We had a really nice vacation visiting Kentucky in late April. Enjoyed great meals and visiting bourbon distilleries, racing activities, sight seeing, and driving thru the pretty countryside visiting distilleries and horse farms.
Since we prefer to support smaller family farms, it was great to see so many farm to table restaurants in Kentucky. Our only disappointment was not being able to visit more of the restaurants on our list.
After hearing so much about chef Edward Lee, we made reservations at both restaurants, 610 Magnolia and Milkwood.
The casual atmosphere (the lower level of the Actor’s Theater building) was very conductive to folks relaxing and having fun, lots of laughter and animated conversations. The fine cocktails may contribute to that, particularly the Toy Tiger, Southern Expansion, Evil vs. Good, and the Dead Mule.
We enjoyed the octopus bacon, pear with melted brie salad, and Vietnamese lamb sausage before our mains. The braised oxtail with black beans, cilantro spaetzle, horshrashish and hominy was a fabulous dish. Also liked the kingklip with a red curry, roasted fingerlings and cauliflower with a kalbi butter. The sorghum & grits ice cream with coconut cake, coffee syrup, croissant, and berries with good coffee was a terrific end to a fine meal.
In contrast to Milkwood, the atmosphere was fine dining at 610 Magnolia. The renovated home with a modern aesthetic in Old Louisville was a nice backdrop for the menu.
Starters were a wonderful foie gras terrine served with toasted brioche, blueberry gelee, mache, with Minus 8 vinegar and scallop crudo, crawfish and uni doughnut, uni ice, with a Creole sauce. Fabulous bread service from Blue Dog bakery. We have been trying to limit gluten intake, but the breads were so good it was worth it.
Fish courses were kingklip with 5 bean salad, warm dashi, and a fresh herb salad with basil oil and a killer dish of walleye cornmeal Johnny Cake, creamed spinach with kim chi, citrus fluid gel, miso pudding and kim chi butter.
Mains were lamb loin with a spring vegetable couscous, cucumber-mint relish, red pepper curry puree, Thai basil lamb jus and beef brisket & squab with fava bean grits, a ‘tasting of beets’, strawberry Bar-B-Q sauce, strawberry-rhubarb relish, shallot rings and cole slaw.
For dessert, a lemon pound cake, with raspberry, lavender, hazelnut, and white chocolate ice cream and a chocolate mousse with cocoa nib coulis, chocolate stones, dulce de leche, and red beet ice cream.
If I lived in Louisville, we would frequent Milkwood regularly and 610 Magnolia would be a special occasion treat. Two different meals, but I enjoyed the dinner at Milkwood almost as much for half the price.
We really enjoyed Garage Bar on our first evening in Louisville. Beautiful evening with the overhead garage doors open and a fun lively crowd of varying ages. Oysters, delicious country ham’s, and very good Neapolitan pizzas. Great and reasonable priced bourbon selection and inventive cocktails.
Silver Dollar was good, but I wanted to like it more. Felt the atmosphere and service lacked warmth, the dinner menu was limited and they were out of a few items on our visit, and the bourbons were a bit pricier that other spots.
Had a good and very inexpensive dinner at Vietnam Kitchen, when some of our other choices were closed. Only complaint was I wish the powers that be would allow BYOB. Would have loved some good wine with the dinner.
We loved our first lunch at El Taco Lunchador, we had to stop a second time. We have great Mexican in Chicago and this would hold it’s own for casual lunches.
Changed our mind about dinner at Proof on Main, but really enjoyed going to the lounge and wandering around the fun museum with drinks. I found some good bourbon values on hard to get bottles.
Had nice lunches at Wallace Station and it’s sister restaurant Windy Corner after bourbon and horse farm tours. Would recommend wend looking for good food out in the countryside. And they serve beer for those of us on vacation…
First night in Lexington was getting late for dinner and it was a long day of a tour at Claiborne Farms and a full day of races at Keeneland, so we stopped at Alfalfa, which was close to our hotel. Another place I wanted to like more, the food sounded better than it tasted. Again, wished BYOB was legal after seeing the brief wine list.
Another dinner was at the Village Idiot. Decent bourbon values. Great Brussels sprouts, OK shrimp and grits (very heavy on the grits and sauce), but the asparagus and strawberry salad barely had any of either, and the pulled pork mac & cheese was so sweet it was inedible.
We had a couple of nice afternoon stops in Lexington, first at County Club for drinks and hand cut fries on their lovely patio on a perfect afternoon. This was on my list for dinner, but the dinner options were limited, which resulted in the Village Idiot audible based on some local recommendations. Awesome atmosphere, would gladly return for drinks. We also enjoyed visiting West Sixth Brewery after enjoying their beer at El Taco Lunchador.
Had a quick lunch at Tortilleria y Taqueria Ramirez. Didn’t stand out for a Chicagoan, good, but wouldn’t go out of my way.
610 Magnolia
610 W. Magnolis St, Louisville, KY 502.636.0783
Milkwood
Actor’s Theater, 316 West Main, Louisville, KY 40202
Garage Bar
700 E Market St, Louisville, KY, 502.749.7100
Silver Dollar
1761 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206, 502.259.9540
El Taco Luchador
938 Baxter Ave, Louisville, KY 40204, 502.583.0440
Vietnam Kitchen
5339 Mitscher Avenue, Louisville, KY 40214, 502.363.7535
Proof on Main
702 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202, 502.217.6360
Wallace Station
3854 Old Frankfort Pike, Versailles, KY 40383, 859.846.5161
Windy Corner
4595 Bryan Station Rd, Lexington, KY 40516
County Club
555 Jefferson St., Lexington, KY 40508, 859.389.6555
Tortilleria y Taqueria Ramirez
1425 Alexandria Dr., Lexington, KY, 859.455.9237
The Village Idiot
307 W Short Street, Lexington KY, 859.252.0099
Alfalfa
141 East Main Street, Lexington, KY, 40507, 859.253.0014
West Sixth Brewing
501 W. 6th Street, Lexington, KY 40508, 859.705.0915
