Hot Brown recommendations for out of towner

A friend is coming into town next month and him and his wife want to try a hot brown. He asked me where the best one is.

I gave some obvious suggestions, but I dont eat them often, so dont really know.

Anyone want to throw some suggestions, I will point him to this thread.

[Robin Garr]

If they're doing it as a sort of sacramental thing then it actually makes sense to take them to the Brown Hotel, where it was invented, so as to consume it while surrounded by the spirits of its heritage.

I don't think they serve them in the high-end English Grill, but the J. Graham's Cafe makes it a specialty, gives out recipes and is prepared to discuss it with diners. Seems like an obvious choice to me.

Gary's on Spring Street has a delicious Hot Brown. It is served as an appetizer and you get 4 mini Hot Browns on the plate. It may not be served the way the original Hot Brown was but it is awesome.

As Robin said, you need to take them to where it originated! Not only that, but theirs is delicious and the setting is wonderful. Many places in town make a decent one, but......

As I said, I made the obvious suggestion, which is the Brown Hotel.

I thought there might be a wide range of suggestions about "better" ones, but it looks like the Brown really is the obvious choice.

Go for the original.

On a somewhat related issue, I hate it when restaurants insist on messing with the Hot Brown. No, it doesn't have ham, it shouldn't be served on cornbread, and melting cheese over the top just isn't right.

Go for the original.
On a somewhat related issue, I hate it when restaurants insist on messing with the Hot Brown. No, it doesn't have ham, it shouldn't be served on cornbread, and melting cheese over the top just isn't right.

There are as many versions of the Hot Brown as there are burgoo. It's open to the interpretation of the chef. For a very brief time, I was the chef that re-opened the Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown after the fire. The thing that got more comment cards than anything else by a three to one margin was the Hot Brown. The version I had on the menu at the time was simply roasted turkey breast (yes, I cooked whole turkey breasts for this dish and for sandwiches) on toast points with Mornay Sauce in a casserole dish, topped with tomato slices and a couple pieces of bacon and I put a little parmesan on top so it browns up a little more when you stick it under the broiler. Seemed pretty close to what I understood the "original" to be.

Apparently, I soon discovered that everyone in the state of Kentucky over the age of 65 has an opinion about how the "original" should be served. Some said it should have country ham, some said it should have melted Cheddar cheese, some said it shouldn't, some said I should use Melba toast, some said it should have peaches, some wanted tomato wedges instead of sliced, some people were downright nasty about it .
The version I grew up eating at Tommy Lancaster's in New Albany was basically toast points with turkey, smothered in cream of mushroom soup and cheese sauce with bacon and tomato with more melted cheese on top, so I'm glad I didn't use that!

Most people tend to forget that the Brown Hotel was closed from 1971 until 1985. I honestly doubt anyone actually really remembers what the original created in the 30's was like. Recipes really can only tell you so much. A lot of what cooking something special is about is in the method used to create the dish, not just the ingredients listed on a piece of paper.
For example, I can vividly remember what the War Su Gai from the old Ho Kow tastes like, but I have never, ever been able to recreate it successfully. Most recipes I've looked at are not what I remember..
People have an emotional attachment to food, so Margie, I do understand where you are coming from. Just offering my .02 from a chef's perspective

Back to the original subject, the Hot Brown at the Bristol is pretty darn tasty!

Back to the original subject, the Hot Brown at the Bristol is pretty darn tasty!

My personal favorite (Ive never eaten at the Brown) and the other suggestion I gave. I rarely eat at Bristol and I rarely eat Hot Browns, but when Im at the Bristol that is what I always order.

I guess I already knew where the best HBs in town were and I just didnt know it.

I "heard" a story that Schmidt actually discovered this by accident......something about him wanting to keep a turkey and bacon sandwich warm (for him to eat later) in the oven. There also happened to be a container of mornay sauce that spilled over his sandwich and the sauce partially baked in the heat of the oven.

Any truth here or is this urban legend?

I don't think they serve them in the high-end English Grill

They do indeed serve them in the English Grill, and they're incredible.

It's not in any way traditional, but the Village Anchor's variation is delicious. Candied bacon is ... indescribably good.

I "heard" a story that Schmidt actually discovered this by accident......something about him wanting to keep a turkey and bacon sandwich warm (for him to eat later) in the oven. There also happened to be a container of mornay sauce that spilled over his sandwich and the sauce partially baked in the heat of the oven.

Any truth here or is this urban legend?

I've not heard that story but I found this info quite interesting.
Apparently the original had pimentos instead of tomatoes.
So much for what we all think the "original" is supposed to be....

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/ ... ndwich.htm

LOL, I agree that there are riffs, but I personally don't think they improve the product when the changes affect the flavors or add odd textures. In other words, I am pretty certain that there is an original, just like you used to make, and that is generally the dish that I want.

I do remember the Hot Brown from the early '60's at the Brown and a number of other restaurants. When they reopened the Brown with a heralded chef from California (as I remember), they made quite a production of having thoroughly researched the original recipe. They got it mostly right, but they changed the serving dish to one with deep sides, which made the mornay sauce get somewhat soupy, instead of having lovely browned edges.

I remember that Pryors had a Hot Brown using peaches instead of tomatoes, and they also folded whipped cream into the sauce before browning. It was lovely and fluffy, but still retained the taste.

When the Brown was inactive, Kunz's had a suitable substitute.

Do you remember the Cold Brown?

For example, I can vividly remember what the War Su Gai from the old Ho Kow tastes like, but I have never, ever been able to recreate it successfully. Most recipes I've looked at are not what I remember..

I remember George's War Su Gai very well. He used a boneless half chicken breast, slightly flattened, and sliced after frying. I think the sauce at Oriental House has a similar flavor, but lacks something, and I don't know what it is.

For the Hot Brown:

The Brown Hotel: It's the birthplace of the original... it's worth a try. I've had it there (and we had them serve appetizers at our wedding) and it's good.

Village Anchor I will second it being very good... plus it's a fun Louisville restaurant and a great example of our city. It's worth going there just for a meal, never mind the hot brown...

Cafe Lou Lou: My favorite iteration of a hot brown, and the only one I will still order. It's actually served as a pizza... and man is it good. I also love Cafe Lou Lou as a restaurant... It's a great place to go for a meal.

Those are probably my top three picks... I've more or less stopped ordering hot browns... they are fine, but not my cup of tea.