Eddie Montgomery’s Steakhouse in Harrodsburg, Kentucky has to be seen to be believed. The place is gorgeous and the food is just as impressive. Whatever you do, you HAVE to order the Fried Green Tomatoes. Read on for something extra special about this appetizer.
As I mentioned in my last post (an open love letter to Double Dogs in Bowling Green, Kentucky!), Saturday, my husband and I actually ate out twice. As a food blogger who cooks often (and loves every second of it), this was kind of a departure from the norm. But, hey, when someone else has to do the dishes and other people take care of the clean up, you won’t find this gal complaining – especially when the food is as extraordinary as it was in each of the places we visited.
I’ve already told you all about Double Dogs, now I’m anxious to tell you all about our supper at Eddie Montgomery’s Steakhouse in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. First of all, I have to point out that I am the biggest Montgomery Gentry fan in the world. I have all of their cds, I know all of the songs by heart, and I was in the front row (waving my arms, swaying, and singing out loud) when Eddie and Troy were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. What a night!
Needless to say, I was beyond excited at the thought of eating in Eddie Montgomery’s Steakhouse. He’s half of the greatest Country Music duo (or group or anything) of all time, he’s a fellow Kentuckian AND he’s a UK fan. He’s what we call a “sure thing” in these parts.
I have no idea what I was expecting, but what I experienced surpassed my every expectation. As we turned onto Lucky Man Way (don’t you love it?), my jaw completely dropped. The restaurant is absolutely stunning. And so big! My jaw just continued to stay on the ground as we walked into the gorgeous restaurant – it’s even more impressive inside, and that’s really saying something. Country music and UK fans will think they’ve died and gone to Heaven. If you happen to be like us (crazy fanatics for Country Music and UK), you’ll pinch yourself a couple thousand times.
Before I get to the food (and what food it was!), let me urge you to give yourself plenty of time to look around the restaurant and gift shop. Take in the entire experience, look at the gorgeous architecture inside and out, and.. by all means… check out all of the wonderful pictures on the walls! Eddie Montgomery’s colorful, outrageous personality comes through in every nook and corner and you’ll want to have time to soak it all in.
Now, onto the food!
We ordered Fried Green Tomatoes as an appetizer and they were brought out almost immediately. I was terribly preoccupied with the UK game on one of the many (many, many) television screens, as well as with my gorgeous surroundings – so, oddly enough, I didn’t catch the name of our server. She was, however, extremely friendly and had a colorful personality, like Eddie Montgomery, himself. The woman was on her game and I even told my husband at one point, “I’ll bet she knows as much about the food as the chef does!“ She was able to make outstanding suggestions and even gave us extra information about dishes we were considering. It’s a pet peeve when you ask a server a question and they look as lost as Judas. Then they back away, stammering, “I dunno… I’ll go check…”
That certainly didn’t happen with this lady. I was blown away by her expertise.
The Fried Green Tomatoes and Eddie’s outstanding dip. I took the picture after I’d already eaten one. I never claimed to have any self control.
I was even more blown away by the food! The fried green tomatoes were absolutely perfect – and they were served with an AMAZING dip that our server said was one of Eddie’s own recipes. I could have put that dip on one of my shoes and eaten it. It was Heavenly.
A bread basket (with real butter blended with honey, thank you very much) was brought to our table and refilled as necessary. LOVE that. The bread was out of this world delicious. Our server said that if diners preferred, they could have regular butter instead of the honey butter – but I can’t imagine why anyone would do such a thing. The honey butter was creamy perfection and a perfect accompaniment to the delicious rolls.
I ordered a steak, baked potato, and grilled asparagus. I assume my husband ordered something, but, quite frankly, I was in an “Oh My God, This Is All SO Amazing” zone, so I can’t say for certain what went on across the table. I found myself so deep in elation that the sound of Dick Vitale’s voice seemed angelic. Until the plate was empty, then it was business as usual.
The star of the show: An exceptional steak in an exceptional restaurant. Note the creamy, pale real butter served with the baked potato. No yellow margarine here.
The steak was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. It, alone, would have been worth the trip. Fortunately, it was accompanied by a flawless baked potato (served with sour cream and real butter – I’m a stickler for special details like butter, I can be in an amazing restaurant but somehow think a little less of the entire situation if I’m served canary-yellow margarine). The asparagus was also very flavorful and just crunchy enough. I HATE when asparagus wilts like a weakling. This grilled asparagus was perfect… like everything else.
The Bread Pudding! SO rich, so delicious, so perfect.
For dessert, we ordered Bread Pudding. YUM! Apparently the flavor of bread pudding changes, depending upon the day or night you’re there. We lucked out big time because we were served bread pudding with chocolate chips and caramel drizzled on top. Can you say rich deliciousness?!?!
The whole experience was perfection and have told everyone I know (and even those I don’t know) that Eddie Montgomery’s Steakhouse is a MUST SEE restaurant and the food is something you’re going to fall head over boots in love with. There’s nothing about the place I didn’t love and can’t wait to go back soon.
I urge you to check out the website, plan out your trip, and see what happens when a good ole Kentucky Boy makes a lifelong dream come true.
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- Crummy sides. I hate for a restaurant to rest on the laurels of their meat and/or main dishes. If it’s on your menu, it should be able to stand on it’s own, as if it were the ONLY thing on the menu.
- Unfriendly servers. If you read a restaurant review on Genuine Kentucky and the server is not mentioned, rest assured that they either weren’t very friendly or weren’t exactly on the ball. Or both!
- Unfriendly hosts and hostesses. Hello?! You’re paid to be friendly. Your job exists to welcome visitors and make them feel like you’re glad to see them.
- Off brand condiments. I LOVE to see a restaurant owner who cares enough about his/her guests to serve them Heinz or Hunt’s, Red Gold at the very least. Off brand Ketchup is gross. It screams “Someone’s cutting corners!!!”
- Overcooked fries. Come on, take them out before they’re brown. Brown fries aren’t cool.
- Watery soft drinks. Servers should be taught that if you see the beverage come out of the machine and there is NO fizzle, DO NOT serve it to the guests. Blech.
- Servers who “Push the Wrong Button.”Servers charging the wrong price for menu items is becoming an alarming trend. A server can get annoyed with a customer and, bam, “accidentally” hit the wrong button. A word to anyone who eats out: Examine your ticket. For example, if the restaurant offers 1/2 off Sushi, make certain your server doesn’t charge you the full price.
- I am, by nature, a very friendly guest when I visit restaurants. I always, always leave tips. When the service is good, I don’t just tip, I over tip! My oldest daughter is the same way. One sweetheart of a server in Olive Garden once got a $10 tip from us for lunch. She made us smile, so we wanted to make her smile. It’s really as simple as that.
- Real butter is always better than Margarine.
- Options, Please. As someone with a vegetarian daughter, I love for restaurants to offer completely meatless dishes. Bonus points for the restaurants, like Denny’s, with Boca Burgers on their menu.
