Saturday, October 25, 2008

Music, The Mind, and Bison

Most days I wake up with a song in my head. I have recently found out this is not true for everyone. It makes me wonder at the complexities of the human mind. I mean, what is it, exactly, that makes Bobby Brown's 1989 Ghostbusters II hit "On Our Own" or Madonna's 1984 song "Borderline"? I don't like it, but I have to be honest. Except that I do like the Bobby Brown song.
Throughout the day, there is always a song in my head. I often have no idea what triggered it, but yesterday I was able to reverse engineer the mechanism that got me from Elvis to Paul Simon to Jerry Lee Lewis to Jim Morrison to George Thorogood. All of these things make me wonder if it applies universally by profession, as if a chef wakes up craving a dish or a meal.

I've had some incredible times recently. One is Havana Rumba, a perpetual provider of comfort, cool, and mouthwatering cuban food. (Note to self: improve alliteration skills). Fricase de Pollo is my go to dish there, with the Cherna a la Parrilla (grilled grouper, rice, black beans, plantains) as a worthy backup. If only they'd bring back the Pollo Ropa Vieja....
One of the fantastic hidden gems of Louisville is Cumberland Brews, on bardstown road in the heart of the highlands. I was a bit early for the evening plans, so I stopped in next door neighbor Ray's Monkey House, a great coffee shop, sat outside with a latte and chugged through a portion of my current book, of which I'm on my final allowable renewal from the Library. It was a beautiful evening, the first nip of fall, and bardstown road is a great place to sit outside and have coffee.

Cumberland Brews is small and quaint, but one reason for its greatness lies in the fact that it has a hidden upstairs, a secret stairway that is as close to a speakeasy entrance that you'll find. Upstairs has four tables and a bar. That's it. I was there to watch the last presidential debate with some friends, and if ever there were a room for small informal gatherings that may or may not include the heat and rhetoric of politics, this is it. My recommendations include Octoberfest brew and the Bison Burger, which I must say, far exceeded my expectations and actually made me desire a burger again. I even took a picture of it with my phone. But it didn't do it justice. Ansel Adams couldn't do it justice.
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