The Lexingtonienne
  • A Girl’s Gotta Eat
  • August3rd

    1 Comment

    Happy not Monday! We are back in L.A. after 24 hours of traveling to get home (which, oddly enough, wasn’t as bad as it sounds). And there is MORE I want to tell you about Florence.

    But FIRST… you must tune in TONIGHT to One Big Happy Family on TLC at 10 pm ET/PT to watch the Coles family continue their weight loss adventure. (Hubba Bubba is Executive Producer so look for his credit!) And speaking of weight loss adventures (har har)…

    Back to Florence. My friend Mark Marinaccio, who is really smart and funny and cool (Hi, Mark) left a comment on the blog the other day telling us to check out www.tasteflorence.com. We did, and we signed up for a tour the next day. Let me tell you something. If you ever go to Florence and you love food, you must do this tour. The tour company is run by an American woman who lives in Florence and wanted to show tourists the way that Italians really eat. It’s not hard to see that the Italians don’t flock to the touristy spots so readily available along the main thoroughfares; it is hard, however, to figure out where they do go. Taste Florence tells you. They keep it small, allowing only 9 people per tour. We got extra lucky and it was just the two of us, one other couple, and the tour guide.

    DSC_0239

    DSC_0244

    Our first stop was a little store called Forno (which is Italian for “oven”) where we sampled schiacciate ripiene, which is basically a flat piece of bread stuffed with something delicious — in our case, cheese and ham. Since I am unafraid to sound like a total redneck, I would liken it to the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. We quickly realized that this tour was no joke.

    DSC_0242

    Next we headed to a fabulous little bakery…

    DSC_0248

    … where we sampled these delights:
    DSC_0246

    I am really bad, y’all. I can’t remember what they were called, but they were ah-mazing. Filled with custard and surrounded with the loveliest, crunchy puff pastry, each bite does this nice little dance on your palate before melting away. Toni, the genius who started Taste Florence, will be reading this blog entry… Toni, maybe you can leave a comment and tell us what these are called?

    And then we took a little walk down the block till we got here.

    DSC_0249

    This is the market where real live Italians do their shopping.

    DSC_0250

    DSC_0259

    I’m pretty sure it’s the inspiration for Reading Terminal Market, for all you Philadelphians. Here we sampled some boiled beef that was fabulous.

    DSC_0256

    We had a choice between beef or tripe (which is cow’s stomach lining). How I wish I were one of those brave souls who enjoy offal. But… I chose beef. And it was fantastic. Then we visited the gentleman who sells the beef. Here is his marketing sign:

    DSC_0261

    Basically it translates to, “Eating boiled beef makes for good sex.” You should see his business card. I took a photo of it, but since my mother reads this, I won’t show it. 🙂

    We continued to wind around the market…

    DSC_0263

    DSC_0266

    DSC_0267

    DSC_0270

    … until we arrived at Conti, where they sell beautiful produce.

    DSC_0289

    DSC_0277

    DSC_0280

    DSC_0291

    DSC_0283

    Conti is where we did a balsamic vinegar tasting and an olive oil tasting, which was super fun and very informative. Kentuckians, you can liken balsamic vinegar to bourbon: strict stipulations define it, there are wooden barrels involved, and when you get the REAL stuff, it’s delicious.

    DSC_0294

    DSC_0306

    DSC_0295

    Our tour guide also threw a few other delectable morsels our way — including these cheese samples paired with various condiments, ranging from the sweet (pear) to the savory (onion) — and some artichoke spread and tomato truffle spread.

    DSC_0307

    DSC_0311

    That Tuscan bread you see hosting the olive oil and the spreads is totally unsalted, btw. Back in the day, salt became so expensive, the Tuscans gave it the finger and decided to make their bread without salt. That’s just how they roll.

    Then we rolled over to a gelateria called Perche No! (“Why not!”) that remained opened throughout World War II, when ingredients were hard to come by, especially for a non-essential such as gelato. We only got to sample 8 different kinds of gelato, so Mike and I went back later for more. Obvi.

    DSC_0313

    Our final stop on the tour (sniff sniff) was this snazzy little wine shop.

    DSC_0330

    DSC_0322

    Here our guide taught us that Prosecco whets the appetite by making you salivate (which is why restaurants like to give you a complimentary glass when you walk in the door), while drier reds do the opposite and pair nicely with meats. We learned a lot more too… all about the laws that have been passed to guarantee various wines, why older generations look down their noses at chianti, and that Italian wines are not named by grape varietal (as in California) or by region (as in France). It’s a little bit more loosey goosey. Anyway, it was FUN, and our guide had this nifty little device:

    DSC_0326

    It aerates the wine and pours out a perfect tasting amount. I want one.

    DSC_0325

    DSC_0328

    And of course there was more food. Bruschetta in the foreground, and fennel salami in the background.

    DSC_0324

    After four hours of continuous tasting, the fabulous Taste Florence tour was concluded. Our guide patiently answered all of our questions (both relevant and random), and graciously offered to make us dinner reservations at a recommended restaurant. Seriously, if you are ever in Florence, sign up for this! I should add that there was no bartering involved here. We paid full-price for the tour and were so glad we went!

    Many thanks to Toni, who started Taste Florence, and Christine, our tour guide.

    I’m getting back in the kitchen soon, I promise. And I’m thinking about cake…

    xoxo,
    Hannah

  • June17th

    11 Comments

    When I moved to Los Angeles from Lexington eight years ago, I had no idea that my internal Zagat guide would require a serious edit. There are staples I used to eat all the time in Lexington that I just can’t get in LA, which means that when I come back to the Bluegrass, I’m on a mission to devour as many of these elusive eats as possible. Since this visit to Lexington lasted two whole weeks, I was determined to get to it ALL. Here I will highlight my favorites for you. They are not gourmet or fancy or expensive (maybe I can do a Lexington restaurant review on my next visit) — just grab-and-go stuff that’s really good and not available in LA.

    Jimmy Johns Beach Club Sandwich. I ate these all the time in college. If you ignore the fact that their sandwiches have like six pieces of cheese piled onto them and are slathered with Hellmann’s mayonnaise, you can almost convince yourself that you’re eating something kind of good for you.

    Qdoba Chicken Nachos. The only person I know who loves nachos as much as I do is my mother-in-law. She’s my nacho buddy and will always split them with me at a restaurant. Maggie, this one’s for you.

    Great Harvest Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. You already know how I feel about oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. These cookies are gigantic and chewy and made fresh in the Great Harvest bakery, which smells like heaven and honey. Their breads are fabulous too — whole grains, no preservatives… oh wait, for a second there, I almost started writing a health food blog. Sorry about that. Moving on.

    The Mouse Trap Turkey and Swiss Sandwich with Secret Sauce. I don’t have a photo of the sandwich itself because, frankly, they don’t look that special. But the sauce is downright magical. The Mouse Trap has, for years, employed a revolving door of super cute high school and college girls behind their counter. The sauce recipe is top secret, but I’m considering flashing a fifty and seeing if I can’t get one of those canaries to sing.

    Billy’s Bar-B-Q. Billy’s has been open for as long as I can remember. They call their sandwiches “sammiches,” and they sell t-shirts that say, “I got porked at Billy’s.” Yes please.

    Joe Bologna’s Pizza. Joe B’s makes its home of a former synagogue, complete with stained glass windows and a pulpit-turned-bar. Their pizza and breadsticks are legendary in Lexington… my parents have been going there since college.

    Steak’nShake Steakburgers, Shoestring Fries, and Chocolate Shakes. LA, what is up with you that you don’t have this burger joint slash Southern staple? Steak’nShake needs to get a Conestoga wagon train moving westward.

    Bourbon & Toulouse Chicken Etouffee. Have you ever made a roux-based cajun dish? It takes a long time and it’s easy to burn the roux, so I love being able to walk into a place and just eat it. Etouffee is basically GRAVY served over white rice. (Are you starting to see why I am so waif-like? Skin and bones, I tell you.)

    Chick-Fil-A’s Chicken Sandwiches. Breaded chicken breast. Pickles. Bun. Wicka-wicka-what?

    Donato’s Pizza. This post started out as fun for you and now you think I’m disgusting. You are correct. I can’t come to Lexington without ordering a Donato’s pizza with pepperoni and banana peppers. I should mention that I’ve never met a pizza I didn’t like, but this one truly is special. 

    Graeter’s Ice Cream. Graeter’s is like the Willy Wonka of ice cream stores. The seasonally-available peach ice cream tastes like fresh, farmer’s market peaches. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries. Mama and I went for black raspberry chip and strawberry chip. Warning: their “chips” are more like full-size chocolate bars.

    Yes, y’all, I ate each and every one of these things, and I very nearly had to buy new pants while I was here. Upon my return to LA, I will be commencing my diet of ice water and smog. But it was worth it, because this trip was a working man’s gastronomical WIN.

    Mission accomplished,

    Hannah