Thanksgiving Suggestions Around Kentucky [Now, Mammoth Cave]

Having thoroughly enjoyed our August roadtrip, the VI clan plan on taking a trip around Thanksgiving time. And seeing the fun Trixie-Pea, Pigmon and Suzy and Randy have had, we are off to Kentucky. Mostly, it will be about exploring caves, eating BBQ and sourcing country hams (and we have a lot of resources for that kinda stuff). That said, we will need a Thanksgiving dinner.

Now, this is a broad (very) query, but I am hoping someone will have the ideal thing. We are looking for something classey, but real, authentic if you know what I mean, like some old hotel/Inn. We are not looking for haute/serious, but I'm not thinking cheap either.

Again, I have no idea where it we expect to be on Thanksgiving beyond south of Chicago, but generally I am thinking in the Ownesboro or Bowling Green area, but if there is something very worthwhile in Louisville or Lexington; maybe all the way to Cincinati if there are no good options in between. We might also consider Nashville, but I do not want to feel pressed to make it that far, assuming we leave on Tuesday.*

Any ideas are appreciated.

*Yeah, sure I can make it to Nashville from Chicago in one day, but that's exactly NOT the point...

There is the Boone Tavern Inn in Berea, KY south of Lexington. That would meet the classy standard and they have a pretty good restaurant.

Personally, when we head down to the Louisville area, we generally stay at the Embassy Suites east of town for $45-60 through Priceline/Hotwire.

I would second Boone Tavern, as it's a very nice restaurant (my favorite chess pie was had there), and Berea College (in the same town) is very interesting -- the first integrated college in the south, and a college that maintains to this day a maximum income level for admission. All students as part of their education must work, so most of the wait staff at the Tavern will be students working to pay off their tuition. Also, there are wonderful craft shops throughout the town of Berea, and also student crafts -- like quilts, woodwork, and etc. -- for sale. We still have a really wonderful all-handmade skittles game that we brought back from Berea, which we all still enjoy playing. The Tavern -- which is also an historic inn -- is also a really nice place to stay. I forget whether you have young kids, but if you do (or if you just like sports) -- don't miss the Louisville Slugger museum and factory tour and the Kentucky Derby museum in Louisville, and the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington is beautiful. Another dinner idea could be the Claudia Saunders restaurant outside Louisville, which is the original Colonel Saunders place. It's in a plantation-style building on pretty grouds; the food is good, served buffet style. Another possibility would be to stay at one of the state parks. We stayed at the Jenny Wiley State Lodge in the eastern part of the state, which is very beautiful country, and which had very nice cabin-style accomodations. My kids still fondly recall the food served in the dining room, which was buffet-style and good food of the type you'd expect in Kentucky: fried chicken, sliced ham, biscuits and gravy, etc. Dining there was an interesting learning experience for the kids, as we were the only family that did not say grace before meals (not part of our Jewish--fallen-away-baptist--agnostic family traditions). I bet they do nice things at Thanksgiving.

Rob,

Maybe sometime you can post on Cooking and Shopping your list of country ham sources. Not only would it make an interesting post, I would guess others might provide sources not yet know to us.

Regards,

I third Boone Tavern -- I've stayed there and eaten there a couple times and it would be perfect for what you want. IF you can get a reservation, that is... (it might already be booked up). Also, it's beyond Lexington so not so close to your other destinations.

Maybe look on tripadvisor for b&b's/inns in western Kentucky that might offer dinner?

Cathy2 wrote:Rob,

Maybe sometime you can post on Cooking and Shopping your list of country ham sources. Not only would it make an interesting post, I would guess others might provide sources not yet know to us.

Regards,

You'll have to wait until after the trip!

If you end up in the Nashville area, try Miller's Grocery in Christiana, TN.
Good home cooking and live music on the weekend dinners in an old grocery store.

http://www.millersgrocery.com/

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Lunch:
Tuesday - Friday 11am to 2pm
Dinner: Friday & Saturday 5:30 to 9pm by reservation featuring live music
Saturday: Lunch 11am to 2pm
Sunday: Buffet 11am to 2pm by reservation
Monday: Closed


Miller's Grocery
7011 Main Street - Christiana, TN 37037
(615) 893-1878

VI,
half an hour south of Lexington is the beautiful Shaker Village which offers accommodations and dining in a very beautiful setting. It is a beautiful place and I imagine the accommodations are quite pleasant. I have herad good things about the food served but have not eaten there, only visted the Village during the day.

http://www.shakervillageky.org/

Thomas

Although it's not traditional Southern cooking (unless you consider south of the border Southern), one of my favorites in Louisville is the Mayan Gypsy. They specialize in authentic Yucatecan and Guatamalen dishes. And, they have Xingu beer (in the bottle.) This place is truly an original.

A great source for Louisville eating is Robin Garr's site, Louisville HotBytes. I travel to Louisville regularly and this is a dynamite resource.

Louisville HotBytes
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/

Mayan Gypsy
Mayan Gypsy
624 E. Market St.
Louisville
(502) 583-3300

Robin Garr, expert on wines and Louisville dining. He was a regular on the old CompuServe Travel Forums.

The Brown Hotel in Louisville (http://www.brownhotel.com/) should help fit the classy part. From a culinary perspective, it is the home of the Hot Brown sandwich (http://www.brownhotel.com/hotbrown.php3). A good friend of mine lives in Louisville and when recently queried let me know that there wasn't much available in Louisville that was worth searching out on the culinary front in his opinion.

deesher wrote:A good friend of mine lives in Louisville and when recently queried let me know that there wasn't much available in Louisville that was worth searching out on the culinary front in his opinion.

Hmmm. I'd have to disagree, although I don't live there. As I posted earlier, the Mayan Gypsy is wonderful. More upscale and creative is Lilly's, maybe not of Grant Ashatz caliber, but still excellent. I've had one of the best paellas anywhere at De La Torre's. This Spanish restaurant has tapas but it's not a tapas place. Rather, classic Spanish cooking. And I've never been disappointed with the Vietnam Kitchen. Reasonable prices, the usual and some unusual items on the menu. Ingredients are fresh and prep is right on. Unfortunately one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall places is closed - Me Oh My Jumbalay. This was a real experience!

ABB, have you been to Proof on Main? That's on my short list for Louisville.

Vital Information wrote:ABB, have you been to Proof on Main? That's on my short list for Louisville.

I have not. But, I'll be in Louisville again in about 3 weeks and might give it a try. If so, I'll report back.

VI -- I hope I am not being presumptuous, but it occurred to me to recommend some reading for you while you’re traveling around Kentucky (and excuse me if you’re familiar with these books already; most people aren’t). Perhaps my favorite author is the Kentuckian Harriette Arnow, and I always like to seize an opportunity to urge people to read her books. Arnow is little known outside her home state, though her works appear from time to time in women’s studies courses. Her best known work is The Dollmaker, which achieved some notoriety many years back when it was made into a dreadful made-for-tv movie starring Jane Fonda. The Dollmaker tells the story of a family from the Kentucky hills that migrates to Detroit during WWII, and the tremendous sacrifices the family (and especially the mother) makes to adjust to life there. But for your trip I’d recommend Arnow’s book Hunter’s Horn, which is set entirely in Kentucky. Arnow loved rural Kentucky and knew it intimately, and her books are marked by lyrical, detailed descriptions of the land, including the flora and fauna, and of the lives of the people who lived and worked on it. It’s an added plus reading Hunter’s Horn if you are fond of dogs, as central to the plot is one of the main character’s relentless pursuit of a particular fox, and of this man’s relationship with the hounds he trains to hunt it. Though my discourse here may seem tangential to this board, there’s actually quite a bit about food in Arnow’s books, since she focuses so much attention on farming and on women’s lives. I’ll warn you that all Arnow’s novels are grievously tragic, though they are imbued with a love for people and a faith in their essential goodness. If you’d prefer non-fiction, Arnow also wrote two histories of the Appalachian region: Seedtime on the Cumberland and Flowering of the Cumberland, and there is a lot about food, and how it was raised, in those books. I believe all the above mentioned books are in print, available on Amazon etc., and always for sale in places in Kentucky like the Berea College book store.

I hope this isn't too late for your trip! We've always eaten extremely well in Louisville. Two places we've had excellent food and service at in the past are Azalea (3612 Brownsboro Rd. 502.895.5493) and the Uptown Cafe (1624 Bardstown Rd. 502.458.4212).

We tend to be in Louisville the weekend of the first Saturday in May, and both places have performed splendidly despite the large crowds that are in town that weekend. The wine lists at both places are admirable, and servers have always been happy to make knowledgeable recommendations based on the menus.

The food at both places is contemporary American and our party, which includes three children, has always felt at home and found food that pleases even those in picky-eating stages. I don't know if either place will be open for Thanksgiving, but I think that they are both worth a look if you're in the area.

We happened to be in Louisville earlier this month, and we had a terrific meal at the Uptown. We had fried green tomatoes and stuffed mushrooms to start, I had roasted pork with grit cakes and a glass of Sokol Blosser Evolution, and TSO had a good martini, a lobster pie that he thoroughly enjoyed, and a rich chocolate pie for dessert.

If you have some extra time in the region, you may be interested in a trip out to the Woodford Reserve distillery: it's out in the midst of horse country, so it is gorgeous, and it is fun to see the bourbon being made (and to taste it at the end of the tour)!

Have a wonderful time, and happy Thanksgiving, wherever you eat. I look forward to reading about your travels.

Thanks so much for the help so far. Thomas, Shaker Village was an especially great suggestion. They were booked up for Thanksgiving (oh, why did I not act sooner!), but we have dinner planned for there on Wednesday. Thanksgiving will be at Proof on Main in Louisville.

Now, would anyone know this: Mammoth Caves/Cave City area? I have very low expectations, but you never know.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Rob

Vital,

If you have a strong desire to break away from those two miserable kids you're raising (Seriously, some of the nicest kids you'll ever meet. I want to hang out with these two as adults: the first derivatives of true foodies. One can only imagine the kind of great eateries they will be discovering in the year 2025!), go the the Galt House Hotel and check out the Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar downstairs. An amazing selection of bourbons. Many of which you'll never see in these parts.

If you love bourbon, this is a real treat.

After we got fully krausened there because we had to try everything we couldn't get at home (OK, I admit, we also tried some that we could readily get at home as well), I remember our bill was laughably cheap.


Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar (Galt House Hotel)
140 North Fourth St
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 589-5200

PIGMON wrote:Vital,

If you have a strong desire to break away from those two miserable kids you're raising (Seriously, some of the nicest kids you'll ever meet. I want to hang out with these two as adults: the first derivatives of true foodies. One can only imagine the kind of great eateries they will be discovering in the year 2025!), go the the Galt House Hotel and check out the Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar downstairs. An amazing selection of bourbons. Many of which you'll never see in these parts.

If you love bourbon, this is a real treat.

After we got fully krausened there because we had to try everything we couldn't get at home (OK, I admit, we also tried some that we could readily get at home as well), I remember our bill was laughably cheap.


Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar (Galt House Hotel)
140 North Fourth St
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 589-5200

Thanks! As luck will have it, that is EXACTLY where we are staying in Louisville!

If you're in Louisville for breakfast, I'd take the kids to Lynn's Paradise Cafe http://www.lynnsparadisecafe.com. Very good food (a great Hot Brown; excellent milk shakes; good biscuits), friendly service, and a fun atmosphere for the family. My kids loved it there.

Thomas D. wrote:VI,
half an hour south of Lexington is the beautiful Shaker Village which offers accommodations and dining in a very beautiful setting. It is a beautiful place and I imagine the accommodations are quite pleasant. I have herad good things about the food served but have not eaten there, only visted the Village during the day.

http://www.shakervillageky.org/

Thomas

Thomas, great suggestion! I'll post when I get back, but we really enjoyed our meal last night.

Rob,

Don't know if you're headed towards Bowling Green, and it's been almost 30 years, but had some outstanding BBQ at:

Smokey Pig BBQ
2520 Louisville Rd.
Bowling Green, KY

We ate BBQ every day for 6 weeks on a road trip, Smokey Pig was day 1 and the best of the trip.

Enjoy.
Ann

JLawrence01:

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for the recommendation. I ate myself stupid at Miller's Grocery today. Fresh grilled lime pepper trout, broccoli casserole, green beans, corn bread and a whopping piece of chocolate caramel Heath bar cake. The fruit tea (spiked with pineapple) was awesome. And the sheer number of congealed salads offered would've made my grandmother weep.

The place really reminds me of Joe's Dreyfus Store in Livonia, LA. A whistle stop cafe in the middle of nowhere with really solid, sentimental home-style cookin'.

This is my third day of the book tour/road trip South. I'll post about my other food stops in the appropriate threads...

crrush wrote:JLawrence01:

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for the recommendation. I ate myself stupid at Miller's Grocery today.

Truly glad that you enjoyed it. The wife and I make about two retirement trips to Nashville per year trying to find which town that we want to relocate to in 5-10 years. We were in Murfreesboro and saw Miller's Grocery in a library book.

The only problem with MG is that it is darned hard to find at night. The whole town is a whistle stop on an old railway about 100 yards off the main drag.

If anyone heads out there, head there on the weekends when they feature LIVE music.

PIGMON wrote:If you love bourbon, this is a real treat.
....
Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar (Galt House Hotel)
140 North Fourth St
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 589-5200

On our recent trip to Louisville, Cookie and I stayed at the Galt House and had the pleasure of only needing to stumble into an elevator to get home from the Jockey Silks.

I'm a bourbon novice, but I earned a couple stripes at that bar.

Jockey Silks has somewhere in the area of 80 bourbons available. They'll mix up a variety of different drinks, but the real draw is a neat pour in a small snifter, served with a separate glass of ice and a water back. Most pours are in the $7-$12 range, with a few notable outliers. You can craft your own flight with smaller half-price pours--this is the way to go.

This is about 1/3rd of the selection at the Jockey Silks


Our friendly, knowledgeable, and seasoned bartender (she's a 30-year veteran of the Galt House) sets up my first flight of bourbons I won't find in Chicago


Cookie had one of their signature cocktails, and she got to keep the glass!


Thanks for the recommendation, PIGMON. I would have probably passed right by this place without noticing it had I not known what went on inside.

Best,
Michael

ToniG wrote:If you're in Louisville for breakfast, I'd take the kids to Lynn's Paradise Cafe http://www.lynnsparadisecafe.com. Very good food (a great Hot Brown; excellent milk shakes; good biscuits), friendly service, and a fun atmosphere for the family. My kids loved it there.

Yes, indeed. Lynn's is a heck of a nice place with quite a eclectic decor, outside and in:



Inside, all kinds of kitschy art, toys, ugly lamps (from their ugly lamp contest at the state fair).

Oh yeah, and the food is good too. I plowed through my biscuits and gravy so fast that I barely had time to get to know them. I do remember big, hearty, crusty-outside-soft-inside biscuits. These are biscuits with an attitude, not for novices:



There were a lot of creative menu items, most of which were a little too complex for my tastes that morning. I'll be back to see what else Lynn's can do.

Best,
Michael

Lynn's Paradise Cafe
984 Barret Ave.
Louisville, KY
(502) 583-3447

eatchicago wrote:There were a lot of creative menu items, most of which were a little too complex for my tastes that morning.

That may be the most polite way I've ever seen Hangover described.

G Wiv wrote:

eatchicago wrote:There were a lot of creative menu items, most of which were a little too complex for my tastes that morning.

That may be the most polite way I've ever seen Hangover described.

There's a reason I posted about the bourbon bar before the breakfast. Good catch.

I'm glad you visited and enjoyed Lynn's, in whatever state your mind and stomach were in. One thing that's great about the place, I think, and which you can't quite get a sense of in your lovely picture, is that they have lots of furniture scattered about outside, and so when there's a wait on weekend mornings, they hand out coffee free and have newspapers on hand so that you can sit comfortably while waiting. We thought it was a swell place several years ago, and I'm glad to hear it still is.

eatchicago wrote:There were a lot of creative menu items, most of which were a little too complex for my tastes that morning.

That almost looks like a "multgrain biscuit" (lower part of the photo), if there were ever such a thing. I'm sure it's just photo tricks being played on my mind.