Sneak peek at one of Lexington’s most anticipated, glamorous Italian restaurants
Cue the jet set, a glamorous new fine dining venue is opening in downtown Lexington, with a decidedly Rat Pack flair.
Frank & Dino’s, an upscale Italian restaurant, is opening next week at 271 Short St. in the historic Security Trust Building, right in the heart of one the hottest dining districts in the Central Kentucky.
LexGoEat.com had a sneak peek at the renovated bank-turned-bar that is a sister restaurant to one in Boca Raton, Fla.
Owner Carlo Vaccarezza, a racehorse owner and breeder, wanted to bring his old-school Italian menu to Lexington, where he comes for the horse sales and for racing.
He’d hoped to open the much-anticipated restaurant last fall, before the Keeneland sales, but the pandemic, construction and shipping delays pushed the opening back a year.
When will Frank & Dino’s open?
The fancy new restaurant will have an invitation-only soft opening the weekend of Aug. 20 and will open to the public with limited capacity, by reservation only, on Aug. 23. It will be open seven days a week, for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and for brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday, Vaccarezza said.
“It’s traditional Italian,” he said of the menu, which features many items imported from Italy.
Vaccarezza said he’s been coming to Keeneland for many years and loves Kentucky but felt the city lacked a fine-dining Italian restaurant. “I felt it was an opportunity to open a place here in Lexington,” he said.
At full capacity, Frank & Dino’s will seat more than 200, with a private Sinatra Room that can seat about 60 and a semi-private room for about 30. There also will outdoor sidewalk seating as well as bar seating, which has TVs.
The restaurant features an elegant palette and subdued decor, punctuated by large framed photos on the walls of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other members of the Rat Pack, including Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis Jr. The Sinatra Room features photos of Sinatra and various influential women in his life, including his mother.
Vaccarezza, an Italian immigrant who cooked for Sinatra during the 1980s and ‘90s, wanted to bring the authentic, traditional cuisine of Naples and Southern Italy to Lexington.
Frank & Dino’s menu
The menu features antipasti and appetizers such as the Pepperoncini Ripieni, breaded and fried long hot finger peppers stuffed with sausage and served with spicy marinara, $18. Or Vongole Oreganata, fresh clams from Long Island topped with seasoned breadcrumbs, $20. Or go big with the Polpette di Carne Damiano, a 23-ounce meatball served with ricotta cheese and San Marzano sauce, $19.
Specialty dishes include pastas such as the Fagottini Sinatra, purse pasta filled with mascarpone and parmesan cheese, pears and topped with gorgonzola sauce with asparagus tips and toasted almonds, $31.
The Dentice Francese, fresh yellowtail snapper file dipped in egg and sauteed in a light white wine, lemon butter sauce, $42.
Or the Braciola di Maiale Scarpariello, a pork chop pan toasted, topped with potatoes, sausages, peppers, black olives and a touch of balsamic vinegar, $38.
The signature dish of the restaurant is the Costoletta Parmigiana, milk-fed veal pounded, breaded and lightly fried, topped with pomodoro sauce and fresh mozzarella, $48.
“It’s humongous,” he said.
The restaurant will have live music on week nights and will have a happy hour with half-price drinks and bar snack menu.
Brunch will lean into Vaccarezza’s Thoroughbred roots, with dishes named for horses, such as his Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Little Mike, and pizzas.
Frank & Dino’s will join downtown’s “Restaurant Row,” which includes Agave & Rye, Creaux, Postmaster’s Pub, Horse & Jockey, Dudley’s on Short, ELIXIR, Zim’s, School Sushi, Corto Lima and more. ItalX and Lockbox in the 21c Museum Hotel also are nearby.
Frank & Dino’s Lexington
Where: 271 W. Short St
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for lunch, 4 to 11 p.m. daily for dinner, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for brunch
Phone: 859-303-4007
Reservations: Yes, by phone
Online: frankanddinos.com
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
