Four thousand miles. That’s how far most food travels from where it’s grown, to the grocery store, to your plate. If you want fresh ingredients, friendly service, in a comfortable and scenic atmosphere, consider eating local.
When I travel, I ask the locals where to eat. These are some of the spots I’ve been lucky enough to appreciate.
Past Time Cafe
Stanford Street, Crab Orchard Kentucky.
The cafe pulls no punches with its name, it’s straight out of a 90’s photshoot of “rural America” as it might have been depicted in Time or National Geographic.
The signage and aged elegance of the building, standing like a perennial bloom in a neglected garden on this quiet Standford Street, in Crab Orchard Kentucky. The establishments history as well as interesting bits of local lore are a fun read on the walls while you wait for your food.
There is ample parking behind the building. It’s seat yourself, with a roomy dinning space, didn’t see any booths. A few seats at the pie counter.
The menu is country comfort food, from burgers and fries to country fried steak with sides like green beans, potatoes and such. The prices are $10-$20 a plate; with drinks, and it’s worth every penny.
These are some familiar favorite dishes, simple ingredients, but cooked with experience and a dash of pride in a dish well served, the undeniable hospitality of a belly filled.
The service was quick, laid back and satisfactory. Twenty years of serving tables myself, and I can tell you, be attentive, but don’t bother. Our server was on point.
I had the classic canvas, burger with a garden, and fries. Condiments on the table. Everything cooked perfectly, and veggies were fresh. The burger was light, as in it wasn’t dripping with grease, and the fries were crisp. I had room to split a slice of tripple chocolate pie with a friend.
If you’re in a small Kentucky town, don’t overlook the local eateries. Get an experience in addition to a great meal.
Baked Pie Co.
Ashville, NC
This locally owned gem features a plethera of pies. Rotating their selection daily, and smelling like heaven, the atmosphere invites you in, and the pie will keep you coming back.
Discovered on a road trip south, this delectable stop over was the dessert to a noodle dinner. Every pie is made fresh daily and is sold by the pie or slice, or…. by the flight. In Kentucky flights are reserved four bourbon and arial views of Red River Gorge. But to apply the idea to pie might be THE marking brilliance we’ve been waiting for.
My party chose Pecan, Blackberry Cobbler, and I, took the keylime and blackberry. Two of my favorites, how could they go wrong? They didn’t. It was blissfully tart and sweet in all the right places on the tongue. The three of us sampled each peace and agreed the keylime blackberry was the most succulent. The cobbler was as it should be and the pecan was on point with flavor but happily wasn’t subject to the common overly sweet sugery taste that many pecan pies succumb to.
If you’re in the area and looking for something fresh and fulling, consider a few slices of heaven from the Baked Pie Company.
A Mewz in the Mountains 