Two Thoroughbroads, Robyn and Scarlett, joined up for a fun week in September wrapped around food, fun, and a festive writing group event in Bardstown, KY. They were to celebrate the first anniversary as two of the three co-founders of Words of Women (WOW). This event may have been the reason for the visit. Still, filling the week with new shopping opportunities, visiting a favorite restaurant from their past together in Louisville in the 80s, dinners at new friends’ homes, and nightly talks that lasted until early morning were just a few plans they had made.
The WOW anniversary was late in the week so they had the chance to engage in the fun first. A road trip to Little Mount Lavender in Simpsonville was on the docket. Two new friends accompanied them. When they arrived at their destination, they found buckeyes on the path to the front door. Their companions from California had never seen them before. A big handful was gathered for each to take home and an explanation of the small candies that take their name was explained. They were fascinated and took pictures of the nuts to share with their friends on the Pacific coast.
The lavender shop was inviting. Everything inside was in shades of purple and lilac. There were paintings, bath and body products, candles, ornaments, tea towels, dishes, cookware, oils, cooking ingredients, and utensils with a lavender theme. Afraid it was sensory overload for Robyn, who is highly sensitive to smells, amazingly, none bothered her in the store. We proceeded from room to room of this old stone cottage that had once served as a restaurant with high-end Kentucky fare when the two lived in Louisville. It served as the perfect setting for this shop. After meeting the two owners from Charleston, we found they had chosen to start this operation. After topography research, they found that the 70 acres they purchased were equally compatible with growing lavender in France. The men had remodeled the old cottage, adding a lavender-based restaurant and a bakery. The owner behind the bakery counter filled us in on his culinary experience, as he had served as a pastry chef in many parts of the world and was a culinary institute graduate. Listening to his stories and advice to a fellow baker, Robyn, he shared some of his secrets and tastings of his white balsamic vinegar, made for white meaty fruits, and the ruby balsamic he drizzles over colorful fruits. Who knew that balsamic vinegar could be used over ice cream, cheesecake, bananas, and a dipping sauce for rustic breads? Robyn purchased the kinds of vinegar and a baguette of fresh bread to enjoy at her home in Alabama.
Now, to an old favorite for lunch, the Claudia Sanders Dinner House. Claudia was the wife of the famous Colonel Sanders, the originator of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The big white colonial-style dinner house had not changed, nor had the menu. We decided on the Family Style meal where you select two types of meat and vegetable sides. Our meals included fresh yeast rolls and room-temperature butter. City ham and fried chicken were the choice of meats the three of us wanted. Robyn chose the fried chicken livers. We ordered milk gravy with real mashed potatoes, collard greens, corn pudding, and three wanted creamed spinach. Scarlett would have none of that or the chicken livers. Our companions tasted true Kentucky Fare after moving to Bardstown from the west coast. We took home what we did not finish. On our way out, the house cat came to Robyn wanting a chicken liver. She smacked it down, followed us to the car, and jumped in the trunk along with the to-go box. We all laughed and said she had found the perfect home there.
The day went just as we planned and did not disappoint. It is pleasant to find some old favorites never change. The dinner house was just as we remembered and it was still thriving. It had been 35 years since we had dined there. The customers were diverse and showed us that sometimes you should leave things just as they are and not try to satisfy everyone. Just do what you do and do the best that you can. Consistency pays off we all agreed.
Now we sounded like our parents, “Most things ain’t the same as they used to be.”