THANK YOU ONE AND ALL - We need help!

I certainly hope I didn't cause any tumult by asking some innocent questions motivated by my neophyte status here in Louisville. Many of your suggestions are great and I had my own senior moment by writing "Jerrys" instead of Bergers. I have been to Lotsa Patsa, Whole Foods and Bergers (Burgers?), but was wishing for something a bit more extensive for gourmet food shopping. However, I should explain our predicament a bit:

My wife is the true foodie. I am more of a drinker and party master. Donna accepted a position at University of Louisville Medical School on December 1st, and I moved down to join her two weeks ago. I took a leave from my teaching job, and miss being in the classroom. I am looking for a middle school job anywhere. I have been a middle school social studies teacher for 36 years. Our transition to Louisville has been very difficult. I am not working and spend most of my time working out at the JCC and eating and drinking all over town. I grew up in New York City and although became a Wisconsinite, my aggressive and pretentious New York edge often rears its ugly head. I love wine and have my collection back in Milwaukee. I need to find a place to store it here in Louisville. We have no friends here and appreciate all your suggestions as we are depending on the food and wine community as a connection to this city. I am afraid if we do not connect with real people soon, (I talk to our dog much too often), I will bolt back to Milwaukee and my wife and I will have to deal with being apart. We are willing to attend any function where we have the chance to meet folks that we might have something in common with. To put it succinctly, we are lonely.

On the restaurant front, I abhor chains and will pay more to frequent local businesses and restaurants. Although we enjoy gourmet food, we also appreciate the art of good burgers, ribs, and nachos. I have been a wine snob, but fell out due to developing a ridiculously expensive palate. I like the taste of old wines which my wife says tastes like sweat socks. Now, I drink aged rum with a particular affinity for Barcardi 8 and Pyrat.

I need to learn to enjoy Louisville in spite of my irreverent and sarcastic attitude or my wife will be miserable. Thus, wine dinner suggestions, restaurant recommendations, any functions imaginable will help. I thank you profusely.

Phil

While it may not a gourmet destination, you may want to attend the next offline at Flabbys. It would give you a chance to talk with others who have a real interest in food and drink.

Phil- you have come to the right place. I too arrived carrying a large box of pretense from living 25 plus years in NYC, thinking I would never eat a decent meal again. I have been greatly surprised by the depth of the Louisville food scene and the people that populate it. It seems that you have been to quite a few of our restaurants in your short stay here and now have a lot more suggestions from the forum, so you should be good to go on that front. I am sure that your education on good bourbon is just beginning now that you are here and I'm sure you've had a look at Robin's wine forum- if not you are in for a treat.
As for shopping for gourmet foods I highly recommend Creation Garden's, it is a little hard to find as it is tucked away on a side street near the river but they have a small front room where spices and condiments are laid out, but the pay dirt is up the ramp into the huge cooler where there is produce, cheese, and in the back store room all manner of everything else. It is basically a wholesaler but they let the public roam free. I have found the most esoteric items there.
I see you have signed up for Flabby's on March 7 so some of us will get to meet you and welcome you personally. I hope you have read the entire thread about Flabby's as it is far from a fine dining establishment (at least from what I've heard, this will be my first time too), the trip is about fried chicken and trying a Louisville tradition- The Oyster Roll. Flabby's seems to be the last bastion of this particular delicacy.
I look forward to meeting you both- hang in there, it really gets a lot better.

Phil, my girlfriend teaches at a private middle school here in Louisville, I'll ask her if they anticipate any openings for next fall. Private schools, while not the best pay, are probably the best places to look since JCPS is in a bit of a budget turmoil (plus I'm not sure what their certification requirements are).

Welcome to Louisville Phil! Stick around on this website and I think you will find a connection (even if it is "virtual" at first) that you are missing so far in Louisville. This is a great place to discuss food, wine, local restaurants, etc.

I hope someone has pointed you in the direction of http://www.wineloverspage.com/ if you weren't familiar with it already!

And I can relate somewhat to your situation as well. My husband is a New Jersey native. He has been here for over 12 years now, so he has gotten used to it for the most part. However, it is NOT home to him. I am the only reason he is here - and it can be difficult at times.

I hope you find a job that you like VERY soon! Now Robin - where can the man store his wine?!!?!

hey phil,
welcome to the 'ville... most of us who grew up here try like crazy to make new arrivals feel welcome. louisville can be a special place if you happen to meet some good people.
i like to say that relationships in louisville are a lot like the 5 olympic rings. one circle of friends has at least an acquaintance in one of the other 4 circles.
please come visit us at baxter station when you get a chance. lunch or dinner. we have a decent wine list, 24 beers on tap and a menu that is truly diverse. you can do wings and burgers or crab cakes and filets.
hope to see you soon.
best.
andrew hutto
owner, baxter station bar & grill

I do think we forgot to point Phil to Baxter Station. Check it out - wonderful food and great prices. If you like bourbon, or want to start liking bourbon, they also have the best by-the-glass bourbon prices in town, at least as far as I can tell. Pappy 15 yr. for $6 (or $6.50). It just blows my mind.

hey brad.
thanks for the props!! thanks for coming in the other night... your party of 7 nearly cleaned me out of 15 year pappy... shhhh! it is highly allocated. i had to make a call to the distiller to get some more sent to us.
thanks, andrew

Phil,

Glad to see this post. Your attitude here in this post brings you a lot closer to finding want you want. I followed your thread on the city data forum, and I never felt like you were really trying to give Louisville a shot. Glad to see that is changing.

That being said, take the advice to attend some of the off line forum meetups. I didn't realize one was being organized currently. I need to do a better job of following that forum!

-Scott

Phil - how old are you and Donna, just out of curiosity? Not that it matters, but it might help us with the suggestions we make.

My dad was in two branches of the service and we rarely lived anywhere for more than 18 months when I was growing up, and I've lived in most parts of this country - but I settled here 26 years ago and haven't budged. The biggest complaint I have about Louisville is that it's too far from the ocean, and that can be easily remedied every couple of years with a vacation. I'm impressed with how many restaurants you two have already been to, good lord! See you at Flabby's.

hey brad.
thanks for the props!! thanks for coming in the other night... your party of 7 nearly cleaned me out of 15 year pappy... shhhh! it is highly allocated. i had to make a call to the distiller to get some more sent to us.
thanks, andrew

Oh man. I'll keep that little secret under wraps from now on. More for me.

Any hobbies or activities you enjoy? I'm sure someone in the group here has some interest in common or could direct you to something. I personally enjoy spending my weekends shooting helpless clay pigeons, and the club is always welcoming of new members.

I am looking for a middle school job anywhere.

I teach kindergarten for Jefferson County Public Schools, but I subbed at just about every middle school in the county. If you have any questions about the process, let me know.

Welcome to the metro Phil. Your plight has encouraged me to move from a forum reader to a first time poster!

In regards to the wine collection what is your bottle count? I would think, within reason, if you called Jeff Tatman at Felice Vineyards (829 E Market 568-4858) and explained your situation that he would likely accommodate your collection in his cellar.

You might also want to head to the back of the building to The Bodega and have an Italian style pizza or a panini. The people are extremely friendly and the setting there is very warm and inviting. We particularly love the outdoor seating among the grapevines (Soon, Please Lord!!). They also do great breakfasts and coffees.

Also, for food stuff you can’t find elsewhere, put them on the case. They have hunted down a few things for my wife from time to time. (I recall a cucumber wasabi salad dressing ala The Bristol Bar and Grill)

My boyfriend is in his 10th year teaching social studies in JCPS, and we're big advocates for the public schools. You'll probably meet us at Flabby's. He can talk to you about transferral of certification and all that goes with coming in from out of state, which he did 10 years ago. JCPS is always looking for good teachers.