Eatin’ in and eatin’ out with Sharon Thompson
Photo: Diane Bondareff / AP Images for Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest
Reality-show star and designer Althea Harper was declared the winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off “Runway Challenge,” on Monday, Oct. 17. Visitors to the Pillsbury Facebook page voted on her design as the apron to be worn by the 100 finalists as they compete for the $1 million grand prize at the contest finals in March in Orlando, Fla. Visit Facebook.com/Pillsbury to check out the winning design.
Photo: Diane Bondareff / AP Images for Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest
Project Runway stars Althea Harper, Kara Janx and Carol Hannah Whitfield designed aprons for the upcoming 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest. On Monday, each designer unveiled an apron to potentially be worn by the 100 finalists as they compete for the $1 million grand prize at the Bake-Off Contest in March in Orlando, Fla. You can vote for your favorite apron design on Pillsbury’s Facebook page before Oct. 17 at Facebook.com/Pillsbury.
The 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off has announced the 100 finalists who will compete for the $1 million grand prize in March. Kentuckians who will participate are Marianne Pieper of Beaver Dam and Donna Stahl of Bellevue. Pieper will compete with a caramelized pear, spinach and chicken pizza, and Stahl will make turkey upside-down burgers.
All the finalists are listed at Bakeoff.com.
Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm has partnered with the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and Nick Ryan’s Saloon to present Hall of Fame Day on Monday.
The event will honor Hall of Fame legend Skip Away, who recently was laid to rest at Old Friends, and Hall of Fame greats Noor and Precisionist, also buried at the farm.
The event starts at 3 p.m. at Old Friends, 1841 Paynes Depot Road, Georgetown, and will be followed by a benefit hosted by Nick Ryan’s at 6. The menu includes barbecue ribs and pulled pork. Roger Bondurant will entertain.
Festivities also include a barbecue sauce bake-off. A classic recipe from Nick Ryan’s chef will face off against a zesty Cajun-style sauce by Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux and a tangy blend created by staffers at Old Friends. Guests will have the chance to vote on their favorites. Tickets are $50. Call Old Friends at (502) 863-1775.
■ The Bigg Blue Martini at the Hilton Lexington/Downtown Hotel, 369 West Vine Street, will host a tailgate party Friday in celebration of Big Blue Madness. The first open practice of the 2011-12 season for the University of Kentucky’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Rupp Arena. Bigg Blue’s tailgate party will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and after the practice. Festivities will include live music by Plan B. Go to Thebiggbluemartini.com.
■ Once a month, the Greek Orthodox Church at 920 Tates Creek Road serves authentic Greek dinners. The October dinner, prepared by chef Jim Scalos, will be 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Go to Greekdinner.com.
■ The Oleika Shrine Temple Legion of Honor will have its annual all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Tickets are $6 for adults; $3 for children; half-price for active-duty military members, firefighters and police officers; and free for ages 6 and younger. The temple is at 326 Southland Drive.
■ The Crossroad on Southland, 286 Southland Drive, will celebrate its first anniversary Friday. The menu includes Italian beef with house-made giardiniara; smoked Texas links; smoked beef brisket; and pirlau, a South Carolina fish and rice stew. Call (859) 309-3904 or go to Thecrossroadonsouthland.com.
■ Cameron Irvin, executive chef at CastlePost, will be the guest chef Thursday at Dinner at Wingspan art gallery. The four-course prix fixe dinner is $40 and includes a choice of seared diver scallops with vegetable confetti or braised veal bourguignon. Wingspan Gallery, 191 Jefferson Street, serves dinner once a month. The reservations deadline is noon Tuesday. Call (859) 225-5765.
■ Jeremy Simpson, the new chef at Bellini’s, 115 West Main Street, has created a new menu for fall. It includes organic chicken or veal marsala, roast pork stuffed with rabbit and chorizo, pan-roasted halibut with parsnip purée, and rabbit leg with ricotta gnocchi. Simpson, a graduate of Sullivan University in Louisville, has worked at Jack Fry’s, Basa and Avalon in Louisville. Call (859) 388-9583.
■ Ramsey’s Diner is celebrating its second annual fall harvest festival. In addition to 22 side items, the menu includes sweet pickled beets, Parmesan deep-fried corn on the cob, organic baked acorn squash and sweet potatoes, and sweet potato casserole. The produce is from Abell Organics in Scott County. Ramsey’s has four locations. Go to Ramseysdiners.com.
■ The Dish, 438 South Ashland Avenue, has a new fall menu that includes pan-seared sea scallops on a bed of blanched julienne celery root, lemon-honey brined and roasted airline chicken breast, and pork cheeks slow-cooked in apple juice. The patio, which has a fireplace and heaters, will remain open for a few more weeks. Call (859) 317-8438 or go to Thedishlexington.com.
■ Della’s has added a dish to its breakfast and brunch menu. The Nola Bell, named for owner Tom Morris’ grandmother, features two biscuits topped with sausage, fried green tomatoes, eggs and Hollandaise sauce. Della’s, 124 North Upper Street, now carries locally produced Marlow Granola. Call (859) 281-1141.
■ Stinky & Coco’s, 1 North Main Street, Winchester, will be open for dinner starting next week. Dinner will be served until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Call (859) 744-8100 or go to Stinkyandcocos.com. The restaurant opens at 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
■ Alice and Greg Keller have taken two Kentucky favorites and jazzed them up to make them specialties at JK’s Café, 50 South Main Street, Winchester. “We don’t use the traditional Mornay sauce on the hot Brown, but we do use country ham,” Greg Keller said. “We’ve gotten great reviews on our burgoo, which is close to Keeneland’s.” Call (859) 744-4255.
■ Detroit Famous Coney Island, known for its giant fish sandwich, now is making the sandwich with whitefish from the northeastern United States. “It’s a better quality of fish,” owner Charles Martha said. Locations are 825 Lane Allen Road, (859) 278-3982, and 1301 Winchester Road, (859) 280-9138. Go to Detroitconeyisland.com.
■ Thai Orchid Café, 1030 South Broadway, is offering a lineup of fall dishes for the weekend, including butternut squash and coconut soup, pumpkin curry, and caramel apple roti. Call (859) 288-2170 or go to Thaiorchidcafe.net.
■ Sarah’s Corner Cafe BBQ, 4300 Winchester Road, offers a plate lunch special for $5.95. Call (859) 309-1220.
■ Rossi’s Restaurant is featuring fresh oysters prepared a variety of ways through October. Also, the restaurant, at 1060 Chinoe Road, has a new wine and martini list. Call (859) 335-8788 or go to Rossis-restaurant.com.
■ Weekend specials at The Julep Cup, 111 Woodland Avenue, include Berkshire pork loin with pumpkin gnocchi, sweetbreads with charcuterie sauce, and andouille-dirty rice-stuffed quail. Call (859) 226-0300.
■ Four awards were presented to marketplace exhibitors at the Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show on Saturday. Judges chose the best sweet, savory and booth display, and show attendees voted for their favorite product.
Best sweet: Applecreek Orchards; honorable mention: Lexington Chocolate Co.
Best savory: Kentucky Specialty Sauces; honorable mention: Good Shepherd Cheese.
Best booth display: Hillbilly Specialties; honorable mention: Howard’s Creek Authentic Beer Cheese.
People’s Choice Award: Dad’s Favorites.
Gail Greer of Lexington won the God’s Pantry March Madness Dream Dinner, to be prepared by Jonathan Lundy, chef/owner of Jonathan at Gratz Park. Visit Incrediblefoodshow.com.
■ Bluegrass Farmers Market will have tomatoes, heirloom beans, pumpkins, squash, eggplant, garlic, baked goods and mums. The market is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at 3450 Richmond Road, in the parking lot of Pedal the Planet and Fast Signs. Go to Localharvest.org/blog/29529.
■ Woodford County Farmers Market will have customer appreciation day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Versailles’ Courthouse Square. Farmers will have tomatoes, greens, peppers, beans, pumpkins, squash, gourds, baked goodies, homemade breads, beer cheese, fresh eggs and honey. The market also is open 3 to 6 p.m. Monday on Main Street in Midway.
Chef Ouita Michel will be touting her Wallace Station bourbon mustard at the Incredible Food Show.
You can eat your way through the Incredible Food Show at Lexington Center on Saturday.
Samples of beer cheese, wine, chocolates, olive oil, honey, barbecue sauces, pasta and Italian sausages will be offered. Cooking demonstrations will feature Top Chef contestants Bryan and Michael Voltaggio and Sullivan University students.
Food vendors include Sunflower Sundries, Browning’s Country Hams, Applecreek Orchards, Chef Doug’s Gourmet Foods, Marlowe Granola, Trifecta Sauce and Stuarto’s Olive Oil.Chef Ouita Michel will be touting her Wallace Station bourbon mustard at the Incredible Food Show.
Restaurateur and chef Ouita Michel will introduce the first item in a new line of retail products at the food show. Michel will offer samples of Wallace Station bourbon mustard at the Kentucky Specialty Sauces booth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The mustard was developed for Wallace Station’s reuben sandwich, and it’s served on hot dogs at Woodford Reserve Distillery; burgers at Windy Corner Market; and in barbecue sauce, vinaigrettes and as a sauce for rabbit and pork at Holly Hill Inn.
The mustard is $5.95 for a 9.8-ounce jar and is available at Windy Corner Market, 4595 Bryan Station Road in Lexington, and Wallace Station Deli and Bakery, 3854 Old Frankfort Pike, outside Midway. For mail order, call Kentucky Specialty Sauces at (859) 396-9568.
■ Kelly and Neal Harris, owners of Neal’s Smokebox BBQ on Polo Club Boulevard, are opening a second location. The Wagon Bones Grill opens at noon Saturday at 591 West Short Street. It serves barbecued pulled pork, sliced brisket, ribs and chicken, grilled corn, potato salad, cole slaw, and macaroni and cheese.
“We smoke our meats for hours and use a Memphis-style with the Western Kentucky spin dry rub to form a savory crust,” Kelly Harris said. “Then pull them by hand for the ideal mix of crusty, smoky tender and juicy meat from the inside out. Then we finish them with one of our homemade sauces: a tangy, semi-sweet barbecue sauce or our Western Kentucky dip sauce to complement the spicy rub and smoky meat.”
Call (859) 523-2400 or Smokebox BBQ at (859) 293 9300.
■ Saul Good Restaurant & Pub has added a Fall Fondue Festival to its menu for a limited time. Included are cheese and wine, Grand Marnier and dark chocolate, and white chocolate and raspberry fondues. Saul Good is at 3801 Mall Road in The Plaza at Fayette Mall and at 1808 Alysheba Way in Hamburg. Call (859) 317-9200 or go to Saulgoodpub.com.
■ Bella Notte, 3715 Nicholasville Road, has a new fall menu. Included are crispy polenta, butternut squash soup, wood-roasted chicken, spice-grilled pork chop, autumn spice crème brulee, and pumpkin ricotta torte. Call (859) 245-1789 or go to Bellalexington.com.
■ The Julep Cup, 111 Woodland Avenue, is serving prime rib and fresh Alaskan halibut this weekend. Call (859) 226-0300.
■ Bluegrass Farmers’ Market will have heirloom beans, herb seasoning, pumpkins, squash, eggplant, garlic, baked goods and jams at 3450 Richmond Road, in the parking lot of Pedal the Planet and Fast Signs. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Go to Localharvest.org/blog/29529.
■ Lexington Farmers Market is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Cheapside Park, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday on Southland Drive near Sav-a-Lot, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at South Broadway and Maxwell Street.
