My name is Mike Spurlock, I am based in Louisville, Kentucky and I love food & drink. My tastes and experiences cover a fairly wide variety. Louisville is a great town if you like independent restaurants and culinary diversity. In addition to living in a great food & drink town, I have had the privilege of traveling all over the Americas and Europe. When traveling, I always seek out the best experiences the town has to offer. Some might call me a foodie. However, I'm not sure the term foodie goes far enough. I prefer the term "culinary arts enthusiast" because it goes beyond food and includes beer, wine, and spirits. I also love to re-create awesome dishes, beers and cocktails and spend a lot of time just experimenting. Though I'm not a professionally-trained chef, I once started a restaurant from scratch and successfully operated that restaurant for several years. To that end, I study, focus and then learn by doing until I get it right.
Here, I would like to explain the purpose of this blog. I love trying out new restaurants, bars, craft breweries, distilleries and sharing details of my experiences with others. When the experience is really good, I want everyone to go there. When I find food and beer items I really like, I often attempt to re-create it in my own kitchen. When I become passionate about something, look out because I will try and try again until I succeed. When I succeed, I want to share the information and help you in your own quest to find the best experience or recreate that experience in your own kitchen. Often "cracking the code" involves persistence and a little luck. When I'm on to something truly special or can offer some inside information based on my experience, I want you to have it.
The food and beverage market is a target rich environment with no shortage of interesting topics. This blog will cover the spectrum from high-end white table cloth sit-down eateries to the independently-owned holes-in-the-wall (usually my favorite) and just about everything in-between. I may occasionally cover chains when the subject matter is right. But, my main focus is on independent restaurants doing truly unique things and doing them well. Understand that my visits are anonymous. I do not take freebies from restaurant owners, managers or staff who may attempt to influence my opinions. My observations will be honest and I hope, helpful. Sometimes I may just provide an overview of places I consider to be cool. Other times I may get really detailed. If you have suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Below is a general outline of my approach. I will visit several places within a chosen category. I will provide my notes on the places I consider to be at the top based on my experience. I will also list the places I visited that did not fall among my top picks. I plan to refrain from overly negative comments - every establishment can have a bad day. I may occasionally discuss things a place could do to improve, but there is enough negativity roaming social media and I do not wish to add to it. This business is tough enough without people like me piling on. The criteria for my ratings generally cover the following:
- Best overall experience
- Ordering process and fulfillment accuracy
- Presentation and/or packaging
- Food quality and taste
- Price
- Speed
- Creativity, innovation or other differentiators that make them stand-out
- Location and vibe
- Staff effort & customer service attitude
Then, I will offer my top food pick and attempt to recreate the item in my kitchen under a segment called "Mike Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is." In this segment, I will create a post walking you through techniques and process from preparation to plating. I expect that in some cases I will come close to recreating the best of the lot. In some cases, I will fail. Every once in a while, I might even surprise myself and come up with a recipe that tops the best of the lot.
I expect to refine my approach and content as I go, especially in response to feedback from readers (we should all reserve the right to get better). Overall, the emphasis will be on substance over form.
I hope you enjoy!
Mike
Comments
Post a Comment