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!

The Heritage Kitchen - Whitesburg, Kentucky

Happy day-after-Thanksgiving-Black Friday-annual leftovers day-whatever to each and every one of you!  I hope you're all still stuffed more than the very turkey you ate.  I'd very carefully planned to be a lazy sloth today and watch Black Friday brawl videos all day and possibly put up the rest of my Christmas lights, but for whatever reason I got the sudden urge to get out and about.  Complete days off are a rarity for most of us, me included, so I hated to completely waste it.  I got in the car and decided to head on over to Whitesburg to do a little Christmas shopping...and maybe to stop into the music store to pick a little something up for myself.  Upon arriving, I went down main street and nearly wrecked when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.  A brand-spanking-new restaurant appeared out of nowhere...or at least had gone up since the last time I was over that way.  I couldn't resist.  I wasn't even all that hungry.  No one is the day after Thanksgiving, and even in the event that I was, I have about 35 pounds of leftovers sitting in the fridge.  At that moment, I didn't really care.  After a quick jaunt into Roundabout Music, I hoofed it a couple hundred feet back up Main Street to check this place out.







 

Christmas lights and little outdoor bistro tables??  I'm already sold.

I walked in and was immediately greeted by a very nice lady.  She sat me at a small booth, and the owner came over to greet me and introduce himself.  He handed me a menu and took my drink order. 







 

Currently lunch time.  Three separate menus for each meal.

Soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts.  Standard fare, but good options none the less.  I kept scanning over the possibilities, when I looked over and saw this on the wall...







 

It was almost like magic.

It's hard to pick out a favorite word in that description.  "All beef"  "Hotdog"  "bacon"  "homemade"  "Cincinatti style"  "potato skins", they all cry out in their own way.  Of course I was going to go with this special, how could I not??  I placed my order, in which was taken by the owner, with a really cool looking tablet device he had strapped to his arm.  I'd never seen anything like it, and was impressed.  This is another case of rustic Appalachian meeting modern day, as I've mentioned in previous blog entries.  I then got up and walked around, admiring the decor and how clean this place actually was.  It was immaculate. 





 

And festive.

 

Decent view of the dining area.

 

A bar that I'm very, very jealous of.

 

Really, REALLY jealous of.

 

House made desserts. 

 

A bit of the rustic decor.  I was also told that there was local art from local artists on order and should be there very soon.  It will look amazing in this place, for sure.

 

Every old building from this time period in Eastern Kentucky as this ceiling, or one very similar.  You've noticed it too, don't lie.

 

Mason jars are always a nice touch.

I was impressed as could be and I hadn't been here 5 minutes.  It was clean, organized, the staff was friendly, the decor was great, the temperature was spot on and.....








 

...my food made it out in 2.5 minutes.

  I'm not exaggerating.  I timed it.  This isn't exactly a complex meal, but I couldn't have laid the pickle on the plate in 2.5 minutes, let alone arranged all of this you see before you.  Just, wow.  I sat down, and starting figuring a composite algorithm of just how the heck I was suppose to start eating this.

Actually I didn't.  I just smiled and shoved it in.







 

Angle 1.

 

Angle 2.

  I know the words "gourmet" and "hot dog" generally don't appear in the same sentence or even in the same ideology most of the time, but if such a thing exists, then this is it.  The hot dog itself was all beef, plump and juicy.  It was wrapped in some fairly thick-cut bacon, cooked to a nice stage somewhere between crispy and chewy.  Very nice consistency.  The bun isn't some off the shelf grocery store bun.  In fact I don't think it's a hot dog bun at all.  I believe it's a white corn dusted sub roll.  Very soft, very flavorful.  It was the perfect 'housing' for this type of hot dog.  The chili?  Forget about it.  Some of the best I've ever had.  Cincinnati style isn't something we see down this way very often, so it's nice to have it when it's offered.  The cinnamon was very prominent but not over bearing, just the way I like it.  The cheese was cheddar and a very nice topping to go with it...and it was offered for free.   








 

It was mocking me.  Taunting me.

I was honestly having trouble finishing it, and I still had those amazing looking potato skins to go.  My fridge was already overcrowded with shadows of Thanksgiving, so I definitely didn't want to add anymore to it.  So, I trudged onward. 







 

These beauties were NOT going to go to waste.

 

Not on my watch!

If you're not familiar with potato skins, they're simply the skin of a half, sometimes even quartered, potato, with the bulk of the potato hollowed and scraped out, and replaced with other types of toppings.  They're great.  These in particular, could have probably been referred to as 'Southwest potato skins' or something similar, because they were topped with a small bit of tomato salsa, yellow corn, black beans, a hint of lime zest, and the same shredded cheddar cheese that adorned the hot dog.  They were then baked to a slight crisp.  Crisp around the edges, that is, and still soft in the middle.  The addition of optional sour cream on the side was a very nice touch as well.  If someone may think these were too crispy and dry, the sour cream would be a good way to get a little moisture back in.  Good stuff.







My tab was only about 9 bucks.  Not too bad considering the quality and amount of food I received, and the fact that I had a good ole Mt. Dew to go along with it.  I paid, left a tip, talked with the owner for another couple of minutes, and began to make my way out, happy that I'd found yet another hidden gem right here in the hills of Appalachia.





Let's recap!





Cleanliness:  The Heritage Kitchen is one of the cleaner establishments I've ever visited.  Considering most of them are nearly spotless anyway, that's quite a statement, and quite an accomplishment.  The floors were clean to the point of almost being reflective, and the tables and chairs were much of the same.  The bar and even the walls were noticeably clean.  The condiment bottles, napkin holders, etc. were all nice and well organized.  The men's restroom was clean and well stocked, though a bit small and cramped.  This is an older building, so that can't be helped. 

Overall cleanliness score:  4.5/5





Ambiance:  This place rocks the 'whole rustic meets modern' motif very well.  The walls are plain white, and are ready for all the neat local art that I was told would be coming in very soon.  It'll be worth another trip just to be able to see that.  The tables are spaced far enough apart that it doesn't feel cramped, and the entire area is open, so there's good air flow.  The windows added a lot of extra lighting, even though the lighting itself was just fine.  There were Christmas decorations, which I'm a sucker for.  I love a good festive place.  The room temperature was nearly perfect.  The decor, as it is without the art, is still nice.  Rustic, again, being the key word.  The bar area was a nice addition, and there were two TVs playing in case you wanted to watch.

Overall Ambiance score:  4.5/5






Food Quality & Service:  My food was brought out to me in less than 3 minutes, which has to be some kind of record.  It was fresh and hot, and was exactly how I ordered it.  The quality of the ingredients was noticeable, from the hot dog itself to the bun, to the chili.  The potato skins were the same way.  A lot of love and care went into the preparation of this meal, and it was very obvious.  These folks care about the art of cooking just as much as they do customer satisfaction, and that's a wonderful thing to get to experience.  My server was also the owner, which was a great thing.  He was very attentive and polite, and made sure everything was a-ok with my experience.  We even got to talk a some.  It's always nice to have a little company and perspective.

Overall Food Quality & Service score:  4/5







 

Even if my door had a push bar, it wouldn't be this cool.

As I left the merely 2 month old restaurant, I was genuinely satisfied.  Maybe a little too much, because I had to make a 25 mile trip home on a full stomach.  Assuming that probably wasn't the best idea, I decided I would take a slight walk down Main Street just to try to ease the fullness a little bit.  It was a nice day, upper 60s, and I had literally nothing better to do.  So, I meandered around a little, and decided to walk a little ways down the street past the music store.  I hadn't been that way in ages, so away I went, admiring all the shops and Christmas decor that was going up.  Philosophical thoughts began to enter my mind about 'small town America' and 'Main Street USA' as I furthered down the sidewalk.  That's pretty common for me, I suppose.  I reached the curve past the police station and figured that was a good stopping point.  So, I got there, and began to turn around, when...













 

 

 

 

OH DEAR.

Joe's Sub Station - Hazard, Kentucky!

Happy Halloween, everyone!  Hopefully this finds each of you doing well as you prepare for your haunts, tricks, and treats tonight.  I know I personally can't wait, my love of Halloween rivals that of my love for Christmas, so my expectations are running pretty high today!.  Nevertheless, it's time for some food, right?  Nothing sends the spooky season into overdrive quite like some good eatin'  Let's get right down to it.


I'm finally getting to review a place that has made quite a name for itself since it opened only a few short years ago.  Joe's Sub Station is a unique addition to the Eastern Kentucky landscape, particularly here in the Appalachian/coal fields area.  It's physical address is a total mystery, because I honestly don't know where Hazard city limits end, where the town of Jeff technically even is, or if it's actually in Vicco.  I just know to look for the sign on Route 15.  And you should, too, because this place is worth a stop off the main drag!

Seriously, you can't miss it.

I'd gotten word a few days prior that there was going to be a bit of a special event going on, a "Tap Takeover", as it was referred to, by Country Boy Brewing Co.  There were going to be drink specials, food specials, and live music.  If you pass something like that up, then it's your own fault.  So, I hopped into my ole trusty car and headed over to Hazard...or Vicco.  Maybe Jeff.

Yes, this was two weeks ago.  I've been busy.  Sue me.

 I arrived at around 7 pm, just in time for things to start to kick off.  The weather was pretty nice that evening, but the temp was dropping fast.  Very nice October evening, for sure.  I had to park along side the road because the parking area was already filling up.  I entered and was greeted by some nice signage displaying what all was going to be happening that evening.  Always a nice touch to be greeted up front with what you're about to get yourself into. 

See?  Food and drinks for all!

 So I read and looked to the left, and there was a family style, old most classic diner type room.  I assume it's the overflow area, in case business gets too heavy on the other side.

I like it, more room is always good.

To the right of the entrance, however, was a whole different story.  To the right, was where all the magic was happening.  So, I chose right.  The blue pill, if you will.

I chose wisely.

Very, very wisely.

I'm a virtual hillbilly SAGE!!

 Seriously, the ambiance and decor of this place is off the hook.  It's a rare combination of modern, and that special brand of Appalachian rustic.  It's hard to describe, but this place has captured that spirit flawlessly.  Notice the lights in the above picture, to the left of the giant video screen and above the tin roof?  (See?  "video screen" and "tin roof" are generally two things that don't appear in the same sentence)  Those lights are actually made out of old bottles.

Not something you see everyday, if ever.  Especially beside of a state of the art video projector.

I finally sat down.

Quite a selection, for sure.

 After I finally finished drooling over the decor, I finally sat down to order some grub.  As you can see, their line up is pretty extensive, ranging from pizzas to subs to prime rib to everything else.  I was getting hungry, which at this point I assume you realize is nothing new.  For those of you keeping track, I've been "hungry" since February.  But anyway, as I sat down, a very nice lady came and took my order, and all I had to do was set back and give it a little time.  I got to hear some of my favorite classic rock tracks playing during this time, so it was time certainly not wasted.  "Sweet Emotion", and "All Right Now" always make for good time killers, and certainly added some enjoyment and flair to the already super cool ambiance. 







My wait was a little long, a bit longer than expected.  They were busy, and not just moderately busy.  REALLY busy.  So, in times like this, it's perfectly understandable.  My stomach and brain tend to disagree on this issue, but it's cool.  Just more time to look around and jam out.

And I would have otherwise never noticed this giant tentacle over in the corner.

Or this shirt with a clever innuendo advertising how big Joe's Deck is.  Also, we currently do seem to be in Jeff, Ky.

Joe's Deck is quite large.  I'm amazed he could fit it all - ok I'll stop.

After a few minutes, I found my way back to my seat, and actually began chatting with a few people I'd gone to high school with.  They had found their way out here as well, so it was cool to see them and to catch up somewhat.  The server brought me a refill of ice water, and immediately afterward, another server brought my food.

Oh dear.

This was one of those moments where I generally felt concern.  Were my eyes bigger than my stomach?  Did I have a very poor sense of judgement when I walked in earlier?  Oh well, this could be the greatest mistake of my life.

What you're actually looking at here, are deep fried cheese balls with what I assumed was house made ranch sauce for dipping, "Seaside Fries", which are classic Waffle Fries with sea salt and a touch of Old Bay, and a "Classic Philly", complete with sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms (by request) and some of that ooey- gooey liquid gold.  Eight million calories of awesome.  I couldn't wait to tear into this stuff.

I had to try one of these first, no question.

Then one of these beauties.

Then....ah yeah.

Very deserving of two shots. 

The cheese balls were fried to a golden crisp.  That means there was a slight crunch when I bit in to it, and the center was very cheesy and moist.  Not dried out at all.  This is a very hard thing to pull off, because if something like that is fried for mere seconds too long, it loses on all fronts.  Dry inside, burnt outside, cheese trying to escape out the sides.  Not here, no sir.  Fried to perfection.

The Seaside Fries were much of the same.  Golden, crispy outside, fluffy inside.  The sea salt and slight sprinkle of Old Bay gave these a different twist that was refreshing.  Fries are good, but they tend to get boring, so a little twist occasionally is very welcome, and these were certainly no exception.

The Classic Philly cheese steak was out of this world.  It was honestly one of the best Philly's I'd ever had, and I'm quite the connoisseur.  The bread was toasted, so it had that nice texture, while still being soft on the inside.  The steak was plentiful, shaved, and piled high.  No fat or gristle to be found here, and the onions, peppers, and mushrooms were all sauteed very well.  The cheese is the classic liquid cheese you generally find with Nachos at festivals and ball games.  This is actually among the two cheeses used for a genuine Philly steak sandwich.  Sure you can use any kind of cheese you wish, but the real deal uses either Cheese Wiz, or nacho cheese.  The way it seeps down through every crevice of the sandwich to fully engulf it with cheesy goodness is something that is simply missing if you use sliced cheese for a sandwich like this.  It was sensational.

I regret nothing.  NOTHING.

I was full and happy, and those are two feelings that anyone, at any given time, are fortunate to be able to experience.  Joe's Sub Station is not your typical 'bar-n-grill' place by any means, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone.  If they get even half the satisfaction that I did during my visit, then they're in for something special.  I continued to mingle a little bit, talking to some old acquaintances and so forth.  I was still honestly taking in the ambiance.  I was very impressed with the Halloween decor as well, which is something I haven't mentioned yet.  I love a good festive place that acknowledges the holidays that are going on around them.  It adds a lot to the experience.  I was also, upon further inspection, really impressed with the bar design. 

Seriously, this is only part of it.

It's a zigzag design with a lot of cool lighting, and some top shelf stuff, a lot of which, of course, is made right here in good ole Kentucky!

I was almost ready to leave, when something suddenly occurred to me.  There was still live music to come!  How could I have forgotten something like that??  Good food does that to you.  It puts you into a state of poor judgement and idiocy, far worse than any alcohol could.  So, I hung around for a bit longer, as the guys stated to set up for their performance, and....

.....honestly, how many times have you heard "Ice Cream Man" by Van Halen played live?  If your answer to that question is anything other than "not nearly enough", then you're wrong.










Ok guys, let's recap.  For a reminder of how I do this, check back to my very first blog entry here:

Food Quality:  As I stated earlier, the food here was top notch.  The deep fried cheese balls were golden, crisp, gooey on the inside.  The Seaside Fries were the same way, with a touch of sea salt and Old Bay seasoning thrown into the mix.  Very good.  The cheese steak was toasted, shaved thin, piled high, with great add-ons.  The cheese was dead on and required for that authentic quality.  Everything was good, and I had literally no complaints.

Overall Food Quality Score:  4.5/5





Ambiance:  I went on and on about the decor earlier.  They were very festive with all the Halloween decorations, and all the normal decor was great as well.  Tin signs adorned the walls, the lighting was cool and modern, there were large projector screens, there were lights made of old bottles, the furniture was clean and of a high quality, and the bar itself was a visual marvel with its zigzag pattern.  As large as this place is, it was still a little cramped at times, especially once the large crowds started coming on.  But, that can't be helped and to a degree is to be expected.  Plus, there's an overflow area I highlighted earlier to the left of the entrance.  The classic rock playlist was great, playing familiar, cool tunes throughout the evening.  The deck out back was really cool as well.  Very nice add-on.  The live music was stellar.  Very talented guys.

Overall Ambiance Score:  4.5/5






Cleanliness:  This place was clean, pure and simple.  Even the bathrooms were fully stocked and clean.  That's something that's nearly impossible to pull off during such a rush and with such a crowd.  Everything was simply clean.  No further observation needed.

Overall Cleanliness Score:  5/5





Service:  The servers were very friendly and attentive.  They were slammed that night, and were still be able to keep their cool and be timely and professional.  At a distance, the bartenders appeared to be the same way.  My food took a little while to get to me, longer than normal, anyway.  Typical order time is around 14-16 minutes for the main course, and my wait time was right around 25 minutes.  They were tending to a special event crowd on that night, so service was certainly a bit slower, and that is no big deal to me.  As I said earlier, it gave me time to mingle a bit, and check out some of the decorations and listen to some of the music.  No harm, no foul.

Overall Service Score:  4/5 






Joe's Sub Station is yet another gem hidden within the Appalachian landscape.  If you're ever in the area, or ever traversing route 15 between Whitesburg and Hazard, stop in and give this place a try.  It'll be time well spent! Thanks for reading, and be safe tonight!