Charlie’s Still on Main

Charlie’s Still on Main is two very good ideas in one warm room: a from-scratch Southern kitchen and one of the most serious whiskey bars for miles. The Southern side is the real deal — smothered fried chicken, shrimp n’ grits, burgoo stew, and a proper Kentucky Hot Brown, made from fresh ingredients delivered daily and served with the kind of come-on-in hospitality the South does best. The bar side is where it gets dangerous (in the best way): a ‘Brown Water’ menu of more than 500 whiskeys, bourbons, and ryes to sip neat or on ice, which makes this as much a destination for a slow evening of tasting as it is for dinner. It’s a genuinely distinctive spot in a downtown full of good options — there’s nowhere else in Milford doing Southern comfort and a bourbon library under one roof. Come hungry, come curious, and maybe let someone else drive. On our list as the most soulful, sip-and-stay corner of Main Street.