The porch light of the cove

Cedar Cove Taproom is the easygoing lakeside spot at the end of Lakeshore Bend — the kind of place you drift into after a long day on the water, still in your flip flops with the boat tied up down the road. Here the craft pours stay cold, the kitchen turns out solid comfort food, the big screens never miss the game, and the company is always good. It's not trying to be anything more than the best seat in Pine Hollow to watch the sun go down with a full plate and a cold mug.

Cedar Cove Taproom started with a simple idea: after a long day on the water, folks shouldn't have to drive thirty minutes for a cold pour and a good plate. So we took a tired old boathouse at the end of Lakeshore Bend, put a real kitchen in it, hung string lights over the deck and opened the doors.

These days the parking lot fills up with trucks pulling trailers, ball teams still in their jerseys and families who just wanted somewhere easy for supper. The taps run Kentucky craft, the grill runs all day, and nobody looks twice if you show up in flip flops with lake hair.

We're not trying to be fancy. We're trying to be the place your neighbors mention when somebody asks where to eat — the spot with the patio breeze, the game on, and a table that's yours as long as you want it.

Cold drinks, solid food, easy company. That's the whole plan.