Sharon Thompson: Bill's Saloon offers new fare; Seadleaf hosts Garden Grillout
Connemara Golf Course in Jessamine County is upping the score on its dining fare at Bill's Saloon.
Eric Cromer is the new executive chef at the restaurant in the 1840s plantation house on the Nicholasville golf course. Cromer is a Lexington native and graduated from the culinary institute at Robert Morris University in Chicago. He has worked in Lexington restaurants for 22 years.
His menu at Bill's will include grilled salmon salad; double Cheddar cheese sandwich topped with house-made tomato jam served on grilled ciabatta; barbecued pulled-pork sandwiches; paninis; and burgers.
Bill's Saloon is named after the late Bill Cheek, who was an avid golfer and a long-time employee of Alltech.
The restaurant is open for lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Rooms at the historic home are available for business meetings. Connemara is at 2327 Lexington Road in Nicholasville. Call (859) 885-2221 or go to Connemaragolfcourse.com.
Special events
■ Seedleaf will have a "Garden Grill-Out" on Monday to introduce neighbors to its community gardens. A party will be 6 to 8 p.m. at the North Pole Community Garden, 909 North Limestone. Free hot dogs and bratwurst from Marksbury Farm will be provided, and guests are encouraged to bring a side dish to share. Contact Seedleaf's director, Ryan Koch, at (859) 967-8865 or e-mail ryan@seedleaf.org. Cancellations due to weather will be posted on Seedleaf.org.
The North Pole Community Garden is a free, you-pick garden open to all. Neighbors are encouraged to help grow the fresh, healthy, organic produce, which anyone is welcome to harvest when ready.
Specials
■ MonTea, 814 Euclid Avenue, has a new line of loose-leaf teas for summer. To celebrate the iced-tea season, MonTea is offering 10 percent off summer teas on Friday and Saturday. Flavors include aloha pineapple fruit tea; blackberry black tea; iced lemon green/black tea; Key lime pie black tea; and tropical sunset Rooibos tea. Call (859) 268-8327.
■ Weekend specials at The Julep Cup, 111 Woodland Avenue, include Marksbury Farm grass-fed New York strip steak with crawfish cream over Weisenberger Mills grits and Southern succotash; fresh Florida pompano topped with Meyer lemon beurre blanc, served with roasted potatoes, grilled asparagus and Swiss chard; and grilled Verlasso salmon over pappardelle pasta. Call (859) 226-0300.
■ Mandarin Cafe and Sushi Bar, 2220 Nicholasville Road, in the Zandale Shopping Center, is offering new sushi rolls each week. Included are a daikon maki roll (fresh salmon, tuna, yellow tail, crab meat, cucumber and masago rolled with fresh radish); a strawberry shortcake roll (crab meat with cucumber rolled with soybean paper instead seaweed paper served with fresh strawberry and sweet mayonnaise sauce); and a Pebble Beach roll (spicy shrimp and barbecued eel inside sushi rice, with tempura flakes, spicy mayonnaise, and eel sauce). Call (859) 275-4300.
Farmers market report
■ Wagon Bones BBQ, 591 West Short Street, has a booth at Lexington Farmers Market on Saturdays at Cheapside Park. Market shoppers can pick up pulled pork, brisket or barbecued chicken sandwiches, with chips and drink, for $6. Call (859) 523-2400.
■ Bluegrass Farmers Market sells only 100 percent homegrown or locally produced items. Locations are the parking lot of Pedal the Planet and Fast Signs, 3450 Richmond Road, and Azur Restaurant, 3070 Lakecrest Circle. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Go to Bluegrassfarmersmarket.org.
This story was originally published June 19, 2014 at 9:02 AM with the headline "Sharon Thompson: Bill's Saloon offers new fare; Seadleaf hosts Garden Grillout."