Page 12 of 134
Maker’s Mark Distillery. Arguably the best distillery we visited. This is what we expected when we visited Louisville and Kentucky - Americana at its best. They had Christmas decorations and lots of h
The most modern and Napa-like experience of a distillery - Bardstown Bourbon Company. Really nice distillery and tour. The bourbon was also really good, too. In one of the warehouses where they store the bourbon, called a Rickhouse, they have a cool showcase bar lounge. The owner and founder was in tech and had a company that merged with Earthink! . . . . . .
Castle & Key distillery. Really nice distillery at a picturesque location by a hill and stream. The Castle is the Old Taylor Distillery Company and the key is where the natural spring. The Key, is covered, and in the shape of a key. There's a cool sunken garden in the back. Unfortunately, we didn't go on a tour. Though I did purchase a bottle of their seasonal gin, that is only offered in Louisville. . . . . . . . .castleandkey
Woodford Reserve Bourbon Distillery. Picturesque off a hill. The famed copper kettle distillery. Amazing place. . . . . .
First Distillery tour - Buffalo Trace. Amazing distillery with one of the hottest tours in Louisville. Buffalo Trace, Wellers, Pappy’s, Fireball, Blantons, and other bourbons are made here. Got to see where they bottle single barrel bourbon. Luckily, we got a chance to purchase a Blantons. It was here, where I learned the most about bourbon distilling. I recommend trying to get a tour appointment here first, when coming to Louisville. Reserve early!! . . . . . . .
Went to the Louisville Slugger Museum. Amazing place of history and fascinating production of baseball bats. Saw Babe Ruth’s bat and a bunch of others. Unfortunately we missed our appointment, but luckily the nice ticket girls got us in a few days later. One of the highlights of this trip. Absolutely memorable and would fully recommend! . . . .
Happy Mooncake eating festival day. 中秋節Also known as Mid Autumn Festival. Mooncakes are big and heavy to eat. Usually I can only eat a small portion of one, this year about 1/4. Today we decided to have pan fried dumplings - Sheng Jian Bao 生煎包 I call these the big brother to the more famous steak pork dumplings Xiao long bao XLB 小籠包. The Sheng Jian Bao are much larger, juicier, and have a thicker skin. When I lived in Shanghai there was a Sheng Jian Bao stall a few minutes away. Used to grab a few of these for breakfast on the weekends. In Shanghai, there was a famous chain called Little Yangs that featured Sheng Jian Baos, and they were really good. There are a few places in LA that have sheng Jian Bao, but I believe the best ones are from Kang Kang in temple city. If you have never tried it, I strongly recommend it. . . . .
Vegetarian meal at Vege Paradise.
Breakfast from Pine & Crane. Taiwanese breakfast is one of my favorite meals. Similar to a western breakfast, it features hearty foods with eggs, rice, and fried pastries. Had the Chive and egg pocket. I don’t remember seeing this in Taiwan as a breakfast item. But I know it is popular in China, too. The thousand layer pancake with egg and chili sauce was surprisingly good. I expected a pan fried and thinner pancake with the egg, called a Dan Bing 蛋餅. I would assume they pre-make the thousand layer pancake, and the Dan bing requires fresh made pancakes. I believe this leans more toward a China version as well. Regardless, I did like it pre-sauced, even though it wasn’t what I expected. And lastly, my favorite Fan Tuan, basically a Taiwanese rice ball. This was the most Taiwanese item visually, taste, and texture. It had the pork floss, preserved veggies, and egg. But the egg, which they included, was a hard-boiled soy egg. I asked for a fried egg, like how it is done in Taiwan. But they said no substitutions. I remember when I was living in Taipei and almost every morning I’d get one of these fan tuans 飯糰 with a fried egg. Anyways. Would I return? Yes. I want to try the other things. Would I recommend this place? Maybe for a few select items. . . . . . .
Taiwanese lunch at Pine & Crane in DTLA. Beef noodle soup 台灣牛肉麵, Dan Dan noodles 擔擔麵, pork belly buns gua割包, and some sticky rice, seaweed and peanuts. I think Pine and Crane has a pretty good grasp of traditional and quite authentic Taiwanese food. Though I thought the beef noodle soup’s soup, could have been a little more hearty. But that’s more of personal preference. . . . . . . .
And lastly, had the dumplings. Too bad they were out of the chicken dumplings by 11am. I bet they didn’t even have that day. The pork was good. The beef was unmemorable. The veggie was ok. Their cooking style is quite traditional. Except I would have liked a more crispy skin. I think the unique fillings and wrapper colors were the big draw. I’d order again, just to try the chicken. . . . . . .
Lunch. Yes I know this is a dessert. It is one of my favorite Taiwanese desserts. Shaved ice with soft boiled peanuts with sweet condensed milk. Made the peanuts from a package from ranch 99 and then pressure cooked it. It was yummy!! . . . . .