Sunday, March 11, 2012

FoodieAlert! Perry County Food Trail


The Ohio River in Derby, Perry County IN

The Indiana Foodways highlights the best of what Indiana has cooking and included in their Culinary Food Trails is the Perry County Trail  which meanders its way through beautiful Perry County with stops at two wineries as well as long time favorite restaurants. For more information on Indiana Foodways Culinary Trails, visit  www.indianafoodways.com

The following are the Perry County Trail stops along with write-ups from the Indiana Foodways about each.

Blue Heron Winery

5330 Blue Heron Lane off Hwy 66 E.
Cannelton
812-547-7518

The winding gravel path up Blue Heron Lane leads to a boutique winery overlooking the River. Gary and Lynn Dauby host special events in their barn, filled with local art and stone carvings, as well as growing French grapes and making their favorite wines, including the semi-dry Two Towers, and their popular on Deck Red, often paired with chocolate. All wines are $16.97 per bottle. Another path through the woods leads to the impressive 22' Celtic Cross carved from one stone by artist Greg Harris.

Carriage Inn
217 Main Street
Tell City
812-547-2033

Carriage Inn is located in an old brick, quaint carriage house where James Bach landed when he decided to come back home to Indiana from South Carolina.  The menu consists mainly of an array of pizza and sandwich fare plus the now famous Fried Cheescake.  James came up with the Fried Cheescake when a weedding he was catering had a cake disaster. The story goes that a most unusual dessert was created when the groomsmen accidently wrestled their way into the wedding cake.  At the last second, he pulled out some frozen cheescakes from storage and proceeded to experiment to insure something was served to the wedding party.  After a standing ovation from the wedding party, he realized he had a winning dish.  The Fried Cheescake was featured in the One Tank Getaways Cookbook from WTHR-TV, an Indianapolis TV station.  The Carriage Inn was originally opened in 1979 and there is still a booth dedicated to the original owners.

Marcy’ Restaurant
12194 Indiana Street
Leopold
812-843-5548

Leopold is a very small town near I-64 with one very good restaurant - Marcy's, in a very unpretentious modern building with a plain paneled dining room on one side and a pleasant bar on the other. It's hard to snag a table after a local game, when everybody turns out to savor the tender, perfectly seasoned ribs, served with spicy or sweet sauce, available only on Fridays and Saturdays. The marinated rib-eye, chicken livers, frog legs and catfish fiddlers are week-day specialties, and the menu also features a wide choice of sandwiches, appetizers and kids' meals. Most of the entrees should be accompanied by the local specialty; creek (pronounced "crick") fries - potatoes fried with bacon and onions, and finished off with local cheesecake or peach cobbler.



Rocky Point Waterfront Grill
7398 E. State Road 66 "The Scenic By-Way"
Cannelton
812-547-2210

Jim Weeks is "the pig roast man" and a nationally award-winning barbeque specialist. He uses only hard woods in his smoke house, and his own rubs to make the pulled pork, ribs and chicken that are staples of his menu, along with the homemade hot potato chips. But Jim also likes to experiment, and is constantly perfecting his recipes for pork tenderloin, seafood, chicken dishes and desserts. Ask what he's working on if you like surprises, or succumb to the nightly specials: Wing night on Wednesdays, crab legs on Thursdays, prime rib or all-you can-eat fish on Fridays, and classic Italian beef on Saturdays. The casual restaurant with a bar is above the general store at the Marina, with a great view of the river, especially from the balcony.

Tell City Pretzels
1315 Washington St
Tell City
812-548-4499

Tell City Pretzels have been part of Indiana food lore since 1858, when the centuries-old Swiss recipe became a favorite along the Ohio River. 

The hand-twisted all natural (just 4 ingredients) pretzels have a new store front at the factory with an antique bar where you can purchase the classic "Der Kruncher" pretzels, Tell City sticks, or new ranch pretzels. Call ahead for a tour that includes the hand-twisting demo. 

The Tell City Pretzel company has been designated as an Indiana Artisan food producer. Visit www.indianaartisan.org to learn more!

The Patio
3120 E. State Road 66
Cannelton
812-547-4949
www.ThePatioSteakhouse.com

Three generations of Michelle Stahley's family have made this classic dining experience a pleasure for Perry County's citizenry since the 1960's. With the best Bloody Mary in town, a seafood buffet on Friday nights, and tender grilled prime rib daily, you might expect the see Frank Sinatra and his friends smoking at the bar. Also renowned for their salads, big sandwiches, hand-cut steaks and coconut cream pie, the Patio offers a daily buffet and extensive traditional menu. The frog legs were especially tender and juicy when we visited.

 
Winzerwald Winery
23600 North Indiana Lake Rd. (CR 39)
Bristow, IN 47515
866-694-6937
www.winzerwaldwinery.com

"The friendly little German-style winery at the top of the hill" is a bit modest for this beautifully appointed tasting room and winery with a spectacular view of the Southern Indiana Uplands just below I-64. Dan & Donna Adams are serious vintners with a great deal of experience and education in wine-making and a string of awards for a variety of complex German and Swiss style wines grown from their own grapes. Winzerwald means "vintners of the forest" and reflects the winery's location in the Hoosier National Forest area. The distinctive Nutcracker logo and label also reflects the Adams' Southern German heritage.


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