Dishes and foods of the South -

[CtznCane]

My wife and I are planning to move to Western Ky (about 15 miles from the Tn border) towards the end of summer. I was looking at the topic here "louisville" and saw "Hot Browns" mentioned, and "Derby Pie". What are these dishes and what other dishes are spawned out of the South?

My Mom was from Ky/Tn and it has been many years since I've been back there. Having been born in San Francisco and growing up in the area here I also have a fondness for Seafood. What fish will I find? What veggies and fruits will I be growing in the garden? Where do the foodies back there go to gather?

[acautrell]

I think you'll be right around my area then, if I'm guessing correctly.

I love seafood as well, but there's not much to be found around here except frozen and Red Lobster. If there's a fish market hiding I'd love someone to point it out for me.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers grow very easily in our little garden patches, as well as various squashes.

As far as where the foodies are, I'd also like to find them! Nashville's very close at least.

[CtznCane]

Our exact area of relocation will be around Mayfield. While not a fisherman I plan to take it up and in that regard wonder about the fish to be caught in the region or not too far away.

I'm amazed that at the time I write this 106 people had read the initial post but only 1 had any input and nobody has volunteered to answer what "hot browns" or Derby pie is.

[Doodad]

Our exact area of relocation will be around Mayfield.  While not a fisherman I plan to take it up and in that regard wonder about the fish to be caught in the region or not too far away.

  I'm amazed that at the time I write this 106 people had read the initial post but only 1 had any input and nobody has volunteered to answer what "hot browns" or Derby pie is.

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Probably because those are unique to that area. From what I have seen, hot browns are a turkey sandwich. I have never been anywhere that offered them. Can't comment on Derby Pie, but I have seen it on menus around race time.

[pistolabella]

The derby pie I've had is basicallly like a chocolate chip cookie in a pie. If you're ever around Knoxville(tn) there's a good fish market called Shrimp Dock, several locations.

[Lan4Dawg]

Our exact area of relocation will be around Mayfield.  While not a fisherman I plan to take it up and in that regard wonder about the fish to be caught in the region or not too far away.

  I'm amazed that at the time I write this 106 people had read the initial post but only 1 had any input and nobody has volunteered to answer what "hot browns" or Derby pie is.

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Sorry as I kept expecting some one fr/ that "neck of the woods" to jump in w/ a response.

A Hot Brown Sandwich was devised at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. The story is that a patron wanted some thing after the restaurant was closed so the chef put together what he had available. The patron enjoyed it so much that he told others and soon it became a much requested item. The sandwich is essentially sliced white turkey topped w/ bacon and a parmesan cream sauce over toast.

Derby-Pie is actually trade-marked by the folks at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, KY. The pie is a combination of chocolate and pecans flavored w/ bourbon. Supposedly the name was drawn fr/ a hat by the patrons at the restaurant the day the dessert was introduced.

As for sea food--good luck if expecting some thing fr/ the oceans but you should be able to find lots of cat fish and fresh water fish w/ the number of lakes in that region. If memory serves that area of the country thinks that barbecue refers to mutton and that can be quite a shock to some one who expects pork.

Oh, & try some lamb fries fr/ one of the local establishments and tell me what you think.

[acautrell]

Our exact area of relocation will be around Mayfield.  While not a fisherman I plan to take it up and in that regard wonder about the fish to be caught in the region or not too far away.

  I'm amazed that at the time I write this 106 people had read the initial post but only 1 had any input and nobody has volunteered to answer what "hot browns" or Derby pie is.

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Mayfield's a nice little community. I lived down the road in Murray for several years.

You're about 30-40 minutes from Kentucky Lake. I don't fish myself, but I know it's pretty big around here.

I've never seen mutton BBQ around here--maybe it's not that common? All the BBQ I've eaten has been pork.

Chess pie is pretty popular, and meat-and-three kind of cooking--long cooked veggies and stuff like that.

Restaurant offerings aren't that great in the area if you like anything other than BBQ, chains or homestyle cooking. The best meals I've had in West KY were all cooked in someone's home.

[andiesenji]

I have family still living in western Kentucky, where I was born and raised, although they are near the Ohio R./southern Illinois, not far from Paducah and the Kentucky Dam area, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley etc.

Lots of good fishing, black bass, both large and small mouth, white bass, panfish, i.e., bluegill, crappies and of course, catfish.

fishing

Lots of pros offering their services too, a good way to get started in an unfamiliar area:

Western Kentucky Outdoors

I've a distant relative in Murray who used to work one of the concessions on Kentucky Lake. I'll see if I can find his phone number. (not on the internet) He is retired but I am sure he still fishes!

As far as the food is concerned, there are regional specialties that are related to other southern specialties but sometimes have a local quirk that is unique.

Here are Four recipes posted by Senator Mitch McConnell

The foods of eastern Kentucky (especially the coal-mining region) is different from that of the western half of the state.

Here are a few more links.

Edited April 13, 2008 by andiesenji (log)

[teagal]

I just got back from a vacation to Kentucky Lake and was excited to see what differences their food/restaurant choices would have compared to here in Missouri. Had a lot of 'homestyle' cooking, not too surprised there, but found brains on a few breakfast menus, also sliced tomatoes as a side dish on breakfast menus too. Great country ham and real smoky bacon were offered a lot. Dissapointed that some of the little mom and pop restaurants would serve frozen biscuits.

Dessert menus featured pie,pie and more pie!!

Walked thru a small grocery store and the only real difference to home was finding a can of boiled peanuts.

Being so close to a lake, I would hope that the seafood choices would be locally caught, but saw a sign at a restaurant that offered pond raised catfish as their Friday night special.

Maybe because we were in mostly small fishing towns the food choices weren't the greatest. Not exactly dissapointed with the food, just not overjoyed either!! A meal at Patti's Settlement was our best the whole trip.

Good luck!

[pogophiles]

If you want wild freshwater fish (trout possibly being an exception) you either need to catch your own or befriend a fisherman. Most catfish places serve pond-raised fish because river cats have such a gamey flavor. And not necessarily in a good way (depending on size and variety)...

[kayb]

If you're in Mayfield, you MUST go to Trolinger's Barbecue in Paris. It's also a grocery, feed store and meat market, on Highway 79 between Paris and Paris Landing. (Good steaks, chops, bacon, roasts, other cuts, as well.) Other than that and some other barbecue spots, and some good catfish here and there, you're pretty much limited to meat-and-three (some good, some awful), Chinese (some fair, some awful) Mexican (some good, some awful) and Italian (some acceptable, some awful).

Church dinners are a great place to eat, though. And volunteer fire department fundraisers. And small-town festivals. And you will not find friendlier people.

[Holly Moore]

You'll be reasonably close to Owensboro, the Moonlight Barbecue and a bunch of other great barbecue restaurants. There is also a great BBQ festival in Owensboro every year.

It also shouldn't be that far a drive to the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg. Country Ham aged for at least two years before slicing. I've never had better.

And Gus's Fried Chicken in Mason TN. If you can handle spicy chicken it is well worth the drive.

You're in for some great eating.

[ruthcooks]

As far as the food is concerned, there are regional specialties that are related to other southern specialties but sometimes have a local quirk that is unique.

Here are Four recipes posted by Senator Mitch McConnell

About those recipes Sen McConnell posted. The Chocolate Nut Pie is a typical version of a "Derby Pie", although some folks make a sort of chess or pecan pie with a syrup base, nuts and chocolate chips and sometimes Jack Daniels.

Like this version, most Hot Browns call for toast. It makes a world of difference, however, if you use French croutes. For each person, cut crusts from two slices of white bread and brush both sides with butter. Place in single layer on cookie sheet and bake until crisp, turning once. Don't use artisanal breads, but something from the supermarket like Pepperidge Farm. (Sliced tomatoes in season are not traditional but sometimes added.) Cranberry Relish is good alongside.

Another recipe indigenous to Louisville is Benedictine, a cucumber and cream cheese spread developed by a caterer named Jenny Benedict.

Personally, I never liked any country ham from Kentucky as they tasted musty to me and had to be scrubbed like a demon to remove all the surface mold. I prefer Tennessee hams and those from Smithfield, VA.

[acautrell]

If you're in Mayfield, you MUST go to Trolinger's Barbecue in Paris. It's also a grocery, feed store and meat market, on Highway 79 between Paris and Paris Landing. (Good steaks, chops, bacon, roasts, other cuts, as well.) Other than that and some other barbecue spots, and some good catfish here and there, you're pretty much limited to meat-and-three (some good, some awful), Chinese (some fair, some awful) Mexican (some good, some awful) and Italian (some acceptable, some awful).

Church dinners are a great place to eat, though. And volunteer fire department fundraisers. And small-town festivals. And you will not find friendlier people.

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I love Trolingers! My only suggestion is to go early in the day for pulled pork, cause as the day goes on they often run out of it.

[Domestic Goddess]

Hubby's from Henderson, Ky where mutton barbeque reigns king. If you can make it to the annual Bluegrass Festival, there's some mighty good eating there, aside from the mutton BBQ.

[CtznCane]

Well, we really landed in far western Kentucky in Arlington. About 4 miles or so from the Mississippi River.

Owensboro is a couple hour drive though I have heard of the Moonlight BBQ there and hope to go sample it sometime soon.

I guess we're lucky cause the best BBQ we've found is a place close by, Prince Pit BBQ in Bardwell. It is the bomb! Great Mutton too on Saturdays but have to order it in advance to get any. I've gotten there at 9 a.m. and he's been sold out of ribs and chicken already. His sign is 8a.m till sold out, which is typically noon time.

I had to make a few trips recently to Louisville and there is a fine place in Lebanon Junction, just off the interstate, Bryan's Hog Wylde with good pulled pork and awesome brisket.j

We are going to go see friends outside of Paris Tn this Saturday so will try to maybe go pick something up from Trollinger's. We also here in Paris, or just outside, that Yoder's has a good meat market.

We did go recently to Patti's Settlement and were very impressed. Everything we had there was just done spot on. No wonder that place is always packed.

We've found for the most part going to Paducah offers the most choices and is only about 40 minutes or so. As for fish, most all the fish in the restaurants is Catfish, the pond raised. I cook once a month at the Country Club we belong to in Mayfield, and one of my choices is deep fried Tilapia in a panko bread crust and people absolutely love my fish and rave about it. As for seafood, not catfish, we went up to the Whaler's Catch in Paducah for the first time a couple of weeks ago and had a real good meal there.

Most of the BBQ we've found is at least decent, most of it is real good, and some downright awesome. Besides Prince Pit which is hands down the best, the Smokehouse in Fulton is good, and Larry Daryl & Daryl's in Mayfield is good as well. We've heard good things about Starnes up in Paducah but haven't gone there yet. Oh!! Along with Trolingers that we haven't tried, there was a pretty good little place along the road to Paris in Puryear that put out a right tasty pork sandwich, though I can't remember the name of it.