Dining Along the Ohio River...Maysville Kentucky

...continuing with our October road across parts of 8 states.  At the end of our day exploring and photographing Maysville Kentucky, it was time for dinner.  We chose a restaurant that is next to and has clear views of the Ohio River.  With the flood walls in the downtown area, such clear view options are truly limited.

This is Caproni's on the River in Maysville.  Caproni's started in the 1930s as a sandwich shop catering to railroad workers.  In 1945, the family purchased this restaurant and they operated it for many years.  Located at the base of Rosemary Clooney Street, it offers a clear view of the Ohio River...and the occasional train that roars past.  In the early years, the railroad station and its workers and passengers provided a major source of patrons.  As time passed, 'railroad customers' had faded, so the decision was made to remodel the building with a wall of windows facing the river, thereby providing a pleasant vista for most of the restaurant's diners.  The Caproni family ran the restaurant until 1990.

Following the Caproni family's departure, a number of different owners tried to run the business. Finally, in 1999, a well known caterer and Maysville native purchased the restaurant.  After extensive remodeling, Caproni's reopened in December of 2000.

We arrived early for dinner.  We didn't have any reservations so early was better.  This early in the evening there wasn't much going on in Caproni's attractive bar area.

This dining room at Caproni's is furthest from that wall of windows looking over the Ohio River...but it does provide a home for that baby grand piano.  The windows are at the left in the photo, across the aisle and 2 spacious rows of tables.

Of course the tables by the window that overlook the river are the most desired tables.  They were all reserved...but this is the view from our table, not too bad for no reservations!  By the time we were about half way through our dinner, all the window tables were occupied.  

So who are these folks?  This is 90 year old Nick Clooney with his wife Nina.  They are George Clooney's parents and they live just down the road from Maysville in Augusta Kentucky.  When they dine at Caproni's they reserve the corner table by the windows...and they are sometimes joined by their famous son and his wife, Amal.  No such luck for Laurie and I on this occasion!

At least 3 Kentucky Governors have dined at Caproni's, as has Hillary Clinton.  While not a reason to have a meal here, it does show that the food and service are for real...as celebrities and dignitaries don't break bread in average restaurants.

I do love water views in restaurants and bars...and I especially like watching lake, or in this case, river traffic.  This big Marathon Oil barges and their towboat/pusher, (aptly named 'Marathon'), cruised by just before we started eating.  The "Marathon" towboat was added to the fleet ca. 2011 and it is 144 feet long and it produces 4,000 HP.

FYI, the Marathon Petroleum Marine Transportation fleet consists of 23 towboats/pushers and 256 barges as well as ocean going vessels.

Back to our dining experience at Caproni's.  We just 'had to' start out with an adult beverage after a challenging day of sightseeing and shopping.  Laurie spotted something different that she wanted to try... 

This was her Blackberry Old Fashioned. ($11.00) It was made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, blackberry puree and orange bitters.  It was very attractive and she really enjoyed it.  I did get one blackberry!

Yes, even yours truly decided to imbibe.  After all, this was a 'vacation', at least from our normal retired life in the paradise that is East Tennessee.  I didn't get crazy though, sticking with a mild Belgian White from Blue Moon. ($4.00)

In addition to Caproni's regular menu, there were some daily specials.  I've never heard of Italian egg rolls before... The $75.00 King Cut Prime Rib was a bit too steep for my wallet...although I was tempted by the Sicilian Swordfish.  

With Laurie's continued weight loss and less appetite, we skipped the list of appetizers.  In any case, all entrees at Caproni's come with the House Salad and fresh baked rolls.  The salad was very fresh and enjoyable and the bread was warm...more importantly, it came with soft butter.

For my entree, I chose one of the items listed as Traditional Favorites.  This was my Chicken Scallopini. ($21.00) I had a choice of sauces for my angel hair pasta.  They include parmesan, marsala and piccata.  I opted for the latter.  My dinner's presentation was quite appealing and I really enjoyed my meal!

I did appreciate the fact that one doesn't have to go broke dining at Caproni's.  While it would be easy to spend $100.00 or more per person depending on drinks, appetizers, the entree and a possible dessert, travelers or locals watching their budget can enjoy the ambiance and the quality of the food without pause.  For example, a catfish platter is available for $17.00 and a Kentucky Hot Brown open face sandwich cost only $16.00. 

Laurie has become more demanding as her appetite and her capacity for large amounts of food has shrunk.  So, whenever possible she looks for items on menus that she regards as a real taste treat.  Mushrooms are high on her list.  So, for her entree she ordered the Portobello Ravioli. ($18.00) Cheese ravioli provided the base for sauteed portobello mushrooms.  The dish was finished with a lemon sage butter.  Happy Wife!!!

We did decide to share one of Caproni's dessert offerings.  This was a slab of Kentucky Butter Cake. ($9.00) "Unfortunately", I ended up having to eat most of this sweet treat...

To summarize... The ambiance at Caproni's is enhanced by the Ohio River flowing by but the dining rooms are nicely appointed as well.  Our server, Tonia, was friendly as well as very accommodating and patient.  The food was 'on point' too, very nice indeed.  This was a very satisfying and comfortable dining experience.

We'd recommend this restaurant to our friends and family.  To learn more about Caproni's on the River and to view their menu, just go to https://www.capronisontheriver.com/.  

I know...these photos have nothing to do with our dining experience.  Nevertheless, this is a beautiful 'ride' and a guy can dream can't he?  Laurie had to spoil my reverie by pointing out that I probably wouldn't be able to get in and out of this classic Corvette...

I thought that I should end our exploration of Maysville Kentucky with this photo I borrowed from the Internet.  Several of the historic properties I've photographed and written about are visible and this overview demonstrates the appeal of this Ohio River city.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for coming by to see what we had for dinner! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave