Elk Creek Vineyards Café: A feast for eyes
By Jacalyn Carfagno JCARFAGNO@HERALD-LEADER.COM
As hunger called and stomachs turned on the twisty roads of Owen County, some grumbling arose in our car about who would want to drive all the way to Elk Creek Vineyards Café for a meal. When we came out of yet another sharp curve without a sign of the café, doubters wondered, where is it anyway?
Istanbul Palace: Another country heard from
By Linda B. Blackford Lblackford@herald-Leader.Com
Slowly, slowly but surely all the same, Lexington is turning into a layered, multiethnic restaurant town. Is it immigration, globalization, the university? Whatever the reason, as diners we should be grateful for the wide array of tastes and cultures now available.
Stella's Kentucky Deli: Made to entice
By Jacalyn Carfagno JCARFAGNO@HERALD-LEADER.COM
The hard part about eating lunch at Stella's Kentucky Deli is deciding what to order. You'll face an interesting and diverse, but not too large, menu, and it's likely you'll also have rattling around in your mind enthusiastic recommendations from friends who have eaten there. And then there are the specials.
Natasha's Bistro: Go for the goulash
Contributing Restaurant Critic
Recently my wife and I had our foodie friends from Washington, D.C., visiting, and we decided to take them to Natasha's Bistro.
Charlie Brown's Restaurant and Lounge: Vintage Lexington
Contributing Restaurant Critic
With the end of summer approaching, students are returning to the University of Kentucky. A quintessential hole in the wall and one of the campus neighborhood's longtime landmarks, Charlie Brown's has remained unchanged for years and continues to find success with its cozy couches, dim lighting and simple bar food.
Applecreek: A tangy bastion of barbecue
By Linda B. Blackford Lblackford@herald-Leader.Com
Barbecue, nectar of the meat gods, provokes a lot of passion in folks. People travel the byways for the perfect cut or sauce, argue over North Carolina versus Memphis or coleslaw versus none.
Le Bistro: Taste buds open eyes
By Linda Blackford Lblackford@herald-Leader.Com
When you walk into Le Bistro, the atmosphere is underwhelming: gray walls hung with a few arty French posters. Edith Piaf plays incessantly, in case you didn't get that this is a French restaurant. If that's not enough of a clue, there's the fairly routine French menu, fare you can find in at least two other restaurants with far more ambience.
Ginza III Hibachi Steak House and Sushi Bar: Eastern accents
By Wendy Miller CONTRIBUTING RESTAURANT CRITIC
Being blessed with our fair share of good and excellent Japanese dining, Lexingtonians don't need to leave home for wonderful encounters with this world-class cuisine. But suppose you found yourself in, say, Frankfort, with a craving for rice, raw and grilled fish, simmered noodles, delicate tempura and the performance art of the teppanyaki grill that Americans know as hibachi?
Hunan: Its name is region
By Wendy Miller Contributing Restaurant Critic
Hunan is a clean, cozy place with spanking bright walls, good distance between booths and tables, and pretty lanterns. It invites lingering, in spite of the sometimes manic speed of service, so dedicated that conversations aren't spared interruption.
Caros: Try this joint
By Jacalyn Carfagno Jcarfagno@herald-Leader.Com
Caros calls itself "the best little joint downtown."
Flag Fork Herb Farm: Lunch is a treat
By Clinton H. Comley Contributing Restaurant Critic
During autumn my Saturdays are usually reserved for one thing: college football. Yet, recently, I was compelled to venture out of the house to Flag Fork Herb Farm for lunch.
Sam's Restaurant: Homemade highlights
By Linda B. Blackford Lblackford@herald-Leader.Com
If you order a Kentucky hot brown at a place called Sam's Restaurant, well, really, you've been warned.
Cheapside Bar and Grill: A toast to the menu
By Wendy Miller Contributing Restaurant Critic
It seems a truism, at least in our fair city, that when the words bar and grill appear together, the greatest emphasis is given to the word that comes first.
Melissa's Cottage Cafe: Southern delights
By Jacalyn Carfagno Jcarfagno@herald-Leader.com
It's always embarrassing when some big news operation barges into our territory and tries to beat us on a story.
Ramsey's: Old friend on the corner
By Wendy Miller Contributing Restaurant Critic
Ramsey's downtown began its life as a funky watering hole/diner that served familiar comfort food. Since its inception in 1989, the restaurant spawned four more Lexington locations (one has closed), gained praise on the Internet, and watched development rise around it. Almost two decades later, the restaurant has become a local institution.