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| Lexington |
| Kentucky is a fascinating state to explore, with its drastically different regions and its very traditional feel. Outside of Lexington, Louisville and a handful of small cities, the state has remained much more rural than most of the nation. "The State That Is What America Was" has been used to describe Kentucky and there is much truth to it. The restaurants echo this rural, small town, 1950s atmosphere. There are fewer chains and far more family owned restaurants than elsewhere. You are very likely to wander into a scene of local farmers and workers sitting at a counter arguing about basketball or politics. You're likely to find racks of homemade pies, a pot of soup brewed that morning, and a daily special made from locally grown produce. |  |
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The state outside Lexington is roughly divided into six regions and two cities. Each region comprises several counties and some, like East Kentucky, Western Kentucky and the Lake Cumberland Area, are quite large, with very small towns separated by drives of half an hour or more. We cannot review all the restaurants in the state, but we have selected what we think are the best. Some are very historic, such as Charit Creek Lodge, Pine Mountain Settlement, Boone Tavern, Beaumont Inn and Wolf's Tavern. Some are just authentic community institutions, often run by the same family for half a century or more. |
| These restaurants fit in well with weekends or weeklong trips focused on other goals. Kentucky has more miles of canoeable streams than any other state. It has outstanding hiking and backpacking. It is of course famous for horse farms and the tracks to race them : there are fine tracks in Lexington, Louisville, Northern and Western Kentucky. Mammoth Cave is the largest cave system in the world and Kentucky offers a dozen smaller but still beautiful and challenging caves elsewhere. There are historic sites, huge lakes, and rugged mountains. Back in the 50s Kentucky built the finest state park system in America, and while recent budget cuts have hurt maintenance, they're still impressive. Two national parks and three national recreation areas draw visitors, and fishermen can cast for Trout in the East, battle prehistoric Muskellunge in the Blue Grass or try for huge Paddlefish down at Kentucky Lake, where the Catfish are so large they pose a threat to divers inspecting the bridge pilings. Bear, Elk and Wildcat are common sights and coyote, fox and red wolves lurk cautiously in the underbrush. Red Tailed Hawks patrol the skies everywhere, and Golden Eagles rule over the Kentucky Lake waters. Paddlewheel steamboats pull into the Ohio River towns on their way from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, and you can white water raft below Cumberland Falls or in the Big South Fork Gorge. After a day of such adventuring, you'll be ready for a good meal. |  |
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You'll find average prices at Kentucky restaurants well below what you pay elsewhere while the quality and portions are about the same. One caution, however : in many small towns, restaurants close early. A 9 pm closing is not unusual and 10 pm is probably the latest you'll find. And you don't want to arrive too close to closing, because they budget very carefully and usually prepare for their daily average volume. It's quite possible they could be out of your favorite menu item, especially catfish, chicken fried steak or homemade pie, during the last hour of serving. So we highly recommend planning your dinner stop earlier in the evening. Also remember Kentucky is down home Old South traditional. That's probably why you're here. So outside the three urban areas, don't expect cutting edge cuisine. Out in the backwoods we're not big on exotic coffees, Thai Pizza or Gyros. Exotic here is Sassafras Tea, Spoonbread, Shoo Fly Pie, Squirrel Stew, Rabbit Hash and Barbeque. But we'll put our versions of these foods against any in the world. |
One more thing : beverages. We do beverages here. Our own. If you want to sample authentic Kentucky, you need to try our drinks. If you're into soft drinks, ask for Ale 8 One. They make it in Winchester from Canada Dry Ginger Ale aged in used Bourbon barrels trucked over from the distilleries in Bourbon and Anderson Counties. It's what is known as a "dry" soft drink. Very dry. Kentuckians who get transferred elsewhere (no one voluntarily moves away on their own) often have cases of Ale 8 shipped to them. If you're into wines, try some of our Dandelion or Watermelon wine or some of the more traditional Reds or Whites made in the Outer Blue Grass. We have 100 microbreweries making local beers. And then, of course, there are the major distilleries. We make every kind of whiskey, bourbon and brandy from our limestone fed springwater. Having been at this since before the War of 1812, we've gotten pretty good at it. At right is Ashley Judd. If you hang around the state much you'll see her. You may meet her. She's a University of Kentucky graduate (with four majors), a movie star, ex wife of racing star Dario Franchitti, a diehard UK basketball fan and very active in social causes, especially those involving girls and women. She crisscrosses the state, often speaking on campuses or at events, and holxds a masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard. If we elected a queen in Kentucky, she'd be it. Don't be shocked if she walks into the restaurant and sits in the next booth. Her movies are extremely popular in Kentucky. |
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| Lexington |
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