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You are here: Home / Archives for Catfish Kitchen

Beautiful Elk from the Elk & Bison Prairie: There’s NO Wrong Time to Visit the Land Between the Lakes

January 13, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Elk and Bison Prairie January 2017
Nearly a week ago, Michael and I had what I call a “perfect day.” That means eating catfish, the Land Between the Lakes, and at least two Kentucky State Park visits for those of you who may be new here. I had not been to the Elk & Bison Prairie in the LBL for about a month and I was suffering horrifying withdrawals.

When it comes to the catfish eating portion of the “perfect day,” we switch up – sometimes we eat at the wonderful Willow Pond Restaurant (in Aurora… not Eddyville, never Eddyville – shhhh, it’s not good – like, at all) and sometimes we eat at Catfish Kitchen. I was in the mood for fried catfish this time and Catfish Kitchen is the only restaurant I know of that serves gluten-free fried catfish, so the decision was easy.

The next time, I’ll be ready for grilled or blackened catfish and Willow Pond will play a role in the perfection.

I’ll add more pictures from our recent trip, as well as pics of our visit to Catfish Kitchen, in upcoming posts. I need my husband (*hint hint nudge nudge) to send me his Bison pictures – a huge group walked right by HIS side of the car! – but I was anxious to share this beauty with you. What a precious, beautiful face!

Is it any wonder I could happily visit the Elk & Bison Prairie everyday of my life?

Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes

Filed Under: Elk & Bison Prairie, Kentucky Picture of the Day, LBL Tagged With: Catfish Kitchen, Catfish restaurants, Kentucky Lake restaurants, LBL, things to do at Kentucky Lake

Pictures of the Day: Gorgeous White Herons at Catfish Kitchen

November 7, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

White herons at Kentucky Lake's Catfish Kitchen
My husband, Michael, and I had a delicious dinner at Catfish Kitchen (legendary Kentucky Lake restaurant ) Saturday night. To be honest with you, I’m STILL thinking about the gluten free fried catfish.

It’s unspeakably delicious and I could eat it every single day if I could.

We always like to get to the restaurant a little before they open to spend some time behind the restaurant. Geese, herons, ducks, turtles… you never know for sure what friends you’ll make – but the experience is always magical.

White heron at Kentucky Lake's Catfish Kitchen
 

The stars of the show this time were gorgeous, graceful white herons. I say they were the “stars of the show,” but to be honest,I was so enraptured with them I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. There could have been a dinosaur beside me and I’d have never known.

If you’ve read other Genuine Kentucky “Kentucky Pictures of the Day,” you’ve probably seen that I am obsessed with reflection pictures. When trees, birds, animals, or even good old-fashioned human beings are reflected in water (or glass for that matter), my amateur photographer heart skips about a hundred beats.

It’s my thing, plain and simple.

White herons at Kentucky Lake's Catfish Kitchen
When I spied the herons beside the water, I noticed their reflections and time kind of stood still for me. I quietly took pictures as I enjoyed the beauty of the moment – but I was waiting for one thing in particular – I wanted to catch at least one in flight over the water, so I could capture the magical “flight reflection.”

These two beautiful birds were, however, most interested in fishing on the banks, so I had to wait quite a while.

White heron at Kentucky Lake's Catfish Kitchen
Then it happened. One bird took flight over the water to the other side… and chose to do so as about 7 other old-fashioned human beings had just arrived on the scene, preventing me from moving to the best spot for the picture.

I didn’t think Murphy’s Law was allowed at Kentucky Lake! Is nothing sacred?!?

White heron at Kentucky Lake's Catfish Kitchen
I did, however, get a couple of pictures and… yes, the beautiful “flight reflection” took my breath away.

Kentucky is such a beautiful state and affords us so many chances to have our breath taken away. Best of all, this is true spring, summer, fall, and winter – so get outside and enjoy the beauty that Kentucky and its wildlife and trees offer.

You never know what… or who… is waiting for you.

White heron at Kentucky Lake's Catfish Kitchen

Filed Under: Kentucky Birds, Kentucky Picture of the Day Tagged With: Catfish Kitchen, Kentucky Lake, Kentucky pictures, white herons

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

Catfish Kitchen: A Legendary Kentucky Lake Restaurant

September 22, 2014 by Joi Sigers 7 Comments

Catfish Kitchen Review Collage

Beautiful Catfish Kitchen at Kentucky Lake

When it comes to Restaurants near Kentucky Lake, the choices aren’t just pretty good, they’re DANG GOOD. One of the restaurants that give it such a distinction is a legend Kentucky legend: Catfish Kitchen.

Like most legends, Catfish Kitchen’s legendary status has been earned from years of excellence.  As you can see from the pictures in this review, Catfish Kitchen is a beautiful, cozy, restaurant with endless charm. Speaking of pictures, this article will be filled with them, so be sure to continue reading beneath each picture.

Catfish Kitchen: One of the best Kentucky Lake Restaurants

Catfish Kitchen: One of the Best Kentucky Lake Restaurants

We recently visited the beautiful Land Between the Lakes region and decided to eat supper at Catfish Kitchen. It was one of the best decisions we’ve made in a while.  There was absolutely no wait whatsoever – we were seated immediately by a very friendly hostess, who was quickly followed by an equally friendly server.

We got our drinks (one tea and one sweet tea) immediately and they were never allowed to get less than half full. Our server was on her game!

Catfish Kitchen Menu

 Catfish Kitchen Menu

When it came time to order, my husband asked if they had any sort of grilled or blackened catfish and our server said that they did, but that you needed to call ahead first. I’ve actually never heard of that in a restaurant, but after what I soon learned, I didn’t worry about it. Never gave it a second thought, in fact.  You see, when my husband told her he was asking because I had to eat “gluten free,” she told us that they actually have gluten free fried catfish!

My jaw nearly hit the floor and happy tears nearly came to my eyes. Fried catfish (one of my absolute favorite things in the world) is one of the things I’ve missed most after I had to start eating gluten free. To hear that a restaurant actually had gluten free fried catfish (fried with rice flour) made my day. Heck, it made my summer!

While trying to remain (or at least appear to remain) calm, I told her that I’d like the GF Fried Catfish, coleslaw, a baked potato, and beans. My husband had regular fried catfish and fried potatoes with his beans and coleslaw. He (lucky son-of-a-gun) also enjoyed their hush puppies.

I remember them being delicious.

Catfish Kitchen's Gluten Free Fried Catfish and Baked Potato

 Catfish Kitchen Gluten Free Fried Catfish and Baked Potato

The fried catfish was utterly delicious. So flaky and juicy!  The servings were generous, too.  I’ve noticed that a lot of restaurants, when serving what’s billed as a “2 piece” or “3 piece,” actually serve you HALF of a serving. This lies somewhere between dirty pool and completely not cool. Either way, I was thrilled to see that Catfish Kitchen gives generous servings.

Speaking of generous, the baked potato was huge! It was also perfectly delicious as well.  The beans were fantastic and the coleslaw was amazing.

Every single bite made me thrilled with our decision to eat at Catfish Kitchen!

Catfish Kitchen: A Wonderful Kentucky Lake Restaurant

Catfish Kitchen Beans… Delicious!

They make a fantastic “in house” relish that’s AMAZING on the beans. There are bottles on each table and you can even buy some to take home with you. It’s pretty spicy, so go easy at first – unless spicy doesn’t scare you… in which case, go for it! It’s fantastic – but the beans are deliciously seasoned and wonderful without the relish.

Catfish Kitchen Hush Puppies, Coleslaw, and Beans

Catfish Kitchen Hush Puppies, Coleslaw, and Beans

From the wonderful tea to the scrumptious fried catfish (regular OR gluten free!), every single thing at Catfish Kitchen is perfect in every way. The fact that they go out of their way to offer gluten free fried catfish just makes me love them even more. I appreciate this more than words could express. I guess it’d take someone in my shoes to truly understand the special feeling I got when I was able to order and ENJOY fried catfish once again.

I also appreciate the other extra touches like big juicy onion slices and green onions served with your meal.

Catfish Kitchen Fried Catfish

Catfish Kitchen Fried Catfish and Fried Potatoes

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!

Also See:

  • Catfish Kitchen at Kentucky Lake (Review)
  • The Best Kentucky Lake Restaurants

Filed Under: Benton, Best Catfish, Dining Out Gluten Free, Kentucky Lake Tagged With: Catfish Kitchen, eating gluten free at Kentucky Lake, Kentucky Lake Restaurant Reviews, Kentucky Lake restaurants, Kentucky Restaurant reviews, restaurant reviews

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