Doesn't it look like a meal fit for a king?  Or at least for a 20-something amateur blogger with limited time on his hands?  I had a good dinner tonight, and while I generally groan in disgust at the snore that is most food blogs, I thought this might be a nice change of pace.  Also I've had an insanely busy month at work.  Also there's alcohol to discuss.  So let's get to it.

These beauties have been hibernating in my *gasp* freezer for the past month.  I got them on sale and didn't find a suitable night until now to treat them properly.  The freezer did no damage to them, trust me, they were delicious.  About 1 1/4 - 1 1/2" thick, these are bone-in New York Strips.  I'm starting to love the bone-in versions a lot better, not least of all because they are cheaper.  Anyway, with the bone-in steaks I like a simple, natural flavor, so I minimize the seasoning.  I make a really good marinade with Worcestershire (it took me 5 minutes to figure out how to spell that stupid word) sauce, red wine and various kinds of seasoning, but not for these.  For these, I used Bourbon-seasoned black pepper, Bourbon-aged Worcestershire sauce, a little fresh garlic, and of course, a buttery spread.  Any variation of buttery spread or butter probably works just as well.  Also, I managed to talk about bourbon in a post about a night on which I didn't drink any bourbon... I know it sounds like a sad tale, but it gets better.

These are the two key ingredients.  Seriously, that's about all you have to do.  With pepper and Worcestershire sauce all you really need is to pour it on the steaks and press it into the meat with your fingers just before you grill, no need to wait for a marinade to sink it.  Those above, as far as I know, can only be bought locally or online here: http://bourbonbarrelfoods.com/shop/sauces-marinades/bourbon-barrel-worcestershire-sauce.  That company is doing some fantastic things with bourbon and the used barrels; and by fantastic things I mean they are basically covering everything in bourbon and selling it and it's awesome.

As far as how to grill the steak, that's up to you.  I turned the heat up all the way then slightly down right before I put the steaks on; I'd recommend having water nearby if you put the butter on the steak pre-grill like I did, there will inevitably be some excess flames, which makes the outside layer char quite a bit faster, but as long as you don't keep it on too long you can still cook it rare-to-medium-rare which is right about where these two ended up (because of the thickness).  

So, if I didn't drink bourbon, what did I drink?  Good question.  I have been known to open a bottle of red wine from time to time.  Yes, yes, primarily it's all bourbon, but red wine is just as classy and it's delicious, and goes great with red meat.  Also less calories than beer.  This is probably one of my favorite wines; if you can't read the picture it's a merlot from Napa Valley.  I won't pretend to be a wine connoisseur, and I definitely don't know the lingo.  I'll refer you to this website, where the author describes wine as if he knew what he was talking about.  All I know is I like a dry wine with a full flavor, rose or other floral notes and maybe hints of blackberry or other dark red fruits.  There.  That was my lame attempt at a wine description.  But seriously, if you like red wine, try this one out.  

Anyway, tonight was a pretty successful grilling night with one of my roommates, and I'm glad you're still reading this boring food post.

Look at that beautiful Superdome; the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.  The city of New Orleans has hosted an NFL record of 7 Super Bowls (actually 7 is the number of times the 'Dome has hosted a Superbowl, my Alma Mater hosted three more at Tulane Stadium, for a combined total of 10 Superbowls hosted in New Orleans!), and she's never looked better.  This photo brings me back to an eclectic, diverse, strong and incredible city which holds a special place in my heart.   Right now, she's hosting Superbowl number XLVII (that's 47 for anyone who can't read Roman Numerals!) and it's the Baltimore Ravens vs the San Francisco 49ers.  This has been an interesting football season, and being a New Orleans Saints fan, this season has been particularly difficult to watch, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the festivities!

However, this song takes hold even more right now, as I sit in a friend's house in Rhode Island (the Navy takes you all over, many places temporarily).  New Orleans was where I went to college, learned to love football, learned about an incredibly deep and diverse music culture (actually they have a whole lot more than just music); it's where I learned to love seafood, where I turned 21, where i met one of my best friends, and where I met the most incredible woman in my life.  New Orleans most definitely holds a special place in my life, and I'm proud of her as she hosts this year's Superbowl!  I have a few more photos I'd like to show, as I've seen many similar ones on Facebook and I'd like you to enjoy them and if you've never visited New Orleans you need to stop by!  Feel free to contact me if you would like any recommendations of places in New Orleans for your visit!

So this is my first post!  I know the name is "guitarsandbourbon.com" so I really expected my first post would be mainly about music, but since the BAMA vs ND game was last night I couldn't pass up on a good topic.  So here we go!

As any man should, I love football and, as were most football fans, I was looking forward to watching the game with some friends and family.  We decided on the Mellow Mushroom, which by now is a pretty large pizza chain.  If you haven't heard of it, I would look up a locator (okay here I did it for you) to try some southern style pizza.

It began in 1974 in Atlanta and has since expanded.  As my brother-in-law described it, "they do a great job of NOT making it feel like a chain restaurant."  Obviously they have lots of different pizzas, and I tried what was called the "Mellowterranean", a pizza complete with olives, feta cheese and a side of tzatziki sauce (it didn't disappoint!).  From what I could gather out of one visit, they have a plethora of other options, such as calzones, quality sandwiches, and a popular appetizer involving pretzels and a cheese made with Abita Turbodog beer (why are you still reading this?)  Some items are certainly regional, so expect to see some variations; which brings me to the beer.  In my home state of Kentucky and the relatively new location in Louisville on Shelbyville Road, they offer some of Kentucky's little-known but up and coming beers, including multiple beers finished in bourbon barrels (such as Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale).   All-in-all, I recommend it to all beer, sports and pizza lovers.  Here's a shot of the inside:

So anyway, back to football:  I would be lying if I said I've never been anywhere better to watch sports, but this is still way above average.  The large beer selection, varied tables with high-and-low tops, elbow room throughout and a generous helping of TVs all form a great atmosphere for sports, and we were there to watch football after all.  I love my SEC so you can bet who I was rooting for, and I wasn't disappointed!