Bookworm night!

Such a lovely night out on the town with the Louisville Junior League. Our monthly book club met tonight to discuss "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett at one of my very favorite Louisville restaurants- Seviche!

"The Help" is a wonderful novel that I feel every southern woman should read- it's warm, funny and completely charming!

Ahi Tuna- my favorite food group!

Seviche has been featured in Esquire, Southern Living, Food Arts, Bon Appetite, and Wine Spectator and was voted Best Restaurant in Louisville, numerous times. Chef Lamas has also been voted one of Louisville’s Best Chefs, and has won the Woodford Reserve Culinary Bourbon Recipe Challenge as well as the Louisville Iron Chef challenge. Most recently, Seviche was named one of the “ten great places for Latino flavor and flair” in the country and Chef Lamas was voted the 2010 James Beard Chef of the Southeast!

Stay Glossy,
Kentucky Blonde

I'm no Emily Post...

But, I’ve been thinking a lot about southern manners lately. A lot of people will try and tell you that chivalry is dead. Well, not in the south, my friend, and certainly not in Kentucky. These are the ones I’ve kept close to heart:

·         Don’t treat others the way you expect to be treated:  Treat them better than that.

·         When in doubt, write a thank you note.

·         “That’s a very interesting opinion.”

·         Every restaurant table should be its own island of conversation.

·         You cannot have two quality conversations at once; put away the cell phone.

·         That said, return phone calls (and invitations!) in a timely manner.

·         Medication should be taken in private; if necessary, excuse yourself to the restroom.

·         Welcome new-comers promptly– at the office, to the neighborhood, etc.

·         Always ask, never tell- “Will you please hand me the salt?” NOT “Please hand me the salt.”

·         When going to a dinner at someone’s home, be sure to bring something- even if it’s just cute cocktail napkins.

·         Be humble- when accepting praise or speaking of an accomplishment. Be sure to ask others about themselves, rather than talking about yourself.

·         Pull over to the side of the road when a funeral procession passes.

·         Nothing says, “I appreciate you” like a homemade baked good.

·         Ladies order first, exit the elevator first, go through the doorway first, and walk on the “inside” of the sidewalk.

·         The “half-rise” when a lady leaves or returns to the dinner table, never goes out of style.

·         When someone is ill, has a new baby, or moves homes, an offer to prepare and bring over a meal is always appropriate.

·         Following that, the food should be sent in disposable containers, so not to provide any dishes that need cleaning or returning.

Stay Glossy,

Kentucky Blonde

Thoroughbred Thursday: Table 310

As is pretty obvious by now, my Kentucky pride runs quite deep. So it’s not surprising that when Kentucky steals the spotlight (even in Lexington), I would want to spread the word. That is why today’s Thoroughbred Thursday is about a new up-and-coming restaurant called “Table 310”.

Table 310 opened this past fall, and is owned by a local gourmet wine and food shop called “Wine & Market”. This September Food & Wine magazine ranked  Wine & Market one of the “Top-5 U.S. Natural Wine Shops”. (Not too shabby for a wine shop in the heart of Bourbon country, huh?) I was lucky enough to stop in at Table 310 for drinks and dessert a couple of weeks ago.

I had stumbled across the twitter name of Table 310’s pastry chef when doing some “background research” (aka reading Urban Spoon). I decided to go out on a limb, and “tweet” at her for wine and dessert recommendations. She pointed us towards Nutella-infused Banana Cream pudding, Pineapple Upside-down cake with Lemongrass drizzle and THE most amazing reisling I’ve ever had (all pictured above).

Food & Wine magazine sure does know what they’re talking about (who knew?)!

Ahmic and her boyfriend, B.

Ahmic's friend, A, and I

 Beyond the food and wine, Table 310 has a great atmosphere- what I would describe as “French country” meets “industrial chic”, complete with a community table and chalkboard menus. Very trendy, and certainly a new hot spot; if you can, make a reservation ASAP!

Stay Glossy,

Kentucky Blonde

All dressed up in Love!

I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine's weekend! I know I sure did. It has certainly been a love-filled past few days for me, and I found myself marveling at just how lucky I am to be blessed with such amazing friends and family.

I started my weekend off by taking a brief trip down to Nashville to surprise Fry for her birthday. It couldn't have gone off more perfectly, and I am so fortuante to have such a wonderful girl as my oldest friend in the world. Happy 23rd, Fry!

Before I headed home to Louisville, I stopped by THE original Gigi's cupcakes store:

They had some delicious concoctions crafted up for Valentine's Day, so I decided on a Strawberry Champagne and Hunka Chunka Banana (chocolate covered banana) to bring to my dinner date that night:

And what better dinner dates could I ask for, other than Palomino and Julep? Any "Tri Family" dinner has two requirements: 1. Pretty baked goods and  2. Classic Kentucky fare.  We chose to spend our "romantic" evening at Old Stone Inn, in Shelbyville:



Does it get better OR more southern than Shrimp n' Grits?

  It was SO delicious, and we had the sweetest waitress in the world- she loaded us up with Dove candy hearts throughout the entire meal (but we still had room for Gigi's!). The best part of the meal, however, was the company. It's always a treat to have Pal in town, and such a gift to have friends who can center you like my Tri Family.

I had a lovely Sunday prepping for a Valentine's party on Monday night. You can never have too much pink, or too much sugar on Valentine's Day, right?

Valentine's cake balls and strawberry cupcakes!

 The party Monday was such a blast- a wine tasting, delicious food, silly gift exchanges and tons of girl talk!

Truly the best Valentine's on record!

Stay Glossy,
Kentucky Blonde

Thoroughbred Thursday: Moss Hill

This festive bath bar was just too-fitting not to be featured as this week's Kentucky charmer!

Moss Hill "I'm Yours" bath bar

Moss hill is a locally owned and operated bath and beauty company operating in a new shopping district called "Butchertown Market". Butchertown Market is an artisan market which plays home to a number of Kentucky-focussed boutqiues and restaurants.

I love shopping locally and supporting our artisan community. "All of Moss Hill's products are still made in small batches from their very own recipes and every item recieves individual attention throughout each step of the creation process."- MossHill.net (You're certainly not going to find that at national bath and body shops!)

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend!

Stay Glossy,
Kentucky Blonde

XOXO

Everyone knows the most exciting part about February is Valentine's Day...so, because February is just going to be a boring, dreary, and cold 14 days after next Monday- I figure I should milk Valentine's day for all it's worth...hence...this week we're having a Valentine's Day theme!

I'll admit I'm also just all-around excited about V-day and it's all I can manage to blog about. It's a *pink* holiday, this is only natural.

Valentine's Cake Balls for a secret event this weekend! (Details to come!)

Stay Glossy (xoxo),
Kentucky Blonde

Pretty in Pink

Can you tell what's on my mind today?

I swiped the VERY last box of Red Velvet cake from Kroger- making Valentine's cake balls!

Stay Glossy,

Kentucky Blonde

Thoroughbred Thursday: The Kentucky Colonel

As a birthday gift last year, Palomino nominated me as a Kentucky Colonel. Pal, Aqua and Julep are all Kentucky Colonels as well. Obviously, I have a lot of friends who love Kentucky as much as I do!

My certificate

"Established in 1813, many people think of the Kentucky Colonels as a group of people that enjoys the good life, has an enviable social calendar and, during Kentucky Derby week, consumes mint juleps as if they were iced tea.  Well, that’s us!  But, being a Kentucky Colonel is much more than having an impressive certificate to hang on the wall. The Governor's order creating the commission states that the commission carries with it a responsibility to be 'Kentucky's ambassador of good will and fellowship around the world'.

Kentucky has the richest of heritage and history. Each Kentucky Colonel has made a contribution to that vault of legacy through the deeds that earned his or her commission. Upon receiving the commission, the new Colonel is invited to become part of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. The challenge is to become even more active in working to better the lives of all. Colonels accept this challenge without hesitation." - kycolonels.org

Stay Glossy,

Kentucky Blonde

Kentucky at Kroger

Look what caught my eye when I popped into Kroger last night:

WHAT a cute idea! It's full of beautiful places and foods that are uniquely Kentucky- A+ in my book!

Stay Glossy,

Kentucky Blonde