The Weekend Can’t Get Here Too Soon

Wow, it sure seems like a great weekend for a festival! And a lot of organizations seemed to have the same great idea.

These glorious fall weekends are full of great places and events for eating and drinking on the go — does yours include the famed St. James Court Art Show, which is NOT (wink, wink) the reason schools are out Friday?

There is the bourbon-themed Friday Trolley Hop, where Maker’s Mark’s sponsorship ensures that the “Red Out” will color your evening red – each stop will have a special, and 10 bars and restaurants will compete for your vote for their cocktail. Don’t try to do all 10. The fun starts at the Hub, where you can get a red wig. Also, be sure to stop in at spots featured here at EatDrinkTalk — the new Red Hog and Mint Julep Tours.

If you’re near River Road downtown, you’ll likely here before you see the Louder Than Life Festival, a tribute to “Music, Whiskey and Gourmet Man Food.” Cheap Trick is the only one of the three dozen bands I’ve heard of, but you have this guarantee — it will be LOUD. And 34 food vendors will be serving up that “Gourmet Man Food” described online this way — …artistically created statement making food, served in large portions with a powerful presentation. It is a unique twist to foods you know mixed with flavors you don’t expect.

Choices — Craft Beer and Pizza on the Bridge:  On Saturday, you can choose to drink the wares from 17 craft breweries in a special setting — the 2nd Bridge Streetscape. From 1-7 the 2nd Annual CRAFT Pizza and Beer Festival takes place, benefitting Cure CF Inc., a Louisville-based non-profit. There’s also a lot of pizza involved — pies from Angio’s, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Bearno’s, BoomBozz Taphouse, DiOrio’s, Johnny Brusco’s, Gordon Biersch, Hometown Pizza, Impellizeri’s, Johnny V’s, Loui Loui’s, Mellow Mushroom, Spinelli’s, Jet’s Pizza, and North End Cafe will be available.

Of course, the football game of the year takes place in South Carolina Saturday night, where ESPN’s GameDay show will feature Lamar Jackson and the U of L Cardinals for the second time in three weeks, this time against Clemson. The stakes are as high for this one as any contest in U of L history.

Today, Bourbon Brothers Find a Rabbit Hole:  Membership in the Bourbon Brotherhood includes notice about special events like this one — the group will enjoy a special tasting from the new Rabbit Hole distillery opening next year in NuLu. Your ticket gets you fried chicken and a cigar sampling at NOAH’s Event Venue in the Jeffersontown Commerce Park.  

And On Monday, A Book Discussion – At the Haymarket, a group described as “A Bar-Hopping Whiskey Book Club with bourbon specials and literary discussions” will offer autographed copies of a new Jim Beam biography — “The Big Man of Jim Beam: Booker Noe.” The book’s author, Jim Korkoris, will be there to discuss the life of the bourbon industry legend. 

Podcast Excellence: Before you do all that fun stuff, download the EatDrinkTalk podcast, this week featuring Red Hog’s Bob Hancock talking about the new butcher shop and, eventually, restaurant on Frankfort Avenue featured here at EDT this week. Plus, I stopped in at Noosh Nosh to see how local favorite Anoosh Shariat is managing a pair of thriving restaurants. And Steve Coomes is back from the beach catching up on what he missed. It’s available right here Friday morning.