I was beyond excited when I heard that we were getting a Logan’s Roadhouse in Owensboro, Kentucky.   My husband and I allowed the crowds to die down a little before going for the first time.  It’s been open for a while now, so we decided to visit them for supper last night.

It was the most unusual restaurant visit we’ve had in a while.

You know how it usually is with restaurants: Most of the time they’re either ALL good or ALL bad.  Owensboro’s Logan’s Roadhouse was like a tennis match – one thing was right, then the next was wrong, then one thing was right, then the next was wrong…

We’ll get the negatives out of the way first.   Have you ever seen my list of restaurant “pet peeves” that appears at the bottom of my restaurant reviews? I make a big to do out of hosts and hostesses that just really stink it up.  It may seem like a small thing, but think about it, your host/hostess is the first person a restaurant’s guests see, and often the last ones they see as they leave the restaurant. They’re kind of a restaurant’s ambassadors.  When I walked up to the hostess station at Logan’s, an older woman was going over something with a young girl.  I stood there for about a minute while she spoke with the girl (neither acknowledging me whatsoever). When they did look up at me, neither said, “Welcome” or even smiled. The older woman simply said, “How many?”  I told her two and she motioned toward another girl and said she’d show us to our table.

She did.  To her credit, this girl was friendlier.

Our server came and took our orders.  She was extremely friendly, by the way, causing me to think, “Now, she’d have made a great hostess!”

Another negative, however, involved our server, which grieves me greatly because I liked her a lot.   Someone from the kitchen brought our orders and put them in front of us – she turned and flew away before we realized that my vegetables were missing. It’s always best (and polite) to ask if everything looks right, THEN go back to the kitchen.  At the very least, the server should come back to her table and check up on everything.  Unfortunately, we were finished with our food before we ever saw our server again. We had to ask for our “to go” boxes along with my broccoli, which then went right into the box with our leftovers.

Final complaint: As we were leaving, we again walked right by one girl at the hostess station and one standing by the door.  Unlike Applebee’s, Olive Garden, TGI Friday’s, and other places – neither said a word.  No “Thanks, come back!” or even “Goodnight!”  Nothing.   Cold as a witch’s spine.  As we walked to our car, I couldn’t help thinking of the the extra friendly staff at Olive Garden.  Often, when we’re leaving there, three different people thank us for eating with them.  Then there’s Applebee’s where they often go so far as holding the door for you.

Whether restaurant managers or staffs realize it or not, these details matter.

Now for the positives!  If you’re writing a restaurant review and only half of it can be positive, I guess it’s a pretty good thing if that half involves the food!   I ordered the Raspberry Tea which was really good.  If you prefer your Raspberry tea to be very subtle, you’ll love Logan’s Raspberry tea. There’s just a hint of raspberry flavor.  If you prefer your Raspberry tea to have a pretty strong raspberry flavor, you might want to skip it.  I actually love it both ways, so it was fine with me.

I ordered Fried Fish and was delighted when it turned out to be catfish (if you read my reviews, you know catfish is to me what catnip is to cats). This was the most moist and juicy catfish I’ve ever had.  It was exceptional. The breading was perfect, but the catfish, itself was the star of the show. Just how it should be!  The tartar sauce was also fantastic, although I never insult catfish by putting any on its back.  I did, however, take a little taste to see how it was.

My husband ordered pork chops which were served with some sort of an apple topping on the side.  He didn’t care for the pork chops, but I thought they tasted pretty darn good.  The apple topping, however, tasted kind of burnt or something. Not a biggie, though, because it was easy to shove aside.

We both ordered baked sweet potatoes and I was blown away by the size. HUGE! They came with real butter and a little cinnamon. Delicious.  The broccoli had a good taste to it – peppery and really, really good.  I would have liked to have been able to enjoy it along with the meal in real time.  But it is what it is, no sense crying over broccoli that shows up to the party late.

The sourdough bread was delicious – served with real butter, thank you very much.  I also was glad to see “real” ketchup on the tables (Hunts) – another detail that always brings a smile to my face. Say it with me, Off brand ketchup is gross.

As you can see, this review was a toughie to write.  Logan’s Roadhouse was a great mystery. How can someplace that makes catfish this good blow it with simple details like friendly hostesses and the age old standard of getting orders right?  I’m an optimist, so I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that they’re still trying to find their identity.

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Doing Kentucky Restaurant Reviews is one of my favorite things to do. Fortunately, Kentucky is covered with outstanding restaurants, so it makes my job even more enjoyable. Some of these restaurants are nationally known chain restaurants and others are little known, locally-owned restaurants. I love all types of restaurants, but these “off the beaten path” Kentucky restaurants are extra special. The restaurant reviewed below, Philly’s in Greenville, Kentucky may not be on the “beaten path,” but rest assured, once you’ve been there, you’ll beat a path to get back!

When I was fifteen, the only thing I wanted in the world was a Basset Hound.  While other kids were obsessed with cars and members of the opposite sex, all I wanted was a dog with ears so long they touched the floor.  I wanted a Basset Hound to take to the park, to go for walks around the neighborhood, to play ball with, and to just sit on our front porch in Madisonville, Kentucky and do absolutely nothing with.

As my sixteenth birthday approached, my mom and dad gave me absolutely no reason at all to hope for a new puppy as a gift. In fact, they purposely just kept asking me what kind of jeans I liked best, whether I liked Charlie or Love’s Baby Soft better, etc.  I tried to act excited as I answered “Calvin Klein” and “Charlie,” but it was tough.

When my birthday arrived, I expected to be greeted with a great pair of jeans and new bottle of perfume.  What I didn’t expect was the most adorable puppy I had ever seen, my own little girl Basset Hound.  I named her Honey and we were inseparable.

I bring Honey up because she came to mind recently when I was thinking about a restaurant my husband and I went to in Greenville, Kentucky.  In the way that I was completely surprised by one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten – I was equally surprised to find such an amazing restaurant as Philly’s in small, beautiful, and quiet Greenville, Kentucky.  Several times throughout the meal, as I looked around the restaurant, I thought, “This is the sort of restaurant you’d expect to see in Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, or Bowling Green…”

It’s really something special and, quite frankly, I can’t wait to go back.

When I think of Greenville, Kentucky, I’ve always thought of the cool store everyone in this part of Kentucky is obsessed with, the infamous Uncle Lee’s.  I also think of exceptionally friendly people.  Mostly I think of it as being the stereotypical quiet, small Kentucky town.  Who knew?!?!

These exceptionally friendly people have been sitting on a beautiful (and delicious) secret.

My jaw dropped when I saw the beautiful outside of Philly’s, but when we walked in, my knees nearly buckled.  Beautiful just doesn’t seem to cover it.

We were at Philly’s Restaurant at lunchtime, but the restaurant also serves dinner, which no doubt is equally amazing. I can’t wait to go back and order off of their dinner menu… then again, I’m anxious to have lunch at Philly’s again as soon as possible, if not sooner.

Because of the unseasonal, yet glorious, sunshine we’ve been enjoying in Kentucky the picture above isn’t as clear as I’d like it to be.  This beautiful statue is John Wayne on a horse and it is really amazing.  The likeness blew me away.

All of the decorations blew me away.  The time and money spent on this gorgeous restaurant is obvious.  Just as I was thinking, “They seem to do EVERYTHING right…”  I noticed the bottle of Ketchup on our table, Heinz! If you read my restaurant reviews, you know a pet peeve of mine is nasty ketchup.  If it’s not a brand you’d see in Kroger, guess what – it’s probably a major cheapie and tastes like it.  When I see Heinz ketchup in a restaurant, it tells me that the owners of the restaurant have enough pride in what they do and enough respect for their customers to give them the best.  I appreciate that!  As the Onion Ring Queen of the South (a self-given yet very earned title), I use ketchup often and nasty, cheap ketchup makes my toes curl and not in a good way.

Michael (my husband) did one of his many clever things while ordering – and it’s something you absolutely MUST do when you go.  After we placed our order, he asked if we could each have an order of coleslaw before our food was brought out.  At first, I thought, “Coleslaw… well, why not.”  I tend to get about as excited about coleslaw as I do  Wednesdays.  Sure, it’s okay, but…

That was before I tried Philly’s coleslaw.  Words can’t tell you how extraordinary this coleslaw is.  I can’t for the life of me figure out what they did to it (and I’m an avid cook!).  It’s the best coleslaw I’ve ever had in my life and if I had the recipe I’d make it every single day for the rest of my life.  It’s not just good, it’s stupid good.  It comes served in a beautiful little dish because.. well, because they do everything right, that’s why.

Notice the crackers are also name brand?  Would you expect less?  Something I was somewhat surprised to see (after seeing just how gorgeous everything was) were the prices. They were extremely reasonable. I honestly expected them to be higher.

My husband, Michael, had the Italian Beef and I ordered the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich. We both had onion rings, which was a great call.  The pulled pork was outstanding. It tasted like pork you’d expect to find in a BBQ restaurant – smokey and mouth-watering delicious.  From the way my husband devoured the Italian Beef, it must have been equal to the pulled pork!

Unfortunately, we had places we had to be, so we couldn’t just lie down in the booth and wait for supper. So, we had to leave – but I made a solemn promise to The Duke (and to his horse as well) that’d we’d be back soon…..

  … Very, very, very soon.

Directions:

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When it comes to freak accidents, few are any freakier than the one that befell the Eggner Ferry Bridge at the western entrance to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. The bridge at US 68 and Kentucky 80 remains indefinitely closed after a Delta Mariner crashed into the bridge Thursday night, knocking out a 322-foot span.

Hopefully, people will rise up to the challenge, as they normally do when catastrophes and “freak accidents” happen. People generally pull together to support their neighbors and the people in the communities around them. Kenlake and Lake Barkle State Resort Parks are open and eagerly await your visit. Whether you go for a weekend (or week long if you need it!) retreat or just dinner in one of their excellent lodge restaurants, know that you’ll be doing your part to support fellow Kentuckians and Kentucky State Parks when they really need you the most.

I hope you’ll visit them this month…. and each month thereafter. I know you’ll fall in love with the area as much as I have. I’ll probably even see you there! I love each of these state resort parks as well as every single restaurant in Aurora:

• Willow Pond (best catfish in the world)
• The Brass Lantern
• Belew’s Dairy Bar (open seasonally)
• Aurora Bar-B-Que

During the winter months, Willow Pond isn’t open every night of the week. You’ll want to check before planning your trip. Call (270) 474-2202 for information. Believe me, Willow Pond’s catfish, hush puppies, beans, and desserts are worth the drive!

What You Need to Know:
Guests traveling to Lake Barkley and Kenlake State Resort Parks should be aware that the U.S. 68/KY 80 bridge over Kentucky Lake is closed to traffic. It was struck Thursday night (Jan. 26) by a cargo ship, destroying a main truss.

Both parks are open. Guests should use alternative routes, such as Interstate 24 on the northern end of the Land Between the Lakes.

For more information, guests can call the parks. The number for Lake Barkley is 1-800-325-1708. The number for Kenlake is 1-800-325-0143.

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Let it be written, let it be said: I could eat at Olive Garden daily until the day that I’m dead. Especially when the Olive Garden in question is as stellar as our Olive Garden in Owensboro.  On a recent Friday excursion, my husband, our oldest daughter (Emily) and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Owensboro Olive Garden.  My husband and I both had the Chicken & Gnocchi soup.  This is, hands down, one of the best soups in the world.  The Chicken & Gnocchi is a creamy soup made with roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings and spinach. The Italian dumplings are the stuff culinary dreams are made of.  Emily ordered her favorite, the Zuppa Toscana ( Spicy sausage, russet potatoes and cavolo greens in a creamy broth).

The Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks lunch is just $6.95.   You get their delicious garden-fresh salad, choice of homemade soup (you HAVE to try the Chicken & Gnocchi) and Heavenly warm garlic breadsticks.  The $6.95 special price is only until 4 p.m.

We ordered a dessert on this trip and haven’t quite gotten over it yet.  It was the Dolcini: Three beautiful and delicious little desserts served on a platter (pictured at the top).  The unforgettable trio consisted of: Chocolate Mousse with Dark Chocolate Cookie Crust • Strawberry & White Chocolate Cream Cake • Limoncello Mousse with Vanilla Cookie Crust

The chocoholic that I am, I immediately dove into the chocolate dessert.  Then the Strawberry one… then the Lemon one. The Linoncello Mousse with Vanilla Cookie Crust – or, as this Kentucky gal refers to it, the lemon one, had a scrumptious little candied lemon on top.

Each time I eat at Olive Garden, and if you’re a regular reader, you know it’s weekly, I’m struck by the friendliness of the staff and the deliciousness of the food.  We also marvel at how fast they are – at lunch, anyway.  Most of us want our lunch to be fast but filling and inexpensive but memorable.  If we can have a gorgeous, relaxed setting and friendly people, we consider it a wonderful bonus.  If anyplace delivers all of this any better than Owensboro’s Olive Garden, I’ve yet to find it.

Pictured below is another Olive Garden obsession of mine: The Raspberry Peach Tea. SO GOOD!

See more places to eat lunch in Owensboro Kentucky.

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If you need a last minute gift, here’s the most delicious idea possible: A beautiful gift basket from the Great Harvest Bread Company!  I got the one above this year and have been THOROUGHLY enjoying everything about it.

• The White Bread is so aromatic it practically fills the kitchen with its goodness. It tastes even better.
• The Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is Heavenly.
• The Pumpkin Pie Butter is delectable on each of the breads above.
• The Ham Spread is surprisingly a knock out! When I saw it, I thought, “Hmm. Not sure about that.” But I can’t stay out of it! It’s so good, I could smear it on a shoe and eat it.
• The Wild Huckleberry Preserves combine with the white bread (toasted) for an other-worldly experience.
• The Roasted Garlic Potato Soup and I have a date for the day after Christmas: Soup and Ham sandwiches!
• The Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are some of the best cookies I’ve ever put in my mouth and, believe me, I’ve had every cookie in the world. Cookie Monster has nothing on me.
• The gorgeous basket will be around long after the wonderful food is gone. It makes a beautiful fruit basket.

You’re able to pick out the components of the gift basket, and I must say (as always) my husband did an exceptional job.  This is my second Great Harvest Bread Co gift basket and I’m hoping and praying it’ll be an annual tradition.

Every single thing the Great Harvest Bread Co. sells is outstanding – the bread, cookies, Kentucky tea (you HAVE to try this amazing tea!), ham spread (uncommonly delicious), etc.  The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread and Pumpkin Pie Butter are so delicious it isn’t even funny.  Every single thing in the basket is, for that matter!

If you live near Owensboro, Kentucky – our Great Harvest Bread Company is at 3211 Frederica St, across from Kentucky Wesleyan.   The friendliest people in the world work there and the food’s to die for.  Even if you don’t need a gift basket to GIVE, buy one for yourself! That’s what my oldest daughter intends to do.  Smart girl.

You’ll find a lot of great breads, snacks, and desserts to have on hand during the holidays as well. Perfect for family get-togethers and delicious for the bowl games and UK basketball games!  You pick out the food you want in the basket, but trust me, you’d do well to pick out the exact things my husband did.  I’ve trained him so well.

Click HERE to find the Great Harvest near you.

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The hardest part about doing Kentucky Restaurant Reviews? You’re looking at it. I have to relive the deliciousness of food such as Double Dog’s Mushroom & Swiss Burger and Onion Rings while I’m, literally, miles away from having another. This is agony. Read on to learn more about one of the funnest, most delicious restaurants in Kentucky.

My husband and I took one of our beloved one day mini-vacations through Kentucky last Saturday. I LIVE for these trips.  I’ll let you in on a little secret: When I’m under the weather or going through something that rips at my nerves (you know – dental visits, agonizing ballgames that are way too close for comfort…), I make everything in my world alright just by thinking about these little trips.  I picture us driving down the road, enjoying the scenery and a conversation or sitting in a Kentucky restaurant enjoying a meal and a conversation (note: there’s always talking if I’m involved).

While I LOVE eating at favorite restaurants, I also get a huge kick out of discovering new favorites. Such was the case Saturday when I was treated to, not one, but two restaurants I’d ever eaten at before. Mark my words, I’ll be returning to each one millions of times.

I’ll tell you about our special supper destination in the next post, but I’m going to let this restaurant review go to the dogs…. Double Dogs.

We ate lunch at one of the cutest restaurants I’ve ever seen, Double Dogs in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  How could an animal lover extraordinaire not fall in love with this place?! While walking into the restaurant, the Double Dog doghouse, with its barking invisible dog, caught me of guard. The highlight of my husband’s day (or week) may have been when I jumped out of my skin.  I got a kick out of it, too, but an even bigger kick out of walking in the door and seeing trees filled with information about, and pictures of, precious shelter dogs and cats that are looking for a little love.

A restaurant with a heart of gold? You had me at hello.

Our adorable server took care of us right off the bat. I was actually shocked at how fast our food arrived. I ordered the Mushroom & Swiss Burger with Onion Rings (you know my ring obsession) and my husband Michael ordered the Betty Burger, fries, and coleslaw.

 The Betty Burger

Double Dog’s famous Betty Burger is a ridiculously delicious single patty with American cheese, topped with their (very) special sauce, grilled onions, tomatoes, lettuce and pickle. Words cannot describe just how amazing this sauce is. Combined with a burger that can only be described as PERFECT, this makes a stupendous hamburger. Betty is perfection.

The Mushroom Swiss Burger

Gumbo’s Mushroom Swiss Burger is topped with grilled onions, mushrooms, swiss cheese, mayo and Dijon mustard. This is unlike any Mushroom and Swiss burger I’ve ever had and, believe me, I’ve had them all. It’s a favorite burger of mine, so I’ve ordered it far and wide. Double Dog’s Mushroom Swiss Burger doesn’t have the sauce that you’ll find on a lot of Mushroom Swiss burgers. It has, instead, Dijon mustard – which, surprisingly enough, is quite delicious.

The Fries, Onion Rings, and Coleslaw

The hand cut fries were exceptional. I’m such an onion ring fanatic that I often slight french fries, but these fries would be darn near impossible to slight. It’d be even more impossible to eat just one. Or ten. Or fifteen…

This is actually one of the few restaurants where I’d consider ordering fries as much as I would my beloved onion rings. I say consider because their onion rings were off the charts spectacular. To be on the safe side, make sure the people at your table order each – trust me, you’ll want BOTH the fries and the onion rings.

The coleslaw was good, at first bite, but it became delicious after being graced with a little salt and pepper. Apparently coleslaw and pasta salad are new items at Double Dogs in Bowling Green. I can’t wait to try the pasta salad – I’m sure, like everything else they’ll be extraordinary.

As huge sports fans, we also LOVED that we were surrounded by tvs, each with sporting events to enjoy. Great onion rings and fries, some of the best burgers on the planet, and sports everywhere you look? How is that not paradise?

This beautiful and fun restaurant, with food so delicious your knees get weak, is open for lunch everyday at 11:00 am. Sunday through Wednesday, they’re open until midnight and Thursday through Saturday, you can feast on deliciousness til 1:00 am.

Double Dog’s burgers, fries, and onion rings are to die for and their wings look sensational. Check out Double Dog’s menu HERE. Better yet, just go and “wing it.”  Sorry I couldn’t resist.

Double Dog’s is located at 1780 Scottsville Rd. in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Go as soon as you possibly can and then pray, just pray, that they’ll one day open a location in your city.

Double Dogs’ Betty Burger and Coleslaw.  I’m not sure you’ll find a better hamburger in Kentucky or anywhere else.

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I might as well say, right up front, that this particular Kentucky Restaurant Review will probably read more like a love letter than a review but, what do you expect?  Some of my favorite things in the world are:

1. Great Catfish
2. Great Hush Puppies
3. Great Fried Okra
4. Great Iced Tea

The Catfish House in Bowling Green Kentucky takes “Great” to new heights. Get this, they knock the ball out of the park with, not just one… not just two…  but with EACH of my above named obsessions! Every single bite and every single sip is nothing short of perfection. So much so that I actually wanted to try everything on the menu in one setting.

It’s kind of like a great actress – like Julia Roberts, for example. You see her on the red carpet and you think, “Perfect!” You see her in Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride and you think, “Perfect!” Then you see her in a dramatic role like Erin Brockovich and you think, “Perfect!” You realize that she’s a perfect 10 in everything she does, so you can’t wait to see what she does next. You know she’s going to be all kinds of brilliant and you want a front row seat to see it.

That’s how it is with exceptional restaurants, isn’t it? You walk in and see a beautiful setting (The Catfish House is gorgeous inside and out – incredibly clean, spacious, and homey), you’re seated by a warm and friendly hostess and greeted by a friendly server. Then you browse over the menu that looks as promising as anything you’ve ever seen. Your hopes are sky high and a little voice inside your head keeps whispering, “Please be as good as the opening act…”

Having been disappointed by more than a few main events, I never allow my hopes to climb too terribly high, but after taking a bite of a ridiculously wonderful onion ring and enjoying a sip of iced perfection they called iced tea, hope began to climb.  My husband, Michael, finished off an onion ring and said it was probably the best he’d ever had.  His hope was a step ahead of mine!   But don’t worry, this catfish lover extraordinaire’s hope soon caught up.  (Review continued after the drool-worthy picture)

The experience was kind of surreal. Each thing our friendly server brought us was as delicious as the thing he had just served.  The beans were good, the coleslaw was very good, and the hush puppies were even as good as The Willow Pond in Aurora (the ultimate praise from me).  The Homemade onion rings were out of this world.  The golden, deep-fried onion rings are made from scratch and you can taste it in every bite.  You’ll want to order the large order. Trust me. When my husband said they were probably the best onion rings he’d ever had, I would have responded but my mom said to never eat with your mouth full. Responding would have meant momentarily pulling myself away from the onion rings and that wasn’t going to happen.  So to say that they’ll leave you speechless is a Biblical truth.

The fried okra was also an amazingly perfect experience. We Southerners LOVE our fried okra – when it’s done right, that is – and The Catfish House does fried okra as well as I’ve ever seen (or tasted) it done. It’s absolutely delicious and would be worth the trip all by itself!

If you read my Kentucky restaurant reviews regularly, you know my special relationship with hush puppies.  Wonderful hush puppies make me weak in the knees but bad hush puppies make me want to throw them at somebody.  I hate, hate, hate bad hush puppies.  I’ll try not to get off on a rant here but, come on, why would anyone serve hideous hush puppies? Wouldn’t they be better off just NOT serving any at all?  Memo to restaurants, if your hush puppies look like little black marbles, if they don’t have an onion-y flavor, if they’re so yellow you think they’re Easter Eggs, or if they they taste nothing like hush puppies – just take them off the menu until you figure everything out.

One Kentucky restaurant… God love them… actually has hush puppies that taste like little balls of yellow cake batter that have been deep fried alongside fish. Oh how the fish must have laughed.

Oh, yeah, I promised not to rant.

Back to The Catfish House: No one (fish included) will ever laugh at their hush puppies. They’re excellent.  As I’m sitting here in my home office typing this review (and getting crazy hungry, I might add), I’m ready to make a bold statement:  The two best places to get hush puppies are:

1. Willow Pond Catfish Restaurant in Aurora, Kentucky
2. The Catfish House in Bowling Green, Kentucky

When, and if, I come across a restaurant that ties with these two powerhouses, I’ll let you know.  The wonderful thing is that each of these restaurants have mind-boggling delicious catfish as well. Catfish so extraordinary that putting tartar sauce (or anything besides your fork) on them would be a crime against humanity.

The catfish at The Catfish House was HEAVENLY.  It was full of flavor and beautifully flaky and juicy – just how I love for my catfish to be.  It was absolutely delicious and flat out blew me away.  I would have LOVED to have tried one of The Catfish House’s desserts.  For one thing, I have a sweet tooth rivaled by no one. For another, as I said earlier, when you have an outstanding restaurant, you want to try everything they make.  However, after gorging on the beans, coleslaw, hush puppies, catfish, onion rings, and tea – this gal was so full she could barely even move.  I labored to breath!

I waffled over whether or not to include this little tidbit, but I’m going to and I’ll tell you why in a minute.  Michael and I actually ate at The Catfish House in Bowling Green about a year or so ago and it was “average.”  So much so that I didn’t even bother writing a review (you may have noticed that I only write reviews for restaurants I love – I figure the internet is filled with enough negativity, I refuse to add to it).   I remember that the catfish was really good and I remember liking the coleslaw, but the onion rings weren’t on their game, the hush puppies were average and the beans didn’t have much flavor.  I don’t know if, within a year, they’ve gotten new management or a new chef – but it absolutely seemed like we were in a different restaurant entirely. It’s a 100 percent turnaround and I was flabbergasted.  I only mention this in case there’s anyone reading this who hasn’t been to The Catfish House in a while.  I want you to know that it’s a different experience entirely.

Bowling Green is absolutely covered up with restaurants.  Sometimes it appears that the restaurants are stacked on top of one another.  Don’t get me wrong, many of these restaurants are outstanding and I applaud the city for all of its options.  However, the next time you go out to eat in Bowling Green, Kentucky, you HAVE to go to The Catfish House.   

Click HERE for the menu.

The Catfish House in Bowling Green Kentucky is at 300 Cumberland Trace Road. If you need a reminder of what perfection tastes like, The Catfish House is waiting for you.

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Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt has opened their first store in Owensboro, Kentucky and I will be forever grateful.  Two of my daughters (Emily and Stephany), Stephany’s boyfriend (Rusty) and I couldn’t wait to introduce our taste buds to Orange Leaf’s frozen yogurt, so we all met there one afternoon a few weeks ago.

The taste buds are still buzzing.

The first thing that struck me was the fun, upbeat, and adorable decor. The modernistic and gorgeous orange chairs were such a hit with me and my girls, it’s a wonder we didn’t carry our’s out the door with us.  The tables are also beautiful.  You’ll fall in love with the way the store looks right off the bat.  However, you’re only at the cusp of what’s to come.  The delicious frozen yogurt and.. Oh, wait, I”m getting ahead of myself.  Hold that thought.

The entire process is easy peasy (Kentuckian for painlessly simple). You grab the size of dish you want, you proceed to the different (AMAZING!) flavors of frozen yogurt, place your dish under your choice, and pull the lever.  You then take your delicacy to the topping’s table and have at it.  I chose Coconut as my frozen yogurt because I’m obsessed with everything coconut. If you told me a Chevy was coconut-flavored, I’d attempt to eat it.

For my toppings, I chose a drizzle of Caramel topping, granola, coconut flakes (told you so), cheesecake bites (YESSSSS!!!), and a cherry on top.  It was as gorgeous as it was delicious. After your choices are made, you take your dish to the counter and place it on a scale. The friendly worker then tells you your price. See? Easy peasy.

I was so proud of my creation and so eager to throw myself at its mercy that I failed to appreciate how inexpensive it was at the time (Just $3 and something).  After we each paid, and sat at our table… in the chairs to die for…. Emily remarked how much cheaper Orange Leaf was than some other frozen yogurt places.  THEN it occurred to me that, indeed, they’re very, very, very reasonable.  She said that she and her husband recently visited another frozen yogurt store and, for just the two of them, the cost was over $18.  You could get a meal for that!

The price is actually less than what I’ve spent at Ice Cream shops, as well as some coffee shops.  And I don’t even have to tell you how much healthier frozen yogurt is than ice cream or a lot of specialty drinks.

The toppings were exceptional – especially the delicious cheesecake bites (they taste like the amazing little nuggets in Dairy Queen’s Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard), but make no mistake about it, the star was the frozen yogurt.  If you’ve never had frozen yogurt, let me set your mind at ease, if you love  ice cream – you’ll love frozen yogurt.  Frozen yogurt is like ice cream that someone has made healthier and creamier. Much creamier.  The coconut frozen yogurt was so divine and creamy I’m afraid I made a goofy face with each bite.

But I’m more than okay with that.

When I first heard that Owensboro was getting a couple of new frozen yogurt stores, I was nothing short of excited, but when I found out that the first Orange Leaf would be opening in the winter, I kind of started to worry. I couldn’t help wondering if cold weather would keep people away from frozen desserts.  We all know how fast some companies will pull up their roots and move off if they aren’t getting the amount of business they’d hoped for.

However, after visiting Orange Leaf, I quickly realized that it doesn’t matter what time of year it is. You can easily enjoy your healthy and delicious treat in the upbeat atmosphere of the store.  Sure, they’ll probably get even more business when the weather warms up, but if you ask me, it’s always the right time for something this wonderful.

The first Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt is at 5035 Frederica Street. It’s where the old Jewelry and Handbag Store used to be – two doors down from Aspen Dental.  You HAVE to visit them the next time you’re on Frederica.  Scratch that, make a special trip.  The frozen yogurt’s worth it. There are so many different flavors (including coconut, chocolate, red velvet cake, strawberry shortcake, vanilla…) and available toppings, you’ll feel like a kid in a candy store.  A very happy kid in a very unique candy store.

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If you’re in Owensboro, Kentucky at lunchtime, I have two words for you: Olive Garden. As I’ve mentioned on the Kentucky blog many times, my oldest daughter Emily and I eat lunch out each and every Friday.  Sometimes my husband/her dad is able to get off work long enough to join us and sometimes her sisters make it.  However, the one constant is this: Em and I do not miss Friday lunch out…. or our trip to Target and Starbucks afterward.

We kind of have a system we’ve developed over the years.  We’ll have lunch at Olive Garden one week, then branch out to a new restaurant the next Friday. Then we’ll return to Olive Garden the next… etc. If it weren’t for loving variety AND wanting to do a lot of Where to Eat in Owensboro Kentucky reviews, I can’t promise that we wouldn’t just head to Olive Garden each and every Friday.

I have to tell you, Owensboro’s Olive Garden may well be the best Olive Garden in the country.  I certainly haven’t eaten at all of their locations, so I can’t say with all certainty that they’re the best, however, our Olive Garden is flawlessly beautiful and beautifully flawless… so imagining another one beating them is pretty unreasonable.

How do you beat flawless?

So what do I love so much about Olive Garden at lunchtime?  To put it simply: They hit all the marks.

Below are the things I want and expect from a restaurant at lunchtime:

• Cleanliness
• Friendly host or hostess who seem genuinely glad to see you
• Friendly and helpful servers who seem genuinely glad to have you at their table
• UN FLAT diet coke, cokes, etc.
• Great tea
• Wonderful bread
• Wonderful salad
• Plenty of choices
• Healthy choices
• Reasonable prices – you get what (or more than what) you paid for
• Speed – who wants to spend precious time waiting?

Owensboro’s Olive Garden is all over each of these – as I said, They hit all the marks. The lunch menu is delicious, healthy, and unbelievably filling.  When we have lunch at Olive Garden, we’re always completely full until supper.  Their Soup, Salad, and Bread sticks lunch special is “all you can eat,” and so ridiculously delicious you will, indeed, eat all you can…. and then some.  Each of the soups are outstanding, but I’m so addicted to the Chicken and Gnocchi that I get it each time. You have no idea how much I’d love a bowl right now as I’m typing these words!

In addition to the best soups imaginable, delicious bread sticks, and my favorite salad in town, Olive Garden also has ridiculously beautiful and delicious appetizers (Could I interest you in Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta maybe???), pastas, flat breads, paninis (grilled sandwiches) and more.  There’s a Grilled Steak and Porotbello Panini with my name all over it. The paninis are served with your choice from their exceptional soups and Heavenly salad.

We have many wonderful places to eat lunch here in Owensboro, but Olive Garden sets the bar.  I have never had a hostess or host that wasn’t genuinely warm and friendly and I’ve never had a server who was less than a 10.  Not even a 9 -1/2!  They ooze class and friendliness and represent the restaurant the way a restaurant would want to be represented.

The food is always impeccable, flawless in every conceivable way.

As you know, I take my Kentucky Restaurant Reviews and restaurant recommendations SERIOUSLY.  I would hate (with every fiber in my being) to steer someone in a direction that could prove to be a bad experience for them.  That’s what I love so much about places like Olive Garden – I know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that they’ll never let me or my beloved readers down.  When it comes to restaurants, they don’t just set the bar, they set it high.

See Olive Garden’s awesome lunch menu.

Owensboro’s Olive Garden is located at 5204 Frederica Street.

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I’m launching a new series of posts today dedicated to one subject: Where to Eat Lunch in Owensboro, Kentucky. Not only do my family and I enjoy a great lunch out, I hear from A LOT of people around Kentucky who always want to know where to eat in Owensboro.   Many people apparently make many trips to our great city during the day and are always on the lookout for a delicious lunch in a friendly setting.  As a proud Owensboro resident, I’m always very careful where I send people.  After all, if they’re cool enough to read my articles and if they trust me enough to ask for my opinion, I take my recommendations SERIOUSLY!!!

I have done many Owensboro restaurant reviews on Genuine Kentucky over the years, but I like to keep my reviews as current as possible.  The hard cold truth is that sometimes restaurants change… and sometimes that change isn’t necessarily for the better.  If you see a restaurant (Owensboro’s Olive Garden, Tumbleweed, Red Lobster, and Old Hickory would be good examples) mentioned many times, rest assured that they’re on top of their game and not falling off in the least!

The Where to Eat Lunch in Owensboro, Kentucky will focus entirely on lunches and lunch menus.

My oldest daughter, Emily, and I had lunch today at Owensboro’s Tumbleweed.  Here’s the bizarre thing: She and I have eaten at Tumbleweed often for dinner but have never thought of it as a “lunch” restaurant.  Okay, we were completely wrong.  They very much have a lunch menu and it’s as delicious as their supper menu. It’s also exceptionally priced. Very, very reasonable.  Emily ate for less than $8 and my meal was just a little over $10 (I HAD to add some of their black beans to my meal or I’d have kept it under $10 – they were worth it!).  Even after we each tipped our adorable and sweet server Laura generously, we still ate for a lot less than a lot of places.

Their Tex Mex menu items are always so delicious that it takes me aback. Each time I eat at Tumbleweed it’s as though I forgot just how amazing it was the time before!  Their chips and salsa are wonderful, the black beans and refried beans are as good as those you get in authentic Mexican restaurants, and their rice?  Personally, I think their rice is better than the rice in authentic Mexican restaurants.

Tumbleweed’s rice is flavorful and never dry.  It’s outstanding.

I ordered the Bean Burrito and, as you can see from the picture, it was as big as my plate.  You’re given a choice of toppings for burritos (in fact I think you can have toppings on anything you order!), and I went with the sour cream.  Great choice, if I do say so myself.  It was so darn good.

I ordered peach tea and it was delicious. Tea’s a big deal for me. A restaurant always gets extra points from me if their tea’s great and Tumbleweed’s is. I also love that our server never let our drinks get empty. They never got anywhere close to empty. Our girl was on it!

Another thing I love about Tumbleweed, besides the great food, friendly staff, and beautiful setting, is the fact that they’re incredibly fast. JUST what you want a restaurant to be, especially at lunch.

Owensboro Tumbleweed is located at 5257 Frederica Street. It’s really close to Owensboro’s Ulta Beauty Store, so be sure to check it out after you eat!

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