It's the final double-up as I cover two more towns today, Paintsville and Louisa. Most of the attention will be on the former rather than the latter. As always, you can click this link to read the introduction and see how I am organizing this series. Let's begin.
Paintsville: Most of the memories I associate with Paintsville either involve going to see one of my two dentists who had offices here, (both were cousins) or as a stopover on the way to or back from trips to the Huntington Mall. Save for a few sneaky quick trips in the late 90s to early 2000s by myself where I didn't eat out, I have rarely went to Paintsville just to go there. Still, I managed to eat out quite a few times here.
- [Super America, TO: Once, in the mid to late 80s, we stopped here on the way to the Mall. I had just had my first long john, and I wanted to have another one as a breakfast snack. I let my mom go into the store, while I stayed in the car. What she brought back was tough, hard, and almost stale. In hindsight, she may have been sold a donut stick made for dunking instead of what I wanted. Whatever the case, it turned me off of the donut and we never stopped by this location again. I'm guessing it got rebranded as a Speedway like all the others, but I haven't been through this section of town in over a decade, so I'm not sure if it is still open.]
- Ponderosa, DI: On one of the few trips to Paintsville when I was a little kid, we went here for a birthday dinner for a distant relative. I don't remember actually eating anything, but I might have. I believe I wound up running around the place afterwards with one of my cousins, the son of the second dentist from previous. (More on him in a later post.) I believe the restaurant closed at one point, but there was talk of reopening it. I'm not sure if it happened, as I haven't driven out that way in a very long time. Hence, the color.
- [McDonald's, TO: I have never eaten here, but my mom used to stop here for coffee sometimes. usually on the way to the Mall. We would stop here, then make our way to Kroger so she could get here blueberry-cream cheese danish to eat on the way. She used to love those, and this was the only store that regularly made them. We stopped going here when they had a major remodel that opened up the tight parking lot and the narrow drive-thru lanes. We may have stopped once since then, but not lately. [This Kroger stopped having the danish a few years before they closed this location, around 2004. It was the last one that was still open in southeast Kentucky that I knew of. The store later became a Goodwill on one part and a discount retail grocery on the other. I accidentally went in once, and I was very disappointed in what it became.]
- Baskin Robbins, DI/TO: After my dental appointments, this would usually be the first place I ate. It was on the corner of the shopping center, and it had doors on two sides. I would usually get a cup of strawberry ice cream, even though it wasn't pink. I would get the occasional other flavor, such as bubblegum, saving the gum to chew on afterwards. Very rarely, I could get two scoops. We would sit at the small dining area, or I would take my cup with me. Note, I said cup, not cone. I made the mistake of getting a cone once, and I hated it. The sugar coating and hard bake just turned me off. I may have had to throw it away after licking all the ice cream off. I was growing out of the habit about the same time the place closed. Another ice cream parlor may have gone in, but not for long. That section of the center was torn down to make way for the McDonald's expansion. While I may have had some BR when it started being available in stores, I haven't eaten inside once since.
- Long John Silver's, TO, probably: I have this distinct memory of stopping here at least once, for takeout for dinner on the way back from the Mall. Probably the late 80s/early 90s. I don't think I went in, but I could have. It was about the time I started exploring their dipping sauce options. (Sweet and sour has always been my favorite, but I use the honey mustard on other dishes at home. There used to be a wider option, but not lately.) Now, I don't see why we didn't stop at the P-burg location. Or even the one in Martin if it was the 90s. That's why I doubt this memory a little. The scene definitely matches this location, but the situation is suspect. Now, if I have eaten here, in means that I have been to more LJSs than any other restaurant. If I haven't, then I am in a tie with the next entry. I'm including it anyway.
- Burger King, TO/DI, ⭐️: This was one of my mom's replacement stops for coffee/restroom break after McD's. We didn't eat here until around 2009. We had closed the store that day to meet with the owner of a Van Lear bookstore, Words 'n' Stuff. We ate here. I had the Italian original chicken sandwich, the only time I ever had any version of this sandwich. It was just mozzarella and marinara sauce on the regular processed chicken patty. The first bite was okay, but the rest was just ehh. I just don't prefer the processed stuff. My mom would later stop going here, after a few too many bad stops with lousy service. We ate here one last time about two years ago, after our plans were changed by a closed seating area at a restaurant at the Mall. I hate late lunches, but it couldn't be helped. I had my regular order. I found the experience to be okay, but my mom hated it. She thought the service was subpar and the seating area too messy. I've noticed that their online listing frequently has them being closed, but I think it might just be a remodeling.
- Shoney's, DI: Once, in the early 90s, we had a very quick trip to the Mall. It was probably a trip for my birthday in the winter, and snow was in the forecast. We didn't eat until we got back to Paintsville. My mom chose here. I was a little off put from the start when the server called us 'ladies.' Now, I admit I was in a heavy coat, but I also had a mustache. (I started growing it my senior year, but it took awhile for it to fill out and look good. I also had a goatee, but I usually shaved it whenever I went on a shopping trip. Just a strange affectation I had at the time.) While my mom thought it was just an honest mistake on the server, I still felt it was a bad move. I probably ate the standard grilled chicken sandwich that I usually got at many places. It was the last time I probably ate at a Shoney's, as I never had an opportunity to eat at one again. [See Coal Run for the last time I ever went to one.] The chain closed before I wanted to eat at one again. This location later became a Wendy's. The plan is a little too big for them, but whatever.
- [Hardee's, TO: This was the other place for my mom to stop for coffee. Technically, it was her favorite. She would occasionally get a cinnamon roll here as well. The main problem was the coffee was always too strong, and she could never get enough half-and-half to dilute it enough to her liking. We would later move on to another stop instead.]
Louisa: To be honest, I have only driven through Louisa, rather than actually being there. I remember having to detour through the town once or twice while US 23 was being widened, but we have only ever stopped at place just off the highway, such as Walmart or a car dealership. That includes the following places to eat.
- [Unknown convenience mart, TO: Once, in the 80s, we stopped here after the Huntington Mall trip to fill up the car. I went inside for a fountain drink. On another run, we stopped again, but it was my mom who went inside to get the drink. We didn't stop again, as it didn't have the brand of gas my mom used. It was also hard to get to on the way back, as it was on the northbound side of the road. The mart also has had a Taco Bell and a Baskin Robbins associated with it. While there is still signage up for both, I don't know if either is still open.]
- [McDonald's, TO, ⭐️: This has been my mom's coffee stop for a few years now. She rarely gets anything other than her coffee, although I remember her getting one of their pastries for free when the cashier forgot to remind her of the new offerings. I hate the place though. The access road if tough to get onto from the highway, and tougher to bet off of. The parking lot is tight, especially with the drive-thru lane circling behind the building and back through the main entrance. Still, I have to bring her here, and I can't tell her that other place would be better for me.]
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