The Hot Brown is a very special sandwich. All the guides agreed it was the best single dish to get in Kentucky. It even has its own wikipedia page…
A Hot Brown sandwich (sometimes known as a Louisville Hot Brown or Kentucky Hot Brown) is an American hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It is a variation of traditional Welsh rarebit and was one of two signature sandwiches created by chefs at the Brown Hotel shortly after its founding in 1923. It was created to serve as an alternative to ham and egg late-night suppers.
I called ahead to place the order. I was coming from a communal farm and I was dressed like a dirty farmer. I hadn’t realized this was a super fancy place so that was kind of funny. The host seemed to find my appearance humorous. I was surprised that there was like a super lot of public street parking. I was the only person parked on the adjacent block.
It was about this point that I realized I had prepaid with no idea how much the sandwich actually costs. I checked my bank account and it was $26.50. This makes it the most expensive sandwich I have ever eaten, eclipsing even Oslo Norway’s sandwich prices.
The first thing that struck me when I got back in the car was the really nice smell coming off the sandwich. The first bite was divine. Watch it in real time below…