Breakfast: Best Western Continental Breakfast, Louisville, KY
Review – Oh, what a difference a day makes. We knew this was going to be a different experience than yesterday’s breakfast when, upon check-in, we were shown the industrial strength waffle makers on the breakfast bar. HOT waffles? They’re only my favorite.
Breakfast did not disappoint. Thoughtfully laid out next to the waffle makers were small cups of perfectly proportioned waffle batter, just tempting me to make waffle after waffle. We quickly fixed ours, side by side, as there were not one but two waffle irons. When the timer went off, we opened the wafflers to find two perfectly formed little golden disks. Then came the best part – the fixin’s. Alongside the waffles, there lay an endless buffet of toppings… butter (in a perfectly handy squirt pump contraption), syrup, cinnamon, powdered sugar (my personal favorite!), and best of all – mini chocolate chips in a fancy silver server. Luxurious! My waffle was treated to the butter, powdered sugar, and chocolate chips, and I set off to the table, complimentary USA Today in hand, a happy little camper.
There was still the matter of the taste test, however. Those of you who work with me know well my obsession with the Nature’s Table waffle, the finest waffle I have ever found in my many trials. It is not so much the toppings or the consistency but the actual flavor of the waffle there… perhaps a touch of vanilla in the batter makes for a perfect tasting plateful. Thus, there were high standards by which my Best Western waffle was to be judged. I am gleeful to report it did not disappoint. The inherent flavor was as close to Nature’s Table as I have ever had, and the toppings were perfect. The mini chocolate chips were SUCH the better choice than normal sized. They could easily get down in the wells, and best of all, they lined up like little soldiers in the divisions between each waffle section, making for a perfect little chocolate butter river flavoring nearly ever other bite.
Believe it or not, I also sampled the biscuits and sausage gravy (only half a biscuit!) because I was so in shock at the not-sucky offerings of this breakfast. It was delicious as well, but my hands down favorite continental breakfast of all time now goes to the amazing waffle. Such a small thing, but it really got my day off to a blissful start.
Lunch: Kentucky Derby Cafe, Louisville, KY
Review – For lunch today, we went for the convenience factor and chose the Kentucky Derby Cafe after our tour of the Museum and Churchill Downs. The menu was fairly small and we chose a reuben (Patrick) and chicken tacos (me). The best part about the meal was the service, which was replete with the Southern charm we have since come to recognize as standard in “these parts.” The food was good… not great, not bad, but just good. The chicken tacos were made of flavored shredded chicken, which was a nice departure from the typical chicken chunks most restaurants serve. The fixin’s (and we all know how I am about my fixin’s — see: waffle) were scanty… lettuce, salsa, and sour cream. The tacos arrived by themselves on the plate with no real sides, and I was done eating in about 90 seconds. Patrick also described the reuben as “good,” but has so grown to love a reuben back home at The Sand Trap that it would have been hard to get a rave from him. After the Loveless and breakfast, it would have been hard to get a rave out of me, too! It was what we wanted though – a quick lunch that was not out of our way.
Dinner: The Friendly Tavern, Zionsville, IN
Review – The town of Zionsville was a pleasant departure off the straight, flat stretch of road I have come to know as Indiana. After perusing The Gift Horse, my new favorite gift shop, I had worked up a healthy appetite from all my spending and was ready for a taste of the local flavor. Patrick and I pulled a Rachael Ray and asked the saleslady in the store where we might find a good place to eat dressed in our road clothes. She recommended The Friendly Tavern, saying it was a favorite place of theirs to go after a long day of retail sales.
We were greeted right away when we walked in the door and told to choose a table that looked good to us. We chose one by the window, so that we could observe life in this small town. As it turns out, life pretty much shuts down after 5 PM, but it was still a pretty view of the brick paved Main Street. The menu was extensive, offering everything from wraps and salads to steaks. We both chose the petite filet, which came with one side and a choice of soup or salad. The sides were some standards – baked potato, mashed potato – and some creative – buffalo chips and eggplant parmesan. I excitedly chose the eggplant, as I have never been to a restaurant serving eggplant as a side rather than a main dish. The soup du jour was clam chowder, which was served very quickly, with a large basket full of every type of cracker/flatbread packet you could imagine – oyster crackers, melba toast (which I tasted out of curiosity – blech!), club crackers (wheat and white), and saltines Impressive cracker basket, to say the least. The clam chowder was very thick and flavorful and quite impressive for the middle of America. One never knows what to expect when ordering New England clam chowder in a place that neither resembles New nor England.
The steaks arrived shortly after our soups were cleared. Perfectly cooked to our liking, the steaks were simple but quite delicious. They were very tender and melty to the taste. Love those good corn fed mid-western cows! The eggplant parmesan side was a perfectly sized portion and was among the best I have ever had. It was perfectly balanced between the eggplant, sauce, breading, and a little cheese. A few sneaks of Patrick’s buffalo chip (seasoned disks of potatoes) were very good as well – crispy outsides with a perfect thickness of potato-y interior.
If ever you find yourself off the beaten path in Zionsville, Indiana, it is well worth the drive through the corn fields (ignore the stares of the farmers) to get to The Friendly Tavern. I do not know if our travels will ever take us back to this little town, but if they do, we will definitely make a return visit to this charming pub.