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Caros: Try this joint

Downtown Diner Sticks With the Basics, and the Results are Great

By Jacalyn Carfagno Jcarfagno@herald-Leader.Com

Caros calls itself "the best little joint downtown."

I don't know whether that claim can be verified, but Caros certainly would be in the running.

Sadly, there really aren't that many "little joints" in downtown Lexington, good or otherwise. So, it was nice to walk into Caros and see a real diner, with a grill along one wall, regular customers and a decidedly un-faux atmosphere.

You'll be greeted effusively, offered a sample of the soup of the day, given advice on your order and introduced to the staff, all of whom are on view behind the counter.

The food was real, too.

Don't come here looking for a spinach-walnut salad, ravioli or quiche. Do walk into Caros if you're in the mood for a hearty meal that won't be found on many diets but will leave you happy when you make your way back onto the sidewalk.

The menu is limited, arranged by price ($4 and $5) on the basic side but with a group of specialty burgers that cost up to $6.75. That higher-end burger is called the "bo'ski" and includes two quarter-pound patties on sourdough bread with slaw, lettuce, tomato, jack cheese, a special sauce and fries. "A meal in itself," the menu proclaims.

I wasn't sure I could go there, so I chose the hot country club ($5), which is ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo and jack cheese on grilled sourdough bread. With that lineup it's hard to go wrong, but Caros' sandwich had some specific things to recommend it. The bread was really grilled, not heated in a toaster, so it was deliciously crisp. The tomato tasted like a real one, not something picked long ago in a distant land and delivered here on a refrigerated truck. The other ingredients were good, too, particularly the bacon.

My companion tried the "Your Momma" burger ($5.25). The mothers in the Caros universe apparently put hamburgers on white bread not a bun because that's how this one is served. It's really a kind of grilled cheese with a burger in the middle that is stuffed with green peppers and onions. A dominant ingredient was the ketchup slathered over it all; for me, it was too sweet and overbearing.

That same flavor marked the chili. It was otherwise tasty, thick with meat, beans and tomatoes, but a bit on the sweet side for my palate.

In a world of mushy undistinguished slaws, Caros' stands out. It was chopped, not pounded, so the cabbage and carrots were distinct and crisp. There was also a light hand on the dressing, making the slaw a pleasant counterpoint to the sandwiches.

We sampled the day's special soup, steak and potato, which was heavy on the steak in a broth intensely flavored with beef fat. It would be perfect on a cold winter day.

The Caros menu says fresh brewed iced tea, and that is the truth. If you like the rich, slightly bitter flavor of real tea, they deliver it.

A couple of other points: In these, at last, pleasant days of fall you can eat your lunch on the patio Caros shares with its neighbors, a pleasant place for a break during the urban day. Caros serves breakfast, which I didn't try, from 7 to 10:30 a.m. It ranges from the basic grilled biscuits and syrup ($1.69) to two each of sausage or bacon and eggs with hash browns and toast for $3.50. I suspect it might become a popular place for those in the downtown crowd who got up too late for breakfast at home.

If you're in the mood for a basic grilled sandwich served with no pretensions and good humor in a real diner, give this little joint a try.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Caros

Address: 113 S. Upper St.

Phone: (859) 255-0039.

Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Other: Credit cards accepted; vegetarians will be challenged; nice patio.