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On the following pages you'll find a growing collection of Kentucky Restaurants and Kentucky Restaurant Reviews. If you have any questions about these, or other, restaurants, please feel free to e-mail me or find me on Twitter (@GenuineKentucky).

Aurora Kentucky is Going to the Dogs – Dixie Dogs!

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Dixie Dogs in Aurora Kentucky

As I mentioned in the last post, fudge is a topic (along with coffee and chocolate) that I rate myself as an expert. There’s another culinary delight that I also know inside and out: Hot Dogs! I’ve always had a special place in my heart (or maybe I should say my stomach?) for hot dogs. When my husband grills hot dogs and hamburgers, I generally take them off of the grill quicker than he can cook them.

When you wheel into the Hitching Post’s parking lot in Aurora, Kentucky – you’ll notice an adorable hot dog stand set up near the Hitching Post sign. The hot dog stand is run by a couple who have moved to the Land Between the Lakes area from Chicago. As you might guess, they make and sell delicious Chicago Style Hot Dogs. What you might not guess is that they are some of the best hot dogs that you’ll ever enjoy! They are all-beef hot dogs on a steamed poppy seed bun and you can top them off with any wonderful combination of condiments you choose. My husband goes all out, with ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, and onions. Although it earned me a “Boooo!” from one of the owners and the rest of my family – I just topped mine off with mustard and onions.

It. Was. Heavenly. The fact that the hot dog is all beef makes a huge difference, and the bread was utterly delicious. On the way home, we were all wishing we’d bought a baker’s dozen to nosh on all night!

The next time you’re down around the lakes, stop in the Hitching Post and have the best hot dog you’ll ever eat. You can get yummy cold bottled drinks inside the Hitching Post.

Dockers Bayside Grille May Have the Mac Daddy of all Onion Rings

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Dockers Bayside Grill Turtle Burger

I’ve fallen in love with Docker’s Bayside Grill in Grand Rivers. It was love at first sight, actually, because  I loved the atmosphere immediately.  The decor set the tone beautifully and the workers were very, very friendly.  I loved the fact that many of the diners came in fresh from being out on the water – all red-faced and looking for a tall glass of sweet tea, which was amazing, by the way.

As I’ve said before, when I go to a new restaurant – no matter where it is, how big it is, or what I’m eating – I order their onion rings.  I am obsessed with onion rings (this food obsession curls up cozily beside my coffee, chocolate, Fudge Factory Peanut Butter Fudge, and fried catfish obsessions).  I am, by now, the onion ring queen.  I know my rings!

When we saw the menu, I clicked my heels when I saw Onion Rings on the menu.  Naturally, I ordered a Catfish Sandwich and Onion Rings.  My husband got the grilled salmon sandwich and fries.  He had seen a picture of and read about their famous sink your boat omelet, so that’s what he wanted to order.However, our server said they stopped serving breakfast at 11:30.  Given the fact that – counting my husband – during the 45 minutes we were there, six people tried to order the omelet, they should consider pulling a Cracker Barrel and serve breakfast all day.  Personally, I wouldn’t eat breakfast past 10:00, but apparently lots of people would more than love to.

How many ways do I love Dockers? Let me count them…

  1. Okay, I’ve already established myself as the Onion Ring Queen, right?  I’ve had my favorite side dish in countless places – all over the south of the United States, as far west as Kansas and Iowa and as far north as Minnesota and Northern Indiana.  I can honestly say that I’ve never had better onion rings than the ones I ate at Docker’s Bayside Grill.  They were phenomenal. Fat, flavorful, and even beautiful to behold.  What I wouldn’t give for an order right now! The onion rings at Docker’s Bayside Grill in Grand Rivers, Kentucky are perfection.  You can go ahead and write that down.
  2. My husband ordered fries with his Salmon Sandwich (We aren’t going to talk about the sandwich – it wasn’t anywhere near as good as my sandwich.).  The fries were delicious.  Given my Onion Ring fetish, I don’t eat a lot of fries, but if they all tasted like these, I’d probably order them more often.  These were amazing.
  3. My catfish was as delicious as the Onion Rings – and that’s saying something.  I normally don’t order Catfish sandwiches because I don’t like for the bread to get in between me and my catfish.  However, Docker’s Bayside Grill Catfish Sandwich is more of an “open sandwich” which, in my opinion, is the way a Catfish sandwich should be.  It doesn’t allow the bread steal the show from the star.  I can’t say enough good things about the catfish, it was just remarkable and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
  4. The sweet tea was really, really, really good.  I guess it’s a southern thing, but I LOVE sweet tea – and bad tea makes me wish I’d stayed in bed.
  5. Although we didn’t order them (this time), the turtle burger, Mushroom & Swiss burger, and grilled chicken salad looked heavenly.  So did the desserts – which I WILL try next time. The only reason we didn’t this time was we knew full well our next stop was the nearby Fudge Factory.
  6. The view of the bay is breathtaking.  It’s a beautiful location and you can eat inside or on the screened porch as you enjoy the view.

Click HERE to learn more about the gorgeous Green Turtle Bay Resort and HERE for more information on the Docker’s Bayside Grill.

EDIT (3/30/2015): Ironically, the onion rings now served at Docker’s are different from the ones I talked about in the review above. It isn’t anything the restaurant is doing differently – it’s a “supplier” decision.  They’re still good, mind you, but the fries (in my opinion) are now even better than the onion rings.

Dockers Bayside Restaurant at Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers Kentucky

Willow Pond Southern Catfish in Aurora: As Good as It Gets

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Willow Pond Catfish in Aurora, Ky

Fried Catfish at The Willow Pond, Aurora

Read a more recent Willow Pond in Aurora Review by clicking the link!

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.

As I’m writing this review, all I can think about is my next trip to this beautiful restaurant  with its Southern charm and delicious food.

Before I go any further, I want to say a little more about our server.  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.

Like I said, I’d never eaten at Willow Pond before, even though I’m a frequent visitor to Land Between the Lakes.  You hear so much about some of the other restaurants in the Lake’s region – some of them are as famous as the lakes, themselves.  Willow Pond may not have the publicity, but what they do have is… well, everything else.

This is the sort of restaurant that makes you want to try everything on the menu.  Everything. Was.  Amazing. We started off with Fried Green Tomatoes as an appetizer.  They were deliciously battered and deep fried.  So southern!  They were piping hot, firm, thickly cut and served with a fantastic Ranch Dressing.  We knew, instantly, that we were in for a very memorable meal.
Willow Pond Southern Catfish

I ordered the Fried Catfish meal which came with a choice of baked potato, fries, or wedges.  I chose the baked potato, which I was very happy with.  Unlike a lot of restaurants, Willow Pond served a baked potato that was large – just like you’d want it to be. They also did not commit the Cardinal Sin – nuking the baked potato in a microwave. They baked that baby and it was delicious.

You also get perfectly seasoned and wonderful white beans and the best hush puppies you’ll ever eat.  The menu boasted of the hush puppies, “The best hush puppies you ever put in your mouth!”  They weren’t lying! Hush puppies are one of those things that I always sample first.  A lot of restaurants treat hush puppies as an after thought, something they hope people won’t pay too much attention to.

Willow Pond treats them like the stars they are.

As a matter of fact, I think that’s what separates Willow Pond from a lot of other restaurants.  They don’t just focus on their catfish or other meats (they also serve chicken, steak, and shrimp) – they, obviously, treat each and every menu item as though it were the cornerstone of the restaurant.  Even the coleslaw was the best I’ve ever gotten at a restaurant.  You’re given a choice between vinegar or mayonnaise coleslaw, and I guarantee you that you’ll love the vinegar one.  I’ll probably try the mayonnaise coleslaw on my next visit.

Nah, on second thought, why mess with perfection. The vinegar coleslaw is just ridiculously delicious.

Now for the star of the show: the catfish was beyond amazing. I knew, after just one bite, that writing a restaurant review was going to be tough. There simply aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to cover this fried catfish.  It was seasoned perfectly and had a traditional Southern style breading made from cornmeal. The breading was just right – enough to add to the flavor but not so much that the catfish flavor was lost in the mix.  It passed the “no need for tartar sauce” test I always give fried catfish.  For the sake of this review, however, I did sample the tartar sauce – perfect, of course.  It had a dill flavor that made me almost wish the fish needed it.

But, alas, it would have been a crime to have covered up the flavors going on with this fried catfish.

You’re served all the beans and hush puppies (did I mention how freaking amazing these hush puppies are?!?!) you can eat with your meal.  Again, our lovely young waitress didn’t allow us to run low on anything.

{Review continued below.}

Some of the other menu items are below:

SPECIALTIES:

  • Blackened Fish
  • Frog Legs
  • Country Fried Shrimp
  • Rib-eye
  • Sirloin Tips
  • New York Strip
  • Grilled Chicken Breast
  • Chicken Tenders
  • And a lot more!

APPETIZERS:

  • Cheese Sticks
  • Onion Rings
  • Green Tomatoes (!!!)
  • Jalapeno Poppers (our server said she loved these)
  • Fried Dill Pickles
  • Breaded Mushrooms
  • Sampler Platter

DESSERTS:

  • Fruit Cobblers (We had the Blackberry cobbler and it was amazing – even the ice cream was something to write home about.)
  • Pecan Pie
  • Brownie
  • Cherry Cheesecake
  • Turtle Cheesecake (Next time, my friend!)

Willow Pond also features some beautiful salads, burgers, sandwiches, and a children’s menu (“For the Lil’ Tadpole”) which includes Pizza Sticks, Fish Strips, Grilled Cheese, Shrimp, and Chicken Tenders.  Each is served with fries and hush puppies.

But don’t get me started on those hush puppies again.  I’m actually dying for one now.

I’ve saved something deliciously unique for the closing.  Each table has, of course, the standard Salt, Pepper, and tartar sauce.  Willow Pond, however, has something else that we flipped for.  It’s a sweet pepper relish to put on the beans.  You will not believe just how delicious it is.  Fortunately, the gift shop in the front of the restaurant carried this relish, so a jar came home with us!  It is delicious, of course, on beans, but it’d also be pretty amazing on cornbread, or on a hamburger or hot dog.

Aurora’s Willow Pond is a restaurant that you MUST visit. It’s located on Highway 68 East near LBL and Kenlake State Park.

Parking is available for buses, vans, and even motor homes!  Call for questions, comments, or reservations – (270)474-2202

Tell them  Genuine Kentucky sent you!

Read a more recent Willow Pond in Aurora Review by clicking the link!

More Willow Pond on Genuine Kentucky:

Willow Pond Map - Aurora, Kentucky

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

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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  – 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!

***How cool is this? – They’ve taken care of the drink’s dilemma 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.

"When reading about a Kentucky event, please be sure you check the date. Old events are not always deleted from the website. If you have an event you'd like to see on Genuine Kentucky or a 'Made in Kentucky' food or product you'd like reviewed, please contact us! " ~ Joi ("Joy")

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