Chevy Chase Inn’s new owners mark first year

Chevy Chase Inn, 833 Euclid Avenue, will celebrate a year under new ownership with a party April 16. On March 2, 2015, Kevin Heathcoat and Will Pieratt, co-owners of Bourbon n’ Toulouse, and Bill Farmer Jr. of Farmer’s Jewelry bought the Chevy Chase Inn to make sure that Lexington’s oldest bar stayed the wonderful neighborhood dive that it has been since 1933. Last year, Mayor Jim Gray honored the 82-year-old bar by declaring April 16 Chevy Chase Inn Day in the city of Lexington. For the second annual Chevy Chase Inn Day Party, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., enjoy Bloody Marys for $1; from 5 to 7 p.m. there will be a a free Cajun buffet. Live music in the evening featuring Herrington & Fields and Roger BonDurant & The Sons of the Frigidaires.

Heathcoat and Pieratt also will speak at LexTalks, 6 p.m. April 27 at The Livery, 238 East Main Street, and provide free food. The event is free, but you must RSVP for tickets. Go to the Kevin and Will of Bourbon n’ Toulouse page on Facebook for tickets.

▪  The Hyatt Regency, 401 West High Street, has revamped the menu at the BlueFire Bar & Grill, the hotel’s signature restaurant. As part of its multimillion-dollar renovation, the restaurant offers a new seasonal menu including the Hot Blue, a version of the famous Kentucky hot Brown; chicken and waffles; and pan-roasted salmon spinach fettuccine with roasted shiitake, beech, oyster and crimini mushrooms. Call 859-253-1234 for reservations.

▪  For Record Store Day on April 16, HopCat, 410 West Short Street, will give you a free order of Crack Fries with each receipt for a purchase made that day at a local record store. Dine-in only.

▪  Taziki’s Mediterranean Café, 117 Southland Drive, will have a grand opening April 18. The restaurant, which features fresh, healthy Greek-style cuisine, is open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 859-286-3082.

▪  Chef Ouita Michel has added a new entree option to her spring brunch menu at Holly Hill Inn, 426 North Winter Street in Midway. Holly Hill Inn serves a three-course brunch each Saturday and Sunday, with choice of soup or salad, entree and dessert. On Sundays, guests will find the Full Kentucky Breakfast option, with Broadbent bacon and country ham, Stone Cross Farm sausage, Clark Family Farm eggs any way, Weisenberger Mill cheese grits, pan-roasted new potatoes, local greens and apple chutney. “We’re taking full advantage of our springtime local crops, such as eggs, pork and spring vegetables,” Michel said.

All weekend, menu entrees include shrimp and grits, Clark Family Farm chicken salad, Bluegrass eggs Benedict, Shuckman’s smoked trout hash and eggs, and Sheltowee mushroom soft scramble. Optional appetizers include country ham biscuits and Stilton pimiento cheese. Cocktail specials, more than 50 bourbons, wine and beer available. Menus are subject to change.

Brunch reservations are available 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dinner reservations available beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Call 859-846-4732 or go to Hollyhillinn.com.

▪  Culinary evangelist Dan Wu is planning a Ramen pop-up dinner 7 p.m. April 23 at Creative Table Kitchen & Catering, 185 Pasadena Drive. For $30, you get a steaming bowl of killer Dan Wu original ramen and a slew of Asian small eats. Tickets are available on the Dan Wu Pop Up Ramen page on Facebook.

▪  The Upstart Crow, 101 West Short Street, has opened its second-floor dining room overlooking downtown. The area features a withdrawing room, with a 12-seat area for cocktails and appetizers. The tavern will offer sidewalk café service when weather permits and plans a Sunday brunch. Call 859-523-7146 for reservations.

▪  Bayou Rum, a pot-distilled American rum produced from Louisiana sugar cane, is now available in Lexington in a variety of flavors: Bayou Select, Bayou Silver, Bayou Spiced and Bayou Satsuma Rum Liqueur.

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Chevy Chase Inn’s new owners mark first year."