The Stave,

5711 McCracken Pike, Frankfort, KY 40601

"Don't waste your money or your time. We were a party of 5 and had just come from 2 bourbon tours, so The Stave sounded like the perfect place to end the day. Our waitress was extremely nice, but the food was worse than horrible. From the ratings this place received, I was fullly expecting food that was at least palatable. I don't think I have had food that bad before. Their breading on the food was lacking in taste and seasoning, also there was an abundance of breading. The blackened catfish had some kind of vinegar sauce (at least that is what it tasted like) on it and did not taste blackened (the grits were the best part of that meal). The fried chicken sandwich was tough and tasteless. The chicken and fries were over cooked, tasteless, dry and over breaded. The pulled pork was very fatty. The boudin fritters were tasteless and mushy on the inside, they were supposed to have cajun sausage in them? And the cornbread...That is what that was?? We ate very little of the food and we definitely did not take any of it home. My husband was the only person who actually ate his (a burger and fries). I honestly don't know how this place has stayed in business. Someone needs to take some serious cooking lessons. Also, my daughter's boyfriend got a tasting of the Weller 12 yr for $25 and swears it tasted like Woodford Reserve (he is a Weller bourbon man). For just under $200 after the tip, this was my worst meal ever."

"We ate here twice while visiting the area. Everything we tried was amazing! Chicken sandwich, chicken dumplings, shrimp and grits, and more. Plus the bourbon list was impressive and we got to sample a few we have wanted to try. Bread pudding was the best I have had. Can’t wait to come back!"

"At first I thought this was a shady hideaway. This place is so cool!! The service, atmosphere, but the food!! I was knocked out!! The pulled pork had great flavor but the cornbread stole the show! It wasn’t thick or heavy, was flavorful and light leaving room for dessert!"

"This place was recommended by our host at the Inn. I recommend reservations as the only have about 8 to 10 tables. Inside. During the warmer weather, the enclosed porch would allow for more. Don't be fooled by the look of this place. The food was top notch. I'm not sure who the chef is in the back, but everything was amazing. Get the Pulled Pork & How Cakes!! We lobed them. We also had the Wild Mushroom Stroganoff and it was terrific. Our server was a real treat and we loved her too! Don't miss this place."

"We had an amazing experience at The Stave. We had reservations at 5:45 but got there earlier than expected at 5:00. They sat us immediate. We then order bourbon flights. They have so many bourbons to choose from that I was very grateful they had recommended flights on the menu to choose from or else I’d still be there trying to determine which ones to get. We ordered the Blacken Catfish & Grits as well as the Bison Short Rib. Both were amazing. The catfish was the best catfish that I had ever eaten. For desert, we ordered the Bread Pudding and Peanut Butter Pie. The bread pudding was good although there was no way I could finish that by myself. The peanut butter pie on the other hand was gone before I was even offered a bite but was told it was the best peanut butter pie they ever tasted. We ate at several different restaurants over the four days we were in Kentucky and this by far was the best restaurant that we ate at in the trip."