My Culinary Odyssey: Williamson and Norton

    This is the first of three combined posts.  I will be combining the reviews for Williamson, West Virginia and the Norton, Virginia areas.  I'm doing this as there are not that many places in either area, and none of them are that quite memorable.  You will see why shortly.  Click here to see the introduction and the legend for how I am organizing this series. 

    Williamson:  I went to Williamson a few times was a little kid to see my doctor here.  Not sure why my doctor was in another state, but who cares.  It wasn't until the Southside Mall opened up in South Williamson, Kentucky that we started going back there on a regular basis.  This stopped soon after I opened Booknotes, for various reasons that I will mention. Now, to begin.

• Dairy Queen, DI:  This was a frequent stop before actually going into downtown for my mom.  Basically for coffee and the restroom.  I thought it was a Hardee's but she said it was a DQ, so I am going with that.  Technically, we were in South Williamson, not Williamson. (In fact, all of these locations were in South Williamson.) I would only go in if we had relatives shopping with us.  Once, they were having a breakfast, while I had fries I didn't really want.  Well, some ketchup fell down onto my shirt.  My white shirt.  We tried to get it off, but it didn't really work.  My first stop downtown was JC Penny's, where I got a new white shirt and I wore it out of there. Once the stores starting going out downtown, we stopped visiting the DQ, usually with mom getting her coffee in Pikeville before we drove on. Many of the businesses just outside of Williamson's flood wall got hit hard in the recent flooding.  While some, like Walmart, reopened quickly, I don't know about DQ and the other restaurants, including the local LJS, the only one I could've eaten at but didn't.  Because of this uncertainty, I'm listing this as red.
• Rax, DI:  A few times, usually when we went shopping with relatives, we ate a quick lunch here before going back to Pikeville.  I hadn't started to appreciate Rax, so I usually just had fries.  This Rax was one of the first to close, as well as one of the first businesses to leave the mall.  I can't remember anything going into the building or if it was torn down.
• Diner/ice cream shop and snack store, DI/technically TO:  The mall had these to places side by side.  In fact, they were owned by the same family at one time.  I would usually get a bag of popcorn to snack on while shopping, saving some to eat the next day, even though it had gotten somewhat stale.  I would occasionally get some candy or other treat as well.  This stopped by the mid-90s.  I only went to the diner once, for Superman ice cream.  Normally, it had three colors (red, yellow, and blue) with each one being a different flavor.  This may have been just tri-colored vanilla. This last time I went to this mall, about ten years ago, I don't think either spot was occupied, but this may have changed since then.
• [Kmart lunch counter:  This one is tricky. I distinctly remember sitting at a Kmart counter while waiting for a cousin to finish looking at clothes.  I am not sure if I had anything, but it was probably just some pop if I did.  Now, I don't know if the Southside Kmart had a lunch counter or if it was anywhere near the clothing section.  The one at Coal Run did have it that way.  However, we would rarely have brought anyone with us when shopping so close to home, and we almost never went to Kmart in the 80s when this would've occurred. (I only started really shopping there in the 90s.)  I'm putting it here just because it seemed to fit.  This Kmart would close, only to be replaced by a Magic Mart when it moved from its own building years later.  It would soon close as well.]
• [Kroger dining area:  Another memory without a precise location.  I know I waited in a dining area while others were at the restroom in a large supermarket. I doubt I had anything.  I don't remember the actual store, but this was the most likely candidate, unless it was a place we didn't go to quite as often.  This Kroger was one of the first in the region to close.  Not sure what took its place.]

    And with that, I finish up Williamson South Williamson.  Onto the Norton, Virginia area.

    Norton:  The area includes both Pound (which I have been in) and Wise (which I don't think I've been in).  I remember going here a few times every few years from the 70s to early 90s, but I don't remember eating out much.  We either ate somewhere else later, or we just didn't have anything major that I can't remember. I do remember some places, starting in the late 90s, where we did eat out.

• Arby's, DI:  We ate here once or twice.  I had the chicken sandwich, natch. We stopped going here mostly because it was in the first shopping center we hit.  After many of the top stores closed there, it just didn't make sense to backtrack to eat here.
• Burger King, DI:  In the mid-2010s, my mom heard about some new stores that had opened up, so we decided to finally go back to Norton to check them out. It was about April 10, the Saturday of Hillbilly Days.  It had snowed a little that morning, the latest in the season that I can remember over the past few years.  It would continue through the late morning, but it didn't lay.  We shopped at a few places, picking up some things that weren't being sold locally.  We decided to eat at BK.  The center where it was located was mostly empty after stores like Walmart left.  Magic Mart and Ingles grocery were the biggest draws.  The restaurant was mostly empty, with mainly preteens hanging around playing a mobile game, probably Pokémon Go as it had just debuted. My mom had one of the short-lived hot dogs, and she almost immediately regretted her decision. Although both Magic Mart and Ingles have closed there, I'm not sure what has replaced them, but the BK is still open I think.

    After that first trip back, we didn't eat at Norton again. We either ate somewhere else (as seen in a future post), or I would heat up a frozen meal at the store.  So many places had closed, that the trips were short enough to open the store only two or so hours late.  We haven't been back to Norton since 2019, although that will be changing very soon. Come back next Wednesday as I tackle the next two places, Whitesburg and Hazard.  However, this Saturday has a bonus post, as I update the "My Comic Book Journey" series from last year.  A lot has happened since I finished that series, and I need to address those changes.  See you there.

My Culinary Odyssey: Coal Run, Part 2

    It is time to finish off the Coal Run area with a special bonus post this Saturday.  This shouldn't take too long, as most of these places aren't open. Click here for an explanation of how this series is organized. Now, onto the places.

• [Murphy's Mart, TO:  I can't remember is Murphy's had a lunch counter, but I do remember the ICEE machine.  I had at least one when I was a kid, but I don't know how many more than that.  My mom wouldn't get them that often for me.  Murphy's became Ames.  When Ames went out, the space was taken over by JC Penny's and Dawahare's, whose space got taken over by Ace Hardware when they went out of business.  The recent flooding hit both places very hard, but it is still unknown if either will return. (I have seen reports that the Ames brand might be making a comeback though.)]
• Dairy Cheer, TO/maybe DI:  I think we may have eaten here at least once as part of my rotation in the 90s, but I am unsure.  I know we stopped here at least once after Booknotes opened.  I liked this restaurant the best of the three local ones, as it had the largest seating area.  It didn't have the customers though, so it was closed over a decade ago, and the building torn down. It has since been replaced by the entry two spots down on this list.
• Burger King, DI/probably TO:  Once I started eating at BK in the 90s, this place was a frequent stop in my rotation.  I would try and alternate a Whopper and onion rings with a grilled chicken sandwich and fries.  It was also around this time that I started having ketchup and mayonnaise with my fries, Belgian style. With rings as well. Once Booknotes opened, I rarely ate TO from here, but I'm sure it happened at least once.  Then, they closed the place for some reason, and they put a branch bank in its place.  With a possible slight exception, (see a later post) I wasn't eating from BK until the Lee Avenue location opened up years later.
• Dairy Queen, TO:  This is what replaced the Dairy Cheer.  My first time here, I had a balsamic-glazed chicken sandwich, which was on the limited-time menu.  I'd had balsamic before, but this sandwich simply didn't have enough of the flavor. It was very messy though.  I would stop here a few more times, as this DQ had an easier parking lot to get to, as well as not having to backtrack to get to my store.  It also has a flavor dispenser fountain drink station, so I can get a cherry-vanilla flavored Dr Pepper.  Strangely enough, the floods didn't affect here much, as they were far enough away from the river and they had a small wall surrounding the parking lot.  In fact, all of the restaurants at Weddington opened back up soon afterwards.  The branch bank that was BK is still not fully open, as it had some damage.
• [Taco Bell, never ate at:  Okay.  We were supposed to eat at Pizza Hut that day, but they were closed at the time for a private party.  I suggested we try somewhere new, Taco Bell. As soon as we walked in, my mom said that the food would be too crunchy for her, and we immediately had to leave.  We ultimately went to BK, even though we had just been there the last time.  She never apologized for this.  We never tried to go back.  This Taco Bell burned down years ago, and they replaced it with another Taco Bell.  Still haven't been either to this or the downtown Pikeville location.]
• Au Bon Pain, maybe TO?:  The name translates to something along the lines of 'to the good bread.'  It was a French-styled restaurant chain.  I had been to another one (see a later post), and I was surprised that one opened at Coal Run.  It was a combination bistro and bakery.  I don't think we dined in, but I believe I tried some of the pastries.  The place didn't last long.  Pizza Hut Express might have taken over this spot decades later.
• TCBY, The Country's Best Yogurt, TO:  When I first saw their marque from a distance, I thought it said 'TOBY.' I had to go there just for that.  It was a frozen yogurt shop.  For a time in the early 90s, this would be one of  my last spots while shopping.  I would get strawberry, with fresh strawberries as topping.  This spot made me try frozen yogurt at home as well.  For a while anyway.  I got bored with it after a time. TCBY would stay in business for many years, before closing fairly recently.  I think an actual ice cream shop has now opened there. [TCBY has changed their logo to a different style, as well as going lowercase, so it no longer quite looks like my name from a distance.  It would be in the late 2000s before I started eating regular yogurt on a semi-regular basis.]
• Shoney's, DI;  We never ate here that much, as it was so far away from everywhere else.  Still, it was a special stop when we did go here.  I usually had the grilled chicken sandwich.  (I ate a lot of them in the 90s.) The last time we stopped here was after the Taco Bell debacle.  We first tried to stop here.  We had been seated at a table, reading the menus, when my mom decided she didn't want to eat here after all. I was so embarrassed when she told the server that we were leaving. Especially since that meant we were going to BK.  We never went back before it closed in the 2000s.  After a number of years vacant, it became an Asian restaurant, before a controversy closed it.  It is currently another Mexican restaurant.

    That is it for today's bonus post.  Come back Wednesday for the regular post as I cover both  Williamson, West Virginia and the Norton, Virginia areas.  I'll also explain why I'm combining the two spots.  See you then.

My Culinary Odyssey: Coal Run, Part 1

    Although there are those who don't agree with this statement, Coal Run and Pikeville are different towns.  Some would wish otherwise.  For this series, I am separating the two.  I will admit that I would eat out at Coal Run a little less than half the time when we used to go shopping in the area.  Even after I opened my store, we would still occasionally get take out on the way back into town.  We have not been using that option too frequently lately, but it is still technically possible.  Click the link here to see the legend for how I am doing this series.  Now, on with the restaurants. 

• Long John Silvers, DI/TO:  I never did like this LJS as much as the main Pikeville location.  Not really.  I seemed to hate how the doors were reversed from the other ones I went to (main entrance on the left instead of the right like many of the others I went to, and exit on the right).  Maybe it was how crowded it was the first few times we went there.  I can't remember exactly why we tried it here instead of the main one, but we did.  However, when the main restaurant was being remodeled and upgraded to have an A & W as well, this was the only option. My mom preferred going here due to the fact that you didn't have to make a left hand turn into traffic.  I hated it because of the high slope to the exit ramp was hard to stop and start on. It was here that I noticed how the grilled seafood menu expanded (but not chicken?) and the ill-advised experiment with onion rings.  They do not go with either seafood or chicken.  The lobby was always fairly empty the last few times I went, although there was still some waiting going on.  The last time I went was a big downer though.  There had been a delivery truck wreck on Abner, fifteen minutes from home.  It would be a long wait.  We decided to detour, go back to the store to pick up some coupons, and get dinner at the Coal Run LJS.  The place was dark when we got there, with a large sign in the window stating that they were closed.  I later found out that the manager left for another job, and the staff ultimately went too.  (For the ending of this story, check out the post on Martin for the details.) The place was never reopened.  A biscuit place went in for a while, but it closed.  It is currently a local pizza parlor.
• McDonald's, TO:  This is probably the oldest McD's in the Pikeville area.  I never even tried to go here until the 2010s.  Somehow, we had gotten coupons and decided to go here to try out a special limited edition burger.  (Why not one of the two closer ones to the store? No idea.) Anyway, it was very empty when we got there around noon.  We used the coupon, and then went onto the store with the food.  I think we stopped there one more time, at least, after the fun zone got removed.  It made a larger parking area, but a longer walk to the door.  While it was affected by the recent flooding, it reopened a week or so later.
• Arby's, DI/TO:  After many attempts, I finally learned to like Arby's. (You'll see some of the earlier tries in later posts.)  It was mostly the grilled chicken sandwiches that got me.  Yeah, I ate chicken at a beef place.  I was really into grilled chicken sandwiches in the 90s and 2000s.  Once, in the early years of my store, I actually picked up two sandwiches in a misguided attempt at "bulking up." I could barely eat them both.  My metabolism isn't cut out for such things.  Anyway, it closed one day soon after.  I'm not sure if it was due to the general rundown of the company, or if someone wanted the land.  The hospital would buy the lot, ultimately tearing down the building and putting up a temporary one in its place.  Currently, the spot is an empty lot for sale.
• Wendy's, TO:  Again, we stopped somewhere only because we had a coupon, and this location a  bigger parking lot to maneuver in.  I think I got a chicken sandwich, again. We only went this one time, as it was still not easy to drive out of even with the traffic light. 
• Pizza Hut, DI:  This was the first Hut I ever ate in.  It was my sophomore year in high school.  The band had played at a game at Betsy Layne, and it was decided that we would drive miles out of the way to eat out afterwards.  We went here and took up almost the entire restaurant.  Well, some of the senior guys went on down to McDonald's and ate on the bus. (In hindsight, this might not have been a good idea.  My mom was a chaperone at the time.  Allowing three seventeen year old boys to walk along a highway at night for about a mile round trip was more dangerous than I think should have been allowed.)  While I didn't eat too much of it, this did mark the point where my picky eating began to waiver.  After that, Pizza Hut would start showing up in my rotation of places to eat.  Just not for long, not after the Pikeville location opened.  It was just so much brighter.  This location would close in the 2010s or so, to be replaces by a Pizza Hut Express at Weddington Plaza.  Giovanni's would take over the spot for a while, before combing it with the Pikeville location and moving it downtown.  The spot is currently a Mexican restaurant.
• Sir Barton's Pizza, maybe?, DI:  This spot was based out of Lexington, but I can't remember its name. It was in Crossroads Plaza, next to Readmore Bookstore.  It was the early 90s, as I remember hearing a UK game vs Shaq's LSU there.  The place may have had ties to another Lexington pizza place.  This was the first time I ever encountered calzones.  It was an unusual encounter. (I would soon make my own at home, using refrigerated crust as it was thick enough to support the weight.  I would switch it out with regular pizza.  I just rounded out the crust before the pre-bake, added the toppings to one side, flipped the other crust over, and cut slits in the top to allow for steam to escape. Haven't made one in some time.  Not sure why.) While the first time was good, the second left a lot to be desired.  We never went back.  The place closed in a few years.  The spot is now a jewelry store/repair shop.
• Windmill Restaurant, DI:  We went here a few time in the 70s, maybe really early 80s.  We were entertaining relatives who really wanted to eat here. I didn't.  Picky eater and all.  The second time we went here, my mom took me out to the car and we just stayed there while everyone else ate.  I could have tried to eat, if we just stayed.  The place closed, sometime in the 90s or later or so, I think.  There were plans for it to reopen, but it is so out of the way from where we normally go, that I don't know its current state.  Hence, the red color.

     That is all for this post.  Tune in Saturday for a bonus post to finish off Coal Run.

My Culinary Odyssey: Pikeville, Part 4

    It is time for me to finish up with the Pikeville portion of my culinary odyssey.  I'll be covering the 'north' part of town in this bonus post. What do I mean by 'north' Pikeville? I'm talking about the northernmost part of town that is still south of Coal Run.  In recent years, Pikeville has annexed land north of Coal Run, although the two municipalities are still separate.  Therefore, I'm just covering those portions still south of that, and not those that may have been closer to Coal Run at one time. (Coal Run will get its own section starting next time.) Here's a link to the explanation of how I am organizing this series.  Let's begin.

• Burger King, Lee Avenue, TO,⭐️:  After the original BK at Coal Run closed, there was a drought for a few years before this location opened up beside the new Pikeville branch of the Pike County Library.  While I have gotten a few other things, such as the various chicken sandwiches, y go to has always been the Whopper.  Standard order:  no cheese, no pickles, sometimes extra tomatoes, I add some extra mayo and ketchup (of course) to taste.  My side is always onion rings, with some going on the burger (fries for chicken). Oh, medium Dr Pepper. This has been my standard for years. Since I've usually gotten lunch on my way back to Pikeville, I've never had the time to actually dine in at this newer location. However, since they remodeled a year or so ago, I'm not sure I want to eat in anymore.  The color scheme has gone to neutral grays and browns.  The booths have been mostly been replaced with high tables and stools.  It is no longer that inviting to me.  The fact the my mom caused a cashier to have a fit didn't help.  At least she has an in with the manager, as well as the former manager who now looks over the BKs in the entire region.
• Arby's, TO:  I was supposed to first eat at this Arby's soon after it opened.  I was going with my mother for an oil change, but she decided to just go on her own instead.  She brought me back a chicken sandwich, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it may have been turkey instead.  I always felt that way back then.  Anyway, once I opened my store, I had more options to eat here.  Sometimes, I would get my ice from here.  Otherwise, I barely have eaten here; maybe just once or twice.  For some reason, it is just so hard to find a way to get here, especially since it would just be for chicken.  Really wish I could stop here more often.
• [McDonald's, TO, ⭐️:  I honestly can't remember ever ordering food from here.  I know this has been an ice pick up, but nothing else. (I have an affectation of preference for drinking my pop with ice from a cup rather than directly from a can, to keep it cold and to dilute it somewhat.  So, I order just a few cups from various locations when I need it.)]
• [Steak N' Shake, TO:  After seeing the coupons in the newspaper for so long, I was wanting to eat here.  I finally, almost, got my chance one morning.  I had driven my mom to a funeral in Prestonsburg.  I stayed at the library just hanging out until she came back.  I was a little hungry and queasy at the same time.  It was a little too early for a full lunch, so she got me a banana milk shake, with a coupon as a late-morning snack.  I really liked it.  We tried to plan eating for real there, but the schedule never worked out.  We tried again after she stopped for coffee there one morning.  However, that's about the time the coupons stopped.  Soon after, the chain started closing stores, including this one. I deeply regret never eating here.  A Starbucks has since taken over the space.  Strangely enough, they haven't closed the kiosk in the Food City across Cassidy Boulevard.  I know it is sort of a cliche that there is a Starbucks on every city street corner.  Well, technically that is true in Pikeville.]
• Krystal's, TO:  This is the last of the restaurants that opened up about the same time as Booknotes. We were a little weary of this slider chain, but we tried it once just the same.  It was okay, but we only tried it once.  The place didn't last long.  The spot was either converted into a branch bank or razed to become part of a used car lot.  I'm not sure exactly which, as there was a second building there.  Walmart used to carry frozen sliders from here for years after they closed, but I don't remember seeing them recently.  I also had a lone straw from here in my emergency stores, but it was finally used in recent years.
• Jimmy John's, DEL (technically):  Okay, this is weird.  When Jimmy John's first opened, they sent people around with free samples to help spread the word.  While I didn't take one, as I don't like cold cut subs, my mom did.  (She loves free stuff.) Anyway, that technically is delivery.  Jimmy John's may have done this more than once, although I might be confusing it with another sub shop, as many have opened and closed in the area.
• Texas Roadhouse, TO:  This wouldn't normally be a place I would eat, but a cousin gave us a $50 gift card for Christmas one year, and my mom loves free stuff. (See above.) Anyhow, we searched online the see exactly what we could get for that amount, because we weren't going to use it more than that one time.  Well, fifty dollars was a lot of food. I could barely eat my burger and some of the sides.  My mom ever less, but she doesn't mind leftovers as much as I do.  In particular, she felt the fries were too salty.  So, she ultimately washed them in water and reheated them when she ate them later. (And that's not even the worst thing she has done.  See a later post.) I thought they were okay, but I barely had enough to drink to get through it all. I don't know why that cousin gave us this, as she should know this wasn't our type of thing.  Maybe it was a regift. Anyway, Texas Roadhouse was the only restaurant in this section to have been directly affected by the recent flooding.  It was closed for a time, but I am not sure it has reopened yet.  That's why it is in red instead of blue or black.  I think it should be blue though.

    That's it for Pikeville.  Come back Wednesday for the regular post as I start in on Coal Run.

My Culinary Odyssey: Pikeville, Part 3

    It's time to start the third part of my trip through Pikeville.  This time, I will be covering the part of Pikeville that covers the central business district, what I'll be calling 'east central," as I will be going fairly far east of the main downtown. Click here for the link to see how I am organizing these posts.  Onto the food stops.

• [Pizza place next to Subway, ?:  Many restaurants opened about the same time my store, Booknotes, did. This pizza place was one of them.  It opened the same time as Subway.  I think they went around to various businesses to advertise their opening.  I know we thought about going there, but I can't remember if we actually did.  I think it had "Roma" as part of its name, but I can't be sure.  The pizza place didn't stay around too long, and Subway expanded into their section of the building. Subway has recently remodeled that area again.  Note:  pretty sure I've never eaten at this Subway.]
• Lunch counter at Hobbs department store, DI:  In the mid-80s, or so, my mom started to get very tired about my picky eating and stopping at LJS so much.  As a compromise, we would sometimes stop here for a bite.  More so for me than her.  After shopping for toys upstairs, we went to the lunch counter, and I had a grilled cheese sandwich, maybe with some fries. I would put some of the ketchup on my sandwich for a flavor boost. We didn't do this too many times, before the store closed off the counter as part of their slow decline to going out of business.  By the 90s, Hobbs was gone, and a bank took up the entire corner space.  That bank has since closed this branch, and it is rumored that the hospital is looking to buy the space. ( While Hobbs is gone, its warehouse on Route 122 in Robinson Creek is still standing, with its logo still visible.) [I still eat ketchup occasionally with grilled cheese, but it is rare as I usually have it for breakfast some days.  And I make them with hot dog buns. Also, I prefer toasted cheese sandwiches, sometimes with mozzarella and spaghetti sauce instead of American slices. I know.  Really weird, but least fat from added butter.]
• Hardee's, TO, ⭐️:  Strangely enough, I never really ate here until the 2000s.  Sure, my mom stoped here for coffee a few times, and I think we went through the drive-thru to get me some fries once before driving on to someplace else, but that was it.  It was never part of the rotation of restaurants that we went through.  I didn't really eat here until after my store opened, and they developed the 'Angus Thickburger.' I tried and kind of liked it, so Hardee's entered the rotation.  I usually had a signature  burger, although I would also have the chicken strips.  They were always just a little overcooked compared to other places. There were also the occasional limited offers, but I always felt the food was just not quite to my tastes.  Then, the Thickburger left.  In fact, most of the few things I really liked were taken off the menu. I'm not sure was happening.  During my most recent visit last year, they were out of all fountain drinks and were giving out cans of Coke and Sprite instead.  The ice machine part of the fountain still worked. I also heard them say that they were out of the special patties for some of their signature burgers. Over the past few years, they have also been out of condiments (but not the Duke mayonnaise which I don't like), cup carriers, half-and-half, and even napkins. I don't know what is going on here, but I bet my mom will still try and get her coffee and my ice here when she can.
• Chirico's Ristorante, previous/current locations, TO/DEL:  This was another restaurant that opened up about the same time as Booknotes.  They too went around promoting their opening, but we definitely ate here.  I tried a calzone from here, and it had possibly the best pizza crust I ever had.  Honest.  It was a little pricey to have often, but I tried to have it as much as I could.  I even had one delivered to the store when a plan to get Stromboli at Hoebert's in P-burg had to be cancelled when there was an accident on the road near them.   Chirico's had to move from its original location at the Pinson hotel when the building was torn down to make way for Pikeville's third county courthouse (!) , (and second in thirty years) to the historic McCoy House (!?).  I would usually order a calzone on Halloween, enabling me to hand out candy without worrying about too much cooking.  Unfortunately, I had to stop going there when prices started to go up.  I haven't eaten there in over a decade.  While I didn't order a wide variety of things there, I still would like to go back.
• Dorsey's Diary Bar, TO, previous owner:  Dorsey's was one of the places we tried eating at during the early period of my store.  I got a burger, maybe onion rings, and a drink. Within the hour, I was sick in the bathroom, the only time I can ever remember having problems so soon after eating out. While that alone might not prevent me from going back, I do have some more sour grapes to mention.  About eight/nine years ago, I had book signing event with bestselling author Adrianna Trigiani for her second time back.  We contacted various media outlets about the event, including WYMT-Hazard. Although smaller than the original event, we still had a good turnout.  We didn't have much media coverage though.  That night, I was watching Hazard news, when it ran an item about how the community had come out to repaint Dorsey's and fix up a few things.  We were just down the road a half mile and they couldn't show up for our event?! Sure, maybe the thing at Dorsey's was over with before our event at two, but they still could have stayed around.  It is a just as business oriented.  They show up at Hazard's book store for the smallest excuse, but not for us that day.  As I said, sour grapes.  Regardless, I am not planning at eating here again.
• [Double Kwik, TO:  I have gotten ice here a few times.  Nothing fresh made.  Just some packaged things a few times.  I also used to get the Saturday Lexington newspaper here when it was still published.]
• Mona's Catering, TO:  I haven't actually ate here, although I have sampled a few desserts my mom has gotten when she has gone here.  Not really my style.

    This ends another section of Pikeville.  Tune in Saturday for another bonus post as I finish up this section with "north" Pikeville.  You'll also find out when I put it in quotes.

My Culinary Odyssey: Pikeville, Part 2

    It is another bonus post this Saturday as I go through the next part of Pikeville.  I'm calling this section "west central" just to help differentiate it. There are a lot of places to go through, so I best start. Click here for a link to how I am organizing this series. 

• Giovanni's, previous location, TO/DEL?:  When Giovanni's finally opened a location in downtown Pikeville, they came around to various businesses to promote the fact.  So, we ordered one, and the experience was much better than the first time in P-Burg. We wound up ordering a few more times, using the discounts they were handing out, mostly.  We may have even had one delivered to the store once. However, we stopped ordering for some reason, possibly the pandemic, but I can't be sure. They have since combined the restaurants at Coal Run and Pikeville and moved to a new location closer to the central business district.
• Wendy's, previous location, TO:  We tried a burger from here as one of the first places to eat at after I opened the store.  I didn't think too much of it at the time, as I wasn't the one who actually went inside.  The location was also hard to pull into and out of, so it never became a regular spot in the rotation of eating locations.  As mentioned above, Wendy's has move to a new location.  A Slim Chickens has opened up in its place. We were going to try it last year, after they sent out special coupons to local businesses, including a single coupon for a free sandwich. Unfortunately, we could never agree on an order or find the time to eat there, so done of the coupons were used.
• Jerry's, DI:  This was a great place to eat.  When I was a kid, they would give out these play mats and a small box of crayons. Sometimes, they were so soft at times that you could mold them with your hands. I took a break from eating there for a lot of my picky eating phase, but I would return there starting in my teens. We didn't eat there that often, but I always found it to be dark and slightly gloomy. I still liked it. Because there wasn't much of a take out service at the time, I stopped going there when my store opened. In the back of my mind, I had the faint idea that if any of my old friends came around, this was where we eat out.  That wasn't to be.  After some politicking involving the city, the university, and the hospital, Jerry's was basically forced to close. Some of her friends took my mom to eat there during its last days, but I wasn't able to go and didn't want anything from take out. El Azul Grande, the Mexican restaurant mentioned last time, took over the spot for a while before getting the penthouse restaurant of the Landmark Inn. The old Jerry's building was torn down to make way for extra parking for a nursing school, possibly more than they needed.  The only sign left is literally the base of its old sign, although a new placard for the school covers up the marquee. [While some old friends have come to the store, none were able to stay more than a few minutes.]
• Kentucky Fried Chicken, previous location, DI:  I barely remember eating here as a kid.  We didn't go here that often, as it was a little cramped and the restrooms were only accessible from an alley outside.  They would later build a new location at the old site of the A & P store.
• Papa John's, previous location, TO (but it was supposed to be DI):  Papa John's would take over KFC's spot in the early 90s. We were going to dine it, until my mom realized about the outdoor access restrooms.  We wound up with take out instead.  I wasn't too thrilled about the pizza, but I think I may have liked some of the extra sauces they gave out. Papa John's would later move to Walter's Plaza, and we still haven't eaten there since that first time. The building has since been torn down, for similar reasons as above, only nothing new has yet to be put up.
• [Speedway, TO:  I don't remember if we ever went here when it was a Super America, or even if it ever was a Super America. However, I do believe I haven't gotten ice here a few times.  I really like having iced drinks at the store, so I make sure I have some here at all times.]
• Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC, current location, DI/TO, ⭐️:  As I mentioned it the P-Burg entry, I really got into KFC's Zinger chicken sandwiches and potato wedges in the 90s. So, KFC became a fairly common spot to eat in my rotation.  In fact, I even closed my store for a few minutes to go out and get myself one on my first birthday after opening my store. The problem was that I was expecting a book order that day, and it had a book I was really looking forward to.  It was Hidden Passions, a novel based on the soap opera, Passions. (If you don't remember, it was about a witch, Tabitha, who was getting her revenge on a town by ruining many of the people's lives.  She created her own living doll assistant, Timmy, to help her out. She ultimately redeemed herself and helped save the town, but things got really weird at times.) Unfortunately, UPS was running late that day, and I needed much sooner than later.  Yes, they arrived while I was out, and I had to wait until the following Monday to receive the order. I stopped going as often, once my sandwich got discontinued. I would switch over to chicken strips, but they weren't as good.  The last time I went, about three years ago, the lobby was basically closed due to not enough help. The chicken strips had been replaced by processed chicken 'strips,' the wedges with regular fries, and the sweet-and-sour sauce discontinued. I didn't like it enough to go back since.  I might change my mind if the wedges come back.  They are being tested in some locations right now.
• McDonald's, TO: This is an unusual case.  McDonald's was another spot we tried after opening the store. My mom actually took the order back when she realized she had ordered the wrong thing. I haven't had food there since.  However, my mom has gotten a few things there:  coffee, my ice, various drinks such as frappes, cookies, occasional other pastries. But no Krispy Kreme doughnuts as of yet. 
• Little Caesar's, TO:  I'm pretty sure we ordered a pizza here at one time.  Again, too focused on pepperoni to warrant going back, although my mom loves it the many times it was served at meeting she goes to.  We may have gotten a pizza from Domino's as well, but I can't remember anything about it.

    With that, I finish this bonus post.  Come back Wednesday for my regular update.  See you then.

My Culinary Odyssey: Pikeville, Part 1

    For much of my early life, I was going to Pikeville at least twice a month. While I didn't eat out every time, I did eat out most of the time, either in town or out in Coal Run (They will be given a separate highlight after Pikeville). Even now, that I own a store in Pikeville, I still eat out once or twice a month. As such, there have been a lot of places to cover. As such, I better start covering all of them, starting at the south end of town. Click here for the explanation of how I'm doing this.

• Long John Silver's, DI/TO, ⭐️ ⭐️, (later also A + W Restaurant):  I've got to say, I've probably eaten here more than anywhere else. I've been coming here since I was a little boy. I remember when it was still on the highway, before US 23 became a four lane. I was such a picky eater, I would eat nowhere else for most of my childhood. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I would usually eat at multiple places. I have been eating here since they had 'peg-leg' chicken drumsticks. This calculates to at least 120 times.  Probably close to 150 or higher. I remember the holiday promotion they ran back in the early 80s, where you could buy mugs.  We would get them every year, frequently giving some away as presents.  While the original ones long since broke, I still use mugs/steins as my primary glassware.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  I even have one the holds at least a quart. Sure, they are mostly for water, but I still use them. [Yes, A + W has mugs too, but I have yet felt the great need to purchase one.] Even when I started eating out at other places, I would still eat here a few times a year. I had to go to the Coal Run location a few times when this one was closed for remodeling. (More on that one in a later post.) An A + W Restaurant was added about the same time as I opened my store.  I had a chicken sandwich, and maybe a burger from there, but LJS remains the go to. I just haven't had the time to actually dine in the redesigned seating area anymore. I basically order the same thing every time, although I recently started to alter it slightly. Instead of ordering just for myself, I frequently split a fish and chicken platter. She gets the fish, slaw, a hushpuppy, and some fries.  I get the three pieces of chicken (although it has been four slightly smaller pieces the last two times), the other hushpuppy, most of the fries, and crumbs.  Plus a medium drink, mostly Dr Pepper. When I was a kid, I would get extra crumbs and save most of them as a 'dessert.' While I don't order extra anymore, I still save what I do get until the end. I have had fish, but usually it was when they had the breaded 'Southern/Country-style.' I would eat it with a mix of tartar sauce, ketchup, and sweet-and-sour that just didn't pair well with the batter-dipped.  As the only LJS left standing in the area, I admit that I am a little worried for it. It still seems busy many nights, but I can't help think what would happen if the last local one closed. 
• Dairy Queen, TO:  The main time I remember eating here was back in the mid-90s. I took my mom to the hospital for a follow up visit after she had a procedure the previous day. We went fairly early, so I didn't get to eat. We stopped here to get her coffee and me some fries before some shopping and heading home. While eating in the car, some of the ketchup landed on my shirt. Some men in the next car over saw it and commented.  Very embarrassing. [Not the first time it happened either. See a later post.] I may have eaten here more recently, but I don't remember it. Definitely no Blizzards though.
• Gatti's, TO:  We went here once in the 90s, on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Mom got some steak sandwiches, Stromboli type, for herself and my grandmother, while I just got a pizza. Nothing remarkable about the pizza, but they didn't like the sandwiches. Gatti's has since moved to Cassidy Boulevard and became Gattiland. A Mexican restaurant has since moved in.
• Pizza Hut, DI/TO:  I was overjoyed when this place moved into downtown, as it was easier to get to than the one out at Coal Run (see later post, again). It was bigger than the Prestonsburg one, yet  brighter than the one at Coal Run. I would usually get a personal pan pizza with mushrooms, the only topping I really like, along with an order of cheesy breadsticks to share. Maybe split a mushroom pizza. I would take the extra pieces home to eat the next day. [Pizzas and breadsticks being just about the lone leftovers that I could eat reheated.] I even started creating my own breadsticks using refrigerated breadstick dough. I would just spread them out in a pan and cover them with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, maybe some appropriate herbs. Bake and then serve with heated spaghetti and/or pizza sauce. I could never get them as brown as conventional ovens couldn't get as hot, but they were still good.  I stopped making them after I could no longer find the breadstick dough, although I probably could use pizza dough, if so inclined. The last time I went there was about fifteen years ago. We ordered a pizza for take out after Booknotes' first book signing with Adrianna Trigiani. It was so late after it ended, that take out was the best idea.  Since then, the place has been remodeled slightly, and the menu has been changed.  I am not sure what they even have anymore, after some temporary changes came and went. It is just so hard to plan a time to stop in.
• Dairy Cheer, DI/TO, ⭐️ : When I ate here in the 90s, it always was empty and felt like it would close at any time. Since then, it has always been crowded, almost too busy to get in to place an order. I've had both chicken sandwiches and burgers here.  Just a little over three years ago, close enough to warrant the star, my mom wanted a Smasharoo burger, so we stopped here. We got two burgers, two sides, and one drink in a styrofoam cup that I detest for about $28.00 after taxes. I could get about the same amount of food for under twenty, after discounts, at other places. I didn't even care that much about the food.  We haven't been there since. [Fun fact:  An episode of Good Mythical Morning with Rhett and Link last year featured highlights in the history of the hamburger. They declared the best innovation was the creation of the 'smashburger' in the 1940s.  Their research had the earliest evidence at Dairy Cheer, although some commenters thought otherwise. Cool call-out at least.]
• Wendy's, current location, TO, ⭐️: After a impromptu stop at a Wendy's last fall on the way to Lexington (yep, see a much later post for details), my mom became obsessed with their oat bars. She began stopping here so much, that we decided to have lunch here a few times already this year.  I've had a burger and a chicken sandwich, both with fries. (I prefer onion rings, but that's for another post.) On the plus side, they have fountain that allows for a variety of drinks with extra flavors, allowing me to get cherry-vanilla Dr Pepper once again, even if it doesn't taste exactly the same as the original. However, the fountain was out of both Dr Pepper and flavorings the last time we ate there. I don't drink Coke. I don't like citrus-flavored drinks with lunch.  I'm not getting just water after paying for a full drink. I didn't have time to check with the counter.  So, I just got Barq's root beer.  It was the most bitter thing I ever drank.  I normally like root beer (in order of preference over the years:  Fanta, A & W, Mug, many others I've never tasted, Barq's), but I could barley drink this brand. I should have just settled for the water.

    That has been a lot for this week.  Tune in Saturday for a bonus post, as I start covering the west-central part of  Pikeville.