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

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.