Social Butterfly

Beer at Browning's

Lisa Hornung — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:49:12 GMT

Hi blog readers, if there are any of you still out there.

I went to Browning's after work yesterday, inspired by Josh's recent review, and tasted some of the best beer anywhere.

My friend Liz and I had a flight of beers, and we both decided we prefer the lighter beers. While the dark beers are probably great, we're just not dark-beer people.

Food critic Marty Rosen joined us and Brewmaster Brian Reymiller came out for a chat.

I fell in love with the Browning's Whit, which is similar to the Belgian White beers that I prefer. We also had the hummus platter, which was great. Our server came out and offered us a slice of orange for our beer, but we declined. I don't like fruit in my beer. Just seems silly, though I know Blue Moon is normally served that way.

From there, I went to Monkey Wrench and hung out on the roof. Liz and Marty decided not to join, but I met up with my friend Niki and also ran into several other friends there. I had a PBR and a Blue Moon. The PBR because I'm poor and the Blue Moon because my friend Sara was buying. Yeah!

Back from Mexico

Lisa Hornung — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:20:58 GMT

Hello, readers,

It's been a while since I've written, and I've decided it's time to start blogging again.

I just returned from Cozumel, Mexico, and I'm swine-flu free, even after my three-days quarantine imposed by my employer (yes, I got an extra three days off).

What I was surprised to find is that Mexican food is not the same as it is here. My boyfriend and I were in an all-inclusive resort, and we were disappointed by the food. Breakfast was always phenomenal, but everything else was weak. Some days they had a dude on the grill that would make fajitas, and that was good, but the buffet served dry hamburgers and really bad pizza. We told them that we didn't go all the way to Mexico to eat hamburgers!

But one day in Playa del Carmen, we were in a hurry so we got a couple tacos from a taco stand, and it was the best food we had on our trip. They were delicious, juicy and full of flavor.

The all-inclusive was wonderful, and we drank pretty much all day (OK, I drank all day). But we never got drunk because the drinks were made pretty weak. One night a had wine, and that did the trick. They can't weaken the wine or beer!

Overall, the trip was great. Gorgeous weather and crystal blue waters made for a wonderful time. Don't avoid Mexico, friends! Especially in the Yucatan Penninsula. There's no swine-flu there.

A good night at the Nach

Lisa Hornung — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:55:57 GMT

Saturday night, I met a bunch of friends at the Nachbar. As usual, it was relaxing and fun.

We ordered Old Style and Stroh's, my two favorite cheap beers. There were lots of us, and we found a big table in the corner. When people got up to get beers, we had to fight off invaders who asked to take our chairs. One girl asked me if we were using them, and when I said yes, she nastily said, "ALL of them?" And I said, "YES." Girl, don't make me fight you.

But we had a grand ol' time. What I love about the Nach is that there's always super-cheap beer, but if you're a beer snob, there is a huge collection of imports. And the service is always friendly.

$5 footloooooooooooooooooooongs!

Lisa Hornung — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:35:54 GMT

I'm enjoying a nice Subway sandwich for lunch.

When I bought the sandwich out in Valley Station (the reason I was in Valley is a long story), the girl behind the counter told me that in February, all their sandwiches will be $5.

What a welcome change! In this economy, when the cost of everything is rising, one restaurant is meeting the needs of poor bastards like me. You'll have two meals, or one, if that's how much you eat.

Back from vacation

Lisa Hornung — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:33:20 GMT

Well, I'm back to Louisville from the Virgin Islands. I'm glad to be home, glad to be in my own bed and near family and friends.

But I gotta tell ya, it's hard. I love Louisville's music scene, the restaurants, the people here, the culture and just life in general. But the Ohio River is no Caribbean Sea.

I think we need a Metromix Virgin Islands. If we do, I volunteer to be its editor.

The food down there was good, but not really much different than the food here, since it's an American territory. The only difference is the price -- food there is extremely expensive! My best friend and I decided to save money by going grocery shopping and eating in our room. I couldn't believe how expensive the groceries were.

A loaf of bread -- just the plain sliced kind -- was $4. A half-gallon of milk was $5. But, the rum is dirt cheap. One liter of flavored Cruzan Rum was $8.99. All the alcohol down there was way cheaper than it is here, and alcohol is pretty darn cheap in Kentucky.

The signature drink down there is the Pain Killer. I had way too many of these. I liked them, but I didn't love them because they have coconut in them.

Here's a recipe:

2 oz. rum

1 oz. cream of coconut

4 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. orange juice

Shake or stir ingredients, and pour over ice in a tall glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top, and serve.

My friend didn't enjoy the nutmeg, but I love nutmeg, so I thought it was cool.

Here's a new drink I created on vacation out of being poor. I'm going to call it the Virgin Lisa, just because I think it's funny.
Equal parts Cruzan Raspberry Rum and pomegranate-flavored mixer. Mix in a blender with ice. Drink it by the pool with your cabana boy.

I'm telling you, it's awesome. Tastes like a SweetTart.

Metromix Launch Party

Lisa Hornung — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:40:41 GMT

Saturday, Oct. 4, is Metromix's official launch party at Prime Lounge -- Ignite the Night!

I wish I could be there, but unfortunately, I had already made travel plans when the party plans were made. They didn't want to work around my schedule (humph -- I can't imagine why), so the party will be sans-Lisa.

But you can still have a great time without me and celebrate all you love about Metromix.

We'll also have a photographer there, so look for photos tomorrow!

Don't spill your wine

Lisa Hornung — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:34:35 GMT

This is nuts. Check out this wine holder neck strap that holds your wine in place.

It's like a lanyard for your drink. Now, my friends know I'm notorious for spilling drinks all over myself, so in theory, this would be a good idea. But one little bump, and it's all over me anyway. I think I'd drink wine from a sippy cup first.

You can buy it here for $24.95.

New Mexican near U of L

Lisa Hornung — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:09:24 GMT

There's a new Mexican restaurant, Senor Iguanas, in the same shopping center of the Kroger on Second Street. It's right across from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

I went there the other day with some friends, and we were pleasantly surprised. It's pretty authentic, but instead of just chips and salsa, they also had another sort of dip on the table. It tastes like a spicier ranch dip. We heard some people at the next table ask the server what it was, and he said he had no idea.

The only complaint I had is that when we went to pay, there was a long line for the cash register. I'd much rather be sitting at my table waiting for a server than standing in line waiting to pay. I know most Mexican restaurants have you pay on your way out, but they should reconsider.

If it weren't lunch time, I would have definitely tried the margaritas. They looked yummy.

I'm also very glad to have a Mexican place open close to my house, which is about a mile away. Welcome to the neighborhood, Senor! Senor Iguana's has a sister, in Clarksville

Welcome to the blog

Lisa Hornung — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:52:28 GMT

Welcome back, readers! I used to blog about food and restaurants for Velocityweekly.com, but for the last several months I've been launching and editing Metromix.

Now we're trying to start blogs here on the site, so I'm going to try to blog here about food and bars and such.

Hope you'll become a regular reader.