Delicious just doesn’t come close to describing the food at Knotty Pine on the Bayou, a Cajun restaurant in Cold Spring, Ky.

Knotty Pine’s ambiance adds to the appeal. The building was formerly a private residence and overlooks a large forest pond. It is also locally famous for the crooked floor that takes up half of the indoor dining room.

Dozens of mementos from the bayou area in southern Louisiana are located throughout the establishment, and they have an outstanding collection of hundreds of different hot sauces at the bar.

Just as important is that their food and service is excellent.

Promptly seated for the 5 p.m. reservation, the server immediately took the drink order and delivered a basket of fresh bread with butter. Knotty Pine servers worked as a team while serving, busing or assisting with tables outside their own stations. This attitude helps explain why the food arrived hot.

The Knotty Pine menu is comprised entirely of Cajun or southern fried foods. They have appetizers like fried oysters, frog legs, crab cakes and more ranging in price from $3.95 to $20.95.

Their entrees range from craw fish broils and grilled shrimp, in addition to more traditional fare like steak and chicken dishes. Entrees cost between $6.95 and $27.95.
In any event, anyone would be hard-pressed to leave this restaurant hungry.

“When they’re in season, the craw fish broil that we have on Tuesday nights is probably everybody’s favorite dish here.” said Elliott Clark, Knotty Pine’s acting manager. “Besides that, our grouper, pan seared, with a creole sauce and étouffée is really good.”

The order of Peel & Eat Shrimp (five for $12.95) appetizers were large, juicy and nicely seasoned with a dusting of Cajun spices. Served with a creamy cocktail sauce, each of the shrimp were about half the size of a dollar bill and were very messy to eat.

The breaded Catfish Strip appetizers (five for $9.95) were served with a tangy tartar sauce that pleasantly accented the crispy breading. The portion size wasn’t as large as the shrimp were, but they were filling nonetheless. One warning is to be patient, as they are extremely hot on the inside.

The entrees consisted of a small cup of red beans and rice ($3.95) and a large bowl of Cajun gumbo ($12.95).

Story by Chuck Heffner