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.

Brother's Barbeque and Grill - Central City, KY

Have you ever been in a love-hate relationship with a restaurant?  A restaurant that behaves like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?  The type of place that reminds you of Seinfeld's girlfriend.  The girlfriend that looks like a supermodel in that certain booth at Monk's Diner, yet closely resembles the bride of Frankenstein in the back of the cab on the way home.  For me that place is Brother's Barbeque and Grill in Central City, Kentucky.

I found Brother's over a year ago when I was in Central City for work over a lunch hour.  I drove by the restaurant and saw some smoke rising gently into the air and I knew I had to stop in and give it a try.  As the leader of a professional competition barbecue team, I am always up for trying a new spot.  So in we went.

The decor at Brother's is decidedly eclectic.  The place is part restaurant and part "antique" store.  Of course you have to use the term, antique loosely.  Matchbox cars and other kitschy items are all priced to sell.  Albeit, the prices are a little steep.  Maybe it's just me, but $15 a framed, unsigned photograph of Jeff Gordon's DuPont Chevrolet seems a bit steep.

As for the food, I enjoyed it on my first experience.  The ribs were full spareribs with a good smoky flavor and were served sans sauce.  That is the way barbecue meat should be served.  Let the customer decide the sauce they want and the amount of sauce that's right for them.  Brother's has two sauces to offer.  One is spicy with plenty of black pepper and one is sweet with notes of mustard and brown sugar.  The sides were traditional barbecue sides like coleslaw, baked beans, chips, potato salad, and more.  The sides weren't exceptional, but the barbecue was good.  In addition to the ribs, I also got some pulled pork, which is different down in Kentucky.  My pulled pork was chopped fine and had an mustard-like color to it, leading me to believe that it was lightly sauced before plating.  Overall, I found my first trip to Brother's to be a good one.  A subsequent work trip a month or so after the first trip was also a pleasurable experience.

Fast forward to two days ago and I had a carload full of my family barreling down the Western Kentucky Parkway.  We were headed out to a family farm for the Labor Day weekend.  It dawned on me that we wouldn't be far from Brother's on our journey and so the rest of my family reluctantly agreed to suffer through the four mile journey off of the Parkway in order to dine at Brother's.  After two successful meals, I was talking up the food to make it known that my family's suffering would be rewarded.

We arrived at Brother's just before 8 p.m. and about an hour before closing.  After seating ourselves, it seemed to all be downhill after that.  After not being greeted for some time, I poked my head around the corner and was told that someone would be with me soon.  The server seemed flustered as she was tending to an order at the drive-thru window.  Several minutes later she appeared and we attempted to order drinks and meals for the entire family.  When I travel at full capacity my family has seven members, most of which are young children.  So we order quickly in an attempt to prevent any flareups in the temperament department.  The server seemed put out that we were there in the last hour of the day.  In exchange she proceeded to let us know that they were out of sweet tea and chicken tenders, thus destroying the orders of our children.  Using some creativity we were able to place a full order.

When the food arrived, it looked less than inspired.  My ribs were full spareribs with the brisket still attached and the silver skin still on the back.  While they weren't dried out, it was apparent that they were some of the last ribs left for the day.  The potato salad was decent and had a nice mustard flavor with some large chunks of potatoes.  I also got the pulled pork.  Resembling a hockey puck in its shape, the pork tasted like a collection of sawdust mashed together to form something resembling pulled pork.  The sweet sauce was good as it had been in the past, but the hot sauce was too hot.  I enjoy heat and spice, but it was immediately evident that someone put far too much pepper in this batch.

The best part of the meal was the bun that came with each entree.  The roll was perfectly round with a nice salty crust and a sweet fluffy interior.  The problem, I suspect, is that the rolls are not made in-house, but rather sourced elsewhere and just heated.

Half Rack of Ribs and Pulled Pork Combo with Potato Salad and BBQ Chips

Given the service and the quality of the food, I spent the last hour of the drive to the family farm, apologizing to my own family for subjecting them to the detour.  A small town restaurant without a lot of customers should be excited at the opportunity to generate more sales and provide a positive dining experience.  Instead, the staff seemed more intent on getting the tables cleaned and the doors shut.  The prices aren't all that cheap either, but on previous visits I was happy to pay the $15.95 for the half rack of ribs and pulled pork combo.

If I happen to be passing through, I may give Brother's another chance, but I hope that they don't run out of the sweet tea, a southern barbecue staple.  I also hope that their service rebounds and makes it an enjoyable experience.  I always look for ways to support barbecue restaurants and locally owned establishments, but I also believe that customers deserve to be treated well and given a good experience.  Brother's didn't hit the mark recently, but hopefully it was just an odd night.