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You are here: Home / Archives for Catfish Kitchen Kentucky Lake

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

August 7, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Gluten-Free Fried Catfish at Catfish Kitchen

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

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

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

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

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

Filed Under: Benton, Best Catfish, Dining Out Gluten Free, Kentucky Lake, Kentucky Lake Restaurants, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: Catfish at Kentucky Lake, Catfish Kitchen Benton, Catfish Kitchen Kentucky Lake, where to eat at Kentucky Lake

Catfish Kitchen at Kentucky Lake: One of a Kind Restaurant

May 3, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Green Tomatoes and Beans at Catfish Kitchen

Green Tomatoes and Delicious Beans

How amazing do the green tomatoes and beans in the picture above look??? What’s really special is that they taste even better than they look. Next time you’re at Kentucky Lake, you HAVE to eat at Catfish Kitchen. Seriously. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. It’s a legendary Kentucky Lake restaurant and they do all things deliciously.

Catfish Kitchen Fried Catfish
Fried Catfish and a Baked Potato
 

I’ve certainly written about Catfish Kitchen plenty of times on Genuine Kentucky. If you haven’t guessed by now, it’s not just a favorite Kentucky Lake restaurant or Kentucky restaurant – it’s one of my favorite all time restaurants – as in anywhere, anytime.

I love the ambiance, the window views, the decor, the friendly servers, the fact that they have gluten free fried catfish, their big baked potatoes, their green tomatoes, the fact they have Heinz Ketchup instead of a vile “off brand,” their sweet tea, and… well… everything.

Heinz Ketchup at Catfish Kitchen

Heinz on the Table? The Restaurant Knows What’s Up!

If you know anything about me, you know that I am to catfish what Cookie Monster is to cookies and what Popeye is to spinach. Like chocolate and sweet tea, if catfish is mentioned, you have my undivided attention.

A few years ago, when I had to stop eating wheat and gluten, for health reasons, having to give up fried catfish (one of my obsessions) hurt more than anything else. More than doughnuts, more than pizza, more than just about anything else I had to say “so long” to. I even told one of my daughters once that (when it comes to dining out) fried catfish and onion rings were the toughest things to lose.

Then along comes Catfish Kitchen with gluten free fried catfish! Words can’t tell you what it means to me to still be able to go to Kentucky Lake and know I can have my beloved fried catfish. What’s more, it is excellent – EVEN better than I remember their normal fried catfish being, and that’s really saying something.

Green Tomatoes and Beans at Catfish Kitchen

A Side of Green Tomatoes is a MUST

Catfish Kitchen also has wonderful beans, baked potatoes, fried potatoes, green tomatoes, and (as memory serves) hush puppies.  Their “regular” fried catfish is also excellent, of course.

Catfish Kitchen Fried Catfish

Gluten Free Fried Catfish at Catfish Kitchen

Something pretty cool occurred to me last time my husband, Michael, and I went to Catfish Kitchen – my trust level with them, when it comes to dining out gluten free, is uncommonly high.  Here’s the situation… when I eat anything with gluten or wheat in it (even a crumb, mind you), I get uncommonly sick – with severe stomach pain – and the misery lasts for up to two weeks. Headaches, body aches, uncommon tiredness, and often a mouth ulcer or two also come into play. To keep things interesting, I even gain about 5 pounds each time.

For anywhere between 7-14 days, I am as miserable as it gets… like having the flu from Hell with a few other nightmares thrown in.

Understandably, I am overly cautious when I eat out. There are certain locally-owned restaurants and chain restaurants that I trust and only a handful that I’ve never had a single problem at. Since I am HIGHLY sensitive, I am usually a very good gauge for how “on the ball” a restaurant is because, as I said, even a crumb sends me into Hell Weeks.

This is why, not only are we cautious about where we eat, we have a few “precautionary steps” we take when we dine out. I make certain I mention “gluten free” and/or “wheat free” to the server a couple of times and, if it’s one I’m totally unfamiliar with, I’ll even say something along the lines of, “I can’t have anything with wheat or gluten or my body thinks it’s been poisoned!” – you know, something to make it a personal thing they can relate to and to help make their job easier.

We also almost ALWAYS order different sides if our food could possibly be mixed up. When I first started having to order gluten free fried catfish and he ordered his regularly fried catfish – he would always order fried potatoes. This extra little trick gave us more confidence when the food came out because, frankly, it’s tough to tell by just looking at the fried catfish. They look the same!

View from the Window at Catfish Ktichen
View from our Table
The view, above, is from the table we sat at on our last visit.  The pond often has a working fountain in the middle that adds to the relaxing setting.

Catfish Kitchen Coleslaw

Delicious Coleslaw

The sides at Catfish Kitchen are outstanding, too, even though their catfish is the biggest draw. The coleslaw (on our last trip) was even better than usual. It was fresh and fantastic.

Familiar Face at Catfish Kitchen
Familar Face at Catfish Kitchen
The guy pictured above is as much a regular at Catfish Kitchen as we are. We see him there all the time.

What more can I say? Catfish Kitchen is simply the perfect little Kentucky restaurant. It’s a very relaxing and beautiful setting and animal lovers like me will never tire of watching the Canadian Geese and ducks that are as drawn to the property as we are.

The goose pictured below had adorable goslings with her. Naturally, I didn’t want to get too close, because it’s her home and I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable – but you can see the adorable babies if you look closely.

Next time you’re at Kentucky Lake or the Land Between the Lakes, head for Catfish Kitchen…. and don’t forget to order a side of green tomatoes!

Before You Go: 
Always check Catfish Kitchen’s Facebook Page before planning your trip. This is advice I pretty much give to people before they go anywhere, but when it’s Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley restaurants, it’s absolutely essential. You never know when a restaurant’s “off season” hours will change or what days of the week they aren’t open unless you check first.

Also, if you want grilled catfish, you need to call ahead first.

How to Get There:
The official address for Catfish Kitchen is 136 Teal Run, Benton, KY.  Laymen’s terms? It’s on U.S. 641 – between Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park and Benton. It’s 5 miles south of Kentucky Dam, to be exact.

I’d know.

Canadian Goose with Goslings
Canadian Goose with Goslings

 

Also See:

Catfish Kitchen: A Legendary Kentucky Lake Restaurant

Filed Under: Best Catfish, Dining Out Gluten Free, Kentucky Lake, Kentucky Lake Restaurants Tagged With: best fried catfish in Kentucky, Catfish Kitchen, Catfish Kitchen Kentucky Lake, Kentucky Lake restaurants, where to eat at Kentucky Lake

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