Why are there not 7,000,000 cars lined up in The Brass Lantern’s parking lot each evening – with anxious passengers awaiting each Heavenly bite?  Why have there not been books and movies made about the excellent food and friendly service?  When people mention the state of Kentucky, why do other’s not instantly ask, “Oh, Kentucky! Home of The Brass Lantern!”?  Why did Oprah never film one of her shows from the front porch?  I don’t have the answer to any of these questions but I do have the answer to this one, “Where can you get food so delicious that it makes you dance in your seat?”  Well, The Brass Lantern in Aurora, Kentucky, of course.

I feel like a nitwit. If you’ve read Genuine Kentucky long, you know that I write a lot of restaurant reviews.  I’m ALL ABOUT Kentuckians keeping Kentucky dollars in Kentucky, so my husband and I scour the entire state finding the best of the best.  We’re frequent visitors to the Land Between the Lakes region and Aurora is a personal favorite town.  The people are so friendly, as I’ve said before, you’re certain they’re mistaking you for a long-lost relative.

Sometimes you find yourself wondering, “Am I a long-lost relative? These people feel like family…. I’ve got to talk to my mother…”

We always visit The Hitching Post and Kenlake State Resort Park – and depending upon what time of day it is, we eat at The Willow Pond, Kenlake, Aurora Barbecue, or Belew’s Drive In.   Because we’re always in the area between the hours of noon and 4:00 pm, I guess I just assumed that the beautiful restaurant “The Brass Lantern” was a victim of the economy. It was never open, as far as I could see.  That’s where the nitwit feeling enters.  The Brass Lantern, in all of its magnificence, opens at 5:00 pm.

Saturday, Michael and I were in the area (visiting, taking pictures, shopping) and as it started getting close to suppertime, we began weighing our options.  The nit wit had recently learned that this beautiful restaurant was very much in business, so when my husband asked where I wanted to eat supper, I told him The Brass Lantern.

It’ll go down as one of the best decisions I ever made.

You know how you just KNOW a place is special when you walk through the doors? That was very much the case at The Brass Lantern.  The decor is gorgeous and just screams Southern Charm.  The lovely hostess couldn’t have been any warmer or friendlier (as it turned out she was an owner) and our server (Royce) was a total sweetheart.  He was everything you’d want a server to be – knowledgeable, friendly, attentive, and dead on about the Blackberry Cobbler!  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a billion times, a server sets the tone for the whole dining experience and Royce did so beautifully.

We decided on one of the specials Royce told us about and chose Coconut Shrimp with an Orange Marmalade Dipping Sauce.  Shockingly delicious doesn’t even seem to cover it. It was the most amazing coconut shrimp I’ve personally ever had and this is something this seafood addict is completely familiar with.  The orange marmalade could have been eaten by itself, but I wouldn’t have slighted the shrimp for anything on earth.

In addition to servers, hosts, and hostesses, a few other things I look closely at when doing restaurant reviews are:

• Tea
• Coffee (when applicable)
• Salad
• Salad dressing
• Sides

Too many restaurants rely on the meat and throw sides to the side.  Big mistake.  Rarely do you find a restaurant where everything is above par and beyond excellent:  The appetizer, the tea, the service, the meat or fish, the vegetables, the salad, and the salad dressing.  Even in the best of restaurants, at least one falls short.

Apparently they haven’t heard about this rule at The Brass Lantern.  Not one area, not even one smidgen of an area was less than stellar.  The decor was beautiful, the service exceptional, the tea fresh, and the food was so incredible I didn’t want to leave.  Unfortunately, if I’d eaten another bite, I wouldn’t have been able to stand, though – so we eventually did have to leave.  For now.

To make certain I don’t leave one area uncovered, I’ll take the menu items one at a time, because each truly was deserving of its own moment in the spotlight.

• The tea was perfectly fresh, and spot on perfect.
• The coconut shrimp was the best I’ve ever eaten and I’ve enjoyed coconut shrimp from here to the Keys and back.
• The grilled asparagus was crisp and so flavorful that I can’t stop thinking about it.
• The grilled fish was absolute perfection. Perfectly seasoned and delicious.
• The rice was wonderful. I normally avoid rice unless it’s fried rice in an authentic Asian restaurant. Rice has never done anything to be, it just doesn’t dazzle me.  Let me say, it usually doesn’t dazzle me.  This amazing wild rice blend was Heavenly and, yes, I was definitely dazzled.
• There was a magical dipping sauce on our plates that I used for dipping my asparagus in.  It reminded me of the delicious Yum Yum sauce in Japanese restaurants, except it was white.  It was so amazing!
• Remember how I listed salads and salad dressings amongst the things I always, always pay special attention to?  The way I see it, you can tell a lot about a restaurant and the pride they take in their food, as well as the appreciation they have for their patrons in a very unexpected place: The Salad.  If the salad is obviously straight out of a bag you buy in a grocery store or if the salad is simply iceberg lettuce and tomatoes that are too cold.. that tells me the pride and appreciation levels aren’t as high as the water in a pot hole.  If the salad dressing tastes like they opened a bottle of cheap salad dressing, it’s even worse.  When I looked at and then took a bite of the beautiful little salad at The Brass Lantern, the word that popped into my mind was EXCEPTIONAL.  You get a mixture of iceberg lettuce with spinach leaves, tomatoes that (thankfully) don’t freeze your teeth, carrots, and fresh sliced mushrooms.   I always order my favorite dressing, French, when I eat out and inevitably keep my fingers crossed that it’s not the color of a Sesame Street character – never a good sign.  I knew upon sight that this dressing was homemade even before I tasted it.  Then, after one bite, I knew it was the best French dressing I’ve ever had. Again, EXCEPTIONAL.  My husband ordered his favorite, Blue Cheese – which, while good, wasn’t as good as mine.  I was like, (deep voice) “Look at your dressing. Now look at mine.  Back at yours. Now at mine. Sadly, it’s not mine.“  As it turned out, the owner makes it her brilliant self. Outrageously delicious.
• The dessert. Royce gave us the choices for dessert and happened to mention that the Blackberry Cobbler was his favorite.  I was tempted (as I always am) by the desserts with chocolate on their minds, but I went with Royce and, let me tell you, that young man knows his desserts!  The blackberry cobbler was breathtakingly good – after just one bite, there was a party going on in my mouth.  Some people make Blackberry cobbler too sweet and I’m left thinking, “I guess there were blackberries in there with the sugar…”  With this blackberry cobbler, there was no doubt about it – blackberries were the star of the show and the sweetness was in the background, in a supporting role. Just like it should be.  Even the ice cream was especially delicious!  Around this time, I wondered if  The Brass Lantern could make a bad dish if they were paid to.

My husband and I agreed, we have NEVER had a better meal out anywhere. Anytime.  Every bite was mind-numbingly delicious and a few times, we were both speechless.  Suffice to say that never happens.

Don’t wait for the next time you’re in the Kentucky Lake area to eat at The Brass Lantern – make a special trip!  You’ll soon find yourself visiting Kentucky Lake when you’re in The Brass Lantern’s area.  The Brass Lantern is exquisite dining in a very charming, beautiful, and relaxed environment.  It’s also one of Kentucky’s best kept secrets, but with the number of people we’re raving to that won’t last long!