Roy's Pit Bar-B-Q (Russellville, KY)

Bike:  KTM Super Duke R
Route:  Google Maps

To say Roy's is pretty well known in these parts would be an understatement. I don't know if there are any other BBQ joints in Russellville, but I know plenty of people drive there and back just for Roy's. I've been eating their BBQ on a semi-regular basis over the past few years because my wife occasionally works in Logan County, and Roy's is our dinner on those days. It seems odd that I've never actually been to Roy's and I reckon it's time to rectify that situation...

Beautiful Saturday on Easter Weekend. The family is napping. I'm not.

It's already looking more like Summer than Spring.

Look, there's a cannon at the end of Main St. in Woodburn.

It's hard to get to Russellville or back without spending some time on the four-lane.

Federal Grove. We love that place!

Auburn, KY.

Auburn Minit Mart.

That yellow house on the right is for sale right now. Buy it, and then you'll have a Main Street address in Auburn. Sounds pretty cool to me!

Back on the four-lane.

Here we are... 

Roy's Bar-B-Q.

So, it turns out that there are two Roy's locations in Russellville. This is the smaller carry-out spot where all my dinners have come from, and the restaurant is three miles away on the other side of town. My understanding is that Roy's originally operated out of some sort of camper or trailer before moving into this building, and they now also have the restaurant with a bigger menu that features more than just barbecue. I do look forward to visiting sometime because that's where the meat is smoked and I'd like to see what else they have to offer. But if you're just looking for some Bar-B-Q to grab on the way home, this is probably your spot. It certainly works for us!

Nothing wrong with that.

There are a few tables and chairs inside, but most people who stopped by while I was there just used the walk-up/drive-up window to place their to-go order.

Pulled Pork on Bun w/ Baked Beans. 

VERDICT:  I guess I can't say much about Roy's in general because I haven't visited the real restaurant and I've never had anything besides their Pulled Bork and Baked Beans. You can also get Beef, Ribs, Chicken, and various sides/salads/desserts at this spot, but I stuck with what I know. The Pulled Pork is great and unique. And unique. Compared to my favorites like Split Tree or Wildfire, the hickory smoke flavor is less potent, and the meat is somehow sweeter and saltier. For awhile I believed the rumor that they mix Lamb or Mutton with the Pork, but that is not true. The fact that such rumors exist illustrates just how different their product is from other places in the area. The tomato based sauce is sweet and tangy, and a somewhat thinner and spicier hot sauce is available. Like the meat, there's just something a little different going on with the sauces -- I can't put my finger on it, but I love it. Good stuff, for sure.

The neat thing about barbecue is that it varies so much from region to region. Of course the differences are profound on a large scale -- Carolina BBQ has absolutely nothing in common with Texas BBQ, for example. But even on a smaller scale the contrasts are evident. I think most of the Bowling Green & Franklin places are pretty similar -- everybody offers pulled pork and most feature their own version of a tomato based sauce that is sweeter than it is spicy. Owensboro is just an hour away, but it's in a completely different BBQ world with their mutton, burgoo, and black dip. If you travel a few miles in the other direction, Monroe County has it's own thing going with the sliced shoulder and hot peppery vinegar dip.

Russellville has Roy's.

Roy's. Instagram.

Nine POINT Seven.
I was hoping this picture would snap a half-second later so I could make a stupid joke about that Mini and those cows and mini cows, but all I got was Nine POINT Seven.

Nice Day for a Ride I.

Franklin, KY.

Nice Day for a Ride II.

I often wonder exactly what makes a particular set of curves get a 35 MPH rating?

As opposed to a 30 MPH rating, for example?

SUPERCOOL SURPRISE BONUS TIME:  The Drake Country Store is open again!!! This makes me very very happy. I had no idea, so when I saw people rockin' the rocking chairs on the porch I had to double back and investigate. Sweet! Stay tuned for more details in the next ride report. For now, I'll just share these supercool surprise bonus photos...

Drake Country Store.

The Gang.

That's Anna Mae on the left, Kent in the middle, and Wendell on the right (I hope I got that right). And I'm talking about the real life people; the order is slightly different in the picture.

Best Easter picture ever? Maybe! I think they could tell I was happy to be there, probably because I was smiling and asking a million questions while tap dancing in my riding boots. Apparently they had an Easter Egg Hunt earlier in the day and they were kinde enough to share that picture with me. Awesome. I hope they framed it!

And I don't know who is in the Easter Bunny costume, but whoever it is probably did a better job than Jay Thomas. I kid, Jay, I kid!

Just to illustrate exactly how happy I was to see these folks back in business, I present Happy Rob. 

Headin' home... happy happy happy.

Route.

Follow @BaasPro

Flavor Isle (Smiths Grove, KY)

Bike:  KTM Super Duke R

Route:  Google Maps

I first noticed Flavor Isle while I was passing through Smiths Grove on my way to Porky Pig Diner a few weeks ago. I've occasionally stopped in Smiths Grove for gas, but that's about it. I really didn't know there was any decent place to eat here, and I had no idea there was a burger joint this cool. After asking around, I'm surprised I never heard about Flavor Isle before -- it's been here forever! It has belonged to the current owner for nearly 50 years, and I don't know if it was around before 1964 or not. But it's been around a lot longer than I have.

I really thought I could fit this ride into a normal one-hour lunch break, and I almost did. But two missed turns on the way back turned into 25+ extra miles of fun, so I was a little bit late. No worries. It's hard to get too lost for too long around here, and it's fun to ride new roads even if you don't know where they're heading, or whether they're heading anywhere at all...

It's Spring, but not quite Springtime.

I-65.

Smiths Grove, KY is located at I-65 Exit 38. At the exit, head North past the fast food joints and across the railroad tracks. You'll find Flavor Isle at First & Main, about a mile from the I-65 exit in the center of the Historic District. It really is sad to think about all the people who never make it past McDonalds or Wendy's. Poor people. I used to be one of those people.

Buggy Parking I.

Antiques I.

Antiques II.

First & Main.

Here we are...

Ice cream. You scream. Smiths Grove was featured in Halloween.

Flavor Isle.

You can order & eat outside (two tables), or you can order & eat inside (four tables). You could probably even order inside & eat outside, or order outside & eat inside!

Bacon Cheeseburger, Fries, and a Chocolate Milkshake.

VERDICT:  I talked to another customer who said he'd been visiting for 38 years and that his Mom had been coming for many years before he was born. I can see why Flavor Isle has been in business for so long -- it's a great place to grab a burger and shake.

They are proud of the fact that they make their own patties out of fresh, never frozen, ground beef. It's a friendly place with character, and it might take a few minutes longer than the drive-thrus down the street, but I can't imagine going to those places while I can get a good fresh made-to-order meal for the same price here! And there's nothing wrong with relaxing on the patio with a milkshake while the rest of your meal is prepared.

Flavor Isle reminds me a lot of Berties in Brownsville. Both are small places with bigger menus than you might expect. And like the ladies at Berties, Gail at Flavor Isle wouldn't tell me what their specialty was -- she just said everything was good, and I might as well believe her because she certainly make a mean burger! She also told me that the owner, Joyce, would be having some sort of 50th Anniversary celebration in 2014 where she sells everything at 1964 prices. I do not want to miss that...

Flavor Isle.

Smiths Grove is a neat little town to drive through. It feels like a lot of other old railroad towns that used to be bigger, but as the second-largest town in Warren County it is a healthy community. I'm not sure if the antiques business is still going strong here or if it has seen better days, but the Historic District definitely has some cool old buildings.

Antiques III.

The Victorian House B&B is for sale across the street from Flavor Isle. I almost stopped and bought it, but then I remembered I left that $700,000 at home because I was just running out for a burger.

Antiques IV.

This is about the last place I expected to see a MMA Gym, but there it is... in an old antiques shop, of course.

I-65.

Buggy.

I'm guessing it used to be a school, but school is not in session anymore. Oh, and horse poop.

Horse Shoeing & Saddle Shop.

Whoops.

Now I know that had I taken that second left above, I would have been home a lot sooner. But getting a little turned around in Horse & Buggy territory and riding through some nice farmland I've never seen before wasn't so bad. Anyway, I'll remember that turn next time!

I guessed left...

...and left was most definitely not right.

I had to choose left this time, which would have been right the first time. Technically, left and right were both wrong.

I ended up heading back towards Smiths Grove. It took me a minute to realize that, and now I realize that when it's cloudy and road signs are missing, it's easy for these things to happen.

Yeah, that's the same Horse & Buggy from 30 minutes ago. They've covered some ground since I last saw them, but I covered more.

Buggy Parking II.

The Dam Store's still closed, baby. The Dam Store is still closed...

KTM Super Duke R, cleaner than usual.

Barren River Lake Dam.

If you gotta run into the Po-Po, a stop sign is a good place to do it!

Headin' home, ahead of the storm...

Planned Route.

Route.

UPDATE (6/20/12):  Stopped in for some Ice Cream on the first evening of Summer 2012...

Flavor Isle.

Oreo Blizzard & Small Swirl Ice Cream Cone.

VOICE BEHIND ME:  What are you doing?
ME:  Taking a picture.
VBM:  I know.  But of an ice cream cone?
ME:  OK, I see your point...

I'm telling y'all, this is hard work.

Historic District, Smiths Grove, KY
Summer Solstice 2012
6:50pm

UPDATE (4/4/14):  I learned today that the 50th Anniversary celebration is scheduled for May 3rd (also Kentucky Derby day).  They will be serving items from the 1964 menu at 1964 prices, which means hot dogs for $0.15 and milkshakes for $0.25.  Too cool!

UPDATE (5/3/14):  So the big day arrived, and sure enough they were serving up the 1964 menu items at 1964 prices. We were too late to get any hot dogs, but we had a fine time on 65 cents...

Follow @BaasPro