Willow Pond Southern Catfish, As Good as It Gets

I had the sublime pleasure of eating at Willow Pond in Aurora, Kentucky last night. It was the first time for me, but you can be certain that it won’t be my last. When we were leaving, our very friendly waitress told us to “Come back soon,” I nearly fell over myself assuring her that we would do just that.

Before moving on to the food, I want to give a little more credit to the waitress.  Although she was very young, she was actually one of the best servers I’ve had in a while.  She couldn’t have been older than 18 but she did her profession proud.  She was personable, sweet, checked on us often, and had an amazing knowledge of the menu and food.  A great restaurant wants their staff to represent them well.  After all, the service is as associated with a restaurant nearly as much as the food is.

If this young lady was an indication of the other servers, the owners of Willow Pond “get” that.

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Celebrate the Kentucky Derby in Style

 

If you’re like most people, your excitement’s building for the Kentucky Derby.  In spite of all the cold, snowy weather here in the Bluegrass - we’re all beginning to focus our attention on Louisville and Churchill Downs.  Bring on the ridiculously large hats, the Mint Juleps, and most of all the horses.

If you’re planning your Kentucky Derby Party, there’s a web site you need to know about - stat!  It’s the Official Kentucky Derby Party Site  and I’m not sure you can have a legitimate party without it.

In addition to Bobby Flay’s advice and recipes, you’ll find Party Packages, Invitations, gorgeous square plates, souvenir cups, napkins, balloons, a Derby Sounds CD, banners, posters, flags, and more.  Click HERE to find these particularly pleasing, perfect party proppers.

Aurora Bar-B-Que in Aurora, Kentucky (Updated!)

On a recent trip to Land Between the Lakes, we ate at Aurora Bar-B-Que in Aurora, Kentucky - Home of the Winking Pig!  Sure enough, the pig on the sign? He’s a total flirt.

Three members of our family (my husband, myself, and our youngest daughter - Stephany) are all about Barbecue.  Whatever town we find ourselves in, we love to check out their barbecue.  That, and Onion Rings.  Aurora offered both, so we anxiously waited to dive in.  I say “waited,” but actually there wasn’t any wait at all.  We got our drinks, sat down…admired the comfortable, overall feel of the restaurant, then here they came with our food.

I’ll get the tiny little “Not so perfect” out of the way first.  The drinks from the fountain were watery - downright tasteless.  Next time, I’ll take advantage of the cold bottled sodas they sell. (Should have been a sign, right?!)  Actually, the last 3 restaurants I’ve eaten at have had bad drinks from the soda fountain, and the tea wasn’t much better.  I’m sure it’s something that’s easy to overlook in a restaurant, but from the customer’s standpoint, it’s very, very important.

Now, onto the perfects, a.k.a. everything else!

My daughter Stephany could have eaten all of the fried mushrooms all by herself and then asked for more.  They were smaller in size than most fried mushrooms and less game-y tasting than others, if you know what I mean.  They’re really unique and very good.

The star of the show, the Bar-B-Q, was amazing!  (I wish I had some more right now - I’d actually make a round trip venture just for their BBQ alone.)  It had a smoke-y flavor that’s worth driving 5,000 miles for…at least.  You can order it on buns (like I did) or on Texas Toast (like my husband and daughter did).  The sauce comes hot or mild - and is absolutely perfect…sweet enough without being too sweet.

Like I said before, we always check out a restaurant’s onion rings - again, Aurora Bar-B-Que didn’t let us down. Sometimes I’ve been known to put an onion ring, if it’s really good on the sandwich I’m having, but in this case I wasn’t about to intrude upon the greatness the BBQ had going on.  Plus, it left more onion rings for ketchup to mouth trip I love so much!  If you’re brave, you could dip one in the hot sauce, but my rings prefer ketchup - they’re pretty picky…delicious, but picky.

Speaking of hot, the hot wings are just that - hot!  Michael’s as big a fan of hot wings as he is Bar-B-Que, and he gave them a big thumbs up….a big hot-wing-covered thumbs up.

The onion rings were really good, but the Baked Beans were really, really, really, really good.  A lot of people only care about the meat in a meal - what they consider the Main Event.  I’m very much into the sides….just as much as the “Main Event.”  Too many restaurants neglect the sides - sometimes you get the impression they’ll serve absolutely anything along with the meat, thinking “No one’s going to really care, anyway…”  These beans didn’t have that attitude at all.

Sides are just as important as the main attraction (One of the reasons I love Applebee’s - they totally get that!) - and I can’t wait to try Aurora’s other sides to see if they live up to the standard set by the baked beans.

If you find yourself anywhere within striking distance of Aurora, Kentucky, look for the winking pig - you won’t be sorry.  Just remember to grab a bottle for your drink…and if you have the hot wings, you might want two bottles!

***Click the picture above for a larger view.

***How cool is this? - They’ve taken care of the drink’s dilemna and now even serve AMAZING iced tea.  So now their drinks are nearly as good as the food.  I say nearly because no drink can keep up with this barbecue.  As I’m typing this, I’m miles away from the winking pig, snow is on the ground with more coming down…and I’m positively dying for some of their barbecue, hot wings, and onion rings!

Dining at Land Between the Lakes - Ponderosa in Draffenville, Kentucky

 

When you visit Kentucky’s pride,  Land Between the Lakes, you’re faced with an unbelievable selection of restaurants.  We’ve eaten at just about all of them, and I can’t remember ever leaving one unfull or unsatisfied.

One of the best places you can eat, however, is the Ponderosa in Draffenville, Kentucky.  It is just an amazingly managed, clean as a whistle, and over-achieving restaurant.  I consider myself almost a Ponderosa expert - I’ve eaten at Ponderosa’s all over this part of the country (Ponerosa’s, Starbuck’s, and Cracker Barrel’s - I seek them out like a bear seeks salmon.).  The Ponderosa in Draffenville is my absolute favorite, though.  Every single thing I’ve ever eaten there has been perfectly done - from the steak to the Macaroni and Cheese and from the baked potatoes to the tea…flawlessly delicious.

The servers are meticulous, friendly, and…well, happy!  I noticed, on our last visit, how sweet, patient, and helpful they were being with their elderly diners.  That’s something I always notice and am always touched by.

Our own server, Amber, was a lovely young girl who did an amazing job.  She’s the sort of server you’d honestly ask for on your next visit.  I’ve never done that sort of thing, anywhere, I always take whatever server comes my way - but Amber, I’d ask for.

To tell you how good the food, service, atmosphere, etc was - I actually looked for a negative!  I write for a lot…a lot, a lot, a lot…..of blogs.  A great deal of this writing involves reviews.  Something I like to do is to give an honest overall review, including the good and the bad.  My thinking is, if you admit the flaws - however small they are - two things will happen:   1.  Your readers will realize you’re giving them the whole, honest truth - from all angles.  2.  Whomever is in charge of the place or thing you’re reviewing will see what needs to be done and can, then, make their service or product EVEN better.  For that reason, most people truly appreciate an honest review - it helps them get better.

That’s where I ran into a problem with this particular Ponderosa.  Whomever the manager is (I honestly don’t have a clue.) is one of the best at what he or she does because this place was exactly what you’d want a restaurant to be.  I mean, even the salad bar was better than most restaurants!  Usually, a salad bar leaves something to be desired - the tomatoes are too cold, there aren’t enough choices, the lettuce is wilty, the dressings aren’t good, etc.  Not in this case - it was just what I’d want a salad bar to be.

Something else that I always pay close attention to is tea and coffee.  Each were delicious, of course, and Amber never let either get less than half-full - in spite of the fact that she was very, very busy.

The bread was, in itself, worth the trip - even if everything else hadn’t been incredible.  It was the sort of yeast-y bread that your eyes and nose swoon over before it even touches your lips.  HEAVENLY!

My mouth is pretty much watering right now just thinking about it.  And the steak…I’d better not even think about that right now.  Unbelievable!

Again, total props to everyone involved in the Draffenville, Kentucky Ponderosa - it’s everything a Steak House should be. 

Seeking Views and Reviews!

We’re seeking reviews for Genuine Kentucky from visitors who have visited any of Kentucky’s State Parks, museums, historical sites, restaurants, lakes, small towns, large towns….you get the picture!

We’d love for others to see Kentucky through your eyes.  Please contact me at joisigers@aim.com if you have any questions or if you’d like to go ahead and send in your review and/or pictures.

We look forward to hearing from you!