Pizza | Genuine Kentucky

Where Can You Find the Best Pizza When You’re at Kentucky Lake?

January 17, 2014 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

One of our favorite places to eat when we’re at Kentucky Lake is Mama D’s Italian Restaurant in Calvert City

A while back I raved and raved in a Mama D’s Italian Restaurant (Calvert City) Review. I threw adjectives around like they were baseballs in a Spring Training camp. I can’t help myself, really. Food is a great passion of mine, whether I’m cooking or eating, and when I find people excelling in the sport, I get uncommonly excited. I want to tell everyone about it and….. well.. that’s when the adjectives take flight.

Watch your head the adjectives are about to fly again.

I had Mama D’s Italian Restaurant on my mind since our first visit. I kept thinking, “If they made SUCH incredible bread and lasagna, what must their pizza taste like?!”

The mystery was almost more than this pizza fanatic could stand, so when we went back for our second visit, I told my husband (Michael) that, under no conditions, was I leaving that restaurant without trying one of their pizzas.

I kept my word.

Michael ordered a beautiful and tasty chicken and pasta dish – which came with bread and a salad. A very sound, economical decision. I ordered a large pizza.

That’s how I roll.

I knew there’d be no way I could eat the whole thing, but I was up for the challenge. Besides I just knew it’d be so incredible that Michael would jump in to help me out. Plus, taking leftover pizza home always makes us heroes with the kids.

Oh, boy, was I ever right about Mama D’s Pizza. In fact, I honestly don’t recall when I’ve ever been SO right about anything. Every single bite was an experience in and of itself. Heck, just the sight of it, alone, was a culinary adventure. The toppings were incredibly fresh, there was just the right amount of delicious sauce and cheese, and the crust? Wow. I could have eaten the crust all by itself and still been grinning ear to ear.

When our VERY sweet server came by to check on us after we’d been eating for a few minutes, I told her, “This pizza is so fantastic I never want to eat pizza again, just so this can be the last pizza I ever ate.” She laughed and said I’d just have to keep coming back there for my pizza.

Not a problem.

Every single thing they do at Mama D’s Italian Restaurant is first class. THIS is how Italian food is supposed to taste. The herbs and flavors are quite unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else and, trust me, once you go, you’ll return again and again. As soon as you step in the door, the aroma lets you know that you’re in for something extra, extra, extra special.

I’m also in love with the cleanliness of the restaurant and the happy, upbeat, and very friendly servers. Everyone seems genuinely thrilled to see you walk through the door and goes out of their way to make sure you’re well-fed and smiling when you leave.

Mama D’s in Calvert City is one of my favorite Kentucky restaurants – and if you read my restaurant reviews very often, you know that’s saying something. This gal has seen A LOT of restaurants!

I don’t care where you live, you just have to promise me that you’ll visit Mama D’s as soon as possible. Whether you have the lasagna or pizza (the best pizza you’ve probably ever had), you’ll be blown away. Then YOU’LL be spewing adjectives all over the place.

Trust me.

Pizza at Mama D's Italian Restaurant in Calvert City

Mama D's Italian Restaurant Calvert City, Ky

Directions to Mama D’s in Calvert City:

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Mama D’s Authentic Italian Restaurant
3885 U.S. 62, Calvert City, KY
(270) 395-0229

Mama D’s Facebook Page

Majestic Pizza & Steak House in Benton, Kentucky (Review)

January 2, 2014 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Majestic Pizza and Steak House Benton - Greek Fries

Greek Fries at Majestic Pizza & Steak House

It might surprise some people when I tell them that Majestic Pizza & Steak House (244 Us Highway 68 E – map at the bottom of the review) in Benton, Ky. is one of my favorite Kentucky restaurants. It wouldn’t surprise anyone who has eaten, there, however, because they’d know just how fantastic the food is. The pizza is out of this world good and they’re actually one of the few restaurants that “pull off” buffets.

Before I get back to their pizza (which I wish I were LITERALLY “getting back to” right now), let me just explain what I mean about them “pulling off” buffets. If you read many of my restaurant reviews, you’ll probably know that – generally speaking – I’m not a fan of buffets. Sure, buffets make it easier on everyone involved (the cooks, the servers, and even the diners – after all, the decision making is all but removed!) – but they’re almost always over-priced and the food usually isn’t as good as it is when it’s freshly prepared and not prepared in huge quantities.

The idea of paying MORE for food that tastes LESS than its best – that’s not something that makes me giddy.

However, Majestic Pizza & Steak House does wonders with buffets. When you fill your plate up and return to your seat (in a gorgeous restaurant, by the way), the food tastes like they prepared it just for you – one item at a time. Even their salad bar is better than most.

However, having said all of that, as far as I’m concerned, ordering off the menu is where the magic really takes place. Their steaks and baked potatoes, appetizers (especially their Greek Fries – pictured at the top), and pizzas are better than you could ever hope for or dream of. Their Pizza is extraordinary. Everything perfectly fresh and the crust is exceptional. I honestly rank their pizza in my top 3 pizzas in all of Kentucky.

Delicious Baked Potato and Juicy Steak from Majestic Pizza & Steak House

Truly great restaurants can take simple menu items and make them something extra, extra special. Majestic does just that with baked potatoes (my favorite in the entire state) and rolls. For the potatoes, I’m convinced there are potato ninjas in the kitchen. They’re simply extra delicious. Serving REAL butter on the side and name brand, quality sour cream (curses on off brand condiments!) add to the potato magic.

As for the rolls. They’re yeast rolls, which mean the Heavenly aroma works its mojo on you even before you take a bite. They are amazing, all by themselves, but when you add “Strawberry Butter” to them, it’s a whole new ballgame.

I absolutely LOVE when a restaurant goes above and beyond to do extra special things for their guests. I also love it when a restaurant has something uniquely their own.

Majestic’s steak is also killer. It’s always juicy and full of perfect flavor. One bite and you remember why you fell in love with steak in the first place. This is one of the few restaurants that I could eat the steak completely free of steak sauce – and that’s saying something because I’m a HUGE fan of steak sauces.

I was searching through my picture files earlier and absolutely cannot believe I can’t find any pictures of Majestic’s pizza. I KNOW I took pictures because I distinctly remember my inner pizza fanatic telling my inner photographer to “Hurry the heck up!” I also distinctly remember hurrying the heck up, snapping the pictures, and diving smile first into the pizza.

Oh, well. I guess I’ll just have to go back and have more pizza. Sigh. The things I put myself through..

Delicious! Yeast Rolls and Strawberry Butter

Don’t even wait for the next time you’re in the Kentucky Lake region to eat at Majestic. Make a special trip this weekend (or sooner) to Majestic and thrill your taste buds like they haven’t been thrilled in a while. The only complaint I have about Majestic Pizza & Steak House is the fact that they do too many things perfectly. I mean, it’s a real dilemma deciding what to have – some of the best pizza in Kentucky with a knock-out salad? Some of the best steak in Kentucky with the BEST baked potato in the state – with mouth-watering rolls and strawberry butter?

Truthfully, it’s a dilemma I can live with because it comes just before a culinary joy ride. At least I know one thing – Greek Fries as an appetizer will always be the first thing out of my mouth.

Majestic Pizza & Steak House is located at 244 Us Highway 68 E – and, yes, I’ve given the address twice in one review. You know what that means, don’t you? Right… G-O!!!

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Majestic Pizza & Steak House. The outside is perfectly cool – but the inside is really something to see. And the food… oh man… the food!

Coppertop Bar-B-Q & Brick Oven Pizza in Fredonia May Have the Best Pizza in Kentucky

September 4, 2013 by Joi Sigers 2 Comments

Coppertop Bar-B-Q & Brick Oven Pizza: Old World Style Pizza

When it comes to Kentucky restaurants and reviews, you can just call me butter because I’ve been on a giant roll. The last three restaurants I’ve eaten at have each been perfect from start to finish:

Mama D’s in Calvert City
Pangea Cafe in Owensboro (consistently delicious)

The third one is the star of this particular review: Coppertop Bar-B-Q & Brick Oven Pizza in Fredonia, Kentucky.

Sunday Michael and I found ourselves driving through Rural Kentucky (Morganfield, Marion, Fredonia…) around 4:30 – 5:30. Rural Kentucky is breathtakingly beautiful but finding a restaurant open on a Sunday Evening is as frustrating as craving Chick-Fil-A on a Sunday afternoon. As we passed through Marion and found that two of our favorite Bar-B-Que restaurants were both closed, it made our craving for Bar-B-Que all the more intense. I think I must have talked about Bar-B-Q for a good 10 minutes straight without taking a breath. When we came to Fredonia and saw “Coppertop Bar-B-Q & Brick Oven Pizza,” I’m fairly certain I was out of the car before he even put it in park.

Coppertop Bar-B-Q & Brick Oven Pizza in Fredonia,Ky

First Impressions

I guess the first impression hit me as soon as I stepped out of the car. The aroma in the parking lot was freaking amazing! They cook their pizzas outdoors in brick ovens and their Bar-B-Q (ribs, pork, chicken..) over carefully watched fire pits. The smell of hickory smoked deliciousness and mouth-watering pizza filled the air and nearly made it impossible to walk. Weak kneed and all, however, we made our way through the door.

The second impression was the uncommonly friendliness of the young servers. As soon as we walked in, we were met with friendly smiles and warm welcomes. Our server came right over and got our drinks. She was awesome the entire time.

The third impression was the decor. I fell head over weak knees in love with the tables. Big Barrels with the table tops cut to fit around them. On the walls were fascinating old pictures of Fredonia over the years. The city, basketball players, cheerleaders, buildings, etc. The history of the area, in my opinion, made the perfect decor. Plus, come on, tables don’t get any cooler than these.

I’m also wild about the large jars your drinks are served in. Is it just me or do all drinks taste better in thick glass jars?

You can check out all of the prettiness in the pictures at the end of the review. Unfortunately my camera’s batteries died on me, so I had to use my iPad Mini to take all of these pictures.Ã?Â I was SO thankful I happened to have it with me!

Another thing I was hugely impressed with was the drink selection: homemade sweet or un-sweet tea (it was outstanding!), Diet Coke, Coke, fruit punch, Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper (or as they’re listed on the menu Doctor Pepper and Diet Doctor Pepper… how cute is that? I’ve never seen them written out like that and it gave me a chuckle).

They even had Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.. so if anyone actually prefers Pepsi (I cannot even imagine), they’re available.

Coppertop’s tables are too cool to be believed.

The Coppertop Menu

Like I said, when we arrived, we had Bar-B-Q on our minds. However… I also happen to be the biggest pizza fanatic in the world. So, even though I’d talked Bar-B-Q nonstop for the past 10 minutes, when my husband asked what looked good to me, he couldn’t have been tooooo surprised when I said, “Umm, pizza!”

I have to admit, it was a tough call but how often do you get a chance to eat brick oven pizza? And in case you’ve never had brick oven pizza – yes, it does make a difference, and it’s all in the crust. We chose the “Old World Style” pizza. How could we not? Just look at the description on the menu: Homemade San Marzano sauce, fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and Pecorino Romano baked to perfection in our wood fired brick oven, dusted with grated parmesan and oregano.

The estimated time it takes me to get pizza into my mouth when it’s set before me is 1/18 of a second, so I beat Michael to the first bite. As my eyes rolled back into my head, all I could say was, “Oh. My. Goodness.” He took his first bite and pretty much had the same reaction. After we ate in blissful silence for a few minutes, he looked at the crust and said, “That’s the best pizza crust I’ve ever had.”

I totally agreed. I didn’t quit eating long enough to give a verbal conformation, mind you, but I totally agreed. Best. Crust. Ever.

However, as perfect as the crust was, I was even MORE blown away by the sauce. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but this is the best sauce I’ve ever had on pizza.Ã?Â It is simply amazing. You won’t find shredded cheese that you “suppose” is mozzarella on Coppertop’s pizzas either.

You know it’s mozzarella and you know it’s fresh. Big delicious slabs of mozzarella are generously placed across the pizza. Just the right amount, too, so you can taste every delicious flavor of the pizza, itself. Sometimes restaurants cover the pizza with so much shredded “I-guess-its-mozzarella” that you have to wonder what they’re hiding.

Who knew that in Fredonia, Kentucky they were making pizza the way pizza was meant to be made?

As we were enjoying the heck out of this incredible pizza, I noticed a bottle of Coppertop’s Bar-b-q sauce on the table. Curiosity got the best of me, so I squeezed some out on a piece of crust to check it out.

Cue the eyes rolling into the back of my head again.

Holy cow, their sauce is out of this world. I told Michael, “It is the absolutely perfect blend of sweetness and spiciness.” The sweetness walks through the door first and right on its heels is a bit of spiciness that blows you away.

I can’t even begin to describe this sauce to you. He had to sample some for himself and we both sat there trying to come up with someone’s sauce that was anywhere near as delicious.

Then I told him, “If their sauce is this uncommonly fantastic, can you imagine what they do with Bar-B-Q???” He got a wild look in his eye and I knew his next move.

He asked our server if we could add a Bar-B-Q Pork Dinner to our order as carry-out. My boy.

Coppertop Carryout Bar-B-Q Pork Dinner

Before we left, I took the Heavenly smelling pork and squeezed a generous amount of Bar-B-Q sauce on the top.

Later, we shared the dinner and weren’t at all surprised that the pork was beyond delicious and the beans and potato salad were great as well. When Michael was paying, the owner asked him if he liked Brisket. Michael said it was his personal favorite and he gave him some to sample. It too, of course, was perfectly delicious. It seemed to just melt in your mouth it was so tender and the flavor was beyond belief.

Lesson learned: You simply cannot go wrong with anything you order at Coppertop’s.

The menu includes:

Bar-B-Q Pork Sandwich
Bar-B-Q Beef Sandwich
Bar-B-Q Pulled Chicken Sandwich
Loaded Potato Coppertop Style (includes your choice of meat)
Ribs (half or full slab)
Bar-B-Q Baked Beans
Cole Slaw
Potato Salad
French Fries
Chips and Ranch
Rib Dinner (all dinners are served with your choice of 2 sides)
Bar-B-Q Pork Dinner
Bar-B-Q Chicken Dinner
Bar-B-Q Brisket Dinner
Ribs and Pork Killer Combo
Ribs and Chicken Killer Combo
Ribs and Beef Killer Combo
Family Pleaser and Pork or Brisket to Go
6 different Specialty pizzas (Pizza Alla Vodka, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Quattro Contone’, Mushroom Madness, Old World Style, and Smokin’ Pizza)
12 individual pizza toppings to choose from

I was surprised to learn that Coppertop only opened in May 2013. How in the world were they able to perfect absolutely everything is such a short amount of time. They just passed right by the awkward stage and went straight to a Perfect 10 restaurant.

Well played, Coppertop. Well played.

Click through the link below to Coppertop’s Facebook Page where you’ll find their menu (in the Photos) for descriptions and prices. You absolutely positively and positively absolutely have to go to Coppertop in Fredonia as soon as you possibly can.

Address: 112 Cassidy Avenue, Fredonia, Kentucky 42411 (see map below)

Hours: Tue – Sun: 10:30 AM – 8:00 PM

More Information: Check out Coppertop Bar-B-Q & Brick Oven Pizza’s Facebook Page for more pictures and info. One note: Their Facebook page says they only accept cash, but they do accept cards now.

Coppertop Bar-B-Q & Brick Oven Pizza Pictures

Click through the photo gallery below to get an idea of how special this restaurant is.

Coppertop Fredonia Old World Style Pizza

Coppertop (Fredonia) Bar-B-Q Pork Dinner

Coppertop Bar-B-Q and Brick Oven Pizza in Fredonia, Ky

Coppertop Bar-B-Q Pork Dinner (Carryout)

Coppertop's Delicious Old World Style Pizza

Directions:

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Firedome Pizza and Wings: A Raving Review of the Best Pizza in Henderson, Kentucky

October 17, 2012 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Beautiful Firedome Pizza & Wings in Henderson, Ky

I’ll give my husband this – he finds the most fascinating off-the-beaten-path places to eat. He very well may have topped himself this time.

A few days ago, Michael asked me if I was interested in pizza and wings for supper. Since I didn’t have the flu and we weren’t under attack from zombies (the only things that could come between me and pizza & wings), the answer was, “Of course. What time do we leave?”

We took off for Henderson, Kentucky. He said he’d heard great things about the wood fired pizza at Firedome. I honestly had never even heard of Firedome, but if it involved wood fired pizza, I was more than a little on board.

Firedome Wood Fired Pizza & Wings is located adjacent to the Ramada Inn on Highway 41 (2046 Hwy 41 to be exact).

When you walk into the restaurant, your senses begin a fierce competition for your attention. There’s the amazing aroma of pizza, calzones, and all things deliciously Italian filling the air. Then there’s the fact that the restaurant is much larger and more beautiful than you’d expect. Not to be outdone, if you’re sports fiends like we are, you’ll also immediately realize that you’re surrounded by televisions – each tuned into sports.

Basically, it’s Heaven.

When I asked the server if they served Coke or Pepsi products (because one of the last things I’d ever want to drink is Diet Pepsi), she made Michael’s day when she said they had RC products. RC is definitely his drink of choice.

By this time, we had our hopes flying high for Firedome Pizza & Wings. The atmosphere was fun (and extremely comfortable), everything was beautiful, and everywhere you looked, you saw sports. I found myself chanting, underneath my breath, “Please be as delicious as you look…” because there’s nothing worse than falling in love with a restaurant, then having sub par food kill the mood.

Firedome has a killer selection of appetizers to choose from, including fried mushrooms and onion rings.

Because I’m onion ring obsessed, we ordered onion rings as an appetizer. I was honestly shocked at how fast our server brought them out to us. It was almost as though she had them up her sleeve. Take a look at the beauties below and tell me they’re not works of absolute art.

The crazy thing is, they’re even more delicious than they look. The coating is delectable and the onions, themselves, are thick and juicy. They’re served with a couple of sauces, in addition to Heinz Ketchup. Now, you know how ketchup picky I am. The fact that they serve Heinz at Firedome will just add to their legend. The onion rings are as delicious with ketchup as they are with the wonderful sauce.. and, get this, they’re even outstanding without anything on them except your teeth.

I can’ t possibly say enough good things about these onion rings. They’re as good as any I’ve ever had.

Naturally, we ordered some wings. How could we not?! They weren’t just delicious, they were stupid delicious. I’ll let you in on a little secret, I’m not that huge on wings. Most of the time, the wings I’ve encountered are either…

….too hot to even taste
….have so little chicken it isn’t worth the effort
….are as dry as my college Economics teacher

The wings at Firedome Pizza & Wings, however, weren’t guilty of any of these sins. They were, in fact, incredible. Not only were they the best wings I’ve ever had – if all wings tasted like these wings, I’d eat them every day. If, unlike me, you already have a love for wings, they you’re in for an especially huge treat. You might just pass out. I don’t know what makes these wings so special. All I can do is give them a standing ovation, with one in each hand.

As you might expect, I’d gorged myself silly on the wonderful onion rings and wings, so when the pizza came, I kind of worried that I’d be able to eat a whole piece.

Silly girl.

I was able to eat a whole piece… and then another.

We ordered one of my favorite types of pizza, taco pizza. It’s served with a side of sour cream, which I thought was a cool and unique approach. It was also delicious.

Freaking delicious. Frankly, Firedome’s pizza is out of this world. This was one of those rare pizzas where each component was equally fantastic: The crust (wood fired pizza always has the most amazing crust in the world!), the sauce, the meat, the toppings, the cheese…

Firedome Wood Fired Pizza and Wings scored perfect tens all across the board with me. They nailed the big things:

Beautiful and clean restaurant – immaculate comes to mind.
Delicious food – and by delicious I mean, impossibly and ridiculously delicious.
Non-Pepsi products 😉
TVs with sports AND, as a bonus, there wasn’t any annoying music playing over the sports – you could actually HEAR the game.
A manager came by to ask how everything was and even got us extra napkins.
Lots of choices on the menu.

They also nailed the small things (things that probably only I notice):

The hostess spoke to us as we left.
Heinz Ketchup instead of an off brand.
The lady who brought our pizza to the table smiled and spoke (a lot of times food carriers just drop it and run – like they’re afraid they’ll be caught doing something wrong).
The Taco Pizza was 98% Pizza and only 2% lettuce. I HATE when I have to actually look for my pizza beneath what appears to be a whole head of lettuce.
When we asked for “to go” boxes, our server actually brought enough boxes to do the trick – it has become almost a running joke to see the tiny box sizes that are sometimes given to guests in some restaurants. In one diner, recently, I had over 1/2 a burger, nearly an entire order of fries, and about 6 large onion rings to carry out with me. The server brought me a box the size of a box of Crayolas. Michael was like, “That’s a good start…”

Firedome Wood Fired Pizza and Wings in Henderson should absolutely be the next place you go for pizza and/or wings. They’re open seven days a week for supper, but please call (270) 831-1977 for information regarding lunch.

Firedome Wood Fired Pizza and Wing is located on what everyone in this “neck of the woods” calls “the strip” – Hwy 41. Just look for the Ramada Inn. If you’re staying in Henderson, be sure to stay at this Ramada Inn. The hotel, itself, is impeccable – but Firedome seals the deal! You’ll be just minutes from Ellis Park, John James Audubon State Park, and Evansville, Indiana – but best of all, you’ll be mere steps from the best pizza in Henderson, best wings in Henderson, and best onion rings in Henderson.

I’ll go again soon – then I’ll let you know what else they have that’s the best in town!

Click the following link to read more about Firedome Wood Fired Pizza and Wings.