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!