My husband and I took a few vacation days and headed west to Paducah to the 13th Ever Barbecue on the River. We had no idea what to expect but we never dreamed there would be 45 teams in the competition.
Being from out of town, we weren’t familiar with the names of the teams, but after a walk-through and a few samples we decided the Ozean’s Ribs booth was where we would eat a pulled pork sandwich. Their mild sauce was good enough to go national.
We made a good decision. On our second walk-through later in the day, we saw their newly acquired trophies. They had just won first place in the ribs category and third place in the “Backyard division chicken.”
The grand champion winner at the festival was J-Mack Barbecue Team of Bardwell. The team was formed 13 years ago at the first Barbecue on the River and their proceeds went to the Bardwell First Christian Church. The lines were long after the trophies were awarded, so we didn’t get to try all the winners, but what we did eat was awesome barbecue. Details are at www.bbqontheriver.org.
We sampled a lot of barbecue, but we weren’t up to trying the frozen pickle juice that was served by the Paducah Board of Realtors.
XXX
Tourists who visit a river city must eat some kind of seafood. We were tempted by the menu at Whaler’s. Located in the historic Johnson Building on Second Street in Paducah, Whaler’s Catch Restaurant has an interesting past. See the story at www.whalerscatch.net. The “special” on the night we visited was the orange roughy rollup which had a spicy crab, fish and herb stuffing, topped with a Bienville sauce.
XXX
Food Network and The Travel Channel have turned many small town restaurants into destination spots and Lambert’s Cafe in Sikeston, Mo. is now on almost every food lovers’ radar.
Lambert’s Cafe also has locations in Foley, Ala. and Ozark, Mo. and their claim to fame is the “The Only Home of Throwed Rolls.” The menu features country entrees (beef liver and onions smothered in gravy; pot roast; chicken fried round steak, chicken & dumplings, fried chicken, ham & beans, ribs, and fried catfish) that are served with two vegetables. It’s the “pass arounds” that are hard to resist even when your plate is already piled. The extras, at no charge, are passed about by servers carrying pots and containers of fried okra, fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and sorghum and honey. Take a look at their menu at www.throwedrolls.com.
XXX
We headed back to Kentucky for a visit to Land Between the Lakes and stayed at Kenlake State Resort Park on Kentucky Lake. The state resort parks have created new menus and restaurant decor that reflects the region and Kenlakes’ restaurant now is Aurora Landing. It has an Italian theme and the polo ala calvi was excellent.
XXX
Lunch the next day was at Patti’s 1880’s Restaurant in Grand Rivers which is famous for its 2-inch thick pork chops, meringue pies and flower pot bread. Lots of activities are at this place including gift shops, miniature golf, playground, gardens, and remote control boats. Find out more at www.pattis-settlement.com.
Oh, by the way. I didn’t follow the Weight Watchers diet last week.
