From fine weaving to fried frog legs: New Berea restaurant revives historic site

A piece of Berea’s history, shuttered in 2007, is starting a new chapter in the community.

The Churchill Weavers loom house has reopened as an upscale restaurant and event space called Honeysuckle, overlooking the Berea Country Club and Golf Course.

The building housed the first non-college industry in Berea from 1922-2007 and made much-sought woven throws and blankets. The factory closed in April 2007 and the name and looms were sold to Walcot Weavers in Indiana. But the factory’s 85 years of archives and 2,300 boxes of artifacts were purchased at auction by the Kentucky Historical Society.

In 2013, the building at 100 Churchill St. was purchased by Bill and Mary Ann West, who have opened the new restaurant.

Honeysuckle features a vibrant cocktail menu to go with mouthwatering food like a pretzel bun burger, fall-off-the-bone pork chops and deep fried frog legs.

It’s a unique take on Southern-inspired foods from Chef Josh Gardner, formerly of The Epic Cure food truck, while Dee West oversees the robust cocktail program.

Ahead of its grand opening on Jan. 26 I visited the textile plant turned restaurant for a first-bite review.

For my meal I had the 6-ounce Pinnacles burger (named after the popular hiking destination nearby) served on a pretzel bun with muenster cheese, lettuce and tomatoes with hand-cut fries, $15. My guest opted for the coffee-crusted Berkshire pork chop with collard greens and goat cheese mashed potatoes, $26.

My burger was full of flavor and the pretzel bun it was sandwiched between was both dense and tasty with a crunchy outer layer and fluffy inside. Although I’m not much of a fan of collard greens, my guest devoured every bite, even joking aboutchewing the bits left stuck around the bone.

Other “main plates” on the menu are a mozzarella-stuffed chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and served with orzo, roasted red peppers, shallots, olives, garlic and chickpeas, $23; a pan-seared trout with onions, zucchini, mushroom, broccolini and chow chow, $28; and an 8-ounce filet with fingerling potatoes, aleppo pepper, sage oil, grilled asparagus and yard onion gremolata, $40.

In anticipation of our meal my party ordered two cocktails, the Dogwood (Maker’s Mark, sage-thyme infused honey and lemon), $10; and the Kentucky Summer (Four Roses, apple shrub, ginger beer and a cinnamon apple slice), $10. Both went down extremely smooth, with the Kentucky Summer having a particularly sweet and savory aftertaste.

Other cocktails available include the Churchill (Maker’s Mark, spice syrup, house bitter blend, orange wedge and a cherry), the Southern Spell (Wild Turkey, boiled nettle syrup, simple syrup, ginger beer and dried citrus), Rufus’ S&S (dark honey whiskey, Rufus’ Sweet Lemonade, a lemon wheel and rosemary), The Mary (vodka, Mary’s House Cherry-Limeade, an orange wheel, a lemon wheel and a cherry), El’s Bouquet (Wheatley Vodka, fennel syrup, lime wedge and cranberry bitters) and the Geranium (Tanqueray Gin, butterfly pea flower, geranium syrup and an orange). All are $10. A selection of local draft beers, bottled beers and wines can be chosen as well.

Even though my party didn’t get around to having any appetizers, Honeysuckle had three small-plate options including hand-cut fries with a Parmesan truffle and herbs, $7; frog legs deep fried with a spicy maple glaze, $14; and charcuterie, $19/30.

Stuffed from our burger and pork chop, we also regrettably passed on dessert — an Ale 8 dumpling served with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Wrapping up Honeysuckle’s menu are three salads — a house salad with orange vinaigrette dressing, $7; the vegetarian harvest salad with Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, onion, garlic, kale and honey ginger miso, $9/15; and the hangar salad with hanger steak, mixed greens, chimichurri, pickled onions and a poblano ranch dressing, $17.

There’s room to seat 160 people inside Honeysuckle, however it’s currently being capped at 85 guests by ownership due to COVID-19 concerns. There’s also space out front for additional patio and fire pit seating, weather permitting. You can make reservations by calling (859) 625-2438.

Honeysuckle

Where: 100 Churchill Ct., Berea

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 5-10 p.m., closed Monday-Tuesday (expanding soon to include lunch hours Wednesday-Saturday and brunch on Sundays)

Online: Churchills.co/Honeysuckle

This story was originally published January 26, 2022 at 10:35 AM.