Kenlake State Resort Park’s Aurora Landing Restaurant recently knocked our socks off… yet again.
I’m always on my soap box telling everyone to eat at Kentucky State Resort Parks. If someone tells me they go once a month, I tell them to go more. If they tell me they’ve never eaten at one of Kentucky’s State Resort Parks, I tell them to come back when they have.. then I’ll talk to them.
Okay, just kidding, I don’t actually do that. I’m not saying I don’t think about it though.
In the vein of practicing what you preach (but more importantly in the vein of loving good food), my husband Michael and I ate at TWO Kentucky State Resort Park restaurants Saturday. We had lunch at the gorgeous Lake Barkley State Resort Park’s restaurant, Windows on the Water. As I told the adorable hostess who seated us, the view never, ever gets old. Just beautiful. You know me…. of course I had the fried catfish sandwich and onion rings. Delicious!!!
Even the iced tea is perfection in Kentucky State Parks.
After lunch, we went to Kenlake State Resort Park where my husband played a round of golf while I caddied… if, that is, caddying means riding along, sipping Diet Coke, taking pictures, and bonding with every bird and squirrel in site. If that’s the definition of being a caddie I might just be the greatest one of all time. The golf course was beautiful – I’ll add the pictures to the Kentucky Pictures album soon. [EDIT: Unfortunately, the Kenlake Golf Course is now closed.]
We ate supper at Kenlake State Resort Park’s restaurant, Aurora Landing. I ordered the Fried Ham with Red Eye Gravy and a baked potato and pinto beans. While we waited, the server (beautiful face, but I didn’t catch the name that went with it) brought us a basket of HEAVENLY rolls and butter. Man, were they good.
The ham was beyond great – very, very, very flavorful. I normally love red eye gravy, but I didn’t want to intrude upon the flavor the ham had going on all by itself! The baked potato and pinto beans were also excellent.
Michael also had a baked potato and pinto beans but he ordered grilled chicken. It must have been outstanding, it disappeared awfully fast.
We always order a dessert to share at Kentucky State Resort Park restaurants and I order a cup of coffee…. which I don’t share. They use John Conti coffee beans and you can smell and taste the distinction. It’s one of the best cups of coffee you can get out, anywhere. It’s about 5 times better than coffee you get in coffeehouses.
We ordered cheesecake this time and it was great. My husband asked the lovely server if she could put some strawberries on top for us, and of course she did.
Having an outstanding meal while looking out at the gorgeous lake is always a special treat. For butterfly and bird lovers, like us, it’s an even bigger treat at Kenlake because, right outside the windows, they have bird feeders, beautiful trees, and gardens filled with flowers that draw these beautiful lovelies.
I work with words all day long but they fail me when I’m trying to convey just how special it is to enjoy a great view, great food, great company, and great coffee all at the same time. I’m always struck by how friendly the staff is at Aurora Landing Restaurant, too.
Please make a point to start supporting our Kentucky State Parks and Kentucky State Resort Parks more often. You’ll be surprised just how great the restaurants are.
Avoid the lines, avoid the hassle, avoid the noise, and avoid views that look out into parking lots. Kind of sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?!?!
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