Roadtrip to Hays Smokehouse and Moonlite BBQ

Both Poverty Pete and I gave short reports yesterday, But here are the details and photo's.
Friday, After a crack'o'dawn departure We three headed down thru Nashville to Lexington TN to Meet Bushie (coming up from Austin) and Poverty Pete who got a head start that day in Nashville. Pete Stopped at the reopened Loveless Cafe to check out the Ham and Bisquits. He'll insert his review later here.
Anyway when the Guys joined up we had a nice visit in a side dining area at Hays Smokehouse. Mr Hays always seems to be in a 'welcoming mood', especially when Roadfooders are involved. He commented that he had read the review comments we all posted last Winter about our visit at that time and had a number of customers who commented on the reviews too. We ordered lunch as pictured here. Porkchop sandwiches, Ribs and pulled pork, and several sides of slaws and potato salad. Looks good, Huh?


We took a little break while Mr Hays completed his lunch rush chores, then he took Bushie Jan and I on a walk around in his Smokehouse. He explained the operation in great detail. It was a real learning experience


The cooker does a great job on whole Hogs, and with the other meat items such as Ribs and Chicken as well.



After finding out that the Cadiz Country Ham Festival was totally lacking in ANY Ham products, we headed for a visit to the center of BBQ activity in that part of Kentucky- The Moonlite BBQ in Owensboro. We enjoyed a Mutton packed lunch, bought some new tee-shirts and chatted about everything under the sun. Here are the 3 guys with Mr Moonlite after lunch!



Bushie joined Janet and I for a couple of days of visiting places like Jungle Jims, and GnawBone IN,and Claudia Sanders Chicken Dinner House before heading down to the Sundancer's for a stop in Knoxville. On the way to Cincinnati this morning, I shared a location overlooking the Ohio from a town made famous by Woodie the Bartender from CHEERS, (Hanover, IN) Bushie shot this Fall Photo there.



Tomorrow we go to GnawBone,Indiana, Home of some great Pork Tenderloins, and get the Texan ready for the next step in his quest for the greatest Roadfood anywhere.
Thats our Weekend. Hope yours was as much fun.

Oh how I miss those pork tenderloin sandwiches made in the Hoosier state. I hope that when you are in Gnaw Bone you are able to top it off with another ole Indiana favorite of mine sugar cream pie. I wish I was there with you guys. The foilage in Brown county this time of year can't be beat.

Al, there are many beautiful views of the Ohio river but that one is super. Nice pics of Hay's Smokehouse. I am sure that there are many great BBQ places, but that one has to be in the tops ten and maybe #1 because of wonderful personality of Mr. Hays. Incidentally, his wife was just as great.

I will have the opportunity to host Bushie this coming Wednesday. I think I will treat him to "The Apple Barn" for breakfast.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Have been through Gnaw Bone IN on way to Little Nashville.
Where do you get those wonderful tenderloin sandwiches? It isn't much of a town per say but I did stop and get a Gnaw Bone hat one year. I am debating on whether to go to southern IN this Thanksgiving. If I do, I would love to get one of those sandwiches.
Judy

Barney,
There is a Marathon Station on the South side of Rt. 46 called "Gnaw Bone Food & Fuel". Look for the small sign resting on the ground there announcing the world's best Pork Tenderloin!

Here is Bushie, a couple of hours ago, checking out his Tenderloin Sandwich. You can ask for Lettuce, Tomatoe, Onion, and a bunch of squirt-on condiments with your sandwich.



We did a circle ride in Southern Indiana today to get the Sandwich and see a bunch of Fall Color. The only error in judgement to befall us was to stop at the Gasthaus Amish Village Buffet for and early lunch...It was only three hours later that we arrived in Gnaw Bone. Even for eager Roadfooder's like the Mayor and BushMaster it was a challenge to appreciate the tasty Tenderloin at that point.

"Mayor" and "Bushie": I only wish a nice place like that would be in Knoxville, TN, but it ain't.

Great pic.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Mr Mayor: where aside from Jungle Jims did you go in Cincinnati?

That was our only stop in the Buckeye State. We checked out the river road for 50 miles or so coming up, then headed to Lexington for some time in the Horse Farm area near Keenland, before going to Claudia Sanders .

So, is Bushie coming through Nashville on his way home? Perhaps Pogophiles and I could sneak away for lunch...I know a place or two, and I'm sure Chris can think of some suitable places, as well.

Bushie says he will be calling you guys (both PP and PogoPlus tomorrow when he is on the road again.
He is busy devouring the remains of todays tour !!

Mayor Al:

Thanks for the info and picture of a good looking tenderloin sandwich and it's proud owner! Was it as delectable as it looked?

I bet the area had some gorgeous foliage this time of year. Heck, I was just there 1 month ago visiting relatives. I'll for sure stop at the Marathon and get one of those boys!

While in Indiana, my cousin took me to Jasper, IN to eat some great German food at the Schnitzelbank (schnitzellbank.com). Their turnip cole slaw with horseradish was super (as were all the fixin's on the salad bar). Had a wonderful smoked pork chop to go along with the warm potato salad and red cabbage (my favorite)! Judy

Jasper has a strong German heritage. It's Fall Festival is a fun event too. We had lunch at the Gasthaus Amish Village, enjoying a fairly quiet Monday after a very busy weekend. The Fall Color draws a lot of tourist trade into that area of Indiana.
The Sandwich was a butterflied pork loin chop, battered and deep-fried. It was not one of those 'chopettes that has been run thru the 'tenderizing machine'. It was very good.

Major Al: What's the town location of the Gasthaus Amish Village? I'm a huge fan of German food. We have a little German restaurant in town here that is pretty good, The Das Wald Cafe. Can't get enough of the saurbraten, red cabbage and warm potato salad, etc.

That pork tenderloin pic made my mouth water. Wild horses can't hold me back so it looks like Salem, IN is my destination for Thanksgiving!
Thanks for the details! Pork Rules! Judy

First a fond fairwell story for Uncle Bushie, who is now heading East on I-64 then South on I-75 to reach some of his family, and the Sundancer later today. We sent him off into the cloudy sunrise with some little tokens of Hoosier Hospitality...and when McDuff saw what we were up to he redoubled his efforts to uncover Mole #2 in the orchard. He had been working at tracking the Mole for a couple of days with no success. When he saw Bushie loading a suitcase into his SUV, the dog dived into digging, then marched proudly up to the house with his prize to deliver it to our Texas friend to be a little "Snack" on the road. The mole is now buried in the flower bed. The dog sleeping off a busy early morning hunt. AND Bushie is on the road with the memory of being Duff's favorite visitor to date. We had a really good time wandering around the Kentucky/Indiana area for a few days.

Now to the question about the Amish GastHaus. It is located just off U S 50/150 in Montgomery, Indiana. That's about 6 miles west of the Junction of US 50 and US 231. They have a country store, a large Motel (Best Western I believe) and the restaurant. The buffet has some German dishes, but tends to be 'Middle of the Road'. Some of the salad offerings were way above average, Strawberry Cottage Cheese with nuts in it was great as was the Broccoli salad...The baked chicken (I thought) was better than the fried, Pot roast in a heavy gravy, Pork Roast,and catfish filled out the choices for most folks. Peas and Corn seemed to come from cans. High on the list of Plus items is the bread shelf. Fresh, Warm Loaves of home-baked white and wheat are available with several local preserves and honey-butter for a touch of flavor. The bread alone can make a meal.
Desserts included a couple of puddings , some great fruit cocktail, and a pie rack with at least 10 varieties of good pie, on a serve yourself basis.
Price $7.99 for lunch (weekday) not including beverage.
The place is touristy, for sure. But on Weekdays lunch is pretty much a local business. We opened the place yesterday at 11 am and enjoyed a buffet that was hot, fresh, and (we hope) untouched by the hands of others. We enjoy meals there several times a year and have yet to be disappointed. We prefer this place to the "Black Buggy Amish Buffet". in Washington,Indiana nearby.

quote:

Originally posted by Poverty Pete

So, is Bushie coming through Nashville on his way home? Perhaps Pogophiles and I could sneak away for lunch...I know a place or two, and I'm sure Chris can think of some suitable places, as well.

Yo Pete! I think we need to introduce Bushie to the joys of Hot Chicken...

quote:

Originally posted by Poverty Pete

So, is Bushie coming through Nashville on his way home? Perhaps Pogophiles and I could sneak away for lunch...I know a place or two, and I'm sure Chris can think of some suitable places, as well.

Hey Peasant, how was the new "Loveless"?

Uh oh. Just heard from Bushie. Travel plans now no longer include Nashville...

Hillbilly, who you callin' "peasant?"
Breakfast at the new Loveless was good. Everything was pretty much as before, except for the biscuits. Those were something less than their reputation might lead you to believe.
Pogo, I was thinking the same thing, but you should have waited until he got here to tell him. I think the prospect of Prince's might have scared off ole Bushie. BTW, Mr. Boo's has permanently closed on Donelson. I had thought they were just relocating, but if so, I don't know where they went to.

quote:

Originally posted by Poverty Pete

Pogo, I was thinking the same thing, but you should have waited until he got here to tell him. I think the prospect of Prince's might have scared off ole Bushie.

Perish the thought, Pete.

I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Mayor for their hospitality and for all the "tour guide" duties. We had a great time together, and we ate way too much food.

It was great to see Poverty Pete again. The Hamfest turned out to be less than expected, but we all had a good time anyway.

And thanks to Sundancer for showing me around the Smokies. We had a wonderful day.

However, I'm really sorry that I had to cut my trip short; I didn't get to see pogophiles and RickF as I had planned. There will be other trips, though...

There better be...

Speaking of German food, another southern Indiana location that is known for their German specialties is the Sherman House in downtown Batesville, Indiana ( home of the Batesville Casket Co. ). They have been there for over a hundred years and have a very good reputation. And nearby is the little German town of Oldenburg with its majestic sprials rising up out of the cornfields.

Is it just me, or does the fact that Aurora and Batesville, located in the Southeastern part of the State, together produce a large percentage of the caskets made (and used?) in the USA cause a case of the "Chills" when we drive thru either town on our way to Cincinnati...or see one of their trucks on the road?
True story-- When Janet's Dad passed away in SoCal in 2001, we drove out directly, knowing that we would be bringing back a bunch of his 'stuff' when we returned. As we crossed the Mississippi on our way West we commented on a Batesville Casket Comp. Truck we saw heading the same direction. Twice in the following days- once in Texas and once in Arizona we passed the same truck on I-40. Upon arriving in SoCal one of our first stops was at the funeral home to complete the arrangements for the funeral. Jan was the only child, so she had to select the casket, among all the other tasks. When she made her choice, the funeral director told us that they had just received, that day, the particular "model" she selected. It came from Batesville Casket Company! We have often wondered if the truck we followed/passed going west was the one carrying that casket.
Almost a Halloween type of story, ehh? but true enough to cause the jitters when we see one of their trucks on the road.

Now back to our regular program.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

First a fond fairwell story for Uncle Bushie, who is now heading East on I-64 then South on I-75 to reach some of his family, and the Sundancer later today. We sent him off into the cloudy sunrise with some little tokens of Hoosier Hospitality...and when McDuff saw what we were up to he redoubled his efforts to uncover Mole #2 in the orchard. He had been working at tracking the Mole for a couple of days with no success. When he saw Bushie loading a suitcase into his SUV, the dog dived into digging, then marched proudly up to the house with his prize to deliver it to our Texas friend to be a little "Snack" on the road. The mole is now buried in the flower bed. The dog sleeping off a busy early morning hunt. AND Bushie is on the road with the memory of being Duff's favorite visitor to date. We had a really good time wandering around the Kentucky/Indiana area for a few days.

Now to the question about the Amish GastHaus. It is located just off U S 50/150 in Montgomery, Indiana. That's about 6 miles west of the Junction of US 50 and US 231. They have a country store, a large Motel (Best Western I believe) and the restaurant. The buffet has some German dishes, but tends to be 'Middle of the Road'. Some of the salad offerings were way above average, Strawberry Cottage Cheese with nuts in it was great as was the Broccoli salad...The baked chicken (I thought) was better than the fried, Pot roast in a heavy gravy, Pork Roast,and catfish filled out the choices for most folks. Peas and Corn seemed to come from cans. High on the list of Plus items is the bread shelf. Fresh, Warm Loaves of home-baked white and wheat are available with several local preserves and honey-butter for a touch of flavor. The bread alone can make a meal.
Desserts included a couple of puddings , some great fruit cocktail, and a pie rack with at least 10 varieties of good pie, on a serve yourself basis.
Price $7.99 for lunch (weekday) not including beverage.
The place is touristy, for sure. But on Weekdays lunch is pretty much a local business. We opened the place yesterday at 11 am and enjoyed a buffet that was hot, fresh, and (we hope) untouched by the hands of others. We enjoy meals there several times a year and have yet to be disappointed. We prefer this place to the "Black Buggy Amish Buffet". in Washington,Indiana nearby.