Every once in a while, traveling to a faraway place can bring a change of perspective. This is as true for dining as for anything else. It was with that in mind that I found myself crossing the State Street bridge and heading for The Cabin Restaurant at the head of Old Louisville Road. While some won’t want to confess to visiting certain nearby establishments, everyone will admit that there is certainly life on the other side of the river. The journey isn’t far, but travelers would be advised to bring their own provisions.

The Cabin is a diner-style restaurant, with an open, airy, wood-paneled cabin-ish dining room.

It’s a very pleasant area, and a nice space in which to eat. The new owners offer a full range of breakfast items, including omelets, meats, pancakes and Waffle House-style hash browns with a variety of toppings. The lunch menu has a wide variety of sandwiches, burgers, chicken, steaks and pork.

Side items, such as fries, onion rings, corncakes, baked potatoes and rolls are extra.

There is also an “appetizer menu,” with jalapeno poppers, cheese sticks and other fried items one might find in the freezer section of Sam’s Club. The staff is friendly and outgoing, and everyone was friendly and welcoming.

Dinner is a typical “meat and three” menu of barbecue, ham, tenderloin, country fried steak, chicken, chops and a few other meats. I sampled a pretty wide variety of items, including the fried chicken, grilled cheese, the country fried steak sandwich and the ribeye.

Although the layout, the space and the staff are wonderful, there isn’t really much to recommend the food here.

The french fries were lukewarm, despite my table being one of only two with customers in the room. The fried ribeye steak was thin and small, which makes cooking the meat to anything but “well done” nearly impossible. The country fried steak sandwich was made better with a healthy addition of ketchup, and the grilled cheese was OK.

All the food was just that - OK.

The best item of the meal was the fried chicken strips, which were tender and crispy.

The batter had a bit of a pepper flavor to it, with just the right amount of salt. Not too thick, not too thin. I liked it, but have certainly had better.

When asked if the batter was homemade, the waitress confessed to not knowing how long it had been since they had made a fresh batch, so she wasn’t certain. Maybe that’s their secret.

This is an ideal location for a diner, despite the surroundings.

The area immediately across the river, long a place to avoid for most, looks poised to make an economic comeback. More and better restaurants will help draw people to the area for something other than the “entertainment.”

Sitting across from a motel, and on one of the main thoroughfares into town, The Cabin ought to be able to snare incoming traffic in the morning, and outgoing in the evening and enjoy great success. But not with food that’s mostly OK.

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235 or via e-mail to malexieff@bgdailynews.com.

THE CABIN RESTAURANT

1567 Old Louisville Road