Re: Charlie's Steak House in Kentucky Lives . . . under a new name in another state
2015/08/24 23:49:05
(permalink)
The story that was told to me that was that Charlie's Steak House in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was once owned by an individual named Charlie. At one point he died, and his girlfriend took over ownership. Somewhere along the way it was sold to a man and a wife, who continued to run it for years. They continued to prepare their steaks in the way that had made Charlie's famous in the region for years.
This couple owned a Greek and Italian restaurant in Springfield, Tennessee, named Tornio's. From what I gather from internet reviews, it was an OK restaurant. There was nothing particularly to distinguish it from any other Greek and Italian restaurant.
Then Charlie's burned down a few years ago. This couple then started serving steaks at their Greek and Italian restaurant, Torino's, using the same preparation techniques that had made Charlie's Steak House famous. Word-of-mouth about the steaks led people to their door, and they've been doing well ever since. They even call their steaks "Charlie's Steaks" on their menu, I guess, so there is no confusion. They are well worth seeking out, if you are in the Nashville--or southern Kentucky--area.
I've only had one or two disappointments in 25 years of going to the Charlie's Restaurant that burned down. The last time was when I took Carolina Bob there about 2007 or 2008. We drove 100 miles to get there, and they screwed things up for us; it was poorly cooked. (You know how that goes; it's happened to all of us at one time or another; you get someone to go to a restaurant you like, and then they serve you a mediocre meal.) A few days later I returned to Charlie's, and the food was great. I felt kind of bad about it, but Bob and I ate at a bunch of other great places, and soon our disappointment was forgotten.