Lexington downtown

I am going to Lexington tonight - among other things, the 10th annual FARK party is at "Redmon's" - I don't know if UK has a home game or not, and I no longer know where to eat around there except for Joe Bologna's, which I figure will be slammed.

Suggestions?

UK has an away game on Saturday (Arkansas), so downtown game congestion shouldn't be an issue....I haven't eaten in downtown LEX for awhile, so I can't attest as to what's the current hot spot....DeSha's is an established downtown restaurant, featuring steaks, chops, seafood -- very good....I also recall a place nearby called, "Alfalfa" which has a more eclectic menu (including seafood)....you might want to visit http://www.tripadvisor.com and serach Lexington, KY....they have a "Restaurants" tab and will let you scan patron reviews of reaturants in the area.

I am going to Lexington tonight - among other things, the 10th annual FARK party is at "Redmon's" - I don't know if UK has a home game or not, and I no longer know where to eat around there except for Joe Bologna's, which I figure will be slammed.

Suggestions?

Well, sort of depends on what you're in the mood for. I travel to Lex often to visit friends, for law events, go to UK games, etc., and here are my favorite upscale places:

Dudley's: http://www.dudleysrestaurant.com/ (fairly traditional,long-standing Lexington institution in an old schoolhouse)
A La Lucie: http://www.alalucie.com (French bistro style)
Portofino: http://www.portofinolexington.com/ (Northern Californiaish/Italian)
Le Deauville (http://www.ledeauvilleresto.com) (French)

On a similar thread on this topic, a few folks gave a strong thumbs up to Azur (http://www.azurrestaurant.com), but I still haven't been, and I'm not sure if it's downtown or not. The above four are. Of the four, A La Lucie and Portofino are probably my favorites.

For that thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4825&p=46555&hilit=portofino#p46555

UK has an away game on Saturday (Arkansas), so downtown game congestion shouldn't be an issue....I haven't eaten in downtown LEX for awhile, so I can't attest as to what's the current hot spot....DeSha's is an established downtown restaurant, featuring steaks, chops, seafood -- very good....I also recall a place nearby called, "Alfalfa" which has a more eclectic menu (including seafood)....you might want to visit http://www.tripadvisor.com and serach Lexington, KY....they have a "Restaurants" tab and will let you scan patron reviews of reaturants in the area.

DeSha's is good. I can't really go further than that. I go there for lunch sometimes. It's pretty neat inside (two levels), but I've just never been that impressed with the food, it's not that cheap, and I've had a few VERY bad service experiences there. My mom loves DeSha tons, but I've never been a huge fan.

It is a more casual environment that the above places, but can get slammed at peak times, and I'm not sure if they take reservations or not.

Also, I really shouldn't have left off Jonathan at Gratz Park (http://www.jagp.info/). I've sat at the bar and had appetizers, drinks, and dessert, all of which were fantastic (GREAT bourbon selection), but have never eaten in the restaurant. My in-laws have (and my father-in-law is a pretty good foodie), and they loved it. It's fairly fancy, low-lighting, etc., and whether you're looking for that or not, the food is very well respected.

On a similar thread on this topic, a few folks gave a strong thumbs up to Azur (http://www.azurrestaurant.com), but I still haven't been, and I'm not sure if it's downtown or not.

It's not. Azure is out at Beaumont plaza. And yes it is VERY good.

I'll second Portofino for Italian-ish.

For more casual, we like Natasha's and Cheapside.

For pizza, Brooklyn Pizza in Victorian square is good, though Pazzo's isn't too far away.

If you're lookig for Q, Billy's BBQ is also very good. They are over in Chevy Chase.

Guys - is Joe Bologna even worth a try anymore? I remember liking them when I was in college, but I was fairly easily impressed back then. I remember they were in what used to be a church, am I remembering that right? Lots of bourbon under the bridge since then.

Guys - is Joe Bologna even worth a try anymore? I remember liking them when I was in college, but I was fairly easily impressed back then. I remember they were in what used to be a church, am I remembering that right? Lots of bourbon under the bridge since then.

Marsha - it looks like it's still there, and in the old church. http://www.joebolognas.com/index.php?well_id=10

I've never been - a colleague that went to Transy/UK said it's still okay. He didn't seem ecstatic about it, but said he ate there a lot in college and law school.

There are so many better places than DeShas and Joe Bs.

Johnathan's is hands-down my favorite restaurant in Lexington. I've never had anything that wasn't wonderful there.

I second the vote for Natashas. Delicious food and they usually have live entertainment on weekend nights. Plus they have a cute international store attached to the restuarant. They make great traditional turkish coffee too.
Other suggestions downtown (or in close proximity): Pazzos on Limestone for pizza and a great beer selection, Mai Thai on Broadway, Bellinis for Italian, Cheapside for their blue cheese burger.

Thanks, Beth. Great suggestions - of what's been mentioned, what has a price point with entrees under $17? Any idea?

Natashas, for the most part, is under that price point. I'd say their entrees are probably about $10 and up. They may have a beef dish or something that is over $17. Cheapside has really reasonable prices (they're more of a bar/restaurant), as well as Pazzos. Since it's a Friday, Cheapside will probably have a band tonight too. If Natashas has entertainment, it will most likely be more international. Sometimes they have dancers. Bellinis and Johnathons are going to have higher price points.

Thanks, Beth. Great suggestions - of what's been mentioned, what has a price point with entrees under $17? Any idea?

If < $17 is your target for entrees, you can remove "deSha's" from the list...their dinner entrees will start in the $20's and go up....

Thanks, Beth. Great suggestions - of what's been mentioned, what has a price point with entrees under $17? Any idea?

Downtown but not RIGHT downtown is Ramsey's. 496 East High Street. Reasonably priced and damn good food. Check out http://www.ramseysdiners.com. T'was always a frequent choice when I was a Lexingtonian. Also echo recommendations for Natasha's and Cheapside.

(Oops- I just bothered to scroll up and re-read the initial post - guess I was a little behind the ball here.)

So where did you end up? And how was the FARK party? Would have loved to go to that!

Guys - is Joe Bologna even worth a try anymore?

I must say that I STILL crave a Joe B. breadstick on a regular basis. Many childhood memories of eating there (at the old Southland Drive location - we're talking early 80's here).