Keeli's Culinary Tour: October 2015

Dang blurry camera....this is at the wonderful Storybook Inn in Versailles, Kentucky...behind is the house we rented
that had 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, kitchen, fireplace, porch with a grill and the list goes on and on...it was a great
bed and breakfast. We had gourmet breakfasts every morning....so good!!
This is Kyle, Jackie, Stan, Beth, Kara, Martin (look...they were twinkles) Chuck, Cecelia and Lisa

Obviously we were all looking at Kara's camera...but here we are at Woodford Reserve Distillery....we rode our bikes
in light rain from Versailles to Woodford and then on to Buffalo Trace in Kentucky's capital of Frankfort....

Stan, Beth, Kara and Martin

This is James, he gave us a wonderful and fun tour of the distillery....lots of laughs too

This abandoned distillery was just featured in Southern Living Magazine...it's been purchased and being brought back
to life.. It was about 10 miles or so from Frankfort. They were actually making small batches of bourbon that day.

Another dang blurry photo....Beth, Lisa, Kara, Cecelia and me...it was a cold, wet and rainy ride

At Keeneland...why in the world would I cup that scarf on my neck like I was in a soft serve vanilla cone? lol

Early that morning, the ride was fairly dry

Tons and tons of beautiful horse farms

This is Woodford Reserve's distribution center

The week before we went to Kentucky to celebrate Stan and Jackie's birthdays, we all went on a bike ride and had
an epic soccer match after dinner...Here's Reece and her dad going for it!

Chloe really is a good soccer player...she also rode the 20 miles with the adults on the Vanndale Loop

Chloe's first ride with the Birdeye Bicycle Club.....from left Chloe, me, Kyle, Kara, Beth, Jackie, Martino and Stan

Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015

We had another great trip to Kentucky to celebrate Stan's 40th and Jackie's 45th birthdays last weekend. We did this trip 5 years ago when Jackie celebrated his milestone 40th. This trip we stayed in Versalles at the wonderful Storybook Inn. The place was outstanding and we had gourmet breakfasts every morning. We rented the house in the back that had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was a neat place.

Plans were to ride from Versailles to Frankfort, stopping at the infamous Woodford Reserve about half way. It was a cloudy, windy 50 degrees that morning. After the neat distillery tour, it sprinkled all the way to Frankfort. Then at Buffalo Trace distillery, it poured so the girls got a cab and brought cars back to get the bikes. The boys, on the other hand, wanted to tough it out and ride back. We passed them in our cab and it looked miserable and was as they reported when they got back soaked and shivering.

On Saturday, we had a box at Keeneland to watch the races. It was again, overcast and sprinkling but we had some good food and good conversation. We had another great dinner that night.

So here's where to eat if you're ever near Lexington...In Versailles we had dinner at Napa Prime, it is a darling restaurant inside an old Pizza Hut. When we arrived via a Lexington cab, who thought we were going to Lexington and not across town, we were a little worried about our dinner that Trip Adviser said to go to. We were not disappointed, I had an appetizer (I know, that's not like me) of fried pickles and banana peppers. It was outstanding. For dinner, I had the shrimp tacos and they were outstanding. It did come with a side of tator tots, in fact, everything did. They were good but seemed out of place with my tacos. Reservations are recommended.

Friday night we ate at the outstanding Holly Hill Inn outside of Midway. It's an historical home converted into a restaurant in 1979. It sits overlooking horse farms and rolling hills. We had a party of 10 so we were upstairs in a room, which we needed, since we played a few games and got kinda loud (according to Kyle). We played a game of your first job and worst job and how we met each other. It was fun but the food was even better than the conversation. We had choices off a four course menu for $45. I know right, we all couldn't believe the price. It was wonderful as was the wine menu. Reservations are recommended.

For out last night in Versailles, we went to Addie's at the Woodford Inn, just three blocks from our bed and breakfast. Addie's is an American restaurant with steaks, gnocchi, salads and shrimp and grits which is what I had. It was served with three crispy grit cakes on shrimp. I'd call it a deconstructed shrimp and grits. It was okay but I probably should have ordered what Beth had which was the Sausage and Pumpkin gnocchi with a side salad. She said it was outstanding. I would make reservations here as well.

It was a ton of fun being with the Birdeye Bicycle Club to celebrate birthdays. We were back at home by 2:30 on Sunday which is nice to have that time to gear up for the week. I added some garden photos and kids walking on the bus too. Happy Fall Ya'll!

Some of the quotes from the weekend (there were many more):

"That's the reason why you need fenders," Kyle pointing and referring to the mud skid mark up my back during lunch in Frankfort from all the mud puddles. Hahahahaha, I'm sure it looked pretty bad.
"This dinner will be a good experiment if a paying customer can get kicked out," Kyle at dinner at Addie's at the Woodford Inn.
"What's that?" Kara pointing to a castle overlooking the Blue Grass Parkway. The cabbie replied, "A castle".
"Which way?" Our Kenneland cabbie asked us as we were pulling out of the Storybook Inn. We all thought, this can't be good.
"Ocean's Eleven," Jackie referring to the brand of bourbon at Addie's.

Last Wednesday was National Walk to School Day and I led the group for our 4th straight year...had a small crowd but
it is always fun...we also walk every Friday leading up to the Midsouth Kids Marathon in November.