Please. Have mercy. I've been wearing the same underwear since Tuesday.

May I recommend Bardstown, Kentucky?

So the drive from Arkansas up was pretty uneventful. There was a light smattering of rain here and there, and some fah-king crazy drivers I made sure to distance myself from. But mostly it was a really pretty drive. We spent most of the day driving through Tennessee, only stopping for a couple Americanos and Arby's.

Both cats were really well behaved. I did all the driving so Bourdain could sleep half on D, half on the seat. I'm sure he would behave for me, too, but I didn't want to rock the boat! Plus, I really do enjoy driving.

Now we're in Bardstown, which is just down the road from Lexington. It's quite small and quaint. I was afraid we'd be hard pressed to find decent food, but it turns out the food was the best part of the day!



This is a pretty neat write-up of someone's day in the town, highlighting Kurtz's Restaurant.



It's a cute place inside and out. There's even a motel right behind, sort of attached, that would probably be a great and reasonably priced place to stay.



I like the lemons and flowers, even if I am not sure why this has been done...



It is really good "Southern home cooking"--lots of fried chicken-type things, but I had a ham dish. We'll get to that in a moment, because it will take some time. But I think this town is a really popular place to stop off, considering its proximity to Louisville and Lexington.

(Side note, and asking your pardon in advance for being crude: we were soooooo close to stopping in Elizabethtown just so that I could avenge the hour of my life (I couldn't even finish it and I still want revenge) spent watching that utterly irritating piece of shit film (of the same name) by taking a very healthy dump there. It was just slightly out of our way, sadly. Ok, back to the point.)

So yes, this town is cute and worth stopping at along the way. Apparently others think so, too, since I did notice this when I was leaving the restaurant:



Hee hee.

So my dinner was the Virginia Baked Ham. That was damn yummy, BUT!! ALSO!! It came with a thick pineapple glaze, deeply baked apple slices (cinnamon!!), potatoes, green beans and cornbread.



HOLY. SHIT. It was just so, so good. Especially after all that driving. Wow.

I'm not done yet! Did you save room for PIE?! Kurtz's is also really famous for its pies. They have a cabinet in the back with four GIANT pies. You can't really tell in this picture since there's no point of reference, but they are so giant.



Our choices that night were coconut, chocolate or lemon. No contest. LEMON.



I was shoveling the remnants onto my fork, nearly licking the plate. omfg.

Both cats seem much more at ease here tonight. It's much quieter and they're getting to be pros. Sort of.

As for me, I'm having some of our leftover Arkansas beer, Diamond Bear, and watching the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award for Michael Douglas. It's pretty gooey, but luckily I've always liked him and he keeps getting all verklempt looking at the sentimental moments. It's kinda sweet, even if it is a big schmooze fest.

Here's hoping we can make it to Pennsylvania tomorrow!