Kentucky Lake Restaurants | Genuine Kentucky

Majestic Pizza & Steakhouse in Benton: One of the Best Salad Bars in the Kentucky Lake Area and BEYOND!

June 5, 2018 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

The Majestic Salad Bar Salad and Iced Tea

When you’re in the Kentucky Lake area, you should check out The Majestic in Benton. Whether you’re looking for a delicious lunch or dinner, this restaurant is one of our favorites. Read on and I’ll tell you why!

You know how some restaurants are simply more enjoyable to dine in than others? They’re spacious, comfortable, and have an ambiance that’s in all ways enjoyable. The servers are friendly, the food delicious, and the experience… well, as perfect as it gets.

That’s Majestic Pizza & Steak House in Benton (the “mailing address” is Benton, but the physical location is Draffenville) in a nutshell!

Ironically, one of the things I love best about Majestic is a ridiculous simple one: Most of the times we’ve eaten there (which is numerous, numerous times) they allow you to sit wherever you want to sit. The times they do seat you, they’re better than most places in that there isn’t a host/hostess who seems bent on sitting all of the guests pretty much on top of one another (PET PEEVE!).

Some of my favorite restaurants tend to do this and, holy catfish, do I wish they’d see the error of their ways. People want to enjoy their meal without being able to hear every single thing the diners beside them are saying.

Majestic seems to “get this” when so few do.

If we’re being honest, I love pretty much everything about this restaurant. It’s beautiful, the workers are friendly, and the food is consistently delicious. Majestic (like most all non-national-chain restaurants) does not provide a gluten-free menu, but I have gotten pretty good at knowing what I can and cannot eat. If you (like me) have to eat gluten-free for health reasons, please know that they do not claim any of their food as being “gluten-free.” If you’re in the boat I am, you’ve come to expect this with the majority of restaurants – we simply make the smartest choices we can make and pray over the food we’re served!

Majestic Cheeseburger “Off Bun” with Mayo and “Fixings”

You can actually order a burger (either on or off bread) with the salad bar – it’s more expensive, of course, but it makes a delicious dinner. Their burgers are wonderful – you can honestly taste the quality.

Their steaks and baked potatoes (white or sweet) are also fantastic. I mean… extra extra extra fantastic!

Speaking of multiple “fantastic”s – their bread (which comes with outrageously delicious strawberry butter) is as good as you’ll ever see, smell, or taste in any restaurant in the world.

Again, if you eat gluten-free for health reasons, I cannot vouch for any of the food – even the food I regularly eat while there. Having said all of that, I will say that the following foods have not caused me any issues (and I am extremely sensitive to problems with gluten):

Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers “OFF BUN”
Steaks
Baked Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Just about everything on their amazing salad bar

If gluten isn’t a concern, you’ll also love their lunch or dinner buffet (different from the salad bar, of course). Something I’ve noticed (even though I never eat off of the food buffet), the price is lower than many other buffets you’ll find.

And the food always looks incredible!

While I always get the salad bar at lunch, I’ve gotten steaks and hamburgers or cheeseburgers (off bun) other times and they’re always amazing.

I can’t say this enough times, however, just because I haven’t had an issue doesn’t mean Jack for anyone else. If you have to eat gluten-free (as with every restaurant), proceed with the knowledge that nothing on their menu is marked or even considered gluten-free. The fact that I’ve never had an issue in a restaurant that serves pizza, for crying out loud, is pretty awesome.

If you’re one of the LUCKY ones who doesn’t have to eat gluten-free…. knock yourself out! This wonderful restaurant has a huge selection of food and it’s all delicious. Before I had to give up gluten, I was absolutely in love with their pizza. If memory serves (and it almost always does when it comes to UK Basketball, baseball, and food), their pizza is phenomenal.

As a salad fanatic, my favorite thing about Majestic Pizza & Steak House is their extraordinary salad bar. It’s possibly the best one in Western Kentucky – possibly even beyond.

My Work of Art from the Majestic Salad Bar

They don’t just have the usual suspects – big beautiful lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc… they have “above and beyond” delicacies that rock my very world:

BIG beautiful and delicious pickled beets
Pickled okra
Miniature corn
Green olives (an obsession)
An assortment of cold “salads” that taste like a plus-size Amish lady spent all day making – these are the things dreams are made of. There’s a kraut one and a cucumber one that I could sit down and eat buckets of. BUCKETS. You can see them in the pictures here but words and photos both fail to describe how wonderful they are.

Even their iced tea is fantastic!

The next time you’re in the Kentucky Lake area or Land Between the Lakes, you’ll want to schedule and plan lunch or dinner (or both if you really want to show out) at Majestic Pizza & Steak House.

Address: 244 US-68, Benton, KY

Grilled Shrimp and Blackened Catfish at The Pond in Aurora

November 2, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Grilled Shrimp and Blackened Catfish at The Pond

I’ve written about The Pond in Aurora many, many times on Genuine Kentucky and know beyond the shadow of a taste bud that I’ll write about this restaurant many more times in the future.

What can I say, I have a thing for wonderful food, charming ambiance, and uncommonly friendly people.

The Pond’s Menu (With the Adorable New Logo)

The problem with writing restaurant reviews for favorite restaurants is the feeling that you can’t possibly cover all of the things you want to cover. Seriously, everything is so delicious and the service is so above par that I have to pause every now and then to make sure I’ve covered everything.

However, due to time constraints (translation: my cats are getting hungry and restless), I’m going to simply stick with a few new (and maybe not so new) menu items we’ve tried.

The Grilled Shrimp. I’ve ordered the grilled shrimp many times over the years and it has always been great. See, here’s the thing – I am an avid cook and food blogger. I cook every single day of the week – usually more than once – so, when I go out to eat, I like to eat things I don’t normally fix at home. Shrimp is not on the home menu very often simply because of the price (Have you bought a bag recently? Holy cats, Kroger thinks I have a money tree I guess!), so when I can find it in a restaurant, I order it right away. Problem is, a lot of restaurants don’t have grilled shrimp available. The Pond is one of the few who do. Like I said, the shrimp has always been fantastic but, somehow, it’s even better than ever. It has a more “grilled” flavor and it is the best shrimp in the world.
Blacked Catfish. When I had to give up wheat and gluten, I had to part ways with one of my favorite things in the world (at most restaurants, anyway): Fried Catfish. I just started getting Grilled Catfish instead, which was also delicious. I’ve fallen hard for the blackened catfish at The Pond however – it’s a total knock-out.
Salmon. My husband, who loves salmon like I love catfish, was delighted to see it on The Pond’s menu and has ordered it each time we’ve been for the past few months. I tried it and can certainly see why he has remained so loyal to it. It’s wonderful.
Naturally, the baked potatoes, beans, and coleslaw are as delicious as always.

When you’re at Kentucky Lake or the Land Between the Lakes, you have to go to quiet little Aurora and have dinner at The Pond. New logo, new name but same outstanding food and service.

Tell them Joi (“Joy”) at Genuine Kentucky sends her love and will see them and their catfish and shrimp very soon.

~ Joi

P.S. A word about the grilled shrimp – the shrimp comes with a little package of cocktail sauce. DO NOT mess the shrimp up with this cocktail sauce. No, no, no… don’t even think about it. Not only does the shrimp not need it, the sauce is simply not on par with the deliciousness of the shrimp. It’s a packaged sauce, kind of like the kind you find in stores, and it simply doesn’t deserve to be seen in the company of this wonderful grilled shrimp!

Catfish Kitchen at Kentucky Lake (Make. A. Reservation.)

August 7, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Gluten-Free Fried Catfish and Baked Potato at Catfish Kitchen

My husband (Michael) and I take a lot of “daycations” – during each of the four seasons, not just summer. We don’t play favorites, after all. A daycation, simply put, is a vacation packed into a single day. Some people take week-long vacations but we kind of beat the system. By taking one 3-4 times a month, we have a lot more actual vacation time than most people.

Our daycations are usually on Saturdays, but occasionally we’ll take one on a Sunday (not during NFL season, though – I mean, that’s just not done from what I hear).

We’ll wake up, have our Bulletproof Coffee, feed our cats (while promising to bring them something back), map out the route (him), and grab a large tumbler of sweet tea (me) – then off we go. As I’ve mentioned before on the Kentucky blog, I have to eat gluten-free for health reasons. So, unfortunately, our daycations and destinations have to take that bit of information into consideration.

If I were to end up in an area or at a destination where I couldn’t safely eat lunch or supper, it would not make for a lovely daycation or a happy me. Quite frankly, years ago, we used to visit a lot more places (remote State Resort Parks, for example) that are pretty much off the list these days.

There just aren’t a lot of restaurants that will or are able to take the extra measures to provide “gluten-free” food. Thankfully, one of our favorite daycation destinations (Kentucky Lake and the Land Between the Lakes) has a couple of delicious options. Catfish Kitchen actually has gluten-free fried catfish (it isn’t listed on the menu, but you can certainly order it – goodness knows I do often enough!). Paired with beans, coleslaw, green tomato relish, and a baked potato – it’s one of my favorite meals.

Beans and Green Tomato Relish

There are bottles of relish on the tables for the beans, but I prefer the Green Tomato Relish (it is ridiculously delicious). It’s less than $1 and is the perfect accompaniment to the beans.

Take it from me, just because you have to eat a certain way doesn’t mean you don’t thoroughly enjoy dining out as much as the next person!

The pictures in this post are from our last visit to Catfish Kitchen. The fried okra and hush puppies may be off-limits for me, but that doesn’t mean my husband can’t enjoy the heck out of them.

Fried Okra: Not Gluten-Free (Unfortunately!)

Here’s a word to the wise, MAKE RESERVATIONS. Call the restaurant as soon as you possibly can and set a reservation. The restaurant has limited seating but unlimited popularity – when those two combine, there’s only one thing you can do to make sure you get to eat before you’re ready to eat your own shoes… MAKE RESERVATIONS. On our last visit, there was a very, very disappointed and unhappy lady who had apparently driven a long way to visit Catfish Kitchen and who was, understandably, upset about having to wait at least an hour.

The nicer the weather, the more vital it is to make reservations. A few weeks ago, when my husband called to make a reservation, it was already too late for a “reasonable” dinner hour. This restaurant is incredibly popular and people just seem to come out of nowhere to pull into the parking lot. MAKE RESERVATIONS!

Hush Puppies: Also NOT Gluten-Free

Catfish Kitchen is located at 136 Teal Run (between Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park and Benton). Their phone number is (270) 362-7306.

Catfish Kitchen Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 4–8PM
Thursday: 4–8PM
Friday: 4–8PM
Saturday: 4–8PM
Sunday: 11AM–8PM

Green Tomato Relish: Trust Me, You’ll Want to Order This Every Time!

The Pond Restaurant in Aurora, Kentucky (Previously Willow Pond)

May 16, 2017 by Joi Sigers 2 Comments

Loaded Baked Potato, Blackened Catfish, and Vinegar Coleslaw

As you can tell from the multiple Willow Pond (in Aurora) reviews on Genuine Kentucky, this is one of our favorite Kentucky Lake Restaurants. The food is consistently delicious and the people couldn’t be any friendlier if they were your own family. None of that has changed (or is it ever apt to), but the name HAS changed. This legendary Kentucky Lake restaurant is no longer Willow Pond…. it is now The Pond.

Some people get kind of confused when it comes to the Willow Pond restaurants near Kentucky Lake – so I’ll just give a brief recap:

There was a Willow Pond in Calvert City that was pretty darn good. While the Willow Pond in Aurora has always been my favorite, this restaurant wasn’t at all bad. Unfortunately, the Calvert City Willow Pond is closed now – for good, apparently, because there now a new business in their old location. This Willow Pond had different owners than the Willow Pond in Aurora.
The Willow Pond in Aurora (my favorite since Day 1) is still standing strong and delicious. It is simply now going by the name The Pond. The signs out front have not changed yet, but trust me… it’s not The Pond. We ate there a few days ago and the overall-wearing frog (pictured below) assured me, the change is a done deal.
There is a Willow Pond in Eddyville that is… for lack of a better word… horrible. The last time we ate there (out of severe hunger and desperation), we actually sat in a shocked kind of silence trying to tally up all the things they did wrong. Everything was cold, everything was bad, and the servers were aloof and acted kind of detached. Not that I wouldn’t try to detach myself from the food served, too, but still. The Eddyville Willow Pond owners are NOT the ones who own the Aurora restaurant. They aren’t even the ones who owned the one in Calvert City (though I wish they were in case we were ever hungry and desperate in that area again).

{Review Continued Beneath My Buddy the Frog….}

While The Pond (this is going to take some getting used to after years of typing Willow Pond in Aurora!) has a little bit of everything on their menu, they are famous for…

Fried Catfish
White Beans
Red Pepper Relish (for the beans)
Grilled Catfish
Grilled Shrimp
Fried Green Tomatoes (appetizer)
Vinegar Coleslaw
Their Hush Puppies

After our recent visit, I’m going to do my part to make sure they become equally famous for their blackened catfish and loaded baked potato, but before I get to that, a few words about the above legends. The red pepper relish and vinegar coleslaw have, literally, ruined a lot of other restaurants for me. I find myself in other restaurants, eating their beans and thinking, “Beans are better with The Pond’s red pepper relish…” Or I’ll take a bite of coleslaw and think, “Not as good as The Pond’s…”

A few years ago, I had to completely stop eating wheat and gluten (health reasons – my body made the decision, not my brain). Before that fateful moment, The Pond’s hush puppies and fried catfish had ALSO ruined other restaurant’s attempts as well.

When I had to give up wheat, I had to give up fried catfish and hush puppies at The Pond. I was quickly and greatly relieved to discover that their grilled shrimp, blackened catfish, and grilled catfish are phenomenal.

In fact, when we were there this past Saturday, the blacked catfish was better than ever. It was simply too good to be true and I told it so.

Yes, of course I talk to my food. Try not to judge me – all I can do is ask you to try.

I also branched out this time and ordered the Baked Potato “loaded,” which proved to be one of my smarter moves of the year. It was extra, extra delicous – the entire meal was, to be honest.

But the thing is… with The Pond… I would expect no less.

William Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Joi (that’d be me) says, “A Restaurant this good… by any name it chooses… will knock your knickers off.”

I never claimed to be as eloquent as Mr. Shakespeare.

The Pond is located in Aurora, Kentucky – perfectly situated between Kenlake State Resort Park/Kentucky Lake and The Hitching Post and Old Country Store. I hope you’ll make The Pond your dining choice when in the Land Between the Lakes region or anywhere near Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

P.S. One more example of how good The Pond is and how much we love it: We live in Owensboro, Kentucky and have actually made the trip to Aurora JUST to have dinner at The Pond. What’s more, we’ve done it more than once.

What’s MORE… we’ll do it again!

The Pond (Formerly Willow Pond) in Aurora: What Makes This Kentucky Lake Restaurant So Special?

August 23, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Blackened Catfish at Willow Pond, Aurora

It’s been a while since I wrote my first Willow Pond in Aurora review (8 years to be exact!) but the review still gets visitors. In fact if you click the link, you can read the raving comments of others who’ve visited and loved this wonderful Kentucky Lake restaurant.

Special note before I continue with this review… I often refer to this particular Willow Pond as the Willow Pond in Aurora – I’m not trying to be wordy (I don’t have to try to be wordy, just ask my husband). There is a Willow Pond in Eddyville and it is nowhere near as good as the one in Aurora. Different people run the place, different people work the place, and different people cook in the place. I want to clearly distinguish between the two because the Willow Pond in Aurora is excellent and the one in Eddyville? Well, you’d be better off at Wendy’s.

Back to Aurora and back to the “right” Willow Pond.

{Review Continued Below….}

Recently, I found myself (yet again) recommending Aurora’s Willow Pond to someone. A woman contacted me, through e-mail, asking for suggestions – she and her family planned to be in the Kentucky Lake area, for the first time no less, and wanted to know where I recommended lodging, eating, and shopping. As I sat typing out a nice long e-mail to her, I found myself raving about the Willow Pond restaurant in Aurora.

After sending the e-mail, I started thinking, What is it about Aurora’s Willow Pond Restaurant that makes it so special? Why do I always feel 110% comfortable and confident sending people their way? What separates them from a lot of other restaurants? Why is it the perfect place to eat if you’re visiting Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, or the Land Between the Lakes?

Fortunately, I never task myself questions I can’t handle, so I came up with the answers.

The FOOD Sets Willow Pond in Aurora Apart.

A lot of catfish restaurants (all that I’ve been to anyway) offer deals where you get your choice of meat, white beans, hush puppies, coleslaw, and your choice of fries or a baked potato. Each of the sides at Willow Pond (in Aurora) are superior to other restaurant’s sides. Period. I’m a nice Southern gal, but there’s no way to sugar coat this. Their beans? Better than other restaurants. Their coleslaw? Better than other restaurants. Their hush puppies? Okay, this is where I get sad.. I was always addicted to their wonderful hush puppies until I had to start eating gluten free. But, memory serves me well and their hush puppies are much better than other restaurants. Their baked potatoes are always perfection, as well. They have something else that sets them apart, too – red pepper relish! A bottle sits on each table (and is even available to purchase) and it is Heaven on their white beans. HEAVEN. Mind you, the beans are delicious without the relish, too.

The coleslaw is available two ways – made with vinegar or made with mayonnaise. To be honest, I’ve never had the mayo one in all the countless times I’ve been there. I don’t have anything against mayo coleslaw – but the vinegar coleslaw is so crazy delicious I just can’t wander away from it.

{Review Continued Below….}

Willow Pond (Aurora) White Beans and Red Pepper Relish

Willow Pond’s fried catfish is (again, going by memory) also better than you’ll find anywhere. Fortunately, since I have to eat blackened and grilled these days, their non-fried catfish is also great. Because their fried catfish is the stuff legends are made of, I was honestly broken-hearted about having to give it up. However, one bite of their grilled catfish and my poor catfish-loving heart mended right up. The grilled and blackedned are as delicious as the fried, and that’s really saying something huge.

Something else on the menu that’s out of this world is their grilled shrimp. Delicious! It doesn’t need any cocktail sauce – that’s how flavorful it is.

Even the iced tea is consistently great at Aurora’s Willow Pond!

CONSISTENCY Sets Willow Pond in Aurora Apart.

Pet peeve – when you never know what to expect from a restaurant one visit to the next. One week the food’s a 10, the next it’s a 3. This week the people are friendly, the next they’re all but rude. What once was on the menu is now nowhere to be found. (Seriously, though, how is barbecue chicken “seasonal?”)

Aurora’s Willow Pond is as consistent as the word, itself. Consistent is always spelled the same – it never changes. You know what to expect, c-o-n-s-i-s-t-e-n-t. This Willow Pond is delicious each and every single time. As consistent as c-o-n-s-i-s-t-e-n-t. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is, it doesn’t matter what month of the year it is. The food refuses to be anything but delicious. The prices refuse to be anything but reasonable. The restaurant, itself, refuses to be anything but the very definition of comfort.

{Review Continued Below….}

Willow Pond Grilled Catfish and Baked Potato

The PEOPLE Set Willow Pond in Aurora Apart.

The hostesses and servers are just as consistent as the food. Some of the faces may change from time to time but the “heart” of the restaurant never changes. There is an unmistakable atmosphere of happiness and southern hospitality flows through the air. We’ve eaten at this Willow Pond far too many times to even begin to count and we have never (not once, mind you) encountered a single worker who was rude or seemed in any way less than happy to be right where they were, doing right what they were doing.

They make you feel welcome and the smiles on their faces when guests walk through the door are not fake. They are genuine. About a month ago, we were enjoying a wonderful meal as the restaurant began to fill up. There was an event at nearby Kenlake and apparently there was a great turnout.

The servers and hostesses were incredibly busy but it never registered on their faces. It was as though their smiles and hearts didn’t realize how busy their hands and feet were! A very large group came in (ten people, in all) and the servers worked, happily, pulling tables together and talking to everyone about their visit to Kentucky Lake.

Not one single face “registered” the crazy pace of the evening and not one responded with anything but a smile and kindness to each and every guest. They almost reminded me of how I am when all of my family gets together on holidays.

Mind you, I’ve never been in the restaurant business (even though my kitchen often feels like one!) – but I can’t help but think that the staff often takes on the character, mindset, and possibly even “heart” of the owner. In this case, it would make perfect sense, because the owner is what we call “good people” here in Kentucky. Very, very good people.

It appears to me that the heart of the owner resonates with each member of his staff.

People like that? You bet they set a restaurant apart from the rest.

{Review Continued Below…}

Willow Pond Grilled Shrimp and Baked Potato

The CHARM Sets Willow Pond in Aurora Apart.

We’d been going to this Willow Pond for months before I put my finger on what I loved so much about the restaurant, itself. There are other restaurants in the area that also serve great food. There are even a few that also have ridiculously friendly “good people.” And yet…. Whenever my husband and I would discuss where we were going to eat supper while in the area, we almost always came back to Willow Pond in Aurora.

It feels good to be there.

The restaurant, itself, is spacious, cozy, very comfortable, colorful and… well… charming. Very, very charming. I love the checkered tablecloths, I love the floral tablecloths, I love the fruity tablecloths, I love the country decor, I love the front porch, I love Ole Sam the Resident Buzzard (pictured below) a lot , and I love the I love the down home vibe of the entire restaurant.

I enjoy being there. Period.

{Concluded below Ole Sam…}

Ole Sam, the Resident Buzzard at Willow Pond Aurora

Next time you’re in the Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, or Land Between the Lakes area – you know where to go for supper. When you go, say “Hi!” to Sam for me.

Heck… I might even be there, myself.

Check out Aurora’s Willow Pond on Facebook to stay on top of their hours. Like all businesses around tourist areas, the days and hours change throughout the year.