Need kentucky Bourbon Festival Advice

[Enoch]

My wife and I are planning to go to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival this year. It seems all hotels in Bardstown are reserved. I need advice on alternative towns/hotels to stay and also do most of you attend all week or are there some days that are better than others. Thanks

[IowaJeff]

We stayed at the Bourbon Cottage when we were there. No idea if its available, but it was very nice.

http://www.bourboncottage.com/

[callmeox]

My wife and I are planning to go to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival this year. It seems all hotels in Bardstown are reserved. I need advice on alternative towns/hotels to stay and also do most of you attend all week or are there some days that are better than others. Thanks

Some have had luck staying in Elizabethtown or Louisville and commuting.

My recommendation is to get on the waiting list of as many hotels as you can while hedging your bet with a room elsewhere. Rooms will free up as the festival approaches.

For most SB'ers the Festival is secondary to other activities like the gazebo and get togethers hosted by other members. For me, the can't miss events are the barrel rolling competiton on Saturday morning and the Four Roses breakfast on Friday. Other than that, the festival is like the county fair.

[cowdery]

And not much happens before Friday, though if you're planning to visit distilleries, that's a good thing to do earlier in the week.

In addition to e-town there are similar interstate hotel clusters at Shepherdsville and Brooks, both of which are nearer to Bardstown than Louisville is. However, Louisville is good if you also want to partake of an urban center with good restaurants and other diversions Bardstown cannot offer.

Another tip for first time Festival-goers, you may be surprised to learn that Bardstown boasts several locally-owned and excellent Mexican restaurants.

[IronHead]

Another tip for first time Festival-goers, you may be surprised to learn that Bardstown boasts several locally-owned and excellent Mexican restaurants.

Unfortunately that's about the extent of Bardstown's restaurant scene. Though I've not been to Circa.

[cowdery]

I hear you. I've had a good meal at Xavier's but have heard it's hit or miss with them. Kurtz's is very good for what it is and is where the locals go for a 'nice' dinner. I've heard good things about Kreso's (Eastern European cuisine) but haven't been. That's about it. And the Big Whaler fried fish sandwich at Moby Dick.

[nblair]

I highly recommend going to BJs Bar & Grill to get their Prime Rib on Friday or Saturday in Bardstown. You won't see any white table cloths (in case the name doesn't give that away...), but it's better than most other options in town.

[smokinjoe]

I can definitely recommend Kreso's. I've had more than a few good meals there. Mammy's Kitchen has good breakfasts in a small-town diner setting. Also at Mammy's, I had one of the most awesomest, hangover destroying, stomach fillin', lip-smackin', fried baloney sammiches I've ever eaten in 7 seconds, in my entire life. I'm drooling just thinking about it. :yum:

[IronHead]

I hear you. I've had a good meal at Xavier's but have heard it's hit or miss with them. Kurtz's is very good for what it is and is where the locals go for a 'nice' dinner. I've heard good things about Kreso's (Eastern European cuisine) but haven't been. That's about it. And the Big Whaler fried fish sandwich at Moby Dick.

[camduncan]

I can definitely recommend Kreso's. I've had more than a few good meals there. Mammy's Kitchen has good breakfasts in a small-town diner setting. Also at Mammy's, I had one of the most awesomest, hangover destroying, stomach fillin', lip-smackin', fried baloney sammiches I've ever eaten in 7 seconds, in my entire life. I'm drooling just thinking about it. :yum:

[Bourbon Boiler]

I've stayed in Elizabethtown on business many times. There's a pretty decent hotel selection right off the interstate, and a lot of the $12 dinner chain restaraunts as well. The restaraunts can now serve alcohol (E-town was dry about a decade ago), but I don't think there are liquor stores or bars.

[fishnbowljoe]

In addition to e-town there are similar interstate hotel clusters at Shepherdsville and Brooks, both of which are nearer to Bardstown than Louisville is.

Another tip for first time Festival-goers, you may be surprised to learn that Bardstown boasts several locally-owned and excellent Mexican restaurants.

[flintlock]

Unfortunately that's about the extent of Bardstown's restaurant scene. Though I've not been to Circa.

Really good sushi at the Japanese place across the street from the Hampton...

[Pirate762]

The Talbot Tavern is a must eat at for my girlfriend and I. She loves the KY hot brown there. I like it too. Kreso's is good as well.

For a really different meal try the Chapeze House. It was one of the highlights of the KBF for us last year. $30.00 for a great meal. I have paid much more and not enjoyed it nearly as much. Add to the mix that the Colonel has an amazing collection of bourbons and its hard to beat.

Last thing, and I'll hush, the cafe at Makers Mark was pretty good when we were there.

[callmeox]

The Talbot tavern is hit and miss. I was really disappointed when I bought dinner there a couple years ago during KBF.

Don't ask gburger what he thinks of it. :bigeyes:

[cigarnv]

Kreso's is the closest I have found to "better" restaurant food in Bardstown. Worth a try..

[T Comp]

The pan fried chicken at Kurtz was as good as any I've had throughout this country. After enjoying it immensely and complimenting the owner she mentioned that last fall during the Breeders cup they received numerous out of town reservations and were slammed over that weekend. Unbeknownst to them was a mention in the New York Times about their fried chicken.

[Josh]

The pan fried chicken at Kurtz was as good as any I've had throughout this country. After enjoying it immensely and complimenting the owner she mentioned that last fall during the Breeders cup they received numerous out of town reservations and were slammed over that weekend. Unbeknownst to them was a mention in the New York Times about their fried chicken.

I second that. When at Kurtz try the Kentucky Combination. 2 pieces of fried chicken and a slice of country* ham. Follow that up with a cup of the bourbon biscuit (bread) pudding and that's one of the best meals you'll ever have. The portions are reasonable too.

As a side bar, they also serve Kentucky wine by the glass or bottle and it is reasonably priced. It can't really compete with Michigan wine, let alone wine from NY, Cali, Oregon or Washington, but I think it's a cool thing to enjoy some local wine alongside a local meal. We got a bottle of the Elk Creek Vidal Blanc (IIRC) for the table and it did nicely.

*No, that's not just a charming name. For the uninitiated, Country Ham is a real thing. It's like prosciutto or serano ham, but better.

[callmeox]

Country ham is salt cured and from one piece of the pig. City ham is sugar cured and is often the marriage of multiple sections of meat.

The country ham at Kurtz is phenomenal.

[IronHead]

Country ham is salt cured and from one piece of the pig. City ham is sugar cured and is often the marriage of multiple sections of meat.

The country ham at Kurtz is phenomenal.

[DeanSheen]

RE Hams: When I buy Ham lunch meat I always get "Ham off the Bone".

My grandparents used to buy chipped ham, that stuff was nasty! I've never had Fresh Ham.

[IronHead]

RE Hams: When I buy Ham lunch meat I always get "Ham off the Bone".

My grandparents used to buy chipped ham, that stuff was nasty! I've never had Fresh Ham.

[mosugoji64]

The missus and I went to Kurtz's while there for the sampler. We decided it was the restaurant that time forgot. But like you said, it is good for what it is. It's just been that for decades

Joe, we checked out Mammy's on Sunday morning. Not a bad breakfast at all. I didn't take a long look at their dinner menu, though.

[Josh]

I can vouch for breakfast at Mammy's. HUGE omelets and the wife loved the fried potatoes.

We had lunch at mammy's. I got the lunch hot brown. It was terrible. The service was almost as bad too.

I'm thinking I should have gotten the fried bologna.

[lilsweetpea]

My wife and I are planning to go to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival this year. It seems all hotels in Bardstown are reserved. I need advice on alternative towns/hotels to stay and also do most of you attend all week or are there some days that are better than others. Thanks

I thought the same and the best advice I have is to call. It seems they have locked off their rooms online, but I called and received a room confirmation right away.