Food Bender 2010 involved some quality time in a part of the country I don’t know very well–the southeastern midwest (or if you prefer, the northwestern South). In 2008, I went to the Woodworking in America Handtools Event in Berea, Kentucky, but other than my brief stay at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, that trip was primarily about woodworking, not about food.
This year, in addition to a few nights in Cincinnati (a way cool town, it turns out), three friends and I used the Old Ministry House (pictured above) as a base of operations for exploring the area’s culinary and cultural offerings. The bucolic setting and the sporadic mobile phone reception left me about as unplugged as I get–both mentally and electronically. And not since my last road trip, which now seems a handful of forevers ago–have I imbibed in such a distinctly American experience. And by “American” I don’t mean the “fusion-of-everything, rooted to nothing” way California expresses American, but rather the bourbon-making, horse-racing, black tobacco barn raising, salty country ham-eating American woven into the cultural tapestry of southern Ohio and northern and central Kentucky.
After the last few chaotic months of work and just around the corner from once again being father to a newborn, time away with quality people and quality food was just what the doctor ordered (and, to give credit where credit is due, it was also what the wife allowed–thanks, honey!). As was the case with Food Bender 2009, names are being withheld to protect the guilty.
Sunday, 18 April
Nada: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Chips, Salsa, Guacamole
- Nada Sliders (Angus beef, steamed onions, queso, jalapeño)
- Short rib Sopes w/ creme, cotija cheese and pickled onions
- Cazuela tasting (iron pot sampler): Tinga Poblana (chicken & chorizo, spicy tomato, poblano rice), Pork green chile (braised pork, roasted chiles, salsa verde, poblano rice), Lamb mole (braised lamb shoulder, ancho chile, peas, spaghetti squash)
- Yucatan chicken: allspice-chile rubbed bressed, charred green beans, carmelized cauliflower and grilled chayote squash with citrus-habenero salsa
- Carnitas tacos
- Crispy Pork Belly tacos
- Margueritas
Monday, 19 April
Delites: Maysville, Kentucky
- 2 very gray hot dogs. (Editorial note: After seeing the world’s largest hammer museum I was starving and needed to make an emergency food stop. Let me just say that the interior of this place reminded me of a 1970s diner but in someone’s basement. I think the hot dogs dated back to the 1970s as well.
- Diet Coke (a rarity in my diet–but in this case a necessary one, since we all know that beverage is the Clorox bleach of beverages.)
Tuesday, 20 April
Taste from Belgium: Findlay Market, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1 Belgian Waffle
Tuesday, 20 April
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill: Trustees Office Dining Room: Harrodsburg, Kentucky
- Johhny Cakes and Mushrooms: Silver dollar cornmeal cakes, topped with sautéed Sheltowee Farms mushrooms with shallots, white wine, butter, garlic and fresh herbs
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken: A fresh chicken breast, leg and thigh soaked in buttermilk and fried to perfection,served with sour cream mashed potatoes and crisp baby green beans
- Baked, Sugar-Cured Bluegrass Farms Country Ham
- Shaker Lemon Pie
Wednesday, 21 April
Keeneland: Lexington, Kentucky
- Kentucky Bergoo (for the record, it’s listed on the menu as KY Bergoo, which is just…wrong)
- 2 Beef Hot Dogs
- Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream
Thursday, 22 April
Kurtz Restaurant: Bardstown, Kentucky
- Johnnycakes
- Corn pudding
- Hot Brown
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Lemon Pie
Thursday, 22 April
Maker’s Mark Distillery: Loretta, Kentucky
- Tasting of Maker’s Mark Mint Julep
- Tasting of Maker’s Mark Bourbon
Thursday, 22 April
Jack Fry’s: Louisville, Kentucky
- Shrimp and grits: sautéed shrimp in a red eye gravy with shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, and country ham served over creamy grits
- Duck Confit: Local duck served on a buttermilk biscuit with Brandy demi-glaze and blueberry Bing cherry preserves with Crème fraîche
- Dates: Bacon wrapped Medjool dates stuffed with chorizo sausage and Capriole Farm goat cheese with a smoky tomato sauce
- Spicy Fried Oysters: Kentucky country ham, green onions and creamy grits
- Roasted Beed Salad: Kentucky arugula with pistachio and herb rolled Indiana goat cheese in a shallot citrus vinaigrette
- Veal tenderloin: with gremolata mashed potatoes and caramelized apples in a Calvados cream sauce
- Filet: grilled center cut beef filet with Parma Proscuitto, asparagus, sage beurre blanc and a crispy potato cake. Finished with Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Filet: Encore. ()Editorial note: No, really. Because it was that friggin’ good.)
- Lemon Raspberry Beignets: lemon curd with raspberry coulees, almond ice cream, and caramelized ginger
Friday, 23 April
Tucker’s: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Home Fries Deluxe: Deluxe Home Fries with Mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and fresh basil
- Goetta (Editorial note: uh, yum!)
Friday, 23 April
Honey: Northside, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Honey Fries: Sweet, Yukon, and Idaho with chili lime honey
- Creole Meatloaf with Tasso ham gravy, cracked Tellicherry mashed Yukon potatoes, and sautéed vegetables
- Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin with apple and house-cured bacon bread pudding, wilted greens, and Router’s apple compote
- Braised beef short ribs served over mashed Yukon potatoes, seasonal vegetable, and Amaretti cherry fortified braising jus reduction
- Banana walnut croissant bread pudding with homemade vanilla ice cream
Saturday, 24 April
Taste from Belgium: Findlay Market, Cincinnati, Ohio
Editorial note: Yeah, I went back. Because, uh, yum! Why aren’t these available everywhere?
- 1 Belgian Waffle
- 1 Belgian Waffle w/ strawberries & whipped cream
Notes
- Best meal: Jack Fry’s.
- Worst meal: the gray hot dog incident in Maysville. I have to admit I was somewhat conflicted about writing about that particular meal. In the end I did so not out of malice but out of some sick sense of pride. It takes an immense amount of courage (and intestinal fortitude) to wolf down two tubes of gray meat on some dry white buns.
- Best dish: my hands-down favorite is the crispy pork belly tacos at Nada. If I could, I would walk the earth with a bottomless bag of these, spreading porkgasmic goodwill, teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony, etc. These tacos would, without question, single-handedly resolve the conflict in the Middle East (if people in that region ate pork).
- Runner-ups: Shrimp & Grits or the Filet at Jack Fry’s
- Biggest surprise: Cincinnati. I’ll be back.
There are, of course, photos from Food Bender 2010 on Flickr.
I am sooooooooo hungry after reading this. Sometimes I just sit around and think about food that I miss from home.
One word: Dude. And I mean that in the most reverent sense, from the bottom of my … Stomach.
This only goes to show that I have continued living in frustration with Cincinnati while missing some of its charms. I will say, though, that Findlay Market is pretty nice; we prefer getting our meats there, and there is a little shop with nice home-made pasta. As for Nada, my wife and I walked in one time, saw the menu prices, and walked back out. Perhaps we should give it another go, though, judging from your review.
Also, missed you again, though I’m not sure why it occurs to me to say so. A consequence of having read Ether Farm for years, I suppose: it’s easy to confuse this simulacrum of acquaintance for the real thing.
Here’s hoping 2010 continues improving on 2009.
Cheers,
Daniel