Fork, Cork, and Style=disappointment.

I should have known that Fork, Cork, and Style would be pretentious and dripping with moneyed socialites simply because it was at Churchill Downs.  The band sucked, the food was sparse (only 1 small portion per person), seating was bad, and the cooking demonstration with the Top Chef winners was the worst.  One of the winners was a blonde lady who was either drunk or trying to drum up excitement that wasn't there, because she kept screaming "Whoo!" and waving her hands unnecessarily.  The food that they created wasn't even that interesting---a chicken banh mi sandwich, and they were incoherent throughout.  The "Cork" portion would've added an extra $35/ticket, and the "Style" portion was actually a silent auction for tailgating food and gear.  

The only positive things about this were: 1.) I only spent $14 and not $29 (thanks Groupon!), 2.) Emeril's demonstration was very good, and 3.) I got to try one of Louisville's signature dishes, the Hot Brown.

The Hot Brown is an open-faced turkey sandwich with Mornay sauce, from the Brown Hotel (heh).  For some odd reason, this was in a mini pie crust, but that was ok with me.  The Mornay sauce is "a Béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added. Usually, it consists of half Gruyère and half Parmesan cheese, though some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, or white Cheddar." (Wikipedia).  This was decent, but definitely not a favorite.

Emeril was an excellent performer; humorous but in control of his food and presentation (unlike the Top Chefs).  He made grilled honey brined pork chops, grilled corn, white nectarine chutney, a cucumber/gin mixed drink, and sweet cornbread with stewed cherries as a dessert.