Genny’s Diner & Pub

SUBTITLE: Mmmmm Good.

When I first moved to Louisville about 12-13 years ago, there was a commercial that ran on late-night cable that made a lasting impression on me. If you’re from around here, you definitely know what I’m talking about. If not, please allow me to reminisce about this commercial that is sooo bad it’s good:

Picture a shirtless little person (for the un-PC crowd: Midget or dwarf) sitting in a high chair wearing not only a baby bonnet but a diaper as well. On the tray of this high chair, imagine if you will, a huge cheeseburger on the tray. Now picture a large man, who strangely (in retrospect) looks like Louisville’s own Kentucky Hammer (AKA: The Heavy Hitter, One-call-that’s-all, Darryl Isaacs) talking about his restaurant. He mentions the Frickled Pickles (battered and deep fried dill pickle chips - $8.95), the massive Sweet Daddy Platter (a 1.25 pound triple decker burger - $13.95), all the while, the “baby” would interrupt saying “Mmmmmmm Gooooood” in a monotonous voice. The commercial ends with Frank (the owner that looks like Attorney Darryl Isaacs), saying “Thank you. I’m Frank Faris. Sit anywhere you like.” Needless to say, it was a bit creepy. But memorable.

Side Note: I scoured the Internet looking for this commercial. If anyone has a copy, even if it’s on an old VHS tape, I NEED to have it! I’ll digitize it and put it on YouTube for the world to experience. It’s got to be seen by the masses.

So, Jam had never been to this Louisville institution. It doesn’t take much arm-twisting to persuade him to eat at this type dining establishment. We decided to try the “Hot Biscuits with honey” appetizer ($5.95), which should really be named “Donuts with maple syrup”. They weren’t what I expected, but nonetheless, quite tasty and would have been a great dessert. They were fried balls of dough, dusted with sugar, similar to the donuts at a Chinese buffet. I don’t know if our friendly waitress brought the wrong dippin’ sauce, but it was definitely syrup and not honey. Still, we left no trace. Jam dropped on one his Velocity (weekly paper) and promptly picked it up, and about a minute later, the place he dropped it was as clear as glass. Wow. These must be good for ya!

Josh couldn’t decide on which burger to get, and our waitress helped persuade him, by calling him out, saying the Moon Burger Platter (7 oz. double decker with Onion Rings and an additional side - $8.95) was too small for him to order. How awesome is that? He “manned” up and got the Medium Cheese Burger ($5.95) which is a 10 oz. burger with cheese with a side of steak fries, which were very big and “beefy”.
He savored each bite, remarking it was a superb burger.

I agreed. I got the same thing, but with mashed potatoes. I asked our spunky waitress if they were lumpy and she proceeded to answer with “First we chop the potatoes, then boil them, and…”, I interrupted, “Mash them, right?” She didn’t give me the answer I was looking for, and she might have been being a smart-aleck (which I always appreciate!), but I took my chances and was happy I did.

The tab was a bit higher than what we like to pay for lunch, but Jam and I both walked out stuffed, and satisfied, and we really did get to sit anywhere we liked.

Rating: 7/10

Cost: $25.44
Address: 2227 Frankfort Ave. | Louisville, Kentucky
Phone: (502) 893-0923

Rate this review: