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Picture of the Day from Willow Pond in Calvert City

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Blackened Catfish at Willow Pond in Calvert City, Kentucky
 

Is it odd to have food as your picture of the day?

Don’t answer that… I’m afraid that maybe it is. But look at the beautiful blackened catfish and baked potato above and tell me it’s not a beautiful sight.

Next time you’re near Kentucky Lake, Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, or Land Between the Lakes, plan to have dinner at Willow Pond. The fried catfish AND the blackened catfish are uncommonly delicious, as are the coleslaw, beans (and relish), and hush puppies.

You’ll be thrilled you went. Trust me. Thhhrrrillled.

Willow Pond (Calvert City) Coleslaw, Beans and Relish

Catfish Kitchen: A Legendary Kentucky Lake Restaurant

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Catfish Kitchen Review Collage

Beautiful Catfish Kitchen at Kentucky Lake

When it comes to Restaurants near Kentucky Lake, the choices aren’t just pretty good, they’re DANG GOOD. One of the restaurants that give it such a distinction is a legend Kentucky legend: Catfish Kitchen.

Like most legends, Catfish Kitchen’s legendary status has been earned from years of excellence.  As you can see from the pictures in this review, Catfish Kitchen is a beautiful, cozy, restaurant with endless charm. Speaking of pictures, this article will be filled with them, so be sure to continue reading beneath each picture.

Catfish Kitchen: One of the best Kentucky Lake Restaurants

Catfish Kitchen: One of the Best Kentucky Lake Restaurants

We recently visited the beautiful Land Between the Lakes region and decided to eat supper at Catfish Kitchen. It was one of the best decisions we’ve made in a while.  There was absolutely no wait whatsoever – we were seated immediately by a very friendly hostess, who was quickly followed by an equally friendly server.

We got our drinks (one tea and one sweet tea) immediately and they were never allowed to get less than half full. Our server was on her game!

Catfish Kitchen Menu

 Catfish Kitchen Menu

When it came time to order, my husband asked if they had any sort of grilled or blackened catfish and our server said that they did, but that you needed to call ahead first. I’ve actually never heard of that in a restaurant, but after what I soon learned, I didn’t worry about it. Never gave it a second thought, in fact.  You see, when my husband told her he was asking because I had to eat “gluten free,” she told us that they actually have gluten free fried catfish!

My jaw nearly hit the floor and happy tears nearly came to my eyes. Fried catfish (one of my absolute favorite things in the world) is one of the things I’ve missed most after I had to start eating gluten free. To hear that a restaurant actually had gluten free fried catfish (fried with rice flour) made my day. Heck, it made my summer!

While trying to remain (or at least appear to remain) calm, I told her that I’d like the GF Fried Catfish, coleslaw, a baked potato, and beans. My husband had regular fried catfish and fried potatoes with his beans and coleslaw. He (lucky son-of-a-gun) also enjoyed their hush puppies.

I remember them being delicious.

Catfish Kitchen's Gluten Free Fried Catfish and Baked Potato

 Catfish Kitchen Gluten Free Fried Catfish and Baked Potato

The fried catfish was utterly delicious. So flaky and juicy!  The servings were generous, too.  I’ve noticed that a lot of restaurants, when serving what’s billed as a “2 piece” or “3 piece,” actually serve you HALF of a serving. This lies somewhere between dirty pool and completely not cool. Either way, I was thrilled to see that Catfish Kitchen gives generous servings.

Speaking of generous, the baked potato was huge! It was also perfectly delicious as well.  The beans were fantastic and the coleslaw was amazing.

Every single bite made me thrilled with our decision to eat at Catfish Kitchen!

Catfish Kitchen: A Wonderful Kentucky Lake Restaurant

Catfish Kitchen Beans… Delicious!

They make a fantastic “in house” relish that’s AMAZING on the beans. There are bottles on each table and you can even buy some to take home with you. It’s pretty spicy, so go easy at first – unless spicy doesn’t scare you… in which case, go for it! It’s fantastic – but the beans are deliciously seasoned and wonderful without the relish.

Catfish Kitchen Hush Puppies, Coleslaw, and Beans

Catfish Kitchen Hush Puppies, Coleslaw, and Beans

From the wonderful tea to the scrumptious fried catfish (regular OR gluten free!), every single thing at Catfish Kitchen is perfect in every way. The fact that they go out of their way to offer gluten free fried catfish just makes me love them even more. I appreciate this more than words could express. I guess it’d take someone in my shoes to truly understand the special feeling I got when I was able to order and ENJOY fried catfish once again.

I also appreciate the other extra touches like big juicy onion slices and green onions served with your meal.

Catfish Kitchen Fried Catfish

Catfish Kitchen Fried Catfish and Fried Potatoes

Before You Go: 
Always check Catfish Kitchen’s Facebook Page before planning your trip. This is advice I pretty much give to people before they go anywhere, but when it’s Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley restaurants, it’s absolutely essential. You never know when a restaurant’s “off season” hours will change or what days of the week they aren’t open unless you check first.

Also, if you want grilled catfish, you need to call ahead first.

How to Get There:
The official address for Catfish Kitchen is 136 Teal Run, Benton, KY.  Laymen’s terms? It’s on U.S. 641 – between Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park and Benton. It’s 5 miles south of Kentucky Dam, to be exact!

Also See:

Blackened and Grilled Catfish at Willow Pond in Aurora

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Willow Pond Restaurant in Aurora, Kentucky

Imagine Cookie Monster finding out he could no longer eat cookies, or Popeye being told, “Buddy, spinach is making you sick. If you want to feel better, you can’t ever eat spinach again. Ever. Sorry, bro.”

That’s pretty much the way it was for me when I had to give up fried catfish. Fried catfish had become a great chunk of my culinary identity.  Put another way, it was a glorious addiction.

Was.

When I first realized I could no longer eat fried catfish (because of an unkind thing called gluten intolerance), I honestly felt a loss. Think about your own favorite food for a minute – now imagine you couldn’t eat it anymore.

Sucks, right?

The thought of giving up bread, on a scale of 1-10, hurt around a 2.  Pizza measured around a 5 and doughnuts were an oh so painful 8. Cookies would have been a 10 but there are tons of gluten free cookie recipes that are just as good, so I’m okay there.

Then there’s fried catfish… the pain threshold exceeded 10. Blew right past it and hit upwards of 100.

I even wondered if I’d ever go to my favorite restaurants in Kentucky for catfish anymore. I figured, why bother?! However, we happened to be around Kentucky Lake a short while back and, for us, that means Willow Pond. My husband and one of our closest friends have always ordered the blackened and grilled catfish and have never (once) left a single bite behind on their plates, so I figured it’d be worth trying.  So we decided to go to our beloved Aurora Willow Pond.

As luck would have it, plate after plate of fried catfish passed by my table on their way to other diners. “Lucky dogs!”, I kept muttering under my breath.

Willow Pond (Aurora) Grilled Catfish
However, as soon as my blackened catfish came and I took a bite, I realized that I was as lucky as anyone in the restaurant. The blackened seasoning is out of this world and each bite was a whole new experience with catfish.  I also tried my husband’s grilled catfish and it was equally delicious.

Ge this: I think I actually prefer catfish grilled and blackened – and I would have NEVER thought that was possible.  While fried catfish is still one of the most delicious things in this world, when it’s blackened or grilled, you can actually taste the juicy and tender catfish better.  There’s no breading to get in the way – just the best fish in the world and you.

Just how it should be.

Blackened Catfish at Willow Pond (Aurora, Ky )
As always the white beans (with their amazing red pepper relish that’s always available on each table), baked potatoes, and coleslaw were extra delicious. Naturally the hush puppies (some of the best in the world) were as off limits to me as the fried catfish (how can gluten intolerance be so hateful?!?!) but my husband assured me they were as delicious as always.

Let me say this in my husband’s defense – if I’d wanted him to, he’d have asked the server not to bring ANY hush puppies to the table. Fortunately for him, I’m nowhere nearly as mean as gluten intolerance is – well… maybe right after a UK Basketball loss… but only then.

Everything about the Willow Pond Restaurant in Aurora is perfect. Everyone is warm, friendly, and genuinely glad to see your hungry face walk through the door. The food is absolutely delicious and you can’t beat the prices – no way, no how.  I love the quirky, down-home country charm of the decor almost as much as I do the food.

Almost.

As we were enjoying our meal on this most recent visit, I realized something else I love about Aurora’s Willow Pond:

  • It’s quiet.
  • It’s peaceful.
  • It’s relaxing.
  • It’s the ideal setting for enjoying a meal.

A lot of restaurants play so-called background music so loud you find yourself chewing to the beat – not exactly relaxing.  Some are also just, somehow, incredibly loud.  You know the restaurants, right? Where it seems you can hear everything going on in the kitchen and everything the people at the next table are talking about.  If you add the “background” music on top of that and the clamoring of the servers buzzing around, it isn’t any wonder that we all tend to quicken the pace of our eating to keep time with our busy surroundings.

I’ve even gotten to my car after a particularly loud meal and just wallowed in the quietness and stillness of my vehicle!

Willow Pond (Aurora, Ky) is the complete opposite of the typical busy bee restaurant. It’s a lovely step back in time to when the meal and the conversation over the meal were the main event.

Again, just as it should be.

No matter where you live, a trip to Aurora is always a beautiful idea.  Not only does Aurora have the famous Hitching Post Country Store and Kenlake State Resort Park,  it’s also mere minutes from Land Between the Lakes and Kentucky Lake.

After a day enjoying all the area has to offer, just look at what you have to look forward to! The best catfish you ever ate and…..

Willow Pond Restaurant in Aurora, Kentucky

 

Willow Pond’s ridiculously delicious hush puppies, vinegar coleslaw, and white beans (with red pepper relish available).

Picture of the Day from The Feed Mill in Morganfield, Kentucky

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The Feed Mill Restaurant in Morganfield, Ky

I was recently recovering from a nasty cold, and my wonderful husband Michael offered to take me out to eat. When he asked where I’d like to go, the answer was out of my mouth before the question was out of his. I am obsessed… obsessed, mind you… with the Feed Mill in Morganfield, Ky.

Below are the top 10 + 1 reasons why I can’t get enough of the Feed Mill:

  1. Catfish makes my culinary world go round and the Feed Mill has arguably the best fried catfish in the state of Kentucky.  It’s consistently big, beautiful, juicy, and delicious. I’m telling you, this catfish sets the bar for others. Out. Of. This. World.
  2. I’m as wild about good onion rings as I am catfish and the Feed Mill has great onion rings. We get an order to share as an appetizer each time we go. As I’ve said in previous reviews of the Feed Mill, their ketchup is a brand that’s not particularly good, so I smuggle in packets of Heinz or Hunt’s.  On our recent trip, our VERY friendly server asked if we’d like to try their “In House Made” Honey Mustard Sauce with the onion rings. Ridiculously delicious! Michael saved some for his fried chicken.
  3. The Feed Mill’s ambiance is unlike any other.  The last time I was there, I looked around for a picture that’d capture the unique spirit of the place. I wanted to convey the Feed Mill’s charisma, charm, and eccentricity to people who’d never been there.  When I saw the “Bayou Band” members on the wall (above), I knew I’d found my picture.  Yep, I’d say they prove my point.
  4. The baked beans are some of the best baked beans I’ve ever had.
  5. The green beans are some of the best green beans I’ve ever had.
  6. The fried chicken is some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had…. make that THE best.
  7. The mashed potatoes taste homemade – creamy, smooth, and delicious. The Loaded Mashed Potatoes are so good you’ll fall out of your seat.
  8. The yeast rolls taste EVEN better than they smell.
  9. The menu is one of the most diverse menus you’ll ever find. They have a little bit of everything. And it’s all Heavenly.
  10. The best restaurant dessert in the state is at the Feed Mill. The Bread Pudding is something you have to try to believe. The Sauce on this amazing dessert is one in a gazillion and you’ll never forget it.
  11. In a word: Consistency.  If you eat out regularly, you know what an issue consistency can be. Restaurants have off nights – that’s to be expected. Sometimes a hash brown casserole may be over-done, while on the next trip, it’s fantastic. That’s normal – after all humans are involved in the kitchens and we humans aren’t perfect. Somehow… and I can’t explain how… the food at the Feed Mill is always exceptional. Always a perfect 10. The servings are always the same – they never scrimp.  Consistent. Consistent. Consistent. Maybe they don’t have humans in the kitchen. Maybe they’re highly proficient aliens.  I’m okay with that.

The Feed Mill Restaurant is located at 3541 U.S. 60 in Morganfield, Ky. Click HERE for their official website for the menu and hours.

My Feed Mill Restaurant Reviews on Genuine Kentucky:

Bread Pudding at the Feed Mill (Morganfield, Ky) Bread Pudding at the Feed Mill �  Fried Catfish and Sides at the Feed Mill (Morganfield, Ky) Fried Chicken and Sides at the Feed Mill (Morganfield, Ky)�  Onion Rings and "In House" Honey Mustard Sauce at the Feed Mill (Morganfield, Ky)

Clifty Creek Restaurant at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park

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Fried Catfish Sandwich at Clifty Creek Restaurant (Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park)

Big beautiful fried catfish sandwich at Clifty Falls Restaurant (Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park)

Kitchen Elves. That’s what I’ve come up with.  Before you call me a tree nut, let’s look at the facts.

  1. We all know that even the most amazing restaurants  in the world have off nights or days.
  2. It’s a given that all restaurants (even the best of the best) have at least one thing on the menu that leaves something to be desired. Hard bread, consistently overcooked house chips, freaky little hush puppies, yellow/floppy catfish, or mushy beans – they have that one thing that, when the server asks if she can bring you some, you’re like, “What in the world did I ever do to you?!“
  3. The phrase “only human” is used interchangeably in our world to remind ourselves and others that no one… or human… is perfect. And they aren’t.

But elves are.

We visit Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park regularly.  Michael loves their golf course (especially the newer “back nine”), the amateur photographer in me loves every inch of the place, and we both love the Clifty Falls Restaurant in their beautiful and cozy lodge.

There are some restaurants (including the ones in the Kentucky State Park System) where you know it’s either “safe” or “risky” to eat off the buffet. It’s either “safe” or “risky” to eat off the menu, and it’s either “safe” or “risky” to eat at a particular time of day.

At Clifty Falls, you’re as safe as a baby in its overprotective mother’s arms either way you choose to go, any time you choose to go.  Even their salad bar is better than most. The real clincher? Their dressings are good. It’s really hard to get good French dressing at salad bars. It’s usually pumpkin orange and thisclose to disgusting. The dressing available at Clifty Falls is fantastic. Their salad bar vegetables are always especially bright, colorful, and obviously as fresh as fresh gets.  They also give you more options than a lot of places.  More options. Better options. Even their French dressing is delicious.

Elves.

Clifty Falls Soup and Salad Buffet

Wonderful Soup and Salad Bar at Pennyrile’s Clifty Falls Restaurant: Delicious and Extremely Inexpensive

When we come off the golf course, we’re exhausted from an afternoon in the sun. Well, he’s exhausted – riding, sipping tea and taking pictures isn’t too taxing, so I’ve never been exhausted… I just act like I am. The Soup and Salad bar is usually the way we go if it’s around lunch time.  HOWEVER, I do often order a fried catfish sandwich with the salad bar simply because I believe this is the best fried catfish sandwich you can get anywhere.  That’s right – ANYWHERE.

Whatever the secrets are to making fried catfish deliciously perfect, Clifty Falls knows each one by heart. In fact, I suspect they wrote the secret manual.

If only every other restaurant would read it!

Take a look at the picture at the top.  See the big, beautiful piece of fried catfish? There’s more flavor in their fried catfish than I could describe to you if I were to stay at this keyboard for 22 hours straight. And it’s so big!  Each and every time, I’m blown away by the size of their catfish fillets.  A lot of places – when making a fried catfish sandwich – only do it halfheartedly.  They seem to think, “Pfft, it’s just a sandwich. We’ll just throw on one of our puniest pieces of catfish and… whatever we do… let’s not cook it well. Let’s make it mushy. Yeah, that’s the way to go.”

Then they’ll throw the poor mushy little guy on a couple of pieces of hard, stale bread, throw a single wilted little sliver of what used to be lettuce on it and send it out and think, “Job well done.”

This might be a good time to point out that I am not affiliated with Pennyrile Forest State Park in any way at all.  I’ve never met their kitchen elves and am not related to any of them. If you don’t believe me, check my ears. Why do I serve up this little disclaimer? Because an already raving review is about to hit its raving peak and I want you to know it all comes from an unbiased heart.

Each time I’ve eaten at Pennyrile State Park’s Clifty Falls restaurant, I’ve gotten the same impression: Everything they make (from fried cornbread to desserts and everything in between) seems to be done just as they would prepare it for their own family.  As a wife and  mother, I KNOW all the special care that goes into cooking for your family. I always want everything to be as perfect for them as the love I have for them is.  I go out of my way to make sure everything is as beautiful and delicious as it possibly can be because, when I’m baking or cooking – this cast of characters isn’t in the back of my mind – they’re in the front of my mind.

Each time I’ve eaten at Clifty Falls, I’ve gotten the same impression. They seem to approach their cooking and baking the same way. Everything tastes as though they were making it for their own spouses, daughters, sons, moms, dads, aunts, uncles…  You can taste it in every bite.

If you’re thinking that this is kind of a rare thing, you’re exactly right.  It’s very rare.

Like elves.

Restaurant Hours

Continental Breakfast – 7:00am to 10:00am
Lunch – 11:00am to 3:00pm
Dinner – 4:00pm to 8:00pm (Sunday thru Thursday)
Dinner – 4:00pm to 9:00pm (Friday and Saturday)

More Pennyrile State Resort Park on Genuine Kentucky:

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