Ariella Restaurant - Russellville, KY

If you aren't familiar with Russellville, Kentucky, many people from there will probably jokingly tell you that you aren't missing much.  They will only be partially joking.  This small rural community seems to be about an hour away from everywhere.  Nestled in southwestern Kentucky, Russellville is about an hour from Bowling Green and a little over an hour away from Nashville, Tennessee.  Russellville is a farming community and the town is certainly got that old-time feel.

We have family in the area and on trips we heard about a fine dining restaurant in downtown Russellville called Ariella.  On one such trip, we finally snuck away from the kiddos for a date night and so the logical choice was Ariella.  Russellville is defined by the fact that it has a Wal-Mart in town so needless to say there are not many options for upscale dining.

I think this restaurant deserves a healthy dose of back story to fully paint the picture.  The building where Ariella's operates is a former print shop.  The Barrett family ran a print shop on the square in downtown Russellville for years.  When they finally retired from the business and closed down, the building eventually came up for auction.  That's when Deborah Hirsch stepped in.  In the world of small town Kentucky, Hirsch is an outsider to some extent.  Instead of having generations upon generations of family heritage in the area, Hirsch is not from Russellville.  She's not even from Kenutcky.  When you talk to her for more than a second or two, it becomes readily apparent that the local folks in Russellville would call her a "Yankee."  Hirsch is from the northeastern United States and her accent remains distinct.  A restaurateur, Hirsch purchased a former drug store in Russellville and set about designing a restaurant when the Barrett Print Shop building came up for auction.  As we dined on our visit, I had the chance to talk to Hirsch at length and she said she was compelled to buy the building because she "couldn't bear to see another pawn shop downtown on the square."

One of my favorite things about Ariella is the atmosphere.  In a city where fine dining is defined by the barbecue restaurant or the Mexican restaurant, Ariella is a refreshing actual fine dining option.  We chose to dine in the first floor dining area, which has an upscale bar feel.  High back booths line a wall and a bar occupies the area back toward the kitchen.  In the middle of the first floor rests the printing press from the old Barrett Print Shop.  The press weighs a ton, literally and Hirsch told me that while she has received offers to have it removed for the scrap metal she felt compelled to leave it in place.  It costs her some seats and as a byproduct some revenue as a result, but Hirsch said it helps preserve the heritage.  the sweetest thing Hirsch said was that the Barretts, who are now pushing 90 years old, still come in regularly and sit side by side in a booth to eat so they can gaze at the printing press while they dine.

 The Barrett's Printing Press made in 1870 with serial number 82.  Used until 2000.

 
The cool thing about Ariella's though is that the upstairs dining room has a distinctly different feel.  Upstairs is a truly fine dining experience.  Candelabras hang from the wall accenting paintings, while intricate plaster embellishments abound.

As for the menu, it offers a little bit of everything with a distinctly Italian flair.  There are also some pub fare options, but not your simple cheeseburger and fries.  Instead, sandwiches like The BlueGrass Bourbon Burger, the Black and Bleu Burger, and the Crab Cake Burger are offered.  Hirsch herself handles the menu planning and cooking.

We were seated quickly and the restaurant was bustling although not overly busy.  Our server initially greeted us and seemed a bit distracted while she was taking our order, but she recovered nicely and dripped a sweet southern drawl with each word.  We decided to get an appetizer of bruschetta to start off our meal.  we both love bruschetta.  When it arrived my mouth was immediately watering.  Pieces of pillowy foccacia bread sat beneath a generous pile of large tomato chunks and finely diced pieces of basil and red onion.  The perfect proportion of balsamic vinegar and olive oil were drizzled on top.  The flavor was refreshing and light.  The sole downside to the dish was the bread.  Not because of the flavor, but rather because it was a softer bread it tended to get soggy under the weight of the bruschetta mixture.  It was delicious though for sure and the perfect way to start the meal.

Bruschetta

Since we were dining in Kentucky I figured it would also be good to have a bourbon drink to start off the meal.  Later when I spoke to Hirsch, she indicated that the restaurant is planning to add a number of different bourbons to the menu and becoming the southernmost point on the Bourbon Trail.  I ordered the Bluegrass Cocktail, a drink mixing Makers Mark along with several different fruit juices.  Makers Mark is my favorite bourbon by far and it was perfectly mixed with pineapple juice, cherry juice, and lemon juice.  This combination results in a great flavor.  The tartness of the juices goes well with the slow burn of bourbon on the way down.

The Bluegrass Cocktail

After my cocktail and the delicious appetizer it was time to prepare for the entree course.  My wife and I decided to share two distinctly different entrees.  She chose to order the 12 ounce herb crusted pork chops and I ordered the 14 ounce ribeye.  The steak arrived cooked to a perfect medium rare.  The cool, pink center was lined on all sides by a nicely crusted outer layer of meat.  All of the great marbling that comes in a ribeye was rendered away to give that distinct beef flavor and tender texture.  The result was a delicious steak that you could truly cut with a fork.  The mashed potatoes I got with the steak were creamy and paired with the steak, made for the perfect bite.

14 ounce Ribeye with Mashed Potatoes

My wife's pork chop was thick.  Extremely thick.  This generally leads to a very juicy pork chop, but unfortunately on this night the pork chop was just a tiny bit beyond perfect and a little bit dry instead.  The herb crusting advertised in the menu was also apparently missing.  This is not to say that the flavor was bad.  On the contrary, the pork chop was still well seasoned and very flavorful.  The garlic mashed potatoes that came along with it had the correct slightly chunky texture to make them delicious.  The chops also came with a side of spinach and corn in a velvety cream sauce.  My wife is not a fan of spinach so I gladly ate it for her and it was terrific.  The corn had a nice bite to it and the cream sauce went well with the soft spinach.

Herb Crusted Pork Chop with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach and Corn

To cap off the meal, we thought sharing a dessert was in order.   We decided to split a piece of homemade cheesecake.  The base of this cake was a thick graham cracker crust firm enough to contain the velvety smooth cheesecake above that was so rich and thick.  The cake was accented with chocolate sauce and a fresh strawberry.

 Homemade Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry and Chocolate Sauce

It was during dessert that we asked some questions about the restaurant.  Unbeknownst to us, our server went and got the owner for us.  Hirsch sat down in our booth and entertained us for over 30 minutes with stories about the construction of the building and her restaurant philosophy.  She noted that it has been a challenge at times to get the locals in Russellville to understand the value of buying a hand crafted pizza from her when they can get a piece of cardboard with cheese and sauce from Dominos.  Hirsch shared how she worked hard to preserve the heritage of the venerable old building she bought.

The best thing that Hirsch shared that evening was her philosophy on the menu itself.  She uses fresh, local ingredients and she hydroponically grows most of the vegetables they use in her own greenhouse.  During the conversation she not only gave us several tomatoes from the greenhouse to take home, but she took extra time to explain her thoughts on local, fresh cooking.

No restaurant is perfect and nothing can be exactly right every time, but this meal was as close as I've had in some time.  More than the decor and the food, Hirsch is dedicated to retaining the heritage of Russellville.  When many people view her as an outsider, she is committed to building a better community and she should be applauded for that.  While the food was delicious, having the owner sit with a pair of strangers for a lengthy conversation and giving her own vegetables out as a testament to her commitment won us over for good.  Ariella will be a stop for us each and every time we head to Russellville.  If you are ever heading down I-65 or in Nashville, it is a diversion that you must make.  Trust me, once you make the drive you'll thank me for it.