One of Lexington’s top chefs is launching a new downtown, upscale restaurant
A Lexington chef who already operates two of the city’s busiest restaurants is the driving force behind a new upscale downtown restaurant expected to open this spring.
Cole Arimes, who owns Coles 735 Main and Epping’s on Eastside, is partnering with the developer of The Vine to open The V.
The V will be an upscale 140-seat white-tablecloth restaurant on the ninth floor with wraparound balcony seating outdoors overlooking the city. The V is part of Lexington’s first commercial-to-resident conversion, turning former offices at 106 W. Vine St. into condos, with a members-only spa and rooftop pool too. Friends and family will get a sneak peek — and taste — of what the restaurant will have to offer in April.
Arimes said he and developer Jeremy Delk will be 50-50 partners in the new restaurant, which will serve high-end fresh seafood as well as beef and lamb.
“Jeremy approached me as a restaurateur to help him develop the plans, and I think it’s a neat concept that has some potential,” Arimes said. “Lexington has been missing something more focused on seafood. And once the pool gets going, it ties into the not-quite-beachy, but coastal vibe. ... They’re tying the rooftop concept to the restaurant.”
He said both Coles and Epping’s are going strong and will continue to operate. He plans on hiring a chef de cuisine for The V to oversee day-to-day operations, as he has for his other restaurants.
Maggie Delk and her business partner, Jacquie Meriwether, say they wanted to bring something a little bit different to Lexington.
“We go to Jeff Ruby’s and Tony’s and they’re so yummy, but it’s a lot of steak and heavier meals, and we want to bring in more seafood, lighter, more unique options,” Maggie Delk said. “You definitely feel that you’re in a big city like New York, Miami or Chicago. We want it to feel like an escape, like you’re not in Lexington, we’re not going with the horse and bourbon vibe.”
Meriwether, a Lexington native who lived and worked in Washington D.C. before returning home, said the private club, complete with spa, pool and rooftop bar and lounge that also is part of The Vine will give Lexington a more comprehensive social option.
And while The V restaurant is public, club members will have perks, including priority access to VIP tables and reservations, she said.
“The appetite and the money are here,” Meriwether said. “Lexington has cultured, educated people who have been around the world. Lexington needs this place here.”
Arimes said he has been planning out a menu that will include seafood flown in fresh daily from Chicago.
“I love the classics. They are classics for a reason,” Arimes said. He’s working on a Dover sole meunière, and “a good bouillabaisse” as well as some seafood items with an Asian feel.
While the menu won’t be focused on steaks, there will be plenty for meat lovers including daily features and Wagyu beef and a bone-in ribeye. He’s also working on a Colorado lamb rack and perhaps a coq au vin or fried chicken.
The restaurant is designed around a horseshoe bar that will be the centerpiece, with cocktails and a strong wine list, he said.
“The bar’s kind of the heart of the restaurant, as it is in Epping’s and, to some extent, Coles, where regulars like to come in, chit chat and have cocktails and maybe enjoy some food. It sets the mood for the whole place,” he said.
Prices will be upper end, with special dishes like the rack of lamb in the $65-$70 range and entrees starting at around $30-$35 and up from there, he said.
But there will be a separate bar menu with less expensive options such as sandwiches and salads. “So you can come in on a weekday and grab a burger then come in on the weekend and go all-out,” he said.
With places like Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, which will be directly across Vine Street from The V, and Tony’s on Lexington as well as Dudley’s on Short, Merrick Inn, Mileta and his own Coles on Main, is there space in Lexington for another high-end restaurant to succeed?
“I think there’s plenty of guests out there,” Arimes said. “Coles will be celebrating 13 years in April and will hit half a million diners soon and we still get a lot of first-time diners.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
