By Tisa Conway-Cunningham
Canoas. Lasagna. Cheeseburger Soup. A quintessential delight when traveling will always be food.
My motto should be, “Where there is good food, I will travel,” because I literally will travel anywhere if a delicious meal is involved. Whenever my wife and I travel, I come up with an itinerary which always includes first, places we will eat, and specific dishes and drinks to try. Sure, we sightsee, we indulge in local activities and we always make sure to get immersed in epic adventures, but all that takes a back seat to our overall food experience.
Let’s be honest, food has the power to transport you back in time, to a special place or evoke a special memory. It can take you on a journey that your senses will always recall when beckoned by a smell wafting through the air, a taste upon your tongue or a sight of something familiar. Food holds the real key to any city.
When I think about Frankfort and food, I often find myself getting lost in a slew of fast-food restaurants, chains and mediocre selections. Have you ever had a taste for something good, but you are not sure exactly what that is? This is me all of the time. I know I want something good, but I am not sure what I want or even where to go. It can be so overwhelming at times that I nix the idea of eating out altogether. Hesitantly, I find myself in the kitchen scrambling to put something together before my body shuts down because it has been on E all day.
Because this very scenario happened to me one too many times, I staged my own intervention. With a goal to end this vicious cycle, I came face to face with my rhetorical nemesis. That question we all struggle to answer. What do you want to eat? I thought of dishes, ingredients and flavors. Specifically, what dish and where. Pause. Get some paper, a pen or open your notes app on your smartphone. Deliciousness is about to load, and you are going to want to write this down.
My Frankfort culinary tour starts with Mami Manchitas. For some authentic Honduran dishes that are both delicious and affordable, Mami Manchitas is a perfect spot to take a date, have a business lunch or a family meal. The service is excellent, the vibe is chill, and the food, I will let it speak for itself. Not sure what to try, the Mami Manchita’s family sampler includes a honduran chicken enchilada, one taco de pollo (rolled chicken taco), a mini canoa, and one pupusa, chorizo and cheese, giving diners a little taste of some of their key dishes. Canoas are my fave, the guacamole is always fresh and delicious scooped up with fried plantains, and each dish is full of flavor and Honduran flair. I have never had a bad dish here, so whatever you order, I am sure you will be satisfied.
Buddy’s Pizza is east coast style pizza. Think big pizza, big slices and big hearts. Specifically, I love the Buddy’s lunch special. It includes one slice (as big as the plate), with salad and a drink for $8. Only want the slice, it is $3.25. If you are in the mood for some delicious pasta, Buddy’s now offers lasagna in an individual size for $9.49. The family size is $22.
If you like good soup, salad and sandwiches, then you will love The Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe. Their cheeseburger soup is a tummy warming twist on an American classic. It’s literally if cheeseburger and soup had a baby. Add in a delicious sandwich or salad, and you have a hearty meal pleasing on the taste buds and the tummy.
I go to La Fiesta Grande for the El Mocajete. Impressively cooked and served in a clay bowl, this dish includes beef, shrimp and chorizo with queso fresco (cheese), nopales (cactus), salsa, roasted jalapeños and green onions or onions. It arrives at your table still cooking in the stone, sizzling and piping hot. This dish is big enough for two or someone with a big appetite.
While everyone else goes to China Buffet for the smorgasbord of Asian cuisine buffet style, I go for the Moo Shu Pork. Moo Shu is the perfect combination of savory, sweet and salty. It includes a mixture of textures with crisp cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, a thin fluffy omelet and other vegetables. All of this is coated in a rich umami sauce with a hoisin and ginger base, and is served with pancakes, tortillas or rice paper. Traditionally, moo shu is made with chicken or pork, but most places do offer other options like beef, seafood or tofu catered to the specific diner’s needs.
Thai Smile offers authentic Thai cuisine. Here, you will experience a balance of flavors, textures and ingredients marrying together to create an optimal dining experience. It’s Pad Thai, noodle dishes, and dishes over rice. My appetizer is always the curry puffs, a mixture of chicken, sweet potatoes and curry fried golden brown in a pastry. For the main, I almost always choose one of the five curries.
The chicken red curry is sliced chicken, bamboo shoots and bell pepper cooked in a red curry coconut milk sauce. Pineapple curry uses the red curry and coconut milk sauce with sliced chicken and pineapples. There is chicken green curry that combines peas, bamboo shoots, bell pepper and carrots cooked in a green curry and coconut milk base. The panang curry combines peas, carrots and sliced chicken in a panang curry and coconut milk base. With a homemade thick creamy curry base, the Massaman Curry is the most unique combining peanut butter, coconut, chicken, potatoes and onions.
Every restaurant will likely have go-to favorites. The challenge is not giving up on a restaurant because of one bad experience. Try different dishes, give the staff grace and seek out those flavors that keep you coming back for another bite.
