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BY MARIA HEHMAN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

This week, Streetscapes checks out some familiar favorites for quality comfort food. With Newport’s evolution in recent years, it’s easy to overlook some staples of the city. Come grab a drink with us on York Street in Newport.

York Street

The restaurant recently launched a weekly event that lets you have a cocktail with your cocker spaniel. Tuesdays are Dog Days, meaning guests can bring their furry friend when they dine on the patio.

Purple Poulet al Kentucky dishes such as bourbon hot browns are plentiful, along with a mix of other Southern-twisted dishes.

Originally located in Dayton, Kentucky, Purple Poulet found a new home on York Street early last year. Guests looking for an intimate, upscale experience with Southern-inspired dishes need look no further.

Guests new to Purple Poulet’s York Street location may be wary, remembering the smaller space and limited seating of its former location. Not to worry, though: The new location can accommodate many more guests and larger parties, with options for private dining.

Wooden Cask

Tradition meets quirk at the quaint York Street. The interior could be used as a movie set, with its mismatched chairs and white tablecloths, bookshelves accented with Elvis Presley posters, bourbon displays, deer head and variety of statues.

You’ll feel like you’re antique shopping while enjoying a delicious dining experience.

The uniqueness of this restaurant doesn’t stop at the décor, however. Its menu changes with the season, focusing on Midwest American cuisine utilizing locally sourced food. Steaks are the stars of the menu and, along with the burgers, are the favorites of many patrons. Rotating entrees typically include meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan options that accent the flavors of the season.

While the eclectic interior is extremely inviting and cozy, warmer weather draws patrons to York Street’s ample patio, accented with flowers and offering more of a beer garden atmosphere than a traditional restaurant vibe.

Purple Poulet blends bluegrass and deep Southern culture and cooking to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to NKY. It takes the notion of Southern hospitality to an elevated, elegant level and creates an experience that is about more than just the food. Considering that its fried chicken was named the best in the state by Southern Living magazine, it can be a feat to have the entire dining experience match the level of food quality, but Purple Poulet pulls it off and marries the two elements beautifully.

Although its fried chicken is a can’tmiss order, several other items are just as brag-worthy. Fried-green tomato pie gratinee is an innovative way for guests to enjoy the Southern staple, and tradition-

Breweries are becoming as commonplace as bourbon bars in Kentucky; luckily, NKY has some of the best in the state. Wooden Cask has grown over the years, but its original location on York Street started it all.

Wooden Cask’s microbrewery serves its own small-batch beers, along with wines from owners Randy and Karen Schiltz’s Orchard Street Winery and a vast bourbon selection. Beers rotate and tend to match the season, but some fan favorites are staples of the brewery, including Girl Next Door, a traditional blonde ale, and Kentucky Farmhand, an American pale wheat.

While there may be a TV or two playing in the background, they’re not the focal point. Without the distraction of excited, loud sports fans, Wooden Cask makes for an ideal spot to converse with friends over a flight of beers.

The brewery has grown since its start over five years ago and now has a location at Newport on the Levee. Guests looking for added fun can book tickets for the Newport Gangster Tour, which celebrates the rich history of the city and features Wooden Cask as a tour stop.

What to Know If You Go:

York Street

Location: 738 York St., Newport

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.; Saturday, 5-10 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, closed Website: yorkstreetrestaurant.com

Phone: 859-261-9675

Purple Poulet

Location: 846 York St., Newport

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, closed Website: purplepoulet.com

Phone: 859-916-5602

Wooden Cask

Location: 629 York St., Newport

Hours: Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday, 3 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Monday, closed

Website: woodencask.com

Phone: 859-261-2172