7008 Main St., Westport, 222-4626
For many years, and in varying proportions, Oldham County has been a mix of rural farmsteads, rich horsemen’s hideaways and residential developments. And now that liquor sales are legal, a little bit of big-city attitude has entered the equation. Like the community it serves, the Westport General Store hasn’t strayed far from its rural roots while adding an urban sense of whimsy to the old structure where it is housed — and to some of its dishes.
Descending KY 524 from US 42, one of the best drives anywhere, your arrival at the flat Ohio river bottom almost puts you right at the restaurant’s front porch. The menu mixes city and country. A fried bologna sandwich ($6) shares space with Westport won tons ($3.25), which are stuffed with wild mushrooms, apples and breadcrumbs. On a recent visit, I enjoyed some crispy artichoke fritters ($6) that could have come straight from the Bardstown Road Bristol — but I thought the General Store’s siricha chile-laced sauce was superior.
Recalling the restaurant’s general-store genesis, grits are still available there by the bag, though they’re Weisenberger, the same kind you’ll find at the Oakroom. Further cementing the urban-rural marriage, the Westport General Store offers Hot Browns. When I ordered them, the Baby Hot Browns ($6.50) were only "babies" in a rhetorical sense (they were actually sandwich quarters), but I thought they were darned good. The mild flavor of rough-sliced turkey combined with bacon and tomato under a bubbling Mornay sauce — can’t beat it.
I also enjoyed a turkey Reuben ($6.50), even though I’m pretty much a pastrami purist when it comes to these things. I think the kitchen found the key to the sandwich by not overstuffing. There was just enough kraut to give it a bit of a bite, a nice amount of turkey, the obligatory slice of Swiss and a slathering of thousand island dressing, but nothing inside overwhelmed the toasted marble rye bread. It remained crispy throughout the life of the sandwich — which was admittedly short.
You can still pret/files/storyimages/that the Westport General Store offers everything from horseshoes to hominy. After all, I don’t know of any other area restaurant with tubes of Ora-Gel for sale, and a few foodstuffs are on shelves by the front door, including Finchville hams and local honeys. The pastel cinderblock walls hold photocopies of old refrigerators artfully contained in modern frames. I’ve also dined in the side room, which has less of a "country store" feel than the main dining area, with black chairs and rectangular tables. Both rooms are pleasant, although the small one has a classier and more intimate feeling. The servers there are the same friendly folk who buzz about the large main room, which is anchored by the old counter area. There’s now a wine list and a full bar for both rooms. (I can’t help thinking that it may not be the first time the old general store counter held a few bottles of booze, but now they don’t have to be underneath.)
The Southern-style pork chop ($14) was boneless and went well with an apple-"craisin" chutney, the tart cubes of apple and dried cranberries bringing a pleasant sense of gaminess to the meat. But my chops were too dry — I think using bone-in chops would have helped keep them moist — although I did like the sides of greens and the Weisenberger grits, which were cooked to maximize their honest corn taste.
The menu holds items that appeal to everyone, from the country club to the coon hunter’s club. At a recent dinner, my ribeye special ($24) featured bison with a knob of Roquefort butter. The excellently prepared steak was magnificent, cooked medium rare and juicy. It was nicely crusted with a spice rub hinting of cumin and fennel. In fact, the steak was so good the Roquefort butter was a bit of a distraction.
But I might take the trip to Westport just for dessert ($4 each). The tasty carrot cake was exactly what you look for in this vegetable-based confection, with a rich cream cheese icing and moist cake holding so many raisins, shreds of carrots and nuts that there barely seemed to be any batter. And a coconut chess pie won me over to a selection I usually avoid for tooth-aching sweetness. The coconut cut the sugary pie filling to a pleasurable level. And I think Goldilocks must work in the kitchen — it wasn’t too hot, or too cool, but just right.
Combining a bit of bistro sensibility with a little Oldham County history, the Westport General Store brings the Louisville restaurant scene to the country — which is getting less "country" by the minute. The eatery is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
— Stephen Hacker
