Western Kentucky Trip and Jewell's Bar-B-Q Closed (Now With PICTURES)

Spent five days driving around western Kentucky earlier this month, aside for Owensboro an area I had not much previous experience with. The weather did not cooperate -- no sun at all for the last four days -- but still ate very well, especially in the area around Henderson. Exceptional meals at Bon Ton Mini Mart and Peak Brothers Barbecue, as well as the revelation of the trip: orangeade at Bell's Drug Store in Sebree. I'd never really thought much about orangeade before but the one I had at Bell's was nothing short of sublime. Also ordered a chocolate malted, which was perfect.
 
Here's a shot of the interior of the Bon Ton: 

 
Other stops included George's, Doe's, Mr. D's, and Knock-Um Hill -- where they were out of pork chops!! They said they routinely run out of them by noon (which is when I arrived). Big breakfast item around Herndon, I guess. Note for next time: They said they're happy to save a pork chop or two if you call ahead and ask.
 
Also managed to eat at all three surviving Ferrell's Hamburgers. I liked the atmosphere best at the one in Cadiz, the burger best at Madisonville (with Cadiz a very close second), and the signage best at the Hopkinsville outlet.
   
 
The Madisonvillle Ferrell's wrapped their to-go burgers in wax paper -- red wax paper! A nice touch.
  
 
Stopped at Jewell's Open-Pit Bar-B-Q but it wasn't open and there was a For Sale sign out front. I ate at Heaton's and asked a customer there if he knew about Jewell's. He did not but said he had noticed some of Jewell's regular breakfast crowd dining elsewhere lately, also that he thought Jewell himself may have had health issues.
 
All in all, a good (if damp) roadtrip. 
 

My wife and I are planning a little jaunt through western Kentucky over the Memorial Day weekend.  It would be most helpful if you could tell me the names of the towns in which the various restaurants you mentioned are located.  I caught that the Bon Ton is in Henderson but the others I don't know.

Thanks for your help.

Train, glad you made it to my area.  Buffetbuster and Cecif made a trip through western Kentucky with me a couple of weeks ago, and we hit several of the places that you mentioned.  Cecif is supposed to write the trip report; I guess she'll have it up eventually.

We had planned on visiting all of the Ferrell's, but time got in the way and we had to abandon visiting the one in Madisonville.  We got pictures of the one in Hopkinsville and tried to find the one in Cadiz, but missed the turn somewhere.

We missed out on Mr. D's, but there's always a next time.  I think they liked the Bon Ton Mini Mart the best, with Knockum Hill BBQ's giant pork chop a close second (Poverty Pete joined us for lunch there), and we all enjoyed the wonderful orangeade at Bell's Pharmacy.   I don't know what they thought of Peak Bros.  I think they liked it, but by the time we got there, everyone was dead tired.

I'll have to try the chocolate malted at Bell's Pharmacy.  I've never gotten past the orangeade.  Thanks for the tip.

A typical afternoon for me when I get a day off is to eat my first lunch (fried chicken) at the Bon Ton Mini Mart, drive down for an orangeade at Bell's Pharmacy, then cut across the country roads to eat for a second lunch some barbecue mutton or pork or ham at Peak Bros.  Sometimes I top it off by driving two miles down the road to the edge of Morganfield to get some gumbo at The Feed Mill.  Most of the latter's food is standard or substandard, but that gumbo is worth a 100 mile drive.  You won't forget that flavor for a while.

Doe's Steak Place is on the Square in Downtown Paducah. See the Glee Club Meeting from Feb for a good photo report of Does in Greenville, MS and Paducah,KY

Knock'um Hill BBQ is in Herndon,KY, just off I-24 near Ft Campbell. Irregular hours and limited amount of BBQ make it a 'check in advance' before heading out there. All reports are of very good BBQ from those who have checked back in here.

Peake Brothers BBQ,  Waverly,KY- is on US 60 west of Henderson. They reopened a short time back after rebuilding due to a major fire. All reports are that they are as good as ever.

Mjsneddon,  here are the towns where the restaurants are located.  If I've missed any, let me know.

Bon Ton Mini Mart:  Henderson, KY  (a little hard to find.  It's on U.S. 41 at the intersection with 136, on the very far edge of town.)

Mr. D's.:  Henderson, KY, on the west side of town on U.S. 60.  If you stay on U.S. 60 going west after you finish your meal, within 20 minutes you'll find yourself in front of:

Peak Bros. Bar-B-Q:  Waverly, KY  (located halfway between Henderson and Morganfield).  The barbecue mutton has some heat to it (unlike the Owensboro variety) and (I think) is more flavorful.  The barbecue ham is to be taken in small portions because the flavor is very intense.

Bell's Pharmacy:  Sebree, KY (located about 20 miles directly below Henderson)

There are three Ferrell's Bros. restaurant locations:

Madisonville, KY  (40 miles below Henderson)

Hopkinsville, KY  (about 40 miles below Madisonville)

Cadiz, KY  (about 20 miles west of Hopkinsville)

Herndon, KY  (about 15 miles south of Hopkinsville, very near the Tennessee border).  It's not a town; it's a crossroads; Knockum Hill Bar-B-Q is 1/4 mile south of that crossroads.  Only open Friday and Saturday till about 3 (or when they run out of meat, whichever comes first.)

George's Bar-B-Q:   This is on U.S. 60 near the edge of downtown Owensboro, KY.  In my opinion they have the gold standard for burgoo.  Suggestion: get some burgoo from the "to go" section of the restaurant, and instruct (while watching) the server to pull up the ladle from the bottom of the pot; this is where all the flavor resides, and it's powerful stuff if they haven't stirred the pot in the last half-hour.

Doe's Eat Place is in Paducah, KY.  It is located one block from the murals along the riverfront.  I rather doubt you'll have a finer steak in your lifetime.

However, if you like a seasoned steak that's been liberally rubbed down with garlic salt, you might try:

Charlie's Steak House, which is located on 41-A just as you are about to enter Fort Campbell, KY, which is just a few miles below Hopkinsville.   However, I can only recommend the porterhouse steak; the other cuts they have don't seem to jibe as well on the tongue when garlic salt is applied to them.

FYI: I just called Jewell's.  Yes, they are hoping to sell the restaurant but, no, they have not closed.

For anyone who loves road food and finds themselves in Paducah, I highly recommend Starnes Barbecue on Joe Clifton Dr., just across the road from Noble Park and the Dairy Queen.  The pork bbq sandwiches are delicious, as are the ham and turkey.  Make sure to drizzle some Starnes sauce on those sandwiches, and you'll want to buy a bottle to take home. 

The restaurant itself looks the same as it did 30+ years ago.  I swear that's the same RC Cola machine that was there outside the front door when I was a kid, and I know it's the same Formica on the horseshoe shaped lunch counter.

Western Kentucky BBQ has a style all it's own, but not many people outside the region are familiar with it.  Try some if you're ever in the neighborhood.  Starnes is my favorite but there are plenty of others.

I like the red wax paper too!