Home Ace Issues Lexington Restaurant News 2.2.2015

Lexington Restaurant News 2.2.2015

Ace Eats Out: Lexington Restaurant News: Births, Deaths, Moves, and Events

Alfalfa was just temporarily closed in January for remodeling. Nobody panic, those buckwheat blueberry pancakes aren’t going anywhere.

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Athenian Grill is still growing, with a new cart in the new Disco Kroger and a new location coming soon.

In addition to a food cart/kiosk at the newly opened Disco Kroger on Euclid, Athenian Grill is opening up a second location just off of Richmond Road, on Locust Hill Drive. The new restaurant will feature an expanded menu, including upscale specials like lamb chops. Athenian Grill’s food truck will also be roaming around more with Spring on the way; you can discover where they’re located by visiting their Facebook page.

Bellini’s, a longtime Italian staple on Main Street, just across from the CentrePointe crater, closed last month. The restaurant opened in 2003.

Chew, a new dinner series, will celebrate local Lexington dining throughout 2015. Chew is a quarterly dinner series “that celebrates local neighborhoods with chef-drive farm to table dinners through a locally sourced, seasonal menu and local beer, wine, and spirit pairings.” A portion of proceeds go to the LexEffect Giving Fund. The Winter meal was on January 22 at ArtsPlace. The Spring meal will be on May 20th at the Loudon House. The Summer and Fall meals will take place at Gratz Park and Middle Fork.

Courtyard Deli, a 25-year mainstay of Cheapside Square, is moving to Church Street. In its former location, Aimee Lanza (former proprietor of the now-closed Jax), plans to open a bar called Centro.

Lexington culinary empire builder Ouita Michel has opened a Kentucky Proud-certified cafe at Woodford Reserve Distillery. Glenn’s Creek Cafe in the Distillery’s visitor center will serve sandwiches, soups, and salads, as well as Kentucky Proud sweets from Michel’s Midway School Bakery and a coffee menu featuring bourbon specials like the Bluegrass Mocha with bourbon-scented fudge sauce (closed on Sundays in the winter).

Both Great Harvest Bread Company locations in Lexington have closed down.

In January, Mad Mushroom opened up a new franchise at 1093 South Broadway Road, near Gumbo YaYa and First Watch.

Pies & Pints has opened in the former Victorian Square, now The Square. The pizzeria offers craft pizza and craft beer.

On February 4, Rooster Brew in Paris will host a spaghetti dinner to benefit PAWS (Paris Animal Welfare). On February 27, they will host Smokin’ Blues and Brews with music from Willie Eames and Lyles BBQ on site.

This article also appears on page 12 of the February print edition of Ace.
This article also appears on page 12 of the February print edition of Ace.

Sweet Blessings celebrates its fourth anniversary by participating in an all-day bake-a-thon on February 24. Volunteers will try to bake and decorate 100 birthday cakes in a single day for children in need. The bake-a-thon is at Maxwell Presbyterian Church on 180 E. Maxwell Street. It starts at 9 am on Tuesday, February 24th, and continues until the last cake is finished 24 hours later. Sweet Blessings is a nonprofit organization creating specialty birthday cakes for children ages 4 to 17 who are facing a life-threatening illness or poverty. The fourth annual “Great Cake Race” 5K/1-mile fun walk is the day after Derby, Sunday, May 3 at Keeneland, to benefit Sweet Blessings.

Students at The Learning Center at Linlee (a Fayette County Public Schools program located on 2420 Spurr Road, off of Georgetown Road) have launched World Café and Bistro. They prepare fresh food daily for breakfast and lunch for fellow students. The program aims to be self-sustainable, and they’re looking for help from the community to be able to purchase kitchen supplies like pots and pans. To donate, or for more information contact Mojgan Martin at mojgan.martin@fayette.kyschools.us.

Eating Out for Valentine’s Day?

A full lineup of local offerings will be posted on aceweekly.com, but a sampling includes:

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Azur will offer three days of a four-course menu Friday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 15. Couples are invited to design their own prix fixe dinner from menu options like grilled oysters, Caesar salad, Mongolian-braised brisket and Amaretto-chocolate torte.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Buffalo Love, a unique dinner featuring Buffalo Trace’s bourbons at Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Jean Farris Winery will offer a three-course prix fixe menu Valentine’s weekend.

Rooster Brew at 609 Main Street in beautiful downtown Paris will host a special Valentine’s dinner, with a seating limited to 12 couples so register early, 859 707-3436.

Winchell’s Valentine menu will include shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, brie salad, sauteed scallops, tenderloin tips, stuffed pork tenderloin, red velvet cake and tiramisu.

This article appears on page 12 of the February 2015 print issue of Ace.

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To submit a Lexington, Kentucky food, wine, or spirits news item for consideration in Ace’s Best Bites, email acelist at aceweekly.com. To submit a Lexington Food, Wine, or Spirits Event to be considered for the Ace calendar,  please go to the Ace online calendar, and click “Submit” (upper right on the Menu bar). For Lexington restaurant advertising, call Ace Advertising at 859.225.4889 x229.