Western Kentucky Style Food

On many trips through Western Kentucky in the area around Paducah,KY and the western border on the Illinois River I have eaten in many woderful restaurants. The prices are so low there and they give large portions of tasty homemade style food.

I notice a distinct taste or style in the food I ate there. I have called it Western Kentucky cuisine. To my surprise, one day I ate at the lunch buffet at the Stardust Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and they served Western Kentucky cuisine. They did not call it that, but it was. I had just driven through western Kentucky on the way to Las Vegas. Stardust had many unique lunch buffet styles. Western Kentucky was one of them.

Has anyone here experience a unique taste or cuisine in the western part of Kentucky? What do you think of it?

Miss Patti's 1880 House, in the Land Between the Lakes area east of Paducah has fine food, somewhat upscale. A little farther away, barbequed mutton and burgoo around Owensboro(Moonlite Barbeque is the best known)is also unique and not to be missed.

The area is known for it's BBQ in which Mutton is the meat of choice. Combine that with many of the traditional veggie dishes and you have a subset of the Southern BBQ culture. Catfish also takes a higher priority on most menu's in that area than it might in places further away from the River's and Lake's !! Corn Pudding is a local favorite that reaches over this far(Louisville) as are the stewed tomato's and mock-oysters. It is fun to run into some dishes that are unique to (relatively) small geographic region.

How about The Stardust Casino putting them in the buffet one afternoon?

Thanks for the info on Western KY style -
I'm taking a group of college students to Western KY soon. Can anyone recommend good restaurants in either Murray, KY or Paris, TN? Because of allergies, we need to make sure there is a smoke free area (don't want to take any students to the hospital - not a good way to start the school year!) Any feedback would be appreciated -

Cadiz, Kentucky had a few fried chicken places and they were all good. Try some of the fried chicken in Cadiz if you go through.

There's always the restaurant at the lodge at the state park on Lake Barkley. The last time I was there the food was pretty good.

As the mayor said, BBQ is big there and what sets it apart is Mutton. Some of the interest has worked its way across the river to Southern Indiana. (I don't have to grill my own or go to Owensboro to get a mutton sandwich anymore) Also, Father mentioned burgoo--burgoo is great (a soup made with vegetables normally three meats (chicken beef and mutton) spices and a tomato juice/sauce base)-similar to the turtle soup served in our area - they sub mutton in for the turtle.)
On the Catfish thing--Catfish is big in w Ky as well as southern in -- Many prefer bone in (Called fiddlers)--some go for filets.
Another "Seafood" item -- Frog legs
Corn -- One of the things that is different about corn is how some serve creamed corn here from fresh cut ‘niblet’ corn--very unique and excellent.
If I think of anything else, I'll mention it.