LexGo eat: Courtyard Deli moves, The Dish closes, Alfalfa's remodels
Lexington's restaurant lineup is in flux again: Courtyard Deli is moving, after 25 years on Cheapside, to 351 Church Street, in the big white church building with Heritage Antiques. The deli closed Dec. 31 and is to reopen in late January.
Meanwhile, Javier and Aimee Lanza, owners of Sabio, are buying the former Courtyard Deli building and plan to remodel it to turn it into a bar, which will be called Centro, which means downtown in Spanish.
They hope to open in late April or early May, Javier Lanza said.
"We want a nice bar, where you can come and have a glass of wine in afternoon," he said. "A little bit sexy, a little bit big city."
They plan on having big doors that will open onto the courtyard pavilion, he said, to tap the energy of outdoor events such as Thursday Night Live.
They don't plan to have a kitchen, but they might serve food from Sabio for happy hour, he said.
No word on what might be going into Aimee Lanza's former restaurant spot, The Jax at 101 Short Street, which closed in September.
Also in transition: Bellini's, at 115 Main Street. The Italian restaurant closed Jan. 1, according to Jamie Harris, attorney for the owners of the eatery that had been open since 2003. The restaurant's management said it had "experienced decline in business due to the loss of customer parking and general failure of downtown construction project," Harris said.
The owners have been in discussion with potential buyers, and it is envisioned that the property will continue to be used as a restaurant, she said.
Also closed: The Dish, 438 South Ashland. A new restaurant is expected to lease that space soon.
And Alfalfa, 141 East Main Street, is closed for remodeling until Jan. 26.
■ If you're looking for country cooking, Ruby Jean's Café, 450 Southland Drive, has launched a new website — Rubyjeanslex.com — to make it easier to find homestyle cooking.
The restaurant, which has been open since July, features a traditional "meat and three" served cafeteria style, said owner and chef Mac McBride. "You can get lunch for under $10."
The menu rotates, with a couple of entree options each day in addition to burgers, fried catfish and veggie plate. Popular items include pot roast on Monday, bacon-wrapped meatloaf on Tuesday and Salisbury steak on Friday.
"For sides, we have anything you can think of that would be country," McBride said.
Ruby Jean's is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday and Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. It's closed Saturday. On Sunday, Ruby Jean's (named for MacBride's grandmother), offers a brunch buffet from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (859) 277-0058.
■ Grimes Mill Winery, 6707 Grimes Mill Road, is having a Barrel to Bottle event from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. There will be barrel tastings of four new wines that will be bottled soon. Barbecue and leg of lamb will be served to accompany the wine. The cost is $25, but you might get a discount on wines purchased. RSVP to (859) 543-9691 or Wine@GrimesMillWinery.com.
■ On Saturday Bakery Blessings & Bookstore @ the Bar, 1999 Harrodsburg Rd., is hosting the Kids Comedy Hour at 2 p.m. Bring your funny kid, younger than 13, with five or six clean jokes to share. Call Jan Sullivan at (859) 554-6054 for more information.
■ Larry Mac's Beer Cheese Shop, Clays Mill Road and Wellington Way, will offer 10 percent off all sandwiches and hot dogs in the deli on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition, Sondra Strunk of Sondra's Wine Creations will offer samples of her new Cinnamon Whiskey and Orange Chardonnay Wine Candies and samples of her wine jellies. And Beverly Parker, of Bev's Best Brittle will offer samples of her Peanut Brittle and her new Bourbon Brittle.
This story was originally published January 22, 2015 at 1:14 PM with the headline "LexGo eat: Courtyard Deli moves, The Dish closes, Alfalfa's remodels."