Happy Trails

Just Four Chords

Salmaan found this video--I love it!

My Grass is Blue

A few weekends ago Salmaan and I headed on down to Puny Bueny (the rolling hills from which I hail) to check out some bluegrass and local organic cooking. The Punch Brothers were playing at Lime Kiln, and I purchased the tickets months ago. I'd never really heard anything from the Punch Brothers previously, but I had heard numerous live performances by Nickel Creek involving Chris Thile, and knew that if Punch was anything like NC, it would be a great show.

First, though, we headed to The Red Hen--a relatively new establishment that has found its home in an old law office in historic downtown Lexington. The location is pretty awesome--walking inside it's very small, and the kitchen is open to the restaurant. Given the nice weather, we opted for the patio, which was also unique--a roughly hand carved wooden fence separates the patio from the brick sidewalk, and we were told this was the only place in Lex where you can formally eat outdoors. 

We started of course with some wine--there is an emphasis here on organic, biodynamic wines, which I thought was fabulous. We enjoyed a Napa Valley Zinfandel which I will be purchasing again, and the homemade rolls that came out, as well as the aperitif of sorts (a juice of rhubarb, beets, and vanilla) was interesting and inventive. For the first course, we enjoyed a Rabbit Osso Bucco. It was very good (I don't think I've ever had rabbit before, but there were definitely some liver and kidneys included that were very rich and flavorful). Then came the entrees, and this is where the Red Hen disappointed me. 

I had some local trout on a bed of Kale with wheat berries and bacon. Honestly? Everything was cooked very well, but there wasn't anything GREAT about it. The flavors were good but not wowing, and all in all I found it to be pretty bland. Salmaan got the pork chop with grits and broccoli, and he felt the the same way--that we could have made something more flavorful at home. I liked knowing that the trout was local, and that the kale and pork had come from a farm less than an hour away...but did that make for an amazing meal? Not so much. We dropped over $100 for dinner that night, and I felt like it was overpriced and not worth it. I would be EXCITED to drop $100 at many establishments here in Richmond--Osaka, Verbena, Ruth's Chris...I don't think we'll be back to the Red Hen again, unless it's to enjoy a few more of their appetizers, which as I mentioned before, were in fact, exceptional. 

After dinner we headed to the show. Lime Kiln is nestled back into a few acres of woods right outside of downtown Lexington, and it's a great venue. Natural and intimate, the crickets chirp as the sun sets, and the soul of bluegrass finds its home here. Most of my pictures were pretty blurry, but I got a few decent ones.

The band is fun and witty. Some of the music is difficult to understand--there are numerous tempo and key changes that don't feel very organic to me, but it's interesting, and always keeps you guessing. Thile's vocals were impressive--I didn't find him to be out of key once, and the banter between he and the rest of the band was very entertaining. It was also fun because we got to see the pianist and singer who performed at our wedding--and they each remembered us and said our wedding was the most fun they've ever had! Maybe they were just being nice, but it felt good to hear, all the same. The show lasted for a good 2.5 hours, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Seats were first come, first serve, and as you can see, we were very close to the stage. Here's a short video I took of the encore, which the crowd really enjoyed.

The next day we ambled our way home, and stopped at Veritas Vineyards for some Cabernet Franc and a cheese plate. 

So gorgeous there--we'll have to go back soon. River enjoyed it as well.

Hope your weekend is full of good music, views, and tasty wine. We have a baby shower to attend this afternoon, and I'll probably be spending the rest of the evening reviewing materials for a Trial Advocacy program that I'll be attending all next week starting Sunday. It's in a different town, and I believe this will actually be the longest amount of time that Salmaan and I have spent apart since we've been married. Not looking forward to that aspect so much, or the idea of "homework" again, but I anticipate I'll learn a lot and hopefully meet some fun people along the way! Happy Saturday.