In Kentucky, the foods we claim as ours, and only ours, are beer cheese, hot Browns, burgoo and spoon bread. Visitors will want to try these Kentucky specialties while in the Bluegrass.

Kentucky has several places that state tourism officials consider “signature restaurants” that are noted for serving great Kentucky cuisine in a historic setting. But there are plenty of other places that aren’t quite as famous, but offer home cookin’ — what many people consider true Kentucky food. Here are some places where you can get a taste of Kentucky:

Kathy’s Country Kitchen in Clay City (20 Black Creek Road; (606) 663-4179) has a “daily special” menu that offers pork chops, meatloaf, country-fried steak, fried chicken and a dozen or more sides (macaroni and cheese, summer slaw, green beans, tomatoes and macaroni) that closely resemble mom’s.

In Winchester, the Breaking Bread Cafe (19 Wainscott Street; (859) 771-6108) serves fried corn bread as soon as guests are seated. Fried chicken, jazzy greens, and red beans and rice are prepared by a grandpa in the kitchen.

It’s Western Kentucky that’s known for barbecue, but Central Kentucky has a couple of places that rival Owensboro hot spots.

Wholly Smokers in Georgetown is owned by two ministers and two deacons whose secret is to cook meat “low and slow.” They also serve great fried catfish.

J.J. McBrewster’s American Smokehouse in Lexington serves authentic Western Kentucky barbecue, including goat and mutton. They have a melon barbecue sauce that is worth buying by the quart. Recently, the restaurant was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on The Food Network.

Fat Boys BBQ in Georgetown (2176 Cincinnati Road; (502) 867-1031) serves pulled pork and smoked brisket, and country-fried steak and meatloaf. “Just about every Thursday,” the special is an open-faced roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy sandwich. Desserts, listed on the menu board, include corn bread cake. There’s no corn meal in the recipe, but the cook says it “just turns out looking like corn bread.”

Famous places that the Kentucky tourism folks list as great spots for authentic Kentucky food include:

• Boone Tavern in Berea (100 Main Street; 1-800-366-9358) is best known for its chicken flakes in a bird’s nest and spoon bread.
• Louisville’s English Grill at The Brown Hotel (335 West Broadway, (502) 583-1234) is where the famous hot Brown sandwich originated.
• Also in Louisville is The Oakroom at the historic Seelbach Hilton ­Hotel (500 Fourth Street; (502) 585-3200), Kentucky’s only AAA Five Diamond restaurant.
• The Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum in Corbin (688 U.S. 25 West; (606) 528-2163) is where Col. Harland ­Sanders perfected his world-famous fried chicken.
• The Old Stone Inn in Simpsonville (6905 Shelbyville Road; (502) 722-8200). was built in the early 1800s as a stagecoach stop and tavern.
• The Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown (107 West Stephen Foster Avenue; (502) 348-3494; ) is said to be the oldest western stagecoach stop in America.
• The Doe Run Inn in Brandenburg (500 Doe Run Hotel Road; (270) 422-2982). was built around 1780 as a mill near Doe Run Creek. Thomas Lincoln, father of our 16th president, is recorded as a stonemason for the structure.
• Hall’s on the River in Clark County is the home of a Kentucky phenomenon: beer cheese. The restaurant is a mile or so down river from Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky’s second settlement.
• Holly Hill Inn in Midway offers fine dining in an 1845 house in a country setting.