Jackie's Cakes - Hazard, Kentucky

Two blog entries in one month??  What kind of tom-foolery is this?!  I'm kidding, although the idea of doing more than one entry a month is something that I've considered off and on since the beginning, this particular time, it's warranted.  A "mid-month stomp", I guess you could say.  It's not every day we get a brand new eatery in the area, and I can honestly say, it couldn't have came at a better time.


I'll be frank and honest with you folks, because I feel I can be.  I consider Hazard to be part of my home.  Part of my proverbial Appalachian back yard.  I may be a tried and true Knott Countian, but I spend much of my time in Hazard as well, so I consider it 'my' town just as much as anyone who actually lives there would.  When something new decides to grace the city limits, I don't say "they" got something new....I say "we" did.  I think most in my area would attest and agree.  I'll be honest again....I think "our" downtown has seen better days.  Without launching into a socio-political diatribe about specific reasons of why that may or may not be the case, again, I think we can all attest and agree that it's definitely the truth.  A sad, surreal reality that we're all having to accept. 

This catastrophe surely didn't help.

While the days may be far behind us of TG&Y and Don's Steakhouse livening the main street scape in Hazard, there have been others who have stepped up and tried to do their part in making that area of town great again.  Unfortunately some of those have failed, but others have stood defiant and withstood our economic hardships.

It's like our very own Washington Square Arch.  The Appalachian Arc de Triomphe, if you will.

It also doesn't help that our landmark movie theater, Fugate's Cinema, closed down just the day before yesterday.  But I guess that's another story for another day.  






    

Still though, RIP :(

Bottom line:  I get downright giddy when I hear of a new business, of any type, ponying up and being bold enough to attempt to do their own thing in such an embattled area.  But just as sure as I'm typing this, there I sat yesterday morning, and suddenly in my Facebook news feed, there pops up a flyer about a grand opening of a new bakery, beginning in exactly 20 minutes...with former University of Kentucky Wildcat Jarrod Polson rolling in to meet and greet.  One day after our theater closes, this is surely more than mere coincidence.  How this news had failed to make it to me before now, I have no clue.  So, I scratched my head, processed what I had just read, took the quickest shower I've ever taken, and sped out of my driveway.  Then I realized the weather was terrible, it's bone chilling cold, and it's probably not the best time to be playing 'Speed Racer'. 

Seriously, any day that looks like this....

...and feels like this, it's probably a good idea to take it easy on the roads.

I arrived downtown around 1:30pm.  There wasn't a lot of traffic, so I parked pretty easily.  I was already impressed and I hadn't even made it across the sidewalk yet.

It's so nice to finally see some color down this way.

Sweet, sugary color...

I strolled in, and I'm immediately greeted by a very nice lady and a couple other workers.  Also, Jarrod Polson was there with his girlfriend, chilling and talking to folks who were just hanging out.  They had some of their signature cupcakes out on the ordering counter to choose from, so of course I caved immediately and had to try a couple.

Strawberry Cheesecake, Wedding Cake, and Chocolate Caramel Nut!

Of course having a strawberry option, I went with the obvious choice, followed by a Chocolate Caramel.

And the winner is....

They were really good, not gonna lie.  There were free samples to dig into as well!  I then began a discussion with Jackie herself, which eventually drew in others around the room as well, even Mr. Polson.  As it turns out, Jackie is a transplant from a town just a few miles north of Los Angeles, CA.  One of her employees, is a transplant here from New York City.  They both wound up here by sheer fate, and they've come together to try to make it here in Eastern Kentucky along with all the rest of us, offering loads of outside perspective and ideas.  They've joined forces to try to economically tackle Hazard's once thriving main street, and I can't even begin to express what a challenge that's going to be.  Things haven't exactly gone smoothly for them up until this point, either.  They had originally planned on opening in one of the vacated buildings a couple blocks up the street, but those plans fell through at the last minute.  Literally.  They were informed they would have to move Saturday, got the permit for the new location, and the electricity/water turned on Tuesday, and began renovations/clean up/opening plans on Wednesday.  They still managed to open YESTERDAY. 



Will everything going on, they simply weren't able to open with a full menu.  They were literally up until 2am painting the walls.  All their equipment hadn't even came in yet, so they were doing a "bare bones" opening just to inform the public of their existence.  Jackie told me in the very near future, that they weren't only going to be offering the cupcakes I tried earlier, but a full breakfast, lunch, and possibly even dinner menu, with their main focus being on breakfast and lunch.  Various coffees and other drinks, as well as desserts, were also mentioned, and she is currently taking custom orders for cakes.  I can't wait to see what these folks have to offer in the very near future.



She contacted WYMT Mountain News to come and cover her opening as well.  They showed up, with anchor Matthew Rand representing them, along with a few other customers, and the great conversations continued.  We all talked about the beauty of the area, about the potential of tourism, the Knott County Trail Ride, coal mining, the history of the town, and Mr. Polson even jokingly said he'd like to open a tree house themed restaurant in the area, of course in an actual tree house.  He was a great guy. Genuinely very nice and humble.  It was his first time in the area, and he bragged about how beautiful the scenery was, and how nice everyone had been.  He was honored to be taking pictures and shaking hands with the people who came in to see what was going on.

"Of course I'm taller than Anthony Davis!"

Even he was perplexed and curious enough to Instagram a pic of a "red velvet waffle".

And he was nice enough to half it with me.  That's right UK fans, I ate some of Jarrod Polson's waffle.  I've finally made it.

Other employees of WYMT, meteorologist Allison Rogers and news anchor Callie Rainey, came down as well to see what was up.  They mingled somewhat and ordered some coffee, and was glad to join in on the conversations with us for a few minutes.  I think it's also noteworthy to mention that these ladies are from out of state as well, so we now have 5 states represented in a small bakery in downtown Hazard.  Way cool!

Thanks, ladies!

The longer I stayed, and the longer I had the chance to exchange pleasantries with people from near and far, the more I realized that I just simply couldn't review this place.  Not yet.  What was happening here was so much more amazing than anything I could have tasted.  This was real.  This was a conversation; an analysis of how amazing this area really is; a commentary on the state of the condition of our home.  OUR home.  From Cali to New York, from Missouri down to Mississippi....this is OUR home.  It warms my heart to see that someone is willing to take a chance.  To not give up on us.  For one more shot. 

This guy knows all about shots.

Doing a review of a business that was forced to move at the last minute, and then spent the last 72 hours frantically trying to throw everything together, would be a disservice to that establishment.  It was a string of very unfortunate events, but it lead to something so beautiful.  This place has quite a future ahead of it.  Jackie, you better believe I'll be back soon for some of those gravy and biscuits.






Take care, and thanks for reading!

The Windmill Family Restaurant - Pikeville, Kentucky

The holiday season is already over.  Can you believe that?  Can you believe we just blew through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year in one big massive blur?  The insanity is over just as quickly as it began, and now everyone is back into the rhythm of life...right?  Hopefully each of you had a great holiday season.  I know I did.

There's always that weird in-between time, though.  That odd 5 day period between Christmas and New Years that seems to just be there for no good reason.  It simply exists, and that's about it.  Rarely does anyone do anything during this nearly week-long stretch of days, and I'm no exception.  It's just something I use as an excuse to be lazy and waste time between opening presents and watching the ball drop.  Thankfully during this time, I got a call from an old friend who had just recently moved to Pikeville due to a new employment opportunity.  He invited me over to check out his new apartment, catch lunch with another mutual friend of ours, and just hang out and catch up.  Dude time, if you will.  Sounds splendid.  So, I hopped into my car and made the trek to Pikeville. 

Once I arrived and did the status quo tour of his new place, our other friend arrived as well, and offered to drive us all to lunch.  Where exactly, I wasn't sure.  I just know it was well past lunch time, I'd skipped breakfast, and we were all hungry enough to harvest roadkill if necessary.  So, we all piled into his car, and we headed back out onto 23 toward the direction I'd just came.  He said we were going to a local favorite, so of course my eyes lit up. 


A few minutes later, we arrived at our destination.  We were on top of a hill, behind some trees.  There was no way to see this place from the main road, or any other road.  Talk about mystique.  I've done this enough though, to know that the farther out of the way, the better the food.  I was excited.

"X" marks the spot. 

 

My company and I entered the restaurant, and were immediately told by a waitress to go ahead and have a seat.  It wasn't all that busy, I think there were 3 other tables of people enjoying themselves, so we had our pick of where we wished to sit. 

Just a quick look.

A closer look.  I've always liked the use of lattice, whether indoors or out.

A different angle.

Big, awesome, cozy corner tables!

We chose the middle.  It just seemed to call out to us. 

We sat down, and a nice lady immediately came over to give us some menus, and to take our drink orders.  I always feel a bit of anxiety when I come to a place I've never been.  I never know what to order because most of the time it all sounds amazing.

The cure for anxiety.

"A good meal at the top of the hill".  Brilliant!

Welp never mind, my anxiety is back.

Look at those prices!  Not bad at all!

There's no way I'm going to be able to pick something from this menu.  It's just not going to happen.

If it wasn't already obvious, I'm going to be in for something good.  This is an old school family style diner with home cooking, burgers, various sandwiches, and all kinds of amazing sounding stuff.  How do you narrow something like this down??  You don't.  You just read over everything, over and over again, and eventually point to something, praying that you made the right choice.  That was certainly my method this time around.  Actually that's my method most of the time, but whatever. 

Our orders were taken, and that gave us time to chat a little and get caught up.  That's always a good thing.  Being at such a hectic stage of our lives and just simply now being older, we have a lot more to talk about these days.  It was nice.  After about 15 minutes, our food made its way to our table.

And oh my dear lord.

After my eyes finally adjusted and my brain finally comprehended what was going on, I just kind of smiled.  This was the special of the day.  Noodles with roast beef and gravy, with homestyle mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and a side of cornbread.  And no I couldn't fit it all into one shot.

Ahh, here we go.  Steamy, cheesy goodness.

Sweet crumbly, buttery cornbread....how I love you.

I wasted no time.  I dug in, and let me tell you, I savored every moment.  This was a top notch meal.  Very hearty and filling.  The noodles were al dente, the mashed potatoes were from scratch with just the right amount of brown gravy, and the roast beef....wow.  Fresh from the oven, nice and seasoned, moist and flavorful.  Very good texture as well.  Very savory. 

Try to find the right words.  You wont.  You CAN'T.

We all three gleefully ate until we couldn't.  What they had looked amazing as well, one being chicken and rice with salad and soup beans, and the other being country fried steak with white gravy and a baked potato and fried cinnamon apples.  Home cooked has now taken on a whole new meaning, even in the eyes of three country boys.

Dessert seemed laughably out of the question, but the more we each thought about it, the more tempting it became.  You know how that goes.  While I didn't think I could handle it, another thought he could, so he ordered up a piece of hot fudge cake. 

Booyah.

Of course I took a bite.  A big bite.  It was good.  Nothing life changing, but still held its own.  Hot fudge cake seems to be one of those things that is always pretty standard almost anywhere you go.  Run of the mill, but good.






Time for the nitty gritty!





Food Quality:
As I stated before, this place is a very down to Earth family diner.  The food is made to order with a wide variety and daily specials.  I almost went for what they call "The Coal Miner's Breakfast", but passed at the last moment in lieu of the special.  While the breakfast sounded great, I didn't regret my decision for a single moment.  My food was fresh, hot, and plenty of it.  The mashed potatoes were homemade with the right amount of brown gravy, and the mac and cheese was firm and flavorful with nice thick cheese.  The roast beef and noodles were amazing.  The noodles were cooked al dente, and the roast beef itself was thick and savory with great texture.  There was also a lot of it, so you didn't run out with a half plate full of noodles still remaining.  I only had a bite of my friend's hot fudge cake, but it was really good.  Not great, but definitely worth ordering if I go back.  It was cakey and fudgey, and that's about all you can hope for with hot fudge cake.
Overall food quality score: 4/5





Ambiance:
The restaurant isn't very big, but it's nice and open with plenty of room between tables and booths.  There was classic music from the 60s playing over the stereo, which added a lot to the experience.  The temperature was on point.  The lighting was very nice as well.  They still had their Christmas decorations up, which I got a kick out of.  Considering how fast it all seemed to fly by this year, it was great to get to feel a little more holiday spirit before the year ended.  There were also a couple of nice landscape paintings donning the walls,  The 'old school family diner' feel is something that you can't just pull out of thin air.  It just simply has to be there.  It has to be authentic, and this place does it very well.
Overall ambiance score: 3.5/5





Cleanliness:
I'll be upfront with this.  This place does allow smoking.  It really doesn't bother me and I don't pay it much attention regardless of where I am.  I know some do have opinions about it, so I just wanted to go ahead and throw that factoid in there.  It does have that musty/smokey smell to it. Again, it doesn't bother me at all, but for various reasons, it did need to be addressed.  It's also an older building, so it has that classic/vintage look to it.  "Old" in no way equals "dirty", and that's a mistake a lot of reviews seem to make.  As far as I could tell, The Windmill Restaurant was clean, the tables were all wiped down, the chairs were in good shape, the floors were clean and free from stains.  I didn't have a chance to visit the restrooms, so I can't comment on those.  Overall, I had no issue. 
Overall cleanliness score: 3.5/5





Service:
Our waitress was very nice and attentive.  There was a couple of times she forgot what we needed and came back to ask.  That's common and it happens to the best of us.  She also seemed a tad nervous, so I'm not sure if she had just stared, or if she was just filling in for someone.  Either was possible.  Nevertheless, she was very nice and attentive.  We were well taken care of, and I feel she did a good job. 
Overall service score: 3.5/5




My experience at the Windmill Family Restaurant was very good, all in all.  Mom n' pop places are always a treat, and this place was a local and mom n' pop as it honestly gets.  It was unapologetically genuine and thoroughly 'Eastern Kentucky', and by golly, that's all I wanted.  Good food, good service, good friends, good conversation, and just a chance to get out of the house for a little while.  I couldn't have asked for more.  Happy new year, and thanks for reading!






Oh by the way, we went to Bob Amos Park afterward.  I'd never been, and I can now say it's well worth the extra few minutes to get there.  Check out that view!