Just a short posting to my blog site this time… We always look for alternate routes wherever and whenever we have the time and opportunity. In this case, when we returned home from the St. Louis Missouri metropolitan area after our family trip this past May, we wandered a bit east through Indiana before heading south toward Tennessee.
When we
crossed the Ohio River from Indiana into Kentucky, we entered the town of
Owensboro. When I worked for Montgomery
Ward stores, we had an “Electric Avenue Store” in Owensboro so I spent a bit of
time here. The concept and the store
didn’t last long… It opened in the fall of 1994 and closed in late summer
1997. Montgomery Ward and all of its operations
followed suite within a little more than 3 years.
As we cruised down the local roads headed in the direction of US Hwy I-165, we had our eyes open looking for a likely place to grab some lunch. That’s when Laurie spotted this old Railway Depot and I made a quick U-turn!
The Union
Station in Owensboro is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. This limestone and slate
structure was built in 1905 and it currently houses several businesses.
Built primarily for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, it was really a joint effort the included the Louisville, Henderson and St. Louis Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad. At its height in the 1920s, the depot served as many as 18 daily passenger trains. Passenger trains ceased serving Owensboro in 1958. At one point, the old depot was actually occupied by a discotheque.
We had decided to skip one of our favorite restaurants, the Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, because they have a huge buffet and I’d eat too much…bar-b-que lamb is a specialty! If I eat too much, its nap time, not a good thing if one is driving longer distances…
When we
spotted this Cheddars Scratch Kitchen along our route, stopping here was a
‘no-brainer’. This chain doesn’t
‘inspire’ me but we can always count on these restaurants for consistency with
solid quality and good prices too.
FYI, Cheddars is part of the Darden Restaurant Group. Among other restaurants, Darden owns Bahama Breeze, Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse.
For her meal, Laurie selected the Monte Cristo sandwich. ($11.29) It had been quite a while since we’d seen a Monte Cristo on any menus. This sandwich included smoked ham, smoked turkey and 2 different cheeses and it is battered and fried until golden. It is dusted with powdered sugar and served with raspberry preserves. She chose coleslaw as an option over the French fries that are normally served with this creation. The sandwich was way too big for Laurie to finish!
Notes:
On August 14, 1936, Owensboro was the site
of the last government sanctioned public hanging in the United States. The surrounding the media and public ‘circus’
that took place contributed to the end of public executions anywhere in the
USA. To learn more about the crime
involved and the subsequent hanging, click on the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainey_Bethea.
Among other notables, NASCAR drivers/elebrities Darrell and Michael Waltrip, Florence Henderson and Johnny Depp are all from Owensboro.
For my meal, I selected Cheddar’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich with Red Beans and Rice as my side dish instead of the French fries. ($9.99) My sandwich included a hand-breaded buttermilk chicken breast on a toasted brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and American cheese. It was a big sandwich and after the red beans and rice, I was more than comfortably full.
The
Cheddars Scratch Kitchen/Restaurant in Owensboro Kentucky is located at 3040
Highland Pointe Drive. Phone:
270-685-2092. Website: https://www.cheddars.com/locations/ky/owensboro/owensboro/2139.
Note: Owensboro was first settled in 1797 but at
first it was called “Yellow Bank” based on the color of the soil along the Ohio
River. With a population of over 60,000
in the city itself, Owensboro is the 4th largest city in Kentucky. As Kentucky is bourbon country, the city is
well represented in that regard as the home of the Glenmore Distillery Company.
In addition to the Glenmore brand, the
company also produces other bourbons and blended whiskies such as Old Thompson,
Kentucky Tavern and Zachariah Harris.
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
That sandwich could have fed 3 persons! The chicken sandwich looks pretty decent too, but seriously, I would go to that favourite restaurant and have some bbq lamb!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have the same issue with buffets as I try to always get my monies worth. I've only eaten at Cheddars once and can understand it's popularity around here - large servings of pretty good food at a good price.
ReplyDelete