Food Truck Friday is back; gator is on menus for Florida tailgating

The Herald-Leader’s Food Truck Friday returns from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Friday in the newspaper’s front parking lot at 100 Midland Avenue. Food trucks will include Mimi’s, Wrap N Roll, Granny Boe & Auntie Jo’s Sweet Treats, Duck’s Food Truck, Misfit Commissary, Caribbean Spice, Porterhouse BBQ and Kentucky Strong BBQ. A portion of the proceeds from this Food Truck Friday will benefit the American Red Cross and those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Parking will be available in the back of the building. Street parking is available on Indiana and Short streets.

▪  For the UK-Florida football game on Saturday, Gumbo YaYa, 1080 South Broadway and 294 East Brannon Road in Nicholasville, will have alligator sauce piquant all week. Gumbo YaYa serves it only about three times a year, so it will sell out quickly. But you can call to order for tailgating: 859-252-9292 for Broadway or 859-245-9292 for Brannon. It’s $45 for a party pack that feeds eight.

▪  Bourbon n’ Toulouse, 829 East Euclid Avenue, will continue its longstanding tradition of cooking alligator etouffée when the Wildcats play Florida in football and basketball. Co-owner Kevin Heathcoat said gator étouffée, which is available only for the three Florida games and on Fat Tuesday, is the most popular dish it serves all year. You can get it in the restaurant Saturday or place a bulk order; any bulk order of three quarts or more will get a free bottle of the hot sauce of your choice. Go to ilovecajun.com/catering for information. Call 859-335-0300 to place your order.

▪  Want to tell celebrity chef Alton Brown where to go — eat, that is? Brown will visit Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond on Nov. 16 with his Eat Your Science Tour, and he’s asking locals for recommendations for coffee, breakfast, late-night snacks and anything else you think Brown should eat while he’s in the Lexington-Richmond region. You can submit suggestions to his website or by using #ABRoadEatsEKY on his Facebook or Twitter. Brown said he will tabulate the votes each day and make his picks from the suggestions. Tickets for the Brown show are $35 to $125; tickets are available here.

▪  Chatham’s Bistro & Bar, 496 East High Street, is changing its menu to be less Southern comfort food and more casual fine dining with a French twist. New executive chef Mohammed “Mo” Mouktafi, formerly of Metropol, Le Deauville and Wines on Vine, has redesigned the menu (which retains somefavorites, including fried green tomatoes) to include filet mignon bordelaise and pork shank cassoulet. The menu launches Friday. Chatham’s hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for lunch, 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday for dinner, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for brunch. Call 859-229-6989 for reservations.

▪  Wilson Farms near Lancaster is holding its annual shrimp harvest Saturday. The harvest begins at 11 a.m. and goes until they are sold out. Shrimp are $8 a pound. For information, call 859-339-1802 or 859-792-1443. Directions: In Lancaster, go west on Highway 52 (toward Danville), turn left on Highway 1150 (near Lancaster city limit); ponds are a half-mile on left. Watch for signs.

▪  Best Friend Bar, 500 East Euclid Avenue, and GirlsGirlsGirls Burritos are hosting Burritos for a Better Lex on Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. The lunch series will benefit a different non-profit each week, including Bluegass Rape Crisis Center, FoodChain, United Way of the Bluegrass, Lexington Community Radio, Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Lexington Friends Preschool.

▪  Mirror Twin Brewing, 725 National Avenue, is hosting an anniversary celebration from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sept. 30 with special limited-edition releases, a cornhole tournament, live music, raffles and food from vendors Rolling Oven (which will have Blue Doro BBQ brisket pizza), Spotz Gelato, Chocolate Holler and Larry Mac Beer Cheese. For $30, 100 people can get a ticket that includes an anniversary T-shirt, a collector’s glass and $4 beers all day. Tickets are on sale now in the taproom.

▪  Louisville-based Texas Roadhouse also is planning a special benefit day for the American Red Cross and hurricane-affected communities from 4 to 10 p.m. Sept. 27. All of the profits from more than 500 Texas Roadhouse restaurants, including Lexington’s at 3029 Richmond Road and 3030 Lakecrest Circle, will be donated. Already, Texas Roadhouse restaurants across Texas and Florida have provided more than 50,000 meals to shelters and first-responders in the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

▪  Summer’s growing season is winding down. If you’re wondering what to do with fruits and vegetables, check out the updated “Ball Canning Back to Basics” guidebook, which breaks down every step in water-bath canning. It’s available from Oxmoor House for about $17.

▪  Jessamine Growers Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday behind City Hall at Main and Rice streets in Wilmore, will have locally grown tomatoes, green beans, squash, potatoes and other seasonal vegetables, herbs, local honey and eggs, cut flowers and perennials.

▪  Bluegrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Liquor Barn, 1837 Plaudit Place in Hamburg, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday at Azur, 3070 Lakecrest Circle, will have beans, tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, honey, jams, beef and pork.

▪  Nicholasville Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 717 North Main Street, will have tomatoes, watermelons, lettuces, squash, green beans, cucumbers, carrots, beets, greens, candy onions, flowers, jams and jellies, baked breads, black Angus beef, specialty roasted coffees and items from Kentucky artisans.

▪  Lexington Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Cheapside Park and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Southland Drive, will have okra, tomatoes, watermelon, beans, peppers, eggplant, greens, cut flowers, lettuces and tomatillos.

▪  Chevy Chase Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at 316 Ashland Avenue, will have fresh seasonal local produce, and pastured meat and eggs.

Got an item for LexGo Eat? Email food and dining news to LexGoEat@herald-leader.com. Deadline for Friday’s is noon Tuesday; deadline for Wednesday’s column is noon Friday.

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Food Truck Friday is back; gator is on menus for Florida tailgating."