Kinnard & Drake’s 1830 Chophouse

We were going to be passing through Lebanon on our way back from northwestern Indiana, and wanted to find somewhere to stop for dinner that was a little nicer than Denny’s, where we could have some good steak or pasta and relax for a little while. I saw the 1830 Chophouse mentioned online and looked at the menu. It seemed that they had some reasonable dishes, although the price looked to be a little higher than were I would normally stop. However, it seemed like a one-of-a-kind place that we should give a try.

We pulled up on Main Street, right across from the Boone County Courthouse and found quite a few open parking spaces right in front of the restaurant. The parking was free, which I was pleased about. On our way into the restaurant, we noticed that they had what looked like very pleasant outdoor seating.

The hostess asked us whether we wanted to eat inside or on the patio. Since the evening was drawing on and the temperature outside was marvelous, we asked to be seated outside.

Our server gave us a quick hello, but was very busy and it took quite a while for her to return. She apologized for the delay.

In looking over the menu, both my wife and I were drawn to the Chicken Portabella Fettuccine at $19. This was described as chicken and portabella mushrooms sauteed with bacon and garlic in a roasted red pepper cream sauce. We asked whether they could prepare the dish leaving out the bacon and our server said that they would be glad to accommodate us.

The fettuccine was cooked just right and there were plentiful chunks of chicken scattered throughout the dish. The mushrooms seemed to be a little harder to find, but we did find a few little diced pieces as we enjoyed our dinner. The chicken was tender and moist and did a good job of absorbing the cream sauce.

Overall, the dish was delicious, though I ended up with a reasonable quantity of excess sauce after eating. It was a little difficult to consume the sauce using the fork and knife provided. It would have been even better if they had supplied some type of bread that we could have used for dipping the last savory bits of the cream sauce at the end of the meal. However, no bread was provided.

My wife ordered the Busted Knuckle beer from Quaff ON! Brewing Company which was a porter that they had on draft. She said that the beer tasted very good.

The outdoor patio area was between the restaurant and the next building in what was probably a former alley. They had nice lights stretched festively between poles that had been installed and a number of tables, some with umbrellas. Fortunately, the buildings on either side were quite tall, and it was late enough in the evening that we didn't need to worry about too much sun. The view of the courthouse from the patio was magnificent and it made one think they were in a European capital instead of Indiana corn country.

Near our table was a larger party of at least 10 who were quite distracting and loud. Once they finally departed, the area was much more peaceful. I highly recommend sitting on the patio.

Overall, I felt that Kinnard & Drake’s 1830 Chophouse was worth the trip. We had considered the steak, but it seemed a little pricier than what we were wanting to spend that evening, but if it's anywhere as good as their pasta, I’m sure it’s worth the price.