Lexington Kentucky Restaurants
Northeast
and Restaurants Across Kentucky
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Lexington Kentucky Restaurants Northeast and Restaurants Across Kentucky |
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| Southeast Ky |
Northeastern Kentucky is a diverse region. Its cultural capital is Morehead, home of Morehead State University and its wondrous new Astronomy & Space Science Center, with the powerful radio telescope shown above right. I-65, which runs west to east from Lexington to Ashland, is a manufacturing and high tech corridor of steel, small equipment, robotics and forging companies. Three magnificent state parks (Natural Bridge, Carter Caves and Greenbo Lakes) all have lodges, restaurants, hiking trails, canoeing, swimming, fishing, horseback riding and other facilities. Wilderness lovers and rock climbers flock to the Red River Gorge, which has some of the finest climbing faces and hiking trails in North America. Court Days in Mt. Sterling and The Sorghum Festival in West Liberty have 150 year histories and are two of the biggest agrarian celebrations in the country. They're great places to buy Molasses, crafts, knives, guns, mules and coon dogs. The best restaurants in the region are in Morehead and the state parks. But there are others scattered across the small towns and along the interstate. New ethnic restaurants---Italian, Chinese, Mexican and Japanese---have opened. Restaurants here are small and tend to close early, but the food quality is good and prices are reasonable. |
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The Carter Caves State Park Lodge includes Tierney's Cavern Restaurant, which seats 100 and features views out over the forested landscape. Breakfast favorites include the Blue Grass Platter (two eggs any way, potatoes, sausage, sugar cured ham and biscuits), Commonwealth Platter (country ham with red eye gravy, two eggs any way, potatoes and fried apples), and Buttermilk Pancakes. For lunch the featured appetizer is Fried Green Tomatoes, dipped in buttermilk, fried, and served with a ranch dip. There's also a Cheese & Relish Sampler Tray, a Soup of the Day and Soup & Salad Bar. The rest of their menu is the classic state park page of Catfish, Country Ham, Hot Brown, Grilled Chicken Breast, Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, Ribs, Barbeque, Prime Rib, Macaroni & Cheese and Hush Puppies. Lunchtime favorites are Chicken and Veggie Wraps, Chicken Quesadillas and Reuben, Grilled Chicken and Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches. Carter Caves participates in the Kentucky Proud program which means 80% of their ingredients are locally raised meats, fruits and vegetables. Tierney's is famous for their Sunday Buffet, which has built a loyal following from six surrounding counties.
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At Greenbo Lake State Park, in the Jesse Stuart Lodge, there is the Anglers Cove Restaurant. They serve a Continental Breakfast. The rest of the menu is standard state park fare. For lunch the featured appetizer is Fried Green Tomatoes, dipped in buttermilk, fried, and served with a ranch dip. There's also a Cheese & Relish Sampler Tray, a Soup of the Day and Soup & Salad Bar. The rest of their menu is the classic state park page of Catfish, Country Ham, Hot Brown, Grilled Chicken Breast, Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, Ribs, Barbeque, Prime Rib, Macaroni & Cheese and Hush Puppies. Lunchtime favorites are Chicken and Veggie Wraps, Chicken Quesadillas and Reuben, Grilled Chicken and Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches. Greenbo Lake participates in the Kentucky Proud program which means 80% of their ingredients are locally raised meats, fruits and vegetables. There's a new chef who has changed some offerings and vastly improved many of the items. Sadly, he also discontinued the famous Seafood Buffet with its Frog Legs. |
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The Smoky Valley Truck Stop along I-64 outside Olive Hill is in a former Shell gas station. Don't let that deter you. This place serves very good food and has been featured on the Food Network. For starters, if you're in a hurry, they have the best burger in Eastern Kentucky. Service is a bit slow, so plan on a leisurely meal. No matter which entree you order, the sides are great, especially the Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy and Cole Slaw. We think they overcook their Mixed Greens, but that's a matter of preference. Always order the Corn Bread. As for the entrees, the Meat Loaf, Breaded Chuckwagon Steak and Country Ham are worth the stop. Be sure to leave room for dessert, because people driving by stop here just for their pies. The Coconut Cream Pie is particularly famous among frequent I-64 travellers. Much of your experience here depends on your waitress. Several of them are outstanding and you'll want to leave a good tip. Others are clueless and will abandon you to refill your own coffee cup or go looking for a salt shaker or bottle of condiments. Smoke here can also be a problem. Apparently, every single adult in Carter County smokes and most of them come here to do it. There's a lingering ashtray odor to the restaurant. However, this is still the best restaurant on I-64 between Charleston and Lexington. |
| Melini Cucina is the finest Italian restaurant east of Lexington. The menu is extensive, food well prepared, prices reasonable. Their breads, salads and pasta dishes avoid the "heaviness" many Italian restaurants are guilty of. We particularly like their Ravioli Grandeoli (jumbo ravioli stuffed with asiago, ricotta, parmesan, provolone, mozzarello, pesto and alfredo in marinara sauce). They do a great job with the classic Eggplant Parmesan, and they offer seven vegetarian specialties. Six seafood entrees are worth ordering, especially Mediterraneo (shrimp, mussels, calamari and two kinds of clams sauteed in white wine with fresh marinara sauce). They offer nine Calzones and 10 Pizzas. If you're a pizza conneisseur, you really must try their Spinach Pizza with garlic, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella. House specialties include Grouper, Salmon and Lamb. We highly recommend their Veal Cacciatore, Chicken Francese (dipped in egg, then served in white wine, lemon, mushrooms and marinara sauce), and Veal Saltinboca (over spinach with prosciutto and mozzarella). |  |
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Shoney's in Morehead has a full menu, but we think if you go there you should go for the breakfast, lunch or dinner Buffet. Shoney's long ago made an art form of the Buffet. Other restaurants tried it for a while and have mostly abandoned it, leaving Shoney's and the State Park restaurants to stage the best buffets in the state. If you come at peak times, the buffet is truly awesome. Toward the end of a meal cycle, they tend to run out of items. Given that you can go back as many times as you want for one price, Shoney's buffet is probably the best bargain in town. At lunch and dinner they offer soups, salads, meat loaf, chicken, fish, ham, dumplings, veggies, and desserts. At breakfast there are pancakes, french toast, eggs, omelettes, hash browns, sausage, bacon, oatmeal, etc. If you don't like buffets, you can still order off the very good menu. |
| The Front Porch is the finest traditional restaurant in Morehead and one of the best in all of Eastern Kentucky. Everything is homemade except for the cheesecake, which they import from the Cheesecake Factory. Among the appetizers we particularly like the Banana Peppers but the Fried Pickles, Potato Skins and Wings are also good. There are four salads, of which the Chef's Salad is the best. They make a fine cup of Potato Soup which is free of artificial thickener and flavoring. There are 13 sandwiches, of which the Hot Roast Beef, Pulled Pork BBQ and Codfish are the best. Many locals come here just for the Chicken & Dumplings, but the Grilled Pork Chops, Grouper and Sirloin Tips are very good. Sides are the best in town : Green Beans, Corn, Cole Slaw, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Dumplings, Sauerkraut, Okra, Pinto Beans and Sweet Potatoes, all freshly made. Leave room for Dessert. In addition to that Cheesecake, there's Deep Fried Burrito Pie, Turtle Brownie, and Pie of the Day. You get free refills on beverages (they have Ale 8, Mr. Pibb and Mello Yello) and there's a full bar. |  |
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Yamato, which opened in Morehead in July 2011, is the first Japanese restaurant East of Lexington. It's a healthy cuisine, with very little salt and none of the cholesterol that clogs Chinese food, fast food and the various fried items so popular in the area. This is a large menu, which will take many visits to sample thoroughly, but the food is good and the prices reasonable. The 16 item Appetizer menu features Japanese Dumplings, Lobster Rangoon, Black Pepper Tuna and Soft Shell Crab. All six Salads are good, but we particularly recommend the Seaweed, Squid, Avocado and Crab. The Miso Soup is good but a bit thinner than most. There are 19 Entrees, highlighted by Peanut Chicken, Red Snapper, Pad Thai Chicken/Shrimp and eight Terikyaki dishes. Two menu pages display Sushi and Sashimi rolls, which are very good. Then there are 16 Hibachi Dinners, of which we can recommend the Scallops, Salmon, Beef Tips, Filet Mignon, New York Strip and All Veggie. Yamato serves Beer, Wine and Sake (Japanese Rice Wine). If you like an alcoholic beverage but have never drunk Sake, this would be a fine place to try it. The house specialty Dessert is Fried Bananas. |
A 1940s family home converted to a restaurant, All Seasons was opened in 1992 and has become one of Morehead's favorite lunch stops. On Main Street, just below the MSU campus, the place is heavy with charm and atmosphere. It offers a wrap around porch and several inside rooms. There's a daily lunch special of sandwich and cup of soup for only $6. The Tomato Florentine Soup is particularly good. You can pick from specialty sandwiches like Hot Brown, Meat Loaf and Crab Cake. There are Wraps, garden fresh Salads and six sides. Their Hot Pressata Sandwich menu includes Turkey Artichoke, Roast Beef Onion & Swiss, and Chicken Cordon Bleu, all outstanding. For kids there are Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese, Milkshakes and Floats. Their Coffees and Teas are very gourmet. Service is a bit slow, but this is a place to settle in for good conversation and studying the historical photographs of 20th Century Morehead. There's also a bakery, so as you check out you can pick up an oversized cookie or cupcake. The owners have one of Kenucky's better collections of Coca Cola memorabilia, which is displayed prominently on the walls. |
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