Babylon Mediteranean Cafe and Market

Babylon is located in Richmond, Kentucky on Main Street.  This wonderful little hole in the wall cafe has such personality!  You walk in and you see some amazing artwork on the walls and the smells are delicious!  You order at the counter and then take a seat and wait for your mediteranean experience to begin.

I had the falafel lunch special and couldn't have been more pleased.  It consisted of rice, a salad, and a falafel.  When we placed our order I did ask what is a falafel and I was told it is vegetarian, so I still have no idea what it is.  No worries though I am positive it is not made of vegetarians. 

The rice was a nice yellow color and I was slightly suspicious of it but it is some of the best flavored rice I have ever eaten.  It is so good I ate most of it before I even tried the falafel.  The salad is a greek salad containing lettuce, tomato, olives, feta cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing.  Very delicious and light.  Now to the falafel.  This is a delicious flatbread with lettuce, tomato, onion, and some sort of vegetarian substitute for meat.  I don't know what it is made of as I said, but it was so good.  It looked like it had broccoli and chickpeas in it, but once again they didn't tell me what it contained.  Maybe its a secret!  They also had a delicious sauce to use on it that was a yogurt and dill mix.

I enjoyed eating at Babylon.  The meal was quite substantial and I didn't walk away feeling weighed down at all.  I already know what I will be sampling the next time.  I want to try that vegetarian sampler they have.  If it is anything like the falafel I will be ecstatic.  (No I am not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy a number of vegetarian foods.)

The Sandwich Shop

The Sandwich Shop in Richmond Kentucky is a wonderful little place to eat!  The owner was on Martha Stewart!  The food here is wonderful and reminds me of my grandma's cookin.  (Something that I miss terribly.)  I enjoyed a bowl of soup beans with cornbread, chicken salad on tomatoes and lettuce instead of bread, and a sweet tea.  All of this food was marvelous!  I thoroughly enjoyed the soup beans and am thrilled to have discovered a place that makes them right!  The chicken salad was delicious rolled up in the lettuce leaves.  It is served with saltine crackers but if you decide to try it definitely give the lettuce wrap a whirl.  The sweet tea was just right not too sweet but perfect.  The service was wonderful.  We were constantly checked on and had a delightful conversation with our waitress. 

The decor deserves a mention as well.  As you walk in you are greeted by a ghoul named Tommy.  On the left of the door there is a christmas tree covered in cookies and a large gingerbread man standing next to that.  On the walls you will discover a collection of clocks and lunchboxes.  Most of which are antique.

I look forward to my next visit.  I am definitely getting dessert and can hardly wait to try out more of their selections.

Mom and Tom's

This is a small restaurant that has been squeezed into a gas station off of Lancaster in Richmond Kentucky.  I had the opportunity to sample their breakfast.  I enjoyed a vegetable omelet and a side of bacon.  The omelet was sooo good!  It contained fresh vegetables and a wonderful amount of cheese.  It was delicious!  The other surprising fact was the side of bacon was about 6 pieces of bacon!  Most places only give you 4.  The prices are amazingly low and the food was wonderful.  I plan on returning soon.

Smitty's Southern Style BBQ

Smitty's Southern Style BBQ has become a favorite!  It is located somewhere in Richmond, Kentucky.  I say that as it is a mobile restaurant that has to move locations every 14 days.  (I just spotted him up on Big Hill today!)  This is some of the best BBQ I have ever eaten!  I have had a taste of their pulled pork sandwich which was amazingly flavored.  So good!  I also had their polish special.  It is a polish sausage smothered with onions, peppers, and a sauce that is sooo yummy!  I got the fries as my side (the other choices are coleslaw or beans) they were the perfect doneness and were fresh made.  I also had a lemonade to go with it.  Now this lemonade is fresh made and tastes like the lemonade you make when you go out and sit on the front porch swing on a hot summer night!  Delicious!

They have a small menu but they definitely know how to make those items to perfection!  I will be trying their ribs next time.  Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!  It is lunch time......

This is a wonderful little establishment and I hope that they will be around for a long time.

Gridiron BBQ

The Gridiron BBQ restaurant is in Richmond, Kentucky.  I was sorely disappointed with this restaurant.  I selected the pulled chicken with baked beans to sample.  The good thing I can say about it is that the chicken was definitely moist.  Thankfully we had the foresight to split one serving.  The sandwich was so moist that the bottom of the bun was soggy by the time it was brought to the table.  The service wasn't slow it was just that juicy.  The chicken really didn't have a lot of flavor to it (I actually added salt).  The baked beans tasted like the ones you get out of a can. 

I honestly cannot recommend this restaurant.  There are other things to try, but I won't be going back.

Smokehouse

I am so sad! I returned to the Smokehouse down in Berea to try out their buffet.  I was severely disappointed.  The buffet consists of a salad bar, dinner items, desserts, and a bread selection.

The salad was limp and tasteless.  The pea salad was different than what I expected.  It had raw peas in it.  Tasty but not what I am accustomed to.  I sampled the potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, fried chicken, and corn.  Everything except the baked beans required some added flavoring, salt and pepper helped a little, but not enough to make me want to return for more.

I will go back to the smokehouse again as I loved their bbq ribs and fried green tomatoes, but I know next time to avoid the buffet.

The Paddy Wagon

The Paddy Wagon is a wonderful pub in Richmond, Kentucky.  They throw the biggest St. Patrick's Day celebration in the area.  It was definitely a sight to see!  Wonderful smells came from inside and out as they had to expand into the parking lot to accommodate everyone!  As fate would have it, St. Patty's Day fell on the same day as a UK basketball game and thus the big screen tv's were all tuned in so everyone could catch the game while celebrating the wearin of the green (or blue this year).  They even had one out in the parking lot!  Way to be there for your customers!

Going to The Paddy Wagon is an amazing experience.  If you look up on the walls you will see patches for firefighters and police stations from all over the country.  I actually get choked up as I gaze up at these.  To see them all together on one wall is a sight to behold.  You must really experience it for yourself.

On a much quieter day I returned to sample something on the menu.  I decided to try the pub basket.  Now for those who don't know what that is (don't be embarrassed I didn't know either), it is steak fries, also known as pub fries, seasoned with kosher salt and coarse black pepper.  Now you have the option of adding toppings to these tasty potatoes.  I selected the chili, cheese, and onions.  Don't worry no one had to deal with my onion breath besides me!  They were some of the best fries I have had in a long time.  They were cooked to such a tenderness that they would fall apart when I stuck my fork through them.  The chili topping was the beanless variety and yes the onions were definitely onion like, crisp and delicious!

I completely recommend you go and visit this amazing Richmond treasure.  Sit at the bar and share a story or two and possibly catch a game on the big screen.

Elvira's

Elvira's is located in Richmond Kentucky just off Eastern Bypass.  This is an amazing italian restaurant with authentic italian food.  As soon as you walk in you realize this is going to be an experience unlike any other.  The menu contains everything from appetizers to desserts and a seperate menu is provided for their pizzas.  The pizzas are freshly made and the menu lets you know up front you are going to have to wait while they are prepared. 

You are provided with an oil and vinegar mix to dip the loaf of bread in that is brought to the table before the rest of your meal.  If you have never tried this it is delightful.  It may not sound very appetizing, but it is delicious.

I chose the steak de mare (steak topped with shrimp).  Oh my goodness, this was the best steak I have ever eaten!  It was perfectly cooked and was so tender it practically melted in my mouth.  The shrimp was expertly seasoned and was so good I refused to share with my companion.  It came with a side of pasta and salad.  The pasta was just right with a slight bite to it and had a light sauce on it.  The salad was a perfect serving of vegetables to begin the meal with. 

To end the meal I selected the hummingbird cake.  No it does not contain hummingbirds!!  It is full of the yummy things that would attract a hummingbird though.  It had nuts and fruit and had a cream cheese frosting.  Those of you who know me realize I don't like cream cheese so the frosting was eaten around, the cake itself was devoured rather quickly.  The flavors were expertly balanced and the cake itself was so light it was a burst of flavor in my mouth.

This is a wonderful restaurant and I am already planning my next meal there.  I'm thinking of trying one of the pizzas, although those sandwiches sounded wonderful too, or maybe the salmon salad.......

Better Burgers and More

Better Burgers and More located in Richmond Kentucky is actually The Madison Diner in a new location with a remodeled menu.  They have some of the best food in town!  They have a family run place that makes you feel like your part of the family.  (So if it takes a while to get service just remember your Mom doesn't always answer on the first yell either.)

I chose the appetizer sampler plate the day I went.  It contained mushrooms, chicken wings, onion rings, and potato wedges instead of cheese sticks as they were out.  (So popular that they are out of cheese sticks by 3:00!)  Yes it was all deep fried, but it was sooooo tasty.  Not for the cholesterol watchers by any means.  Nothing was dripping in grease and the flavor was perfect.  This place is the quintessential greasy spoon.  The wings, for those of you who love wings as much as I do, have a dry rub on them and are so delicious I didn't need any kind of a dip for them.  (Similar to the ones at Madison Garden for anyone who has had theirs.)

For dessert, yes I must have dessert even at 3 in the afternoon, I had a flavored ice cream.  I selected the tropical orange flavor and I tell you it was soooo yummy!  Definitely worth the $1.25 for the bowl full that I received.  It filled in the nooks and crannies that were left open by the sampler.  The flavor of the ice cream reminded me of cotton candy.  It is light and yet so good.  At the bottom of the dish there was a little bit of the blue goo flavor mixed in from the ice cream before mine.  It was like the flavors  were fighting for possession of my tastebuds! 

This is definitely on my list of places to visit again!

Fong's Chinese Food

Fong's Chinese Restaurant is one of the better Chinese restaurants I have eaten at.  They have some of the friendliest staff and truly are a treasure to visit.  They offer dine in, take out, and delivery services.  Be prepared to wait a little bit longer than you would for a fast food meal as they actually make it up fresh before serving it to you.  They have reasonable pricing and large portions.

Fong's offers some of the best General Tsao's Chicken I have had in long time.  It comes in plenty of sauce and the chicken is so tender!  It is a wonderful treat.  When you purchase the combo it comes with an egg roll and fried rice and of course a flavored fortune cookie.  You are able to adjust the heat of the chicken to a level that is more comfortable for you.  Extremely nice when you like something spicy and they can deliver it.  They have an assortment of drinks and offer free refills for dine in.

They also have yummy Egg Foo Yong.  It is a HUGE serving and comes with the gravy on the side.  It also comes with fried rice, egg roll, and fortune cookie.  They cook it to perfection and it is so delicious it leaves you wanting another helping.  Fortunately I can never finish the first helping so I have another serving for later. 

I honestly can't say enough about this restaurant.  I am an addict for their delicious food and hope that you will take the time to enjoy a meal with them.

Stella Jane's Bakery

Stella Jane's is a wonderful little bakery!  It isn't well know apparently (possibly due to their working hours 7 - 1) as everyone I questioned kept telling me "that place is never open".  Well I have managed to go there when they are open and trust me they are well worth getting up early for.

The doughnuts are made in Berea and sold out of their store there and then some of them are transported over to Richmond to share with the lucky residence there.  The amazing staff that I have had the honor of purchasing from are so friendly and polite.  Yes POLITE....I know that is hard to believe in this society but guess what.....they truly are. 

Having consumed a variety of doughnuts (no I am not telling the exact amount and neither will you when you go) including a cinnamon roll, apple fritter, coconut, blueberry, and a number of others I can honestly say - YUM! This bakery has got to be making the best doughnuts I have ever tasted! They are so light and flaky it makes my mouth water to just think about them. 

For those of you who jones for a morning cup of coffee this place has a great coffee bar.  They have a variety of flavor shots and several flavored creamers that you can mix and match to your hearts content.  Just beware - the large is LARGE.

Opals Bakery and Cafe

Opals Bakery and Cafe is located in Richmond Kentucky. It is a tiny hole in the wall next door to the Paddy Wagon.  They have seriously reduced their menu since moving locations.  The focus appears to have shifted to the bakery part of the business.  This place is a self serve heaven. 

I had the opportunity to sample their breakfast special of biscuits and gravy.  I also had an orange muffin and a cup of hot chocolate.  The biscuits and gravy had been previously made and set out on the buffet.  They did serve them for me, but it was slightly disturbing to see that they had already been sitting there for a while.  The biscuits were light and fluffy but the gravy that was scooped on top of them was unfortunately trying to seperate.  It was creamy but had no flavor.  Salt and pepper helped some. 

The hot chocolate I had to make myself.  Swiss Miss packets were set out by styrofoam cups and the hot water was on the side of the coffee maker.  I was definitely disheartened by this as I had previously eaten at this establishment at its old location and had been greatly pleased with my selections and the free refills of the delicious hot chocolate served with whipped cream.  Now it was just like making it at home.

The orange muffin was light and airy.  The flavor was also very light.  It barely had a citrus flavor to it.  It was a good sized muffin and was not horrible to eat, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.

I guess you could say that this was not one of the better experiences I have had at a local restaurant.

Dinner Bell Restaurant

The Dinner Bell Restaurant is one of my favorite places to eat in Berea, Kentucky.  They are similar to the franchise Cracker Barrel, but have a much more homey feel.  They sell locally made crafts and advertise for local productions and events.  I feel like I am stopping by a friends for dinner when I dine here.

The last time I "stopped in for a bite" we had a wonderful waitress by the name of Kim.  She was very upfront and honest and gave us some delicious suggestions on what to enjoy for dinner.  She also made sure that our glasses never got empty and checked up on how we were doing frequently enough that we felt like we were very important to her.

I decided on the chicken fried steak with a baked sweet potato smothered in butter, a tossed salad with, of course, ranch dressing, and a hot dinner roll.  My companion selected the liver and onions as suggested by our waitress.  My salad was brought out first as usual and was very simple but delicious.  The ranch was not overly sweet and I gobbled it all down without a single complaint.  The rest of our food arrived promptly and we dug in.

I immediately cut into my steak and discovered it was perfectly cooked and tender as could be.  Unfortuantely, the gravy was a little bit bland but with a little salt and pepper added we were off and running.  The sweet potato was baked to the point it melted in my mouth.  It was divine.  The dinner roll was soft and had just a hint of sweetness to it.  I did sample my companions liver and discovered it hadn't been cooked like most of us would do it.  They had grilled it.  It was lightly seasoned and had an appealing flavor.

Now on to the good stuff.  DESSERT!  We sampled three different desserts and we were pleased with two of them.  We had lemon meringue pie, chocolate meringue pie, and a peach cobbler.  We began with the lemon meringue and the peach cobbler.  The lemon meringue was so light and fluffy.  Not overly sweet with just the perfect hint of a tang.  It was like eating a cloud it was so delicate.  The peach cobbler on the other hand was a horrible disappointment.  The dough was under cooked and the peaches were crunchy.  Pretty sure peaches are not supposed to be crunchy even when they aren't put in a cobbler.  We sent it back and selected a piece of chocolate meringue pie to replace it.  Now the chocolate meringue was a surprise.  It wasn't that typical smooth and creamy texture that one becomes accustomed to when you think of chocolate pie.  This had a slightly thicker texture, not crunchy but it felt....I honestly don't know how to describe it!  The meringue was once again cooked perfectly and then you dive into the deep chocolate layer underneath.  It startled my tongue as I was expecting that creamy feeling, but it was a delight to discover something different.  I guess this is one item you will just have to try for yourself and come to your own conclusion as to how it tastes.

Home Brew Cafe

Home Brew Cafe is a wonderful little restaurant in Berea, Kentucky.  My partner in crime and I happen to enjoy going to Berea and decided to grab a bite to eat while there.  This quaint cafe is set just off the Interstate and slightly camouflaged by a gas station.  We received wonderful service and had a delightful meal there.

 I ordered a Chef's Salad and a bowl of their Vegetable Soup.  The Chef's Salad was amazing!  They provide you with such a large serving for the price I was honestly surprised.  It came out in a simple bowl that was filled to the brim with delightful toppings such as ham, turkey, cheese, cucumber, egg, and tomato.  I chose to have it served with Ranch Dressing.  Now if you are a person who eats a lot of Ranch Dressing (which I know a ton of people in a certain state that do) you know that not all Ranch Dressing is created equal.  Some that I have tasted have been so bad that I chose to eat the salad without dressing on it at all!  However, this Ranch Dressing was perfect.  It was creamy and delicious.  I was even more amazed to discover that there were enough toppings to actually blend in with the lettuce.  I didn't end up with just lettuce!  That in itself is worth praising this establishment over.  But just wait there is more to come.

The Vegetable Soup turned out to be more of a stoup.  That would be thicker than a soup, but thinner than a stew.  I know unusual, but it is actually the thickness I prefer.  I was so happy.  The soup contained the typical Vegetable Soup ingredients but had cabbage thrown in as well.  For those of you who love meat, there was an abundance of ground beef in the soup as well, so much as a matter of fact, I don't recall a single bite that didn't have some in it.  Wonderful on a cold day for certain.

Now for the best part of the meal - the dessert!  We shared a heavenly Hot Fudge Cake.  Now I know most of us enjoy chocolate, but you know how you usually get a piece of chocolate cake and it is so sweet that you can't eat it all?  This is not that kind of cake!  The first bite that I took burst with pleasure in my mouth.  It was perfect!  The warm chocolate cake was paired with vanilla ice cream between the layers.  My mouth almost had a mini heart attack trying to figure out what the heck just happened!  The mixture of the warm cake and the cold ice cream created such a state of confusion and joy that I had to savor the moment and couldn't say anything for a full minute!  As my companion and I continued to savor each mouthful it became evident that, even though we were both mostly full, this dessert wasn't going to last very long.  We were able to eat the entire thing without ever having that "oh my goodness, this is cavity central" reaction.  It was decadent in just the right way and so heavenly for the taste buds.  As we drew closer to the last morsel, the thought of fighting for it crossed my mind.  (Thankfully that didn't have to occur as she relinquished any claim to it.)  I dug out every single crumb of that delightful cake and wished that there had been more.  As you can tell this cake has a special place in my heart and I know that another trip down to the Home Brew Cafe is definitely in the near future!  I wonder if they would think I was weird if I ordered dessert first and last?