Kentucky hyperlocal farm-to-table restaurant menu often changes with daily delivery
When it comes in the door, it goes on the menu.
Those pea shoots garnishing the mushroom toast were picked from a garden bed across the street a few hours ago. That golden yolk atop the croque madame might’ve come a hen less than a mile away. Beef coming from a farm down the road and mushrooms from Berea. Last summer, some locals would simply drop off produce.
“I just try and stay on my toes,” said Jon Baugh, the chef at Solidago — a Garrard County farm-to-table restaurant that transforms hyperlocal ingredients into elevated plates. “Whatever I can get I just try and get it on the menu as quick as possible.”
The menu is written in chalk above the bar because it can change daily, depending on what’s in season and what ingredients are available, Baugh said. In the spring, customers could expect asparagus, mushrooms, strawberries and various garlics and onions to be available.
“Salads tend to change quite a bit seasonally, obviously, because lettuces and all those ingredients change very seasonally,” said Baugh, who noted that it’s often easier to get fresh, local meat than produce.
Speaking to Solidago’s local mission, the restaurant’s name is the scientific name for goldenrod, Kentucky’s state flower. The restaurant is located in Paint Lick, a historic village along a picturesque creek nestled among green, rolling hills about 45 minutes south of Lexington on I-75. The restaurant posts a picture of the day’s menu on its Facebook and Instagram pages for those looking to find out what’s available before the drive. And starting June 19, the restaurant will be changing hours to include regular dinner service.
Despite the changing options, the menu does have some continuity. The entrees tend to stay under $20. Soup beans ($12) and a cheeseburger ($13) will always be available. Aside from that, Baugh said trout tends to stay on the menu and anytime he does some form of grits — like paired with catfish or pork — it gets quickly eaten.
From Michelin-star kitchens to Paint Lick
A multi-state culinary career has taken Baugh, a Lexington native, from Michelin-star kitchens to more recently helping run Ouita Michel’s Holly Hill Inn until an intriguing possibility came along.
The opportunity at Solidago came after he met Mark Gumbert, the business and building owner who had planned to open a farm-to-table restaurant in the space. Gumbert also owns a neighboring environmental consulting company, the nearby Denny House Bed and Breakfast — where some of the restaurants’ ingredients are grown.
After hearing Gumbert’s vision, Baugh said he was sold and the restaurant opened a year ago.
“After working in the industry for so many years, I think I’d really decided that I just really wanted to cook food for normal people and just cook really good honest food,” Baugh said. “And that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Alcohol sales allowed: Garrard County is now moist
For much of the restaurant’s existence, the one thing you couldn’t get at Solidago was an alcoholic drink but that may soon change.
Paint Lick was dry, but in May the local community voted to allow alcohol sales in the historic village. Garrard County is considered “moist” as aside from the area around Paint Lick alcohol can only purchased in Lancaster, the county seat.
“It’s really hard to make it profitable here without alcohol,” Baugh said before the May election. “So we’re really hoping the community will show out.”
Solidago
Where: 467 Main St, Paint Lick
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; Dinner, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m Friday-Saturday
Contact: (859) 925-2000
Online: solidagoky.com
This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 6:00 AM.