Woodford County restaurant boom continues with upscale Italian coming to Versailles
Woodford County is going through a restaurant renaissance and it’s even attracting attention to Thoroughbred farm country from out of state.
A Pittsburgh-based Italian restaurant is planning to open its first location outside of Pennsylvania in the former Versailles police department building.
Vallozzi’s, an upscale family-owned Italian restaurant, will open later this year at 108 Court St., next to the Amsden Bourbon Bar. The owners hope to open the restaurant in the fall in time for the Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland Nov. 4-5.
New Versailles, Woodford County restaurants
It’s part of a host of new restaurants opening in Woodford County this year, including some in Midway, according to Emily Downey, president and CEO of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce:
▪ Former Oaklawn Park (now Santa Anita) track announcer Frank Mirahmadi and Hot Springs restaurateur Anthony Valinoti are opening a brick-oven pizza restaurant.
▪ Best Donut, a regional chain, in mid-March opened a location in Versailles at 221-A N. Main St.
▪ Kristen’s Kreations, a full-scale bakery that specializes in occasion cakes, opened in March at 110 S. Main St. in Versailles.
▪ The Woodford Inn at 140 Park St. in Versailles recently reopened with dinner and brunch service.
▪ TastyTown Bakery, a home bakery based in Versailles, recently opened an online shop specializing in decorated cookies, cheesecakes and dog treats.
▪ Biggby Coffee, a drive thru chain, also is coming to Versailles, Downey said.
▪ The Black Type Co., a coffee, tea, wine and bourbon shop, has opened at 137 E. Main St. in Midway.
How Vallozzi’s Italian restaurant came to Versailles
The owners of the Amsden Bourbon Bar, which opened in 2017, are partnering with the Vallozzi family to bring the new restaurant to Versailles.
Jon Rabinowitz said that he and business partners Adrian Mendiondo, Mike Morgan, Mike Hall, Charlie O’Connor and Shawn Freibert bought the building after the police department moved about a year ago. They began talking with several different potential restaurants in Saratoga and other cities. But it was ultimately a family connection that led them to Vallozzi’s.
Rabinowitz said that he and his wife, Kelly have know the Vallozzi family for decades. “We knew they had an incredibly successful set of restaurants,” Rabinowitz said. Last year, when Kelly’s father died, Julian Vallozzi came to Kentucky for the funeral.
The evening before, they held a small family wake at the Amsden Bourbon Bar and Vallozzi learned about their new venture. “He said he was looking to expand out of state for the first time,” Rabinowitz said. “The stars aligned.”
Vallozzi’s Italian restaurant menu
The historic building is being renovated but the facade will stay. Inside, the two-story restaurant will include an event space on the upper floor, bars on both, and outdoor seating behind the building with plans for a firepit and bocce ball court.
Julian Vallozzi said that the menu is being developed and plan to be open for lunch and dinner. The menu at Pittsburgh Vallozzi’s includes pasta and veal Parmesan, stuffed chicken Parmesan, pork shank, crab cakes, a 10-ounce filet and fresh fish. A location in Greensburg, a suburb of Pittsburgh, is less formal, with pasta, sandwiches and entrees including eggplant Parmesan, roasted salmon and grilled steak pizzaiola.
“It won’t be quite as high-end as our Pittsburgh location because we’re very mindful of the family element in Versailles. We don’t want to be just special occasions and business dinners,” Vallozzi said. “We want families to feel comfortable, with a great meal for the parents but something for the kids as well.”
This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
