Jeff Ruby, owner of restaurants in Cincinnati, Louisville, and Belterra, Indiana, has become a bit of a cult hero in Kentucky. Not because he served a great steak, but instead because he refused to serve O.J. Simpson at his surf and turf joint on derby eve.
Ruby said he found Simpson in the Churchhill room of his "Jeff Ruby's Louisville" steakhouse and told Simpson, "I'm not serving you."
After telling Simpson to leave, he said the former NFL football star was "classy" about it, rounded up his party and left.
Then, Ruby said, he went into the Churchill Room to be sure they were gone and people at other tables started standing. "They all got up and gave me a standing ovation, started applauding."
Sounds like the Courier-Journal may want to re-think their Jeff Ruby's restaurant review:
They're not quite perfect for romantic dining tête-à-tête, but Jeff Ruby's Louisville, an outpost of an idiosyncratic mini-chain of steakhouses based in Cincinnati, doesn't pretend to offer an intimate experience.
So if you are are looking for a steakhouse in Louisville, that is sure to be O.J. free, look no further.
Street Sense may have walked away the winner of the 133rd Kentucky Derby, but you can't put a horse on the cover of US Weekly. Throughout the weekend, celebrity guests lined up for mint juleps and donned giant hats to fit in with old-school VIPs like Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, starting with Friday night's Barnstable Brown gala.
Better known as the place to meet the former Playboy model of your dreams, the gala played host to athletes like Bode Miller and Apolo Anton Ohno and stars like Melissa Joan Hart. Nick Lachey even had the cojones to bring new girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo after he and ex-wife Jessica Simpson had done the derby. Post-race, Kevin Federline used some of his remaining seconds of fame to get into the Stuff magazine VIP Issue party, hosted by Taryn Manning.
If they weren't in Loovull, they were in Las Vegas catching the Oscar de la Hoya-Floyd Mayweather boxing match. Jim Carrey took girlfriend Jenny McCarthy there to see the fight, and Eva Longoria cheered for de la Hoya (and hit his after-party at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, even though he didn't win).
There are two ways to enjoy the Kentucky Derby in Louisville--VIP or down and dirty.
VIP
You are going to want to get yourself to 21C hotel or The Barnstable Brown Gala. 21C, one of the coolest new hotels in the U.S., hosts a contemporary art museum and plenty of private parties. The hotel owners actually book out most of the properties 91 rooms, but visiting the hotel for drinks is not out of the question.
Advanced reservations are required to attend the $1700 per person Barnstable Brown Gala on Derby Eve. The dress code is black tie optional, and they mean it. Little known fact: Anna Nicole Met Larry Birkhead at 2004 Barnstable Brown Gala.
As for finding available Kentucky Derby hotels in Louisville for this year--forget it, focus on next year.
Down and Dirty Fourth Street Live is Louisville's version of Bourbon Street. Expect to find live bands, plenty of grind it out clubs, outdoor bars and restaurants. The crowd will be college kids with fake ids, twenty-somethings on a roadie, local and visiting corporate clones, and plenty of people from out of town.
To get there from Churchill Downs, take I-264 East to I-65 North. From I-65 North, take the Broadway exit. Take a left on Broadway then a right on 4th.
Going to the derby? In Louisville this weekend? Leave your derby visiting tips in the comments section.
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by markj
