roughdraftfarmstead 12/24/11 roughdraftfarmstead 12/24/11

BLUE CHRISTMAS.

Jesse and I have both been blessed with a multitude of talented friends....chefs, musicians, painters, writers, photographers, farmers. Last night we were able to see a few of them in action. We attended The Breeding's Second Annual Big Blue Christmas Show!

Jesse's best friend Willie and Willie's sister Erin make up The Breedings - a little bit country, a little bit rock-n-roll, but definitely unique and hard to describe (you should probably just check it out for yourselves!) I have fallen in LOVE with these folks, and their show was really wonderful. I was able to meet a lot of Jesse's friends, my family made it out despite the late night, and I finally feel like I am in the Christmas spirit! With all the craziness going on with our farm and the wedding planning, I cannot believe that it is CHRISTMAS EVE! All the holiday songs and festivities of last night truly helped. Erin and Willie are superbly talented, and I feel honored to call them new friends.

The band's first album was just released, but they also have a new Christmas song! If you like Santa Claus and UK basketball, this tune is for you. You can download it here, and all the proceeds will go to the Lexington Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It is a pay-as-you-wish site, so WHATEVER you can contribute will help in the fight against cancer! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

- Hannah.

roughdraftfarmstead 12/23/11 roughdraftfarmstead 12/23/11

LOUISVILLE IS FOR (FOOD) LOVERS.

Louisville is located just on the border of Kentucky and Indiana––unfortunately often referred to as Kentuckiana––in arguably one of the most fertile areas in all the country. Kentucky was long considered sacred land by native americans for how rich and verdant the landscape was, and when the distillers eventually settled the area in the 1700's they found the soil perfect for grain growing and the limestone water highly conducive to whiskey making. Now, several centuries later, no city quite embraces its locality and heritage quite like Louisville.Where the wine lists occasionally lack, the whiskey and beer lists more than make up for it. Also no one seems to be slacking on the food. Local food is becoming a near given amongst the menus, and in places like Harvest Restaurant, the walls are even graced by large portraits of the farmers. With the increasing number of talented bread makers, beer makers, cooks, bartenders and farmers in this city, Louisville has become a contender among the Portlands, Seattles, and Austins of the country. Needless to say, Hannah and I spent 24 hours there this week worthy enough to warrant a post.

We checked in at the Brown Hotel, one of the many historic hotels in Louisville's blossoming downtown, and met up with our photographer, Tim. For lunch we took a break from the pictures to stop in at Hillbilly Tea on 1st street. Conservatively and creatively designed in local art and primitives––it was not only comfortable but inviting. Hannah got a tea platter, a variety of bites inspired by high tea in England with a southern twist and I went with a wild mushroom sandwich. Tim ordered the pulled pork and we all slipped silently into reverence as we ate then came-to a few minutes later in deep praise of the food––all very fresh and thoughtfully prepared. Later on Tuesday evening, we stopped into the Beer Store on Market Street for a celebratory beverage. Everyone everywhere should be jealous that this store wasn't their idea. On top of having one of the greatest beer selections I've ever had the privilege of witnessing, you can drink a beer as you peruse, or sit out back and enjoy it at a table the other beer nerds. You will spend money there but you wont regret it. With fear of sounding too much like a travel magazine, if you fancy a more bar-like ambiance one can head over to their bar, Holy Grale, on Bardstown. They were recently voted among the best sliders in the U.S. by foodandwine.com. The Eiderdown restaurant and its sister bar, Nachbar, are similarly some of the other great beer experiences in the city. Chef Brian Morgan is doing amazing things with local food at The Eiderdown to match its geeky yet wonderful assortment of draft beers.

When I lived in Louisville over 8 years ago, I don't know if I even was aware that Market Street existed, but its now a destination. Galleries, nearby hotels, restaurants––Market Street is suddenly another neighborhood to rival the equally attractive Highlands, Germantown, Frankfort Avenue, and Old Louisville parts of the city. For dinner, we wanted to try somewhere special neither of us had been before so we made reservations at Market Street's recent addition, Harvest Restaurant. This is a place whose entire existence revolves around the farmer as a self-proclaimed but aptly titled "Farmer to Fork" restaurant. I had the smoked goat cheese lasagnette, and Hannah ordered the pretzel bread gnocchi and neither of us wanted to share. There was soul in the food, that ineffable quality that elevates a meal beyond a simple compilation of flavors. Great service, ambiance, food and cocktails––everything about the meal was special. We cannot recommend it enough.

The next morning, after coffee at Sunergos, we headed over to brunch at Blue Dog Bakery on Frankfort avenue for one last memorable dining experience before we departed. I've eaten here a number of times and it neither lets me down, nor fails to inspire another visit. The whole city is that way. This is a respectable list of recommendations for any city, but it barely scratches the surface of Louisville's prolific and booming artisinal food and beverage scene. I haven't even mentioned Proof on Main, the restaurant equivalent of a well-fitting suit. Or Vietnam Kitchen. Or Heine Brother's Coffee. Or any of the other things that make Louisville special, or in their words, keep Louisville weird. Lastly, these types of places also make Louisville a great honeymoon destination, you know, if you might ever need one.- Jesse.

roughdraftfarmstead 12/22/11 roughdraftfarmstead 12/22/11

HERE COMES THE...BASKETBALL.

It has been a pretty big week here––if I am allowed the occasional understatement––and Hannah and I have a lot of news to share! First, on Tuesday of this week the Kentucky Wildcats defeated handily the Samford Bulldogs 88-50. The reason this typically irrelevant pre-conference game is of note is not Doron Lamb's superb, 26 point performance...but that Hannah and I witnessed it first hand! Thanks to the never-ending generosity of her parents, we were blessed with a set of tickets directly behind the student section––my first game of the year and the closest I'll likely ever get to talking to Coach Cal in Rupp Arena. It was our last night out before our trip to Louisville Wednesday, and I guess you might even say it was the last night before the first day of the rest of our lives. But since far too much happened this week to cover in one entry and since it's our blog and we can draw things out for as long as we want, this is just going to be the first in a series of entries about our big day. So please bear with us and stay tuned this week for a lot of great updates leading up to a lot of great news!- Jesse.

roughdraftfarmstead 12/12/11 roughdraftfarmstead 12/12/11

BACK TO REALITY.

We're back! Jesse, my family and I had a wonderful, perfect trip to Chicago. There was much basketball, babies, and butter churns, as well as plenty of Intelligentsia, 30 Rock, and relaxing. Jesse and I had a somewhat stressful time this past week...so this weekend was much needed. That being said, we are happy to be home and ready to jump back into reality. And as for the stress, I am adopting a new motto I saw on a poster in the city yesterday: Everything is going to be alright. Maybe not today, but eventually. And this we know. We have our families, we have the support from so many of you, and everything will be alright.- Hannah.