In 1926, Fred K. Schmidt, the chef at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, first topped a layer of Texas toast with meaty slabs of turkey, freshly-sliced tomatoes, and crispy bacon, then drenched it in creamy Mornay sauce and broiled it. On that day, the inimitable Hot Brown was born, launching Louisville’s reputation as a foodie mecca. Yes, Louisville is a place where millions flock every year on their bourbon pilgrimages, but even teetotalers will be swept up by the gustatory bounty of neighborhoods like trendy NuLu and the affability of the locals.
Today, you can still grab a Hot Brown at The Brown Hotel. At lunchtime, get it at the charming J. Graham’s Café or head upstairs to the elegantly expansive Lobby Bar & Grill. There, you can dine in a room that wears the restaurant’s 100-year history on its sleeve in the best possible way. The Hot Brown is a must, but so is Derby Pie, filled with hot, melting chocolate chips, crunchy walnuts, and crowned with ice cream. It’s been a classic since 1968.
The appeal isn’t all edible, either. Louisville is known as “The Gateway to the South” thanks to its location between Midwestern cities like Cincinnati, Ohio, and Southern ones like Clarksville, Tennessee. Famous for its friendliness, Louisville’s energy is not unlike the pleasant vibes of the nearby artsy town of Berea. In fact, Louisville has been noted on a national level as one of the friendliest cities in America.
Farm-to-table dining in Louisville
Why not skip a boozy distillery tour in favor of something more savory? Bourbon Barrel Foods in Louisville was the first factory to ever microbrew soy sauce outside of Japan. At his 30,000 square-foot factory in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood, Matt Jamie ages his wares in bourbon barrels. A tour of the factory ends in a tasting of everything from the delicate, chef-beloved Imperial Double-Fermented Soy Sauce to bourbon-barrel-smoked spices such as chile and curry powders…