Mike Linnig's Restaurant

9308 Cane Run Rd., Louisville, KY - (502) 937-9888

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Posted By Michael Stern on 3/7/2006 6:13:00 PM

We visited Mike Linnig's in the winter, which is a shame because sitting outside under shade trees at a picnic table by the Ohio River is a near-perfect setting to enjoy massive amounts of fried seafood and beer. Actually, inside dining is pretty swell, too. It's a huge place with cavernous dining space in back, but we relished sitting in the smaller front room opposite the bar where you step up to place your order (table service is available in back). Here the wood-paneled walls are crowded with trophies of animals from land, sea and air, as well as nostalgic photos, clippings and nick-nacks going back some eighty years, to when this place opened as a fruit and vegetable stand on Mike Linnig's farm.

The menu includes just about every kind of seafood that can be fried, including sea scallops, crawfish, and salmon, but its highlights are such Indiana fish camp specialties as catfish, white fish, and frog legs. You can have a taste of nearly everything if you order from the "Seafood Lovers" area of the menu, which is huge plates that include some of everything. We were especially fond of the spicy fish nuggets and the freshly-breaded shrimp. The fish, the frog legs, the scallops, and the oysters had a seriously nice crunch to their crust, but weren't otherwise memorable.

Portions are immense. Each seafood lover platter is enough for two normal appetites. As we walked towards the front door, we happened to chat with a large couple who were leaving with a huge plate of leftovers. When we inquired about all the food they were taking home, they explained that the two of them had both had gastric bypass surgery and therefore no longer had the vast appetite necessary to consume an entire Mike Linning meal in one sitting.

Onion rings are a specialty. They are big chunky things, extremely brittle and mostly crust with just a hint of onion flavor emanating from the slick ribbon within. Tartar sauce and cocktail sauce, while served in the sort of individual cups typical of institutional meals, are Mike Linnig's own recipe, and both are outstanding.

Oh, and by the way, among the beverage choices are iced tea (sweet or not), lemonade (which tasted a lot like the tea), and genuine Kool-Aid, listed on the menu as fruit punch.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

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"Jane could not resist dancing this "baron of frog" around the table before anybody had a chance to bite into it."
Michael Stern

"We cannot recall the last time we found Kool-Aid served in a restaurant. Although the menu lists it as fruit punch, the man behind the counter was proud to call it by its brand name."
Michael Stern

"A close shot of the daddy of 'em all at Mike Linnig's, the Seafood Plate. It includes scallops, shrimp, frog legs, spicy fish nuggets, oysters, clams and hush puppies -- everything fried, of course."
Michael Stern

"It was a cold day when we arrived at Mike Linnig's, so the outdoor tables were unoccupied. We imagine on a nice summer night, this would be a very excellent place to enjoy fried fish and beer."
Michael Stern

$A view of the wall behind the counter where you place your order. The taxidermized animals on display are just a small fraction of the menagerie throughout the restaurant.$
"A view of the wall behind the counter where you place your order. The taxidermized animals on display are just a small fraction of the menagerie throughout the restaurant."
Michael Stern

"We didn't love the mild taste of Mike Linnig's "famous onion rings" as much as the several people who recommended the restaurant to us, but we did love how crunchy they are."
Michael Stern

"The fish-frowner at our table ordered a "pork tenderloin cutlet" from the sandwich menu. It bears little resemblance to the pounded thin, brittle-crisp cutlets to the north and west, but it was good and juicy."
Michael Stern

"Mike Linnig's sells its house-made tartar sauce by the pint ($2.45) and cocktail sauce by the 12-ounce container ($2.45). Both are excellent"
Michael Stern