St.James Square Art Festival

Hey guys, I wanted to say you should all definitely check out the St. James Art Festival. The last day is tomorrow from 10-5. It is a great event to get away from everything, especially the memo writing, and see or buy some really cool art from all across the country. There is food, beer, and a lot, and I mean a lot, of tents dedicated to different types of art and artists. I wish I could have stayed longer, but law school happens. http://www.stjamescourtartshow.com/

Sweet Treats and Late Night Eats

Hey guys, so I am sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have a memo due, well Monday, and I have been outlining and all that good stuff. Speaking of lack of time, because of the time crunch I have been under, the only way that I have been able to get my food fill in is late night eating. I do not suggest this for those carb watchers out there, but me and my girlfriend have been eating late and when I say late, I mean like one in the morning. To satisfy our late night cravings, we recently went to this pizza joint called Papalinos. This place has great food and is open Friday and Saturday until 5 a.m. The other nice thing is that Papalinos allows you to buy pizza by the slice. Their pizza was excellent and we also got a calzone thinking it was going to be something you can eat in one sitting. Well, we were wrong, the calzone is the size of basically a pizza tray. Now, the calzone did take a little while to cook, but I did not mind because it was huge, I was hungry, and it was only $10. I really like this place, so if you ever find your stomach speaking to you around midnight, like mine does all the time, or you are preparing for the hangover the next day and want to take the edge off, check out Papalinos. (p.s. I went to the new one near the campus next to the new Qdoba, Cardinal Blvd. between 3rd and 4th street--Cardinal Towne) http://papalinospizza.com/Home.html
I also wanted to talk about some awesome dessert places I have found. I am not a big dessert guy, I definitely prefer salty over sweet, but with that said I do enjoy good ice cream. I found out that the best of Louisville award winner for the best ice cream place is Comfey Cow. Again, this place is in the same strip as Papolinos between third and fourth street--Cardinal Towne. http://thecomfycow.com/ The atmosphere is really laid back with outdoor seating, wooden booths, and hand drawn flavors. They offer a vast amount of flavors they always have and flavors of the month. I got one of the flavors of the month, red velvet cake, and it tasted just like a red velvet cake, choclatey with a hint of cherry at the end. My girlfriend got the salted caramel ice cream which is one of their big sellers. To both of us, it tasted like the center of the soft caramel candies, so, in other words, it was delicious. When my dad visited, I took him to The Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen. I want to say that I love food and I think its pretty obvious, but this Caramel Dutch Apple Pie was the BEST pie I have ever eaten. I ate it in the time it took commercials to pass between shows. I have actually been back since. There are a lot of locations, but I have been to the one on 1041 Bardstown Rd. and 12613 Taylorsville Rd. near Simply Thai. http://www.piekitchen.com/index.html

A Taste of Where I Came From

There is this place back in my hometown of Alton, IL (about 35 minutes outside of St. Louis) that makes the best pastrami sandwhich made fresh to order with a New York stlye deli feel and what makes it even better is that it is a block away from my house. Ever since I have moved to Louisville, I have been searching for a new place to satisfy my sandwhich needs (I could eat a sandwhich for every meal every day and, in fact, I do most days). The Best of Louisville Award pointed me toward Stephens & Stephens Deli (1114 Bardstown Rd.) as the best deli in Louisville and right when I walked into the deli, I was reminded of home. Stephens & Stephens deli is a hidden gem because it is actually located in the back of another restaurant. If you know where Highland Coffee is and Blockbuster there on Bardstown Rd. walk a block going towards downtown and you will come to a sign that shows both Stephens and Stephens Deli and the name of the other restaurant, walk in and go straight back. The menu is way more extensive then my hometown deli and there are many sides that are not offered at home. The atmosphere is much like a New York style deli and the decor is pictures of many famous people, which the sandwhiches are named after. I got the Mark's Special (hot pastrami and corned beef on rye with dijon and a choice of 2 sides) and my girlfriend got the yellow submarine (an Italian sub of ham, turkey, pastrami, pepperoni, salami, melted provolone on French bread with lettuce, tomato, and Italian dressing) and both were excellent. I got potato salad and pasta salad, which both had various kinds of each, and me and my girlfriend got two soda for a total of $18, which was a small price to pay for how much food we got. So go check it out if you can and tell me about your experience!
http://www.stevensandstevensdeli.com/

World Fest 2011

I went to World Fest last night and I had a great time. There are boths all along main straight in the park that is right on the river (drive down 5th St. until you get to Main St. and you cannot miss it) ranging from different ethnic foods (there are still booths of carnival food), ethnic jewelry and clothing, and different beers. The most suprising thing for me were the bands that played on three different stages (the main one is on your left when you enter under the banner on 5th. St. and Main St. and there is one on your right entering under the banner and one straight ahead right on the river). I heard a lot of Cuban music and the last band of the night was a band from Chicago (Funkadasi) that was a mix of cultures, such as Indian, Jamaican, and some African influences and they played many other types of music (at one part even transitioning into "Sweet Home Alabama"). The food included different ethnic foods, such as Cuban, Jamaican, Greek, Italian, Mexican, and Ethiopian. One tip that I would give to you is go early because parking is hard to come by and walk around the whole festival until you chose what type of food you want because there are food boths on the right hand side and on the left hand side and I made the mistake of thinking that the food booths were in one location until I wandered over to the other side of the festival and discovered others after I had already eaten, of course. There are only a couple of beer booths that offer the same beers, which was kind of a disappointment, but the hoegaarden and the leffe were great beers and there is a Jameson Irish Whisky booth as well. All in all, I wish I could have spent all day there and tried everything, but now I have something to look forward to next year. Side Note: the World Fest is going on today, so go check it out and there are various booths that offer desserts, like gellato and Italian ice, to satisfy your sweet tooth if you are not into the main ethnic dishes.

City of Louisville, Kentucky, http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroParks/specialevents/WorldFest/ (2003-2011).

5 Best Places I Have Eaten My Short Time In Louisville

1. Ramsi's Cafe on the World (1293 Bardstown Rd. http://www.ramsiscafe.com/)-- I like this place so much that I have eaten here twice and I have only live here for four weeks. The first time I went, I got the Panini Caprese (chickent, fire roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, basial aioli with basil potatoes and red peppers) and it was so good. I love the laid back atmosphere and the drinks were cheap. The second time I went, I got the smoked pita (smoke beef tenderloin, artichoke hearts, red onions, portebello mushrooms in a pita with salted, fried potatoes, which was also very good. Now, this place gets pretty busy during dinner time, so I suggest go early or late (they stay open until 2 a.m. some days) and I have also heard that their brunch is awesome as well.
2. New Albanian Brewing Co. (64 west to 265 east, take grant line, turn  right off exit and then left at second light, 415 Bank St. New Albany, IN http://www.newalbanian.com/nabcsite2008/gl_at_a_glance.html) Let me give you a secret that a law school friend gave to me, do not sleep on the places across the river and the New Albanian Brewing Co. is evidence of this. We tend to get so caught up in the vast amount of restaurants in Louisville, itself, that we forget the whole other world across the river. The New Albanian Brewing Co. brews around 6 or 7 of their own beers, as well as providing various other beers from micro-breweries around this area and elsewhere. What's even better... they do not offer large brews like Bud Light and Miller Lite. Now do not get me wrong, I like a good, cold Bud Light sometimes, but it's nice to try something that is only offered around here and that you will not  find anywhere else (support local!). Also, the pizza was delicious here and I know local Louisvillians love their Wicks, but I have been to both and trust me, unless Wicks had a bad day I was there, this pizza blows it away in my opinion. Side Note: it was very busy the friday I went and I have been told that every friday and saturday are the same and it is kind of small, so expect a wait if you go on either of those days, but trust me, it's worth the wait.  Get the Juniper draft, it's awesome.
3. Simply Thai (323 Wallace Ave. http://www.allmenus.com/ky/louisville-east/38956-simply-thai/menu/) This place is sooo good. I love Thai food and I think you will agree that their Thai is fantastic if you like Thai and even if you don't, they will convert you. I got their Pad Kee Mow with chicken and my girlfriend got their PadThai with chicken and both were great. They allow you to choose your spice level, which is a nice feature for those who do not like their food too spicy. We ordered to go, but the restaurant seemed like a really unique atmosphere. There is a break between service meaning service ends at 3 and begins again at 5, I believe, so try to get there within the time periods they are serving, but definitely worth going.
4. Home Run Burgers (between third st. and 4th st. right by the campus newest location http://www.homerunburger.com/) I just went there today and I knew that they had been voted #1 burger in Louisville and now I see why. They have a double pattied burger (called a Big Leaguer) that was pefectly cooked and so juicy with a large array of toppings that you can choose to put on it. The price was good (a combo was like $9) and the atmosphere is sporty and laid back. I definietly recommend it as a place to grab a quick bite and then walk down the road to the Comfy Cow (which I have not been to, but heard great things about).
5. El Mundo ( 2345 Frankfort Ave. http://www.502elmundo.com/) This place is kind of a double edged sword because the food was great, the atmosphere was cool, but really cramped and there is no ice machines, the margaritas were delicious, but the prices were kind of high for what you get. Now, do not get me wrong, everything was great and it is worth going to, but it was busy and hard to get a seat if you got one at all and just a warning, do not sit at the table in front of the kitchen, it think I got bumped by the busser like five times.

Honorable Mentions: Cafe Mimosa (delicious food, cool patio in the back), Wicks (pizza was okay, atmosphere was laid back and cool, I want to give this place another try because I have heard a lot of great things about it, but I am from St. Louis and we take out pizza seriously) Ri Ra's ( I like pubs, and the patio was nice, but I try to stay away from 4th st. live because the prices are at the upper end and the food was good, but not knock your socks off)

Discovering Louisville

Being a law student, I have desperately sought ways in which to distract myself (aka stay sane) from the hours upon hours of studying and never intending to hear the word "intent" again. I have tried working out, Crash Bandicoot (which I highly recommend), and even reading something other than law material, but what I found best to distract me is going out and discovering Louisville, especially the local restaurants. I don't know if you know, but Louisville has so many unique and delicious restaurants anywhere from Nigerian food to Thai Food to Argentinian food. I also don't know if you know, but there is a best of Louisville award given to not only the best restaurants in their respective category, but also the best bookstore and various other categories. Now I know what your thinking, the other activities that are potentially distracting only take a minimal amount of time whereas going out to eat could take up to two hours of my precious time and my response to you is it will be alright. Two hours is a small price to pay for a full stomach and keeping sane, plus I am by no means telling you to give up those other things. Now, you might rebuttal with the cost of going out to eat argument and I will say that obviously do this distraction in moderation. This blog is merely a suggestion for places to go and things to do when you have time. I chose to pick a restaurant to go to once every other week because its something I look forward to and it seems like more and more that cannot be said in law school. I am also doing this blog in order to help those from out of town, like myself, find places to go with their significant other or family who may come into town. With that said, I am going to the New Albanian Brewing Co. tonight and to the World Fest tomorrow and I will update everyone on how these both are. Also, for those who do not know what they are going to do this weekend to get away from the outlining and studying, the World Fest is going on tonight, tommorrow, and Sunday (I do not know the exact time, but here is the link http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroParks/specialevents/WorldFest/), so come check it out.