Coach's Corner - Sturgis, KY

Posted By Michael Stern on February 23, 2006 4:19 PM

When former coal miner Jim Brooks bought Coach's Corner in 1991, the place was in need of a makeover. Built in 1954 as a drive-in, and still sporting a covered car-park and picture of the old Coach on its sign, the restaurant today has become a destination for fried-chicken-and-pie lovers. And who doesn't love excellent fried chicken and baked-that-morning pie?

The inside is a quiet, soothing place to dine. Tables are bare Formica and décor is minimal. Meals come on unbreakable partitioned plates. The menu is posted on the wall above a counter near the front door. Tell the nice lady what you'd like to eat, find a seat, and wait for your name to be called.

"It is going to be a while for your chicken," she warned. "We don't have no heat lamps to keep it warm." That means that each order is fresh-fried, a process that takes about 25 minutes. If you are really, really hungry, you might try the time-saving strategy of eating dessert first. Whenever, you must have dessert. Chocolate, coconut, and lemon pies were topped with tall, airy meringues, and while the first two had a nice, flaky crust, the lemon was especially impressive because its tart filling was balanced by a sweet, moist graham cracker crust.

As for the chicken, it is made from the recipe of Colonel Jim, one of the chicken-frying legends of Henderson, Kentucky. While it isn't as pepper-hot as the other Colonel Jim chicken we've had (up at Mr. D's), its meat is infused with a vividly salty marinade and the thin, brittle crust is as savory as just-cooked bacon.

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Posted By KC Smythe on May 22, 2010 3:33 PM

Excellent fried chicken and pie, as the Sterns' review indicates. Side dishes leave something to be desired...green beans and baked beans were definitely from a can. "Spicy wedges" (potato) were good. Also, my wife complained of a foul greasy odor in the restaurant, but I didn't notice it. Finally, verify travel distance from another source besides Roadfood.com; what the website said was 22 miles from our starting point turned out to be 43 miles.

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Posted By Lisa Powell on July 8, 2008 11:41 AM

Today I sampled both the coconut pie and the strawberry pie (which a hand-written sign taped behind the counter said was a new offering). Both are outstanding! The pie crust is flaky while also solid and substantial. The coconut pie filling is darker in color than often seen and of the perfect richness, and the meringue is airy/toasty and not too eggy (I typically do not eat meringue, but the Coach's Corner rendition calls for an exception to the rule). The strawberry pie has a perfect berry-to-goo ratio, and the dollop of Cool Whip on top is more than ample.

The coconut and other cream and top crust pies are nicely displayed in a glass case on the counter (perfect for drooling over while waiting in line to order), but the strawberry stays in the refrigerator behind the counter.

One note: since the editor's visit in 2006, the price of the pie has increased to $2 per slice from $1 (and whipped cream is 10 cents, I believe). Even at $2 per slice, these huge pieces of pie are still a bargain!!!

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