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.