Everybody In the Whole Cell Block…Let’s Eat Jailhouse Pizza!

So from our travels to Niagara Falls, there really aren’t any restaurant recommendations I can make.  I’m sure there are great options, but (a) we ate at Planet Hollywood which is now closed and (b) we ate a Denny’s or somewhere similar.  That said, I thought for my first foodie blog I’d discuss a place a little closer to home. In fact for me this place is about 30 minutes from home. My first foodie blog is about….drum roll…Jailhouse Pizza!

Jailhouse Pizza is located in Brandenburg, KY in the old Meade County Jail.  The jail was built in 1906 and was in operation until 1976.  It even survived the ’74 tornado that destroyed the courthouse right in front of it!  But apparently not everyone that ever went in the jail survived, as it is rumored to be haunted!  The haunting is well enough known that some paranormal investigation shows have filmed episodes at Jailhouse Pizza!  And for the right price, you can do your own late night Scooby Doo-ing and you might meet Bigsby the ghost!

Personally, I don’t go to Jailhouse Pizza for ghost hunting; I go to Jailhouse Pizza for the experience and food!  If you are wanting a typical restaurant experience, then this can be obtained in the main dining room which is actually an add-on to the original building or by sitting on the porch.  Both of these areas offer a beautiful view of the Ohio river and Southern Indiana (which I’ve now learned is called SoIn).  Often you’ll spot a barge or some recreational boater.  This view makes for a very tranquil dinner.

Maybe…just maybe you want a unique dining experience instead.  Well buddy, Jailhouse Pizza has that too!  If you so desire, you can eat your dinner in an actual jail cell!  This option is really cool for a couple of reasons.  Obviously, the first reason is that you’re eating in a historical jail cell with the metal bed still attached to the wall, and the metal door still able to close!  I know because I played with the door!  The second reason that eating in the jail cell is cool is because it gives you a glimpse into how the prisoners lived.  Their cells were incredibly small and sparse, and their cell doors had a slot through which meals could be passed.  The walls are solid brick, so you can imagine that before central heat and air the temperature in the cells could be very miserable.  There are windows, but they too are covered in metal bars.  I can’t imagine surviving in one of these cells as a prisoner, but they sure make for a fun, unique dining experience!

So speaking of dining…Jailhouse Pizza also has great food!  Seriously, we’ve been eating there for years and not once have we tried something and not liked it!  On our most recent journey to Jailhouse me and the hubby – we’ll call him Mr. Kisby in blogs – took my parents with us.  Our mission was simple: Try a variety of things for a more detailed review.  Shout out to our waitress Madison for dealing with the eccentricities that this mission brought on!

We began by ordering the Jailer’s Bread appetizer.  Basically, it is garlic bread covered with cheese, and it did not disappoint!  Mr. Kisby particularly liked the savory flavor of the garlic butter and spices.  For our main course we decided to share fettucini Alfredo, a grilled chicken salad, chicken bacon ranch pizza without onions, and a meatball sub with fries.

My parents mostly ate the Alfredo, but I made sure to sample a couple of bites. I really liked the creamy texture of the sauce!  I didn’t try the salad my parents shared, but I really liked the presentation.  They enjoyed the salad!

And now for the best parts I enjoyed! Now I must say I have always liked chicken bacon ranch pizza!  Chicken? Good! Bacon? Good!  Ranch? GREAT! Put all that together on a golden crust and you’re good to go!

The surprise sensation of the night was the meatball sub!  Because Mr. Kisby likes cheese, I didn’t order the sub without the mozzarella cheese blend like I normally would. I was fully prepared to not like the sandwich because of the cheese as I am VERY PICKY about how I will eat cheese and like it.  (As a reference, I order bacon cheeseburgers without cheese.) Much to my surprise and delight, I loved the meatball sub! It was the perfect combination of flavors and the meatballs were very juicy!  Was it messy? Absolutely! It was messy to the point of needing a fork to eat runaway meatballs! To me this made it even better! And bonus…the sandwich came with a crisp dill pickle and fries! What more do you need?

If for some reason you need more food than what I described above, then you can try the Prisoner’s Pardon Pizza Challenge.  All you have to do is find a buddy – preferably that Man Vs. Food guy or one of those food eating champs – and eat 12 pounds of pizza in 60 minutes.  The challenge pizza is 30 inches in diameter…that’s not that big is it???

So, is your mouth watering? Are you thinking, “Pizza, meatballs, and pasta, oh my! Pizza, meatballs, and pasta, oh my!” as you read?  I hope so! And I hope that the next time you want to throw a party in the county jail you’ll opt to do so at Jailhouse Pizza!  http://www.jailhousepizza.com/index.html