The Taste of the Bluegrass

I debated all day on Friday whether or not I should go. Finally about 3:00 pm I made the decision. I would spend my evening at the Taste of the Bluegrass, a local food event to benefit God’s Pantry.

Side note: Does anyone else find it odd that we tend to support food banks by offering huge food events where we stuff ourselves? It always makes me think, but as you can see, doesn’t keep me away from the food.

My husband was worn out from a long week of conferences so I knew he wouldn’t have any interest in going, but then I found out that fellow food blogger, Melissa, wanted to go. We scheduled our date and spent the evening tasting food and drink from area restaurants.

I met Melissa a while back because she works in wellness with many of my former coworkers. When I returned from Brazil I found out she also has a great food blog so needless to say, we have a lot in common. A self-proclaimed granola girl, she cooks up great real food recipes over at My McDonald Meal.

This was my first time at the Taste of the Bluegrass and I quickly learned that it is much more of a social draw than a food event. People are there to eat, and drink, and drink, and drink, but I’m pretty sure we were the only ones with cameras. You should have seen some of the stares and perplexed looks we were getting. Fortunately, after 2.5 years in South America with very blonde hair and an accent that screamed US American, staring has very little effect on me. We elbowed up to all the tables and snapped away.

We were there for the local, seasonal flavors which we are fortunate to have an overabundance of here in central Kentucky. Not to mention plenty of great bourbon.

To say it was packed is a huge understatement. We moved along in lines to try food and found ourselves downing cups of wine and swallowing big bites to free up our hands for the next selection. This also resulted in little time to adjust my camera to changing lights so I apologize for some of the less than beautiful pictures.

So here you go. A taste of what we had to eat at this delicious event. I have to warn you though. I will likely say “best _____ I’ve had before” and “absolutely delicious” several times in this post. The food was outstanding!

We were greeted at the door with bourbon. Maker’s Mark to be exact. Many of the companies were offering their single barrel selection and most offered them only on the rocks, with water or with a local soda called Ale-8-One, a ginger ale. We passed on the Maker’s for the opportunity to try some other smaller distilleries and special selections.

Next, strangely, we hit the desserts. It all felt a bit backwards, but we took advantage of starting with some sweet stuff.

First, cupcakes from BabyCakes Cupcakes. I have yet to visit this place, but I am making it a priority now. The Kentucky Pride cupcake with mocha bourbon cake and mocha bourbon buttercream was fantastic. Not to mention that the owner is sweet as can be.

The Sugar Forest had some gorgeous wedding cakes and the Champagne Cake with Hazelnut Filling was darn near perfect as far as wedding cake goes. I consider myself a qualified judge since I grew up with a mother who owned a cake business.

Later we came to Tinker’s Cake Shop. Just look at that beautiful green fondant flower. They were giving away strawberry cake pops. You can see them there behind the cake. I usually shy away from these because so many recipes call for boxed cake mix and canned frosting, but these were incredible. I didn’t ask, but I suspect they were made from scratch. The fresh strawberry flavor was unmistakable.

Kentucky wineries were plentiful. We really have so many great wines from this area. I didn’t go overboard because for this event I was more interested in trying the bourbons, but I did have a very nice Riesling from Elk Creek Vineyards.

Speaking of drinks I got to introduce Melissa to Bluegrass Sundown, the closest thing to a true Irish coffee that I’ve had in the States. It is a concentrate made with coffee, bourbon and sugar. After it is mixed with water and heated, it is topped with cream. This is an example of one of those bad photos I mentioned above, but you get the idea.

Turf Catering served up one of my favorites from the evening – the Maryland Crabcake with Lemon Aioli. Words can’t describe how tender and flavorful this was. Likely one of the best crabcakes I’ve had, but I say that having yet to visit Maryland. The creativity award goes to their Seared Ahi Tuna on Edible Spoon with Wasabi Cream. Just look at it. So beautiful and delicious too! For dessert, the Key Lime Cheesecake Martini. Don’t you just want all of this for your next party?

We both practically cheered when we saw that Giuseppe’s Ristorante Italiano was offering gnocchi. Not just any gnocchi, but Lobster Gnocchi Gratin. Oh so creamy and rich!

The local co-op in town, Good Foods Marke & Café served up Israeli Couscous with Lamb Kofta and Tzatziki Sauce. I saw it from a distance and had to fight my way up to the table. Many of the ingredients such as the lamb and mint were local and this was another favorite of the night for me.

Oh, you’d like to hear about more drinks? Well here you go. We made our way to the Four Roses table to be greeted by a cute server in a costume of which the collar was a massive rose. She handed out these drinks, the ingredients of which I’m still not sure. Bourbon, grenadine and considering how easily they went down, very dangerous.

I have wanted to try Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon for a long time now so I was thrilled that I had the opportunity. Oh wow, was it great. Slightly sweet, on the rocks, I have to get a bottle for the summer.

We have a culinary school in Lexington that is a branch from a school in Louisville, Sullivan University. The students were at this event offering what was likely the freshest tasting of the night. Yes, the chefs were making the pasta fresh right before our eyes! There were several different varieties made with local ingredients. I had the spinach pesto which was delicious. Melissa said the tomato was even better. I finished it off with Zabaglione (an Italian custard) with fresh fruit.

More dessert you say? How about Derby Fudge from Lexington Fudge Company? Just so you know, anything “derby” is Kentucky code for bourbon, chocolate and pecans. I didn’t even know this company existed. Fantastic fudge and I can see those little tins being the gift of choice in the future.

Last year I reviewed a delicious cheese from Sapori D’Italia, a local company that makes fresh and aged goat cheese. Oh, this cheese is unreal, especially the Caciotta al Peperocino with a red pepper infusion. I also got to try their fresh Agri alle Erbe. It just melted in your mouth. I can’t wait to pick some up at the Farmer’s Market.

Finally, if you happen to find yourself in central Kentucky there is one restaurant that tops the list for many in the area – Holly Hill Inn. The owners have a very interesting story and have expanded to open other restaurants in the area. With its location in a historic home and fresh, local ingredients Holly Hill Inn is the place to go. (Bonus that the girl working the booth asked us if we were on Tastespotting! Yes! A fellow foodie).

The Woodford County (local) Mediterranean Meatballs with Walnut Raita were incredible. Same goes for the Asparagus with Toasted Hazelnut & Citrus Glaze. I’m not sure if this is regularly on the menu, but I know what I’m ordering on my next visit if it is.

Looking back at the event guide there were so many things I didn’t get to try. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of food quality and flavors at the event. However, the location was so disappointing. It was at the Keeneland barn which is on the grounds of the local race track. A beautiful location, but it was so congested. You could barely move or see many of the vendors.

It seems as though events like this always tend to be in these types of close quarters. I really hope they decide to expand and move it to a new location next year. I doubt I will attend again until they do. As I said, the food was amazing, but it wasn’t worth the trade off of not being able to fully enjoy it without being bumped from side to side by the crowd.

******************

And after all that?

On Saturday morning I ran a 10K. Yes, I know. Not exactly the best race prep and believe me, I felt it, but I didn’t want to pass up either event. This was actually the first time I have run a full 10K race. I ran my half before I successfully ran a 10K event (as in running the whole thing). I ended up with an 11:40 pace which I was very happy with considering my half marathon time. My goal is to run a 10:30 5K by the end of the summer.

As for the event, I think I have officially said good-bye to small community races. It’s strange because it used to be that those were the only type I wanted to support. Now, although I don’t consider myself a hardcore runner or a gadget fan, I find that larger, more organized races appeal to me and motivate me.

This race had about 100 people and we ran through neighborhoods. It wasn’t all that safe as the finish line was located right in front of the parking lot entrance for the wellness center hosting it. That meant cars were coming in and out and we were passed a lot on the course. We also had to run past the finish line at mile 4.5 and come back to it which messes with you a bit mentally.

I completely understand the hard work that goes into planning races, but I won’t be running this one again. Although, I’m still thankful that it was a 10K because those seem to be few and far between around here.

Disclaimer: While I would have gladly accepted a free ticket, I paid for my entrance to the event with my own money. I was not asked to review any products or companies and received no compensation for doing so. For what it is worth, I paid my own entry for the 10K too.