to omit this one because though I would reaaalllly like to go, it's also reallllly expensive. But how could I omit this option when the first sentences of the press release for the 21C New Years party speak so directly to my experience???

I may have to bring a flask of my own hooch to defray the cost! Drinks at Proof run about $8-12 a pop. If you were to do this, it might make sense to stay there, $$-wise.

Pros: One of my favorite places in Louisville. Great food. Cool environment

Cons: Will start 2009 in the hole! Bound to be wicked crowded.

The official press release says:

December 31, 2008
Let's face it, 2008 was a bummer. Bail yourself out of that funk with your friends at Proof on Main and 21c Museum Hotel.

If you'll be watching the ball drop elsewhere, Proof invites you to dine
from our signature Proof favorites. Our ala carte menu will be offered from
5:30pm to 7:00pm.

Beginning at 8pm, Chef Paley will offer diners a special pre-fixe tasting
menu. Enjoy four courses and a sampling of Proof sweets before heading
downstairs to a rocking party at 21c. Local favorite Hay DJ will be providing
the tunes in the atrium-turned-dance-lounge. The co st is $121 per person and
includes a four course tasting menu, party favors, and a champagne toast at
midnight.

Stuck with prior dinner obligations? Join us in the 21c Lounge, created
solely for New Year's Eve, complete with DJ, dancefloor, balloon drop, and space
to kick back and sip bubbly. Eleven dollars and a new or gently used backpack
will get into the party, with the goods going to support Blessings with a
Backpack. (We'll let you in for $21 if you come empty-handed, but c'mon, pick up
a backpack! There are kiddos out there that need your help.) A cash bar will be
available and, of course, a champagne toast at midnight underneath the glow of
disco balls.

Easy Cinderella. There's no reason to rush home when the clock strikes
twelve. Your fairy godmother must have been looking out because 21c is offering
the deal of the century. For just $365 per couple, enjoy the pre-fixe dinner at
Proof, the party at 21c, and a luxurious room to call home for the night. Throw
in late check out plus a little continental breakfast to soak up last night's
fun, and 2009 is already looking up.

Good Riddance 2008: Vernon Club

I didn't even know this place existed-- I knew the bowling alley was there and have always wanted to go, but I didn't know there was a club attached. The reason I'm suggesting this is that the Tim Kreckel Orchestra is pretty cool and I lurve the website. It doesn't seem to have any food or drink attached to admission, but I thought I would include it because it kind of speaks to my aesthetic. Before you reject it, at least poke around the website.

Pros: Guaranteed good tunes
Cons: Unknown quantity

Good Riddance 2008: Not Jenicca's

I'm still feeling crappy about the closing of one of my favorite restaurants/wine bars last month. But it looks like the Jenicca's sisters aren't shutting the door on New Years. From the address on the invite, it looks like it will be hosted at Mayan Cafe down the street.

I'm not a huge Bond fan, but I am a fan of dressing up (at least I hope I'll be feeling like dressing up... hmmm... and although it will require a shopping trip because all my dress up clothes are in storage). I don't know if you're able to reserve a table, but here's the official email invite, email to find out:

The theme is the 1971 James Bond - "Diamonds are Forever"$20 cover, which includes one signature drink, small plate selections and a champagne toast at midnight. 8pm - 2am.

Dj - Jason Clark will be spinning movie themed music. Diamond are Forever will be projected on the wall. Come as your favorite James Bond character from the movie!!! Shoot us an email if you are planning to attend. rebecca@jeniccas.com or jen@jeniccas.com

Pros: bound to be a cool crowd

Cons: unknown quantity-- could be loud and crowded (uh, then what isn't on NYE?)

Good Riddance 2008: Sound Your Barbaric Howl Over the Roofs of Downtown

Ever since we "moved" downtown, Roommate has been saying that he wants to go to Howl at the Moon. In my mind, it's just a step up from karaoke, and I am no fan of karaoke. My rule of thumb about this kind of thing has always been: "would I want to date someone who I met at X?" And the answer for Howl at the Moon is "most likely no." (unless said person -- hopefully a Johnny Depp/Mike Rowe/Ira Glass/Craig Ferguson combo-- had been dragged there against his better judgement).

That being said, I can think of no better time to go to Howl at the Moon than New Years Eve: a night about spending time with good friends, not a night of trawling for hot dude action. It's pricey, but they do seem to pack a lot of stuff into the cover price.

When I lived in New Orleans, I used to be able to abide the "dueling pianos" at Pat O'Briens only when I was seriously in my cups, you know? But when I WAS in my cups, "dueling pianos" suddenly became a pretty good, fun idea... so who knows?

Pros: At $100/pp you're guaranteed seating, and that's a big deal on NYE. Open bar. Free buffet.

Cons: Uh, it's Howl at the Moon. Sorry, I'm still not sold on the "fun" quotient here. That being said, with a few of the open bar drinks under my belt, I'd probably have a great time.

New Years Haps 2008-2009

To quote the New Years' Eve press release from 21c, "Let's face it, 2008 was a bummer."

Heck yeah. Mama had a crapola year for the most part. Breast cancer. The smooshing of Casa de Lou during Hurricane Ike. All the attendant stress and questioning that comes hand-in-hand with suffering two big blows like that in the span of a couple of months.

On the sunny side, Lou is going to spend New Years 2008-09 celebrating the fact that 2008 could have been a MUCH bigger bummer than it was. The big "C" could have been much, much, much worse. The house smooshing looks like it will yield a bigger, better kitchen... some day. And 20 days after New Years Eve, we'll usher out Mr. It's Hard Work and usher in Mr. Yes We Can. Whoopee!!!

And on the sunny side, it looks like Lou will be hosting guests for New Years, so we're looking for something to do. If I had my 'druthers, I'd just host a party at my house, complete with a gigantic bonfire in which I and all my loved ones could bring all their 2008 baggage and burn it in a cathartic orgy of renewal and release. Alas, my house has neither electricity nor a bathroom... So I'm looking for the next best thing.

I'll be sharing my New Years' Eve research with you in a special series. If you have ideas or information, please either email them to lou@loueyville.com or add them to the comments!

Bring on the hope, bring on the change, good riddance 2008!

Bonnaroo 2009 Dates (and passed over again)

Bonnaroo 2009 dates announced today: June 11-14. Although I am well on my way to feeling better these days, Lou can't help but be a little sad that she won't be classified as "handicapped" this year. That was some convenient stuff! The 'Roo people are offering a "5 payments of $50" deal through Dec 31; get it if you can plan that far ahead...

In other music news, Britney Spears announced her US tour dates today. No Loueyville. So sad.

Doesn't "Courier" Imply Some Kind of Speed or Reliability?

Pardon me for venting, but the Courier Journal website is really, truly, abominable (as is the CJ itself, but that's neither here nor there for this discussion). How is it that the CJ always manages to have the local sports scores and results updated with ambitious regularlity, but the headline news barely changes all day long???


Like, how is it that we know that WKU whupped UofL's buns in basketball a few hours ago, but we don't know that Senator Julie Denton's kid was killed in a car wreck this morning?? I'm not saying that that's news I NEED to have pronto. I'm not even saying that it's Big News, although my heart goes out to Senator Denton.


But how is it that I was able to find this out from the Page One blog and not on the website of the sole major news daily in town? I'm glad that Jake and Rick from Page One and the Ville Voice are filling a niche, but how sad is it that this niche is SO YAWNINGLY EMPTY! Shouldn't we have dozens of local news options on the interwebs? Isn't this the 21st Century?

Man, Mama is cranky tonight.

Again, priorities??? Sports scores or real news? And sincerest sympathies to Senator Denton and her family.

Buy Local First

*&^%&$%^&%$

I'm at Day's Coffee right now, and just before I sat down and read this news item from the Keep Louisville Weird folks, I did what I always do with my receipt: I chucked it.

The Louisville Independent Business Association is sponsoring a contest: save 10 receipts from any of its members between 11/7/08 and 1/5/09, bring said receipts either to the Louisville Science Center or to Wild ' Woolly, and you'll be entered into a drawing for a $1000 gift certificate good at any of the LIBA business. The first 50 entrants will receive a free tote bag.

Member list and details available here!

Shop on, Louisvillagers!

Good Folk Fest-- the more things change, the more they stay the same

There aren't many events in Loueyville that I attend every year, but the Good Folk Fest at the Mellwood Center has become one of them. I went last year and the year before; last year it was later, after Thanksgiving. For me, the calendar move was a good one; I wasn't blindly focused on buying Christmas presents for friends and fam, and that freed me up to buy a beautiful bluebird blue clay pendant (unfortunately from an artist whose name I didn't catch) for myself.

The musical headliner for this year's GFF was Daniel Johnston, the famously offbeat songwriter and artist. Kind of a big deal concert for such a low key venue, in my humble opinion. Johnston, a relatively iconic figure and subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston, is just back from a European tour and "headlined" the event at 2pm today. I made the mistake of getting lost (lost! I know! silly!) and didn't get there until 210p or so, and it was impossible to get close enough to hear more than just snippets here and there, but he seemed in good form and the crowd enjoyed the show.

I did stick around to see the one-man-band who followed Johnston, and although the accoustics were such that I couldn't understand a damned word he said, I seriously dug J. Marinelli. All by his little lonesome up there he was conjuring up the sound of my youth, bands like Dinosaur Jr and Pixies and Sonic Youth. Marinelli said he just moved to Lexington, KY, so we can expect to see more of him soon. I certainly hope so. Marinelli (pictured above) was one of four one-man-bands to perform at the Good Folk Fest this year.

As tradition seems to dictate, every time I go to the Good Folk Fest, I have to stop at the art supply store on the way out to feed my own inner folk artist. No more Hobby Lobby for me. Artist & Craftsman Supply seems to have better prices than the big boxy crafty stores. And they're much more convenient!

Good times.

BTW: I've stayed true to my word and stayed local (to downtown) with my eating and drinking since Melillo's closed, but you won't see me reviewing Bistro 301 or Blue Mountain Coffee any time soon, my friends. Mama's hanging up that hat for now.

And FYI, Melillo's is closing but the Bodega is not! That's marvelous news! And based on the flow of traffic in and out of there this morning (and the yummy breakfast smells coming from their kitchen), they're doing ok. The Bodega is a good Saturday breakfast alternative to the hour waits at Toast, perhaps?

Melillo's down

Mama needs to hang up her reviewing hat. She's got some bad juju.

This was never meant to be a restaurant review blog. And Lord knows, it was never meant to be a means of cursing small businesses! I just know that I joked about damnng Melillo's by reviewing them, and just two weeks later-- WHAMMO!-- the sixth restaurant on the Market St. corridor bites the dust.

RIP: Market on Market, Primo, Brownings, Park Place, Jenicca's (not dead yet! 11-29 is the last day), and Melillo's (I said, we're not dead yet! They'll be open weekends til the end of the year.)

There's a lot of mourning in the comments over at Consuming Louisville.

The Boyz

Every so often, Mama likes to check out what her brothers and sisters on the interwebs are doing, and today she stumbled across the Food Boyz, the restaurant review website created by a local optomotrist and a local podiatrist. Like Loueyville (for the most part), the Boyz (it annoys me to type that "z") acc-cen-tuate the positive in the city and post only positive reviews of the best the city has to offer.

It's a bit outdated (although who can blame them with the rate at which businesses are blipping out of existence) and still posts reviews of Lemongrass Cafe, Brownings, and Park Place-- all no longer with us, RIP. It also still lists "smoking" as an option in reviews and still answers that question with "yes" for many places (C'mon Boyz, it's been more than a year). But the reviews are very thorough and feature bios and recipes for many of the area's top chefs.

There's something very odd about this site. What first caught my eye was the fact that they cover four areas with the site: Cincy, Loueyville, Napa, and Martha's Vineyard. Huh? My family has a house in Oak Bluffs, and I try to get up there once a summer. Before you get all excited and say, "But, Lou, I thought you were from very humble beginnings! You have a rich uncle hidden away somewhere??" let it be known that it's an aunt and uncle, and they bought the house with chump change in the early 1970's before the Vineyard became all Clinton-y and Vinyard Vines-y and Black Dog-y (Black Doggy?).

Anyhoo, the site only features five MV restaurants (none of which I've ever been to) and no "alternatives" (cheap places that I probably would have been to) and further exploration of the site leads to a notice to "bring foodboyz.com to your city" by franchising. Francising? Does this means you pay the Boyz to start your own city's Foodboyz and then try to make scratch by selling ads? It's all a little loopy. Has the MV site been franchised out? The Napa site?

Again, the reviews are wicked thorough and the site itself is snazzy as heck. Definitely check it out.

Mama's being all judge-y here, but I just can't shake that "z"...

Coming Soon: Bardstown Road Aglow!

A tip of the hat to my "real" neighborhood-- mark your calendars for December 6th. Bardstown Road Aglow is always a good time, and it's a great way to support local businesses AND land unique holiday gifts for the friends and fam.

Check out my "note to self" in my entry about last year's Aglow: wear comfy shoes.

What's Left of Downtown? Piazza di Felice: Melillo's & the Bodega

I have to admit that I've got a bit of the sweaty palm action going on while writing this, after all, Jenicca's, subject of my first real "Best of Downtown" entry, announced they were closing just a week or so after I wrote the entry. What other downtown businesses can I doom? Instead of calling this the Best of Downtown, I think I should start calling it "What's Left of Downtown?" Loyal readers, you can just assume that if I blog it, it's one of the best.

I've only been there a total of four times or so, but the whole Melillo's complex located in Piazza di Felice on Market Street between Shelby and Campbell Streets is a charming little oasis of foodie goodies.

I first stumbled upon the Piazza when looking for the Phoenix Hill Farmers' Market on a Tuesday a little while ago. This market was over for the year as of the end of October; it was on Tuesdays from 300p-6:30pm and featured your standard veggies, a butcher, and some gourmet food from the Bodega. (I love that Uncle Mayor Jerry has a whole page on his website devoted to the locations, times, and dates for the metro area farmers' markets. You can find that here.) (Correction: according to the Bodega's website, the Phoenix Hill farmers' market continues through Thanksgiving)

The Bodega, the gourmet food market, sandwich shop, and cafe on premises, offers an awesome craft beer selection at grocery store prices. I was able to find Dixie Brewing Co's Blackened Voodoo beer for merely $7.99. The store offers just about everything you'd expect a small gourment food store to offer. The first time I went there it was after work, and I watched a woman plunk down nearly $60 for all the makings for a pasta dinner: bread, cheese, pasta, tony jarred sauce, beer. I couldn't help but think, "Maybe she should just go to Melillo's; it would cost around the same, and they do the dishes." A later visit was during lunch time, and the place was booming (yay for the downtown lunch crowd). I've yet to try either their breakfast or lunch menues, but they seem reasonably priced and the sandwiches and salads looked great. Bodega brews Java coffee and makes smoothies. They offer free wifi and have lovely outdoor seating. Bodega is open 7am-7pm M-F and 8a-4pm on Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Roommate and I hit Melillo's for the first time the night of September's Friday Trolley Hop (I'm bitter that I missed last night's Trolley Hop because I was stoned out of my gourd on painkillers; September's Hop was the best night I've had since I moved downtown). It was later than they were usually open, but it was a lovely night and they had live jazz on the patio. Roommate and I ordered two glasses of wine and a small antipasto. It's $10 for the small antipasto and $16 for the large-- but the small plate was heaped with stuff that made a great "while you're drinking" snack. That stop was a highlight of a great evening overall. A few weeks later, Big Mama Lou and I went for a proper dinner the night before Lou's last chemo (whoopeeee!!) and together we ordered way more food than we could possibly consume. I consider myself something of a mussels conniseur, and Melillo's mussels appetizer was as yummy as it comes. Unfortunately, Mama Lou insisted on ordering the same thing that I ordered, so I only got a sense of one dish, but it was certainly good (and unfortunately not listed on the menu on the website, and I forget what it was... penne, chicken [although I skipped the chicken], cream sauce, something...). The best thing about Melillo's is the cozy, homey vibe. And while Melillo's is too pricey to be a regular stop for this Lou, I'll definitely keep it in mind for nice nights out and for someplace to go for a glass of wine and an appetizer.

The last component of Piazza di Felice is Felice Vineyard, which I know bupkus about. I checked out the website and am no more enlightened. Urban vineyard. There are vines out front. The website cites wines from 2003 & 2004. The website also says that they're adding a second story for apartments. Event venue. Open Fridays? I'll have to check this out-- anyone have any information on Felice Vineyards?

Anyway, Piazza di Felice-- One of the best of what's left of downtown.

Jenicca's down

Today I received an email from the owners of Jenicca's that said that November was their last month. That makes it 5 restaurants within 5 blocks that have closed since we "moved" to downtown. Heartbreaking.

According to the Jenicca's folks, they wanted to "go out" before they went futher into debt, before they went out on a "bad note."

I'm heartbroken. And am wondering if NOW they will give me the recipe for the "secret sauce" behind their super yummy broccoli crunch.

Best of Downtown: Jenicca's

Among the most underappreciated (best that I can tell) spots in downtown-ish Louisville is the wine/beer bar and restaurant Jenicca's. Even before I "moved" downtown, we hit Jenicca's on a fairly regular basis, but now I'm making an even more concerted effort to get there as often as I can. Like so many downtown establishments, Jenicca's is struggling, and it's in everyone's best interest that this place thrives.

Whenever I walk into Jenicca's, I feel like I want to move in. Not only does Jenicca's design aesthetic match my own (although you'd never know it walking into my shotgun home-- I love the NYC loft-y, industrial schtick, but when you own a 102 year old home, you feel obligated to preserve the original design as much as you can-- at least I do), the music is great, the food-- though light-- is my kind of food, and the people behind the bar-- usually Jennifer or Rebecca, the owners-- are lovely and kind. Not to mention the fact that they have beautiful bathrooms and a great outdoor space.

Jenicca's is open from 11-3pm on Mondays, 11-10pm Tue-Wed, and 11-midnight Thu-Sun. They offer an extensive wine selection and lots of craft beers, including Schlafly's on tap. Their menu features mostly sandwiches and snacks, and everything I've had there is great. I'm especially partial to the BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, and Tomato) sandwich. At $5.95, it's an awesome deal. With any sandwich, you have a choice of broccoli salad (which is WONDERFUL) or chips and salsa.

Jenicca's hosts lots of live music on the weekends and other special events. Last Friday Trolley Hop the place was so packed it was nigh-impossible to get a beer. It made me so happy to see them so busy, I wasn't bothered a bit.

My only beef with Jenicca's is that they only offer regular coffee, actually it's hazelnut coffee which is one of my least favorite coffees. I can say with total certainty that if Jenicca's had cappucino-machine-made coffees or at least a regular coffee on tap that the restaurant would become my very regular on-the-way-home stop after work. I know that this is an unwelcome complaint for the Jenicca's owners. They've made conscious choices about what to offer-- and the conscious choice not to offer a better coffee selection is one that they're firm on. But still. With only Blue Mountain and DCE even remotely nearby, I can't help but think they'd do a killing on lattes and such with the local small business owners. I know if I worked in an office nearby, I'd sooner bring my own cappucino machine to work than go out and get a hazelnut coffee from Jenicca's any day.

Smaller beef: at least twice, we've tried to head there on a weekend afternoon and found them closed despite what their business hours said.

Jenicca's
636 E. Market StreetLouisville, KY 40202

Downtown Girl

I know it's been a long time. But the good news is that in four days, Lou will have her last chemo and hopefully shortly the worst of the whole "cancer thing," as I like to call it, will be over with. Thanks to all the loyal Loueyville readers (all two or three of them) for the good wishes!

Anyway, around a week after the Hurricane in Kentucky, ye olde insurance companye relocated Roommate and me to one of the better extended stay hotels downtown. On the downside, we've been here around three weeks now and I'm wicked homesick for the Highlands. On the upside, it's given us a chance to explore urban Louisville living.

I have to say, the experience has been mixed at best.

The worst news about urban Louisville living came this weekend when I swung by Browning's Brewery to pick up a growler of Bourbon Barrel Stout and found the place packed to the rafters... with people enjoying their LAST Browning's brew. Unbeknownst to anyone, from best that I can tell, Browning's was closing for good.

This just a week after Roommate and I had discovered the fantastic Happy Hour at Browning's upscale sister restaurant, Park Place. Half price drinks and appitizers made for a fantastic Friday evening. We'd certainly intended to spend more evenings there during our exile from our Humble Highlands Abode. Mama Dearest is headed to the Ville this weekend, and I was looking forward to taking her there and perhaps endulging in a Mama-funded full price tony meal.

The shuttering of these two fine restaurants comes hot on the heels of two more restaurant closures within two blocks: Primo and Market on Market. It certainly doesn't bode well for this neck of the woods-- the Slugger Field 'hood. Now, truly, there's no restaurants of note-- nothing Mama Dearest-friendly at least-- within a short walk of my new temporary home.

The same holds true for bars. Icebreakers-- never exactly a hotspot, except on weekends and not my crowd then, to begin with-- appears to have limited their hours to just weekends. Neither Roommate nor I have gotten thirsty enough to venture into the brightly lit Bank Shot billiards club. There's Connections, a gay club which is very straight friendly as long as you're gay friendly, but it's not the kind of place you'd pop in for a beer.

The best bet for a beer in the immediate neighborhood is the super-homey Derby City Espresso which has a fantastic espresso stout on tap for $4. Matt, the owner, is always good for a nice chat, and so far I've caught every presidential/vp debate on their big screen. The debate crowd is an Obama crowd; although they're a respectful, respectable bunch, I wouldn't venture attending on Wednesday if I were a McCainiac. The only drawback to DCE is its erratic hours, but cut Matt some slack; I don't know that he's ever NOT there.

Speaking of DCE, on Thursday (10/16) starting at 6pm they're hosting a fundraiser for Adam Tatum, the owner of Oak Street Pizza who was shot during a robbery a couple of weeks ago. That's some marvelous local karma.

Otherwise, we've got some slim pickings between the hipper parts of E. Market (home of Toast and Jennica's, et al. More on those later) and 1st Street. The music at Stevie Ray's has never been bad when I've been there, but the drinks are a little on the pricey side, and on most nights there is a cover. Blue Mountain Coffee House is nice, too. Like DCE, it's a great place to get a cup of (somewhat pricey) coffee during the day, but the drinks are also a bit higher than I would like to pay on just your average night of casual drinking.

I'm spoiled rotten. I know. In most cities a $5-$6 beer is not a luxury item.

But there are some absolutely charming parts about downtown life if you're willing to hoof it a bit. We're not talking Manhattan-style, long-distance hoofing. We're just talking a longer walk than this Highlander is used to (it's Fall, for goodness' sake... you can't ask for better hoofing weather). More on those to come.

Getting Drunky in Kentucky ... Safely

Pardon me from just patently stealing more Ville Voice headlines, but right now Lou is still dealing with treatment for breast cancer (ONE MORE CHEMO AFTER TODAY) and now the Hurricane in Kentucky that took out her kitchen and sole bathroom. It's a bit too much, you know?

Especially right now as I sit at Norton Suburban getting poison pumped into my body when I would much rather be at IF08. Very sad.


But remember when we won that sister city contest from Bushmill's Irish Whiskey? Some of that dough was meant to support safe drinking programs. Here's the latest from Rick at the Ville Voice:

If you’re having a big meal at Artemisia, and hang on for a drink, or two, or three, a city-backed program is interested in getting you home safely without risking a DUI.

Metro Government is teaming up with the Louisville Originals and CityScoot to provide a discount and encourage tipsy customers to call CityScoot. The company’s driver shows up in a collapsible two-wheeler, puts it in your trunk, and drives you home in your car.

The published rates for the service on the CityScoot website is $10 for the pick-up, then $2 per mile. The press release on the service says you can save 47 percent if you call from an Originals restaurant.

The city is pitching in $6,000, and the Originals $5,000, for the three-month trial. Only restaurants inside or near the Watterson Expressway are participating.

OHNA - NIMBY Hmmm...

You may have noticed Lou's silence on the whole Original Highlands Neighborhood Association vs. Wayside Christian Mission moving into Mercy Academy's old building on Broadway issue.

And Lou thinks she'll keep in that way. Her knee jerk reaction is to be horrified by the Not In My Backyard folks. Then again, she does live on the opposite end of the neighborhood, so technically Wayside would not be in her backyard. But I do think everyone has to admit that East Broadway isn't Bardstown Rd. It isn't Highland Avenue. It already has a plethora of social services and health services-- including those running up and down lower Barret. The Mercy building was already a school; that neighborhood would have already have had to learn to live with high pedestrian and car traffic, noise, and a bit of nuisance here and there (uh, kids can be a pain in the tuchas).

Again, I have not gone to meetings or responded to surveys because I just don't know the real ins and outs of it, and I've had bigger fish to fry this summer. That being said, Wayside needs to be somewhere. And the residents of Wayside would be very ill-served by being hidden away in some already impoverished, underresourced, depressing neighborhood (as would said neighborhood be ill-served by a Wayside move there).

I just re-watched the movie Dave last night-- I recommend it to anyone suffering election lethargy. It's a good pick me up. One of the central controversies in the movie is over a homeless shelter whose funding the Karl Rove-y character sneakily vetoed. And Dave fixes the problem by calling a budget meeting with his entire cabinet and saying (I paraphrase), "I need you guys to cut back on some of the pork. We're talking about homeless kids here. You can't say no to helping homeless kids."

And all the cronies start slashing their budgets to find the money to help keep the shelter open. A flurry of cuts of a million here and a million there to eventually add up to more than $650mil. It's this lovely warmhearted scene, where even the most stone-faced wonk bursts into smiles and applause.

Because what can you say when someone says that they want to help homeless kids? No? NIMBY? I don't know.

Original Highlands Art & Music Festival, Sept 13

I keep waiting for the Original Highlands Art and Music Festival to expand to two days. Each year, they secure a line-up of music that could easily be a bit diluted and spread out-- this year includes Peter Searcy, Love Jones, Leigh Ann Yost, John Gage, Brigid Kaelin, and the Louisville School of Rock Band.

And, hands down, the OHNA always chooses one of the nicest weekends of the year.

This year's festival is part of the Ryder's Cup Festival and includes an even larger number of artists and previous vendors.

Pet Peeve: as an "art" festival, can't they come up with a poster that doesn't look like an ad for happy hour at Phoenix Hill? This summer, I visited my aunt on Martha's Vineyard and admired her more than 30 posters from as many years of the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Fair, each one more charming than the next. I wouldn't spend $6 at Hobby Lobby for a cheapo frame for this poster.

Note too-- as I mentioned before (just weeks before I was diagnosed and suddenly became elligable for membership)-- some of the proceeds for the event will help support Gilda's Club.