Springtime in the garden of Cebah

732 Social

There's nary a thing I could or would add to the artistically written review by AE. Well, except for the photos of darling Sierra, handsome AE and our server's hip tattooed arm! Good show, Brian! And maybe I cannot resist adding one thing, the artichoke appetizer ordered by WFS was perfectly executed and oh, so, yummy. We did swelter...but after we ate, WFS and I lounged with other friends( lucky enough to get an outside table) in the cool night air wafting up Market Street on that very lovely night.

socially acceptable

It had been a while since we had broken bread with our dear friends and i could tell by talking to sarah that this was the restaurant to break that trend. the spark in her voice as she first described social 732 to myself a few weeks ago showed that she thought this restaurant could be DIFFERENT. this did turn out to be the case. social kind of attacks your senses as you walk in through the crowd that spills out onto the covered outdoor area. the ceilings are very tall and the depth of the inside dining area seems to be deceiving as we kept looking around the bends for more tables, they weren't there, though. there are about 8 - 10 tables inside, albeit some would seat 8. the tables were made of distressed wood, probably reclaimed like the walls in this "Green Building". the tables were also very close to one another, and the bar had a vibe of friendly communal dining - social dining. one does not go to social only to eat, it is also food for the social soul. the waiters were all of a "type". very hip, very smooth, very professional. a few of them used to work at proof, and that hip attitude is carried over. our drinks arrived scattered about in a 5 minute interlude. they were bought by 3 different servers and we chatted with all of them. the servers were very high on the throwback cocktails and the original ones as well. the champagne cocktail brought about images of Casablanca, and they looked delicious in their wide rimmed and up curved high stem glasses. the craft beer selection is one of the best in town, probably one of the successful attributes brought down from the Chicago dining scene.? the bleach colored hues of the walls are absent from distraction of your food and your socializing. one giant painting is of multi-colored vertical lines and faces east market with its "come-in and sit a spell" beckoning. the stools at the bar are very sturdy and comfortable, as are the dining chairs.

we were seated for about 8 minutes before being tended to, but we were happy to get a table so quickly and were enjoying catching up on old times. servers are more like part of the crowd, as opposed to being there to only work. they are more like hosts as they stroll by the tables, kind of chatting amongst the tables, maybe asking if you needed anything or maybe asking if you had been to any good art galleries lately. their style seems to compliment the motif of the eatery. when we were ready to get to the food, we ordered the cheese plate (2 cheeses for $10). i ordered a blue cheese and a semi-soft goat cheese. both paired excellently with the candied walnuts, honey, and finely diced apples. the bread could have been a bit more plentiful, but in retrospect i was glad i did not fill up on the great white loaf. the goat was as mild of a goat cheese as i had tasted, one of the diners even remarked that it could not be goat cheese. the other starter was the potatoes au gratin. served very hot in a ceramic dish, this dish set my taste buds to a frenzy. the texture of the grated dry cheese and the incredible moisture of the sliced potatoes were in wedded bliss. the flavors of the two also melded to a harmony that was played by a chef with some experience.

bypassing a wonderful array of interesting salads we were up for our entrees. the short ribs went across from me, served on a raised wooden platform. the sauce was nice and the meat was fall-off-the-bone, but the flavor did not get me talking. two diners ordered the mussels, and although they were very good, i would not give them an excellent rating. i believe they could have been a little fresher. not that they were not fresh, but the difference between 1 and 2 days can be noticed. one of the entrees was an order of the moroccan vegetables that was served atop a bed of couscous. i had the medallions of cow ($26, pictured at top). there were two plump filets mixed with asparaugus, tomatoes, onions, capers, and heavy grain black pepper. the entrees might need a little more seasoning to fine tune the flavors, but this restaurant seemed to have a staying quality in the proven hard to survive area east of town.

the biggest issue we had on our first balmy night of the year was the temperture inside the building. the door was open for a while, but it got closed about half way through. wasn't quite sure why this happened, and the heat of the very open kitchen seemed to win out. it had been a while since i sweated through dinner, but i would hope this would be efficiently remedied. great crowd, great atmosphere, great starters, if the entrees follow suit this place will hit the top, but for now ***1/2 welcome to Louisville social, lets get to know eachother.

AE

JACK FRY'S

Jack Fry's is always a good bet when you want to have a great dinner, be damned the cost.
What, I wondered, could you do there on a frugal night or when, as tonight, you aren't particularly hungry?
I slipped away from my drudgery today and had a late snack at Blue Dog.... I sat at Blue Dog in complete peace with Shannon and Michelle,reading my New York Times and sipping my coffee. Doesn't get much better than that~~

Back to Jack Fry's. WFS has a fixation with eating out some nights...tonight was one of those nights.
Pick the spot...I don't care, anywhere...no, pick the spot~you know the drill.
Finally, we both settled on Jack Fry's. We arrived early to a spattering of folks... we were warned the restaurant was booked come 7:30...we promised to make it out on time.

We were seated in our favorite booth. We wasted nary a breath nor a moment getting our orders in. We agreed on salad and soup.
WFS ordered the stilton and mixed greens, I, the roasted beets and arugula. Oh, they make lovely salads.
We both ordered the soup of the night.... white bean, chicken and a creamy broth... a fine variation on white chili..our large white bowls arrived steaming hot. So, so, good on a very chilly, drizzly night.
We relaxed, savoring our soups....
We had plenty of time for the cobbler and ice cream...indulge, indulge!
Our server was informed, polite and kept our glasses full, our bread fresh and our service prompt. What's not to like about that?

This review is about eating economically. Seems most of our high ticket restaurants are trying new methods to stay the course during this foul economy..Jack Fry's IS staying the course with it's tried and true and, if one wishes, one can find great food right on the menu at great prices. Jack Fry's was, as promised, booked to the hilt at 7:30.
Our bill came in at 51.94...fair enough to make me happy.

WANDERINGS, SPRING AND GREAT FOOD

SPRINGTIME HAS SENT ME INTO THE GREAT OUTDOORS AND AWAY FROM MY JOURNAL. THE PAST TWO WEEKS WERE FILLED WITH ADVENTURES AND FOOD AND THE UNFURLING BEAUTY OF THE THE SPRING EQUINOX.

OUR ROAD TRIP TO WASHINGTON AND PHILADELPHIA WAS MANY HOURS OF DRIVING BUT, HEY, WE LOVE THAT BEST.
ON OUR FIIRST DAY,WE DROVE NEAR ANTIETAM AS THE LAST VESTIGES OF LIGHT WERE DIMMING. WE HURRIEDLY SET UP CAMP AND BUILT A NICE FIRE FOR WARMING OURSELVES AND DINNER. WFS OPENED A BOTTLE OF WINE AND WE WERE SETTLING IN...PLOP, THEN ANOTHER PLOP, AND THEN, THE RAIN CAME DOWN IN TORRENTS. WE TOOK SHELTER IN THE DUCKIE EXPRESS AND READ OUR BOOKS, SIPPED SOME WINE AND FELL ASLEEP IN SWEET OBLIVION. HOW BAD CAN THAT BE?

THE MORNING BROUGHT A MISTY RAIN AND GREY SKIES AS WE FOLLOWED THE POTOMAC RIVER TO THE ANTIETAM BATTLE FIELD. IT SEEMED SUCH A SUITABLE DAY FOR SEEING SUCH A SOMBER PLACE. AFTER ALL, THIS SIGHT HOLDS THE BLOOD OF MANY YOUNG MEN SACRIFICED FOR A NOBLE CAUSE...IF ONE CAN BELIEVE KILLING AND HATRED CAN BE NOBLE.

WE TOOK THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED AND DRIFTED TOWARD FREDERICK, MARYLAND FOR LUNCH. WE FOUND A VERY HIP, SOPHISTICATED RESTAURANT AND I HAD A STRIPPED BASS, FINISHED IN A SWEET HOT MIXTURE , SERVED OVER CREAMY MASHED POTATOES THAT WILL LINGER IN MY MEMORY FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. WE HURRIED INTO DC FOR THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL AND OUR BLACK TIE BIRTHDAY PARTY...BIG FUN!
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WE GRABBED SOME COFFEE AND AND NY TIMES AND HEADED ON TO PHILLY. WE MADE A BRIEF DETOUR TO GET WFS A FIVE GUYS BURGER. I READ OBAMA EATS AT FIVE GUYS, SO.....DON'T GO OUT OF YOUR WAY, UNLESS YOU'RE ADDICTED TO ROAD FOOD...MOI, I DON'T EAT THE STUFF, EVEN FOR OBAMA

WE HAD AN EARLY DINNER IN PHILADELPHIA...WE WALKED OVER TWO MILES THROUGH CONSTITUTION SQUARE TO BUDDAKAN. STEVEN STARR HAS RESTAURANTS DOTTED ALL THROUGH THE CITY, THEY ARE DESTINATIONS AND VERY FLASHY...HOWEVER, I WILL SAY, THE TWO WE'VE VISITED HAVE PRODUCED EXCELLENT FOOD...WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THAT? WHEN WE EMERGED, A CHILL HAD FALLEN OVER THE CITY, COLIN AND AUDREY GRABBED A CAB BUT WFS, CHRISTOPHER AND I BRAVED THE ELEMENTS AND WALKED BACK THROUGH AN ALMOST ABANDONED CITY...PHILLY, THE NITTY, GRITTY CITY IS BEAUTIFUL AT NIGHT. THE VIEW YOU SEE IN THE PHOTO IS FROM C,C AND A'S THRID FLOOR DECK OF THEIR HOME IN CENTER CITY~~

MONDAY WE MADE A MAD DASH BACK ACROSS THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE, ARRIVING HOME SAFE AND SOUND. SARAH DOESN'T DO MARATHON DRIVES BUT WITH MY IPHONE AND SCRABBLE GAMES, I MADE IT..

WE'VE HAD A FEW NIGHTS OUT HERE IN OUR FAIR CITY...211 ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT HAS BECOME A FAVORITE WEEKLY EXPERIENCE FOR US..ALL WINES ARE HALF PRICE AND A 10% DISCOUNT IS AFFORDED THROUGH INTERNET RESERVATIONS...THIS MAKES DINNER AT ONE OF LOUISVILLE'S BEST FINE DINING SPOTS A BARGAIN.

I MUST MENTIONED OUR NEW, EXCITING AND VERY COOL DINING SPOT AND ```THE``` PLACE TO SEE AND BE SEEN, WILTSHIRE ON MARKET...WITH LOVELY FACES EVERYWHERE, DEAREST TARI, THE FAIREST OF ALL, IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF WILTSHIRE...MY OLD AND VERY DEAR FRIEND, JASON IS THERE, BRINGING HIS PERSONAL VIBE TO THE PLACE AND SUSAN(OWNER) IS HANDS ON AND VERY WELCOMING. WILTSHIRE WILL BE THE PLACE TO BE THIS SPRING AND SUMMER, I GUARANTEE!
SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BLOGGER UNPLUGS FOR A WHILE? YOU GET A DOUBLE DOSE~~~~~~

FROM THE ROAD

Our weekend in Washington, DC brought an unexpected surprise of the Cherry Blossom Festival...even though the city was veiled in a drizzly rain and grey skies, hordes of people were squashed around The Jefferson Memorial.
We drove on about 1/3 of a mile, where the crowds were spare. These photos are from Franklin Delano's area... we had plenty of room for a long walk in the rain.
The girl with the white umbrella was just standing there, waiting for my camera.

ROAD TRIP

It has been a long, cold, icy winter.
WFS and I have been stuck in the clutches of winter,
stoking our little stove and toiling away.
Time for a SPRING break.
We totally plan on camping somewhere in the mountains of western
Maryland tomorrow evening.
We'll see how brave these two aging souls really are~~~~~
I will keep my postings active as we venture to our nation's capitol and on
to Philly, where the bright shining eyes of our grandson
will make the rain go away!

Serafini

I have always enjoyed breaking the monotony of driving west along I-64 to partake in some gourmet dining, whether it be midway, Lexington, or most recently Frankfort. This city sat in a holding pattern of moderate to below average establishments for as long as i have been alive. there was always Jim's seafood and a few of the higher end chains, but if you wanted a special meal, you left town. well, this does not have to happen anymore. on monday night i ventured down across the railroad tracks, parked in front of the old capital and crossed the street to Serafini, a wonderful bistro with views of that elm tree where the governors were sworn in.


once inside we were immediately shown to our table on the left side of the restaurant. the decor of the prime location has changed, there is now a feel of modern whimsical art in place around the dining area. dogs, cats, and other metal animal sculptures are part of the theme. the plates have become more fun feeling as well. the 3 appetizers we ordered all came plated on bright spring colors and none matched. this is where the whimsy stops- the kitchen had tightened the straps and become much more serious about what they send out of the kitchen. don't get me wrong, the first three times i ate here i liked it. but on this visit i remarked that what was happening here was wonderful for the city of Frankfort, they no longer fill a need, they have become a reason to leave Louisville or Lexington for a really fine meal.


For starters, Jennifer had a house salad that was fresh and the tomatoes looked extremely good for this time of year. Bob had an ice blue salad (an iceburg wedge with blue cheese that seemed to be gorgeous if not a tad bit overpriced at $8). I had the calamari and as the garcon left it in front of me without sauce i almost asked what was up, but told myself i needed to try the dish before i said it needed something else. it did not. cabbage had been shredded and placed atop the fire-battered rings. the cabbage provided just enough cooling effect to the wonderful breading. the calamari was fresh from blue fin in louisville, flown in that morning.


For entrees we each went quite different ways, Bob had a cheeseburger that came with a heavily grilled bun and some hand-cut french fries that he was still raving about the next day- he says you gotta hand cut to get that flavor. The burger had two slices of cheese and was very plump. Jennifer had the lasagna. i had eaten the previous version before, but this one has trumped the last that was good, but not great. this lasagna rang out with flavor as it tickled my taste buds. the ricotta cheese was of very high quality, and the mixture of meat sauce, noodles, and cheese had a very balanced composition. i feel my dish was the best out of all of the tables'. it was an orzo alfredo with shrimp scampi and fried basil leaves. the shrimp were very large and plump, the alfredo perfectly creamy and complex. the pasta very fresh and lent perfect textural pairing to the shrimp. the only problem with this dish is that sierra loved it. i am very happy her palate is ahead of schedule, but i am withering away. she ate most of my shrimp and a lot of the pasta.



our server was very knowledgeable and was happy to be working. the atmosphere was lively, UK was playing Creighton and the bar was quite full. the dining room was also about 1/3 full, not bad for a Monday night. we always make a walk past the harley-davidson clan around the corner when arriving to feel that the capital city might be experiencing a little bit of a revitalization. and serafini is at the forefront of the dining movement. very good ***1/2

Roots, Shoes and Springtime

Last week I started out to work in the garden...I was sitting on a bench pondering shoes and spring and bare feet.
I could not for the life of me remember shoes from my childhood. What would I wear? My immediate answer(in my mind) was no shoes. Bare feet. Spring was ushered in by the arrival of barefoot flowers. Moma would tell us we could shuck our shoes when the barefoot flowers bloomed. The meadows would be adrift in soft, pinkish-blue coverlets of tiny barefoot flowers. The ground was still hard and cold when those blushing little beauties would peep out. It was truly the harbinger of spring. Flurries of activities would commence. We would start burning the tobacco and lettuce beds. We would clean out fencerows, throwing the overgrowth into the burning piles of everything accumulated over winter. A clash of wills would occur most every year between Moma and Uncle DH....He would have his ragged truck bed filled with old tires to throw on the fire...Moma hated the thoughts of burning rubber. It spoiled the lovely rite of spring that cleansed everything unsavory from her long, hard winter. Moma would usually prevail, until, sometime after she left to take us all to bed, then the tires would make the cut and the flames would send black, stinky, sooty smoke across the hills. I am sure this led to a fierce argument the next day, but, Moma never seemed to win in the long run.
As we cleared the fencerows, clogged full of young sassafras trees, Moma would dig a small bucket full of their roots. She would wash the dirt off, get her biggest pot and cover the roots with fresh spring water. She would poke the wood stove up a bit and set the roots to simmer for a few hours. Later, she would set down a small cup for the little kids and bigger cups for bigger kids and normal cups and saucers for she and Daddy. This was a required spring tonic and had to be choked down.... no matter what. The sassafras tea was the color of burnt sienna( my favorite color in the box) and when doused with a few illegal teaspoons of sugar, could be swallowed rather quickly. I never learned to love the taste of sassafras tea. However, many, many years later I asked Mom to boil a pot of sassafras tea. It was an unusually cold late spring day, so we bundled up and grabbed the grubbing hoe, heading toward the back lane, to find some suitable trees. Moma dug the correct amount of roots and we sprinted back to the warm kitchen. She made a pot of the tea and I dumped in the sugar, as I remembered, and to my surprise I absolutely loved the flavor. Moma said, you were so silly, I couldn't get a thing down your throat without you squalling. I suspect that is true. She didn't divulge what happened when I squalled, and for the sake of my reputation, I won't either.

This brings me to shoes. I emailed and asked Dan, what shoes did Moma wear?
I could see Daddy in his brogans, kept perfect with a rub of lard now and again. I could see him pulling on his galoshes, kept on the porch, to wear to the barn or fox hunting.
Moma? I couldn't find a thing on her feet. The thing I do know, she was never keen on going barefoot.
Dan sent back this reply:
She said,
"Just old shoes after they got old."
"I guess I had lace up shoes."
"Whatever was old and wasn't fit to wear anywhere else."

Our mother, ever resourceful, made do.
If there ever was a paean to our mother, a song for her life, this would be it.

Le Relais

Last saturday night i ventured out for an 8 o'clock dinner appointment at Le Relais. We tried a booked solid Jack Fry's to no avail and the classic french cuisine of Anthony Dike was our quick second choice. After a jaunt through the lobby to look at the cool retro-airline photos, we walked in the back door to a semi-bustling scene with smiles on the faces of the diners who were getting their fill of the great food being served. My father had entered slightly before us and we saw him smiling at the table to the right of the front door and went over to join him. sierra sat on the bench seat next to him and jennifer and i faced them in the bistro seats. i had read that they simplified their menu and had dropped their prices accordingly. i was apprehensive that the excellent fare might have been compromised and was anxious to view the new menu.

the list of starters seemed to be a very apt list to satisfy the franc in any one. the list was highlighted by a pork pate that was served with two baby sweet pickles, pickled red onions, and whole grain mustard, along with two crisp wafers. the velvet smooth pate was wrapped with uncooked bacon and the flavor of the pate nary needed any of the accoutrements to send my taste buds into the fourth dimension. This was as good as the best pates i have had in france, switzerland, or anywhere else for that matter. Dad settled into the crabcake appetizer that i had ordered on my previous trip here. i had a bite and although it was prepared perfectly, it did not re-kindle the dazzlement of my memory. this could have been because i was so enamored with my pate. Jennifer had a salad which had nice flavor, although there was not a large amount of creativity in the caesar, i presume the menu was following the m.o. of classic french. the salad was a solid choice. Sierra decided on the mussels after i hyped the "snails" all day. at 3 years old, i was excited she considered the escargots de bourgogne as long as she did, and she always eats what she orders, so i felt fate took a hand as she assured the waiter the mussels were best for her. best is a great word to describe this dish. the 15-20 shellfish were soaking in a white wine shallot sauce and topped with pommes frites. the sauce was so good i swear i would have drank it after she polished off the mussels if a straw had been provided. ok- maybe a little hyperbole there, but maybe not. the fries were 'garlicky' and were excellent for sopping up as much of that great jus as possible. the pissaladiere was a tough choice to pass up, but we had four superb starters nonetheless.

as we were finishing up our first plates, the second ones arrived. perhaps a few minutes of digestion would have been welcomed to savor the dishes, but the kitchen cannot see our progress, and our waiter was perfect in all other matters, so i will not hover on this slight miscue. jennifer and sierra split the salmon with hollondaise sauce. jennifer has become a big fan of salmon in the past year and this dish seemed to satisfy with a meaty excellence. the bed of lentils served as a nice texture enhancer to a fish that can come out dry even when cooked with great care. the portion was ample for the two of them. dad had the special steak covered in a bistro sauce that contained mushrooms and almost had the consistency of a gravy. the medium rare beef was very tender and had enough fat on it to enhance the flavor without being over-powering. i had the coquilles st. jacques which were four plump scallops that were of exteremely high quality. i was saddened to see two of the four had been seared for a minute too long on the one side. the chef knew to only sear one side, but must've been checking on another dish and let that one side stay in the pan too long. i sliced off the underside of the two "fried" scallops and went on enjoying the winter vegetables and mushrooms which provided a wonderful land mix to the fruit of the sea. even with the cooking mistake i was still thinking of this dish on the ride back to shelbyville.

For dessert Jennifer and sierra split the profiteroles. the ice cream was great, but the bourbon sauce seemed to be a bit over the top for my taste buds. i am pretty sure that the regular chocolate sauce was not meant to be improved on when greats like paul bocuse perfected this sweet treat. i had a creme brulee which was on par. i don't know what i was expecting, but the dish just seemed to coast by. i should have taken my father's wisdom to heart and ordered the cheese. 'if the available cheeses are served with care on a beautiful piece of petrified wood, go with the cheese, Ash' he should have said. there were two double cream cows milk versions that were very good, but the semi-hard english cheese and the blue from Australia were the ones that left me feeling like i made the wrong choice. sierra barely let anyone try any of the english cheese as she thought the stick cuts made for excellent swords, and then she ate them. this cheese selection showed an excellent nose as the textures and flavors were well thought out and varied.

well, my apprehensions were expelled after being reassured that Le Relais is at the upper echelon of Louisville dining, as it always has been. the service was top notch, even intuitive enough to inform us that Bobby J is performing on Thursday nights at Volare. He thought Sierra was too cool by ordering all of that "grown-up" food, and she ate that up as quickly as the mussels. the host is top notch and the decor holds a special place in my heart and always will. ambiance should never be overlooked when the experience is what keeps diners coming back, not the food, the service, or the decor seperately- one must mesh all of these into one. and Le Relais does just that. excellent **** (although not as strong of a 4 as last time)