There’s something to be said for getting out of town for a taste of something different. If you could drive 20 minutes and magically wind up in New Orleans, you’d do it, wouldn’t you? How about if someone promised you real Cajun food? Cajun cooking is famously spicy, but any Louisiana native will tell you that hotter isn’t always better. And, while you should expect a healthy dose of épice if you drive down to Cold Spring, Ky., and eat at Knotty Pine on the Bayou, you’ll be happy to hear that hotness doesn’t preclude flavor.
The Scoop
We started with Frog Legs (three for $6.95 or five for $8.95), which were fresh and nutty and yummy; and the special appetizer, Seafood Étouffe ($5.95; it’s $8.95 if you want a bowl), was a hot, delicious stew — the seared shrimp in it had a slight crunch — parfait. My friend ordered the whopping, meaty Cajun sampler ($17.95), comprising mounds of sautéed shrimp, steak strips, blackened chicken, and bowls of red beans and rice and gumbo. The shrimp were rubbery and too salty, but the other meats proved tender and flavorful. The only other downside: The sampler gives you too much animal flesh with almost no starch to balance things out. I tried a bowl of the piquant Gumbo ($8.95 large, $5.95 small, $3.95 cup) and found it just right: thick and zesty, not too hot, brimming with andouille sausage, and a nice, grainy bean sauce.
The disappointing salads ($2.95) consisted of iceberg lettuce with watery dressing.
The house dessert ($3.95), Karma’s Opera Crème Cake (called a “must-have” on the menu) was as homely-looking a thing as I have ever laid eyes on, flat, low and seemingly uninspired. But, like Grandma’s baked offering at the family reunion, it tasted better than it looked: The chocolate sheet cake was warm and moist, with a drizzle of stridently sweet raspberry sauce on top. Unlike some eateries, where they blithely offer stagnant day-old decaf after dinner, Knotty Pine served a steaming cup of freshly made coffee, and it suited the cake nicely.
As well as a wide array of seafood — including Oysters ($16.95 for a dozen) and market-priced Lobster Tail, there is an impressive choice of beef on the menu: New York Strip Steak (12-oz. for $17.95), Filet Mignon ($20.95), and Rib Eye ($17.95). Vegetables seem to the be the only scarcity in this little corner of the bayou.
The Scene
The restaurant is clean and comfortable, like a cozy neighborhood haunt. The floors slope alarmingly off at odd angles, and the furniture is mismatched; but the walls — of the titular warm knotty pine — glow enough to make the stained plywood ceiling and enormous exposed ductwork all but disappear. There’s a lovely wraparound porch with outdoor seating and a view of the Licking River far down below. Together with the quiet, out-of-the-way location, tucked into the trees, this setting could easily put one in mind of the Big Easy. The service is genuinely friendly and competent.
The Sizzle
Is Knotty Pine worth the drive from Cincinnati to Cold Spring? If you are hankering for Cajun, yes. And certainly if you are in the neighborhood (Rt. 915 KY., off 275 and Rt. 9), by all means go, especially with a group of friends. Reservations are recommended on the weekends. ©
Go: 1802 Licking Pike, Cold Spring, Ky.
Call: 859-781-2200
Hours: TuesdayThursday 59 p.m., FridaySaturday 510 p.m., Sunday 49 p.m.
Prices: Moderate
Payment: Visa, Mastercard, local checks
Red Meat Alternatives: Appetizers, salads, pasta, rice
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2002.
