Destination Lexington | Horse Racing Free Tips

Destination Lexington: The Brewgrass Trail

Since the conclusion of a dazzling Keeneland September Yearling Sale, buyers and sellers alike have been eager to return to Lexington for the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. There may be no better time of year to visit the Bluegrass as the vibrant trees in a kaleidoscope of fall hues serve as the backdrop for the some of racing's most talented broodmare prospects, stallion prospects and horses of racing age, as well as proven broodmares and promising weanlings.

After a long day spent combing through the expansive catalogue of breeding stock on offer, salesgoers are drawn to step out of the crisp November air and warm up with a good drink. While bourbon is unabashedly the beverage associated with Lexington, the growing city also has much to offer for the craft beer connoisseur.

Thirsty travelers can choose from nearly 30 breweries on Lexington's 'Brewgrass Tail' to sample a broad array of flavorful, locally-made craft beers

West Sixth Brewing

West Sixth Brewery is a go-to spot for Lexington residents to relax and enjoy themselves | Katie Petrunyak

501 West Sixth Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508

Almost any craft beer fanatic from Lexington will point a newcomer toward visiting West Sixth. The bustling brewery features a wide variety of brews while the laid-back but upbeat atmosphere of both the indoor taproom and the outdoor beer garden provides an ideal setting to unwind among friends. Tours are offered on weekends for visitors hoping to get an in-depth look at the production facility before they sit down with a flight.

West Sixth is located in a 100-year-old building known as the Bread Box, originally home to the Rainbo Bread Factory. Today, beer is brewed, canned and distributed out of this location and in just a short time, the brewery's brand has exploded in popularity to become a household name in Lexington.

Kelly Hieronymus is the Creative and Marketing Director for West Sixth and has been with the brewery since its inception.

“West Sixth was founded in 2012 by four different owners-Ben, Brady, Joe and Robin,” she shared. “Their main goal was to bring craft beer to Lexington. Prior to that, there wasn't really a lot on the craft beer scene in Kentucky, much less the city itself. They opened the brewery with the hope of creating a community hub where people can gather and have craft beer that is sustainable and well-made so that they could be really proud of the product.”

As West Sixth approaches its tenth anniversary in a few month, their product is now distributed throughout the state of Kentucky and in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“Our ultimate goal is to become the craft beer of Kentucky,” Hieronymus said. “We want you to come into state lines, come into Lexington and immediately crave a West Sixth.”

The brewery's flagship beer that is available year-round, and one that is a must-try for newcomers, is an India Pale Ale.

“It's bright, forward and has a lot of grapefruit notes to it,” Hieronymus explained. “It's a little bit addictive.”

Two other popular flagship beers at West Sixth are the Amber Ale and the Cocoa Porter. Rotating varieties include the Cerveza, a light Mexican-style lager, the Berliner Weisse Sour, a sour German ale, as well as the Pennyrile Pale Ale. Throughout the year, seasonal beers are also offered. This fall, the Dankechain Oktoberfest has been a sought-after addition.

“It's a lager style so it has a nice, clean taste throughout the entire beer,” Hieronymus said. “It's a really beautiful beer; it's amber in color. It has a lot of crisp, biscuit-like notes to it.”

In addition to their home base in Lexington at the Bread Box, West Sixth also has locations in Louisville and at West Sixth Farm, a 125-acre property with a seasonal taproom in Frankfort, Kentucky.

West Sixth puts a heavy emphasis on its efforts in presenting a Kentucky Proud product–one that is produced and processed in Kentucky by Kentuckians.

“We employ over 80 employees throughout Kentucky, both in our taprooms and in back-of-house production,” Hieronymus noted. “To us, employing people and being a good steward of our state is the number one reason why we promote being Kentucky Proud. It's about being a place that evokes good memories for people and it's a product that people can be proud of.”

West Sixth also works to create a positive social impact on their community with the profits made through their Sixth for a Cause Foundation. Through various programs, money is raised for various nonprofits in the Lexington area. The brewery hosts monthly events where a percentage of the daily sales go to a nonprofit. In addition, for every six-pack of West Sixth's Pay It Forward Cocoa Porter purchased, 50 cents goes to a nonprofit that the company's staff votes upon.

“We're always trying to find new and exciting ways to be a megaphone for nonprofits in our community,” Hieronymus said.

Beyond raising money to better the community, West Sixth also hosts a weekly run/walk club and a community yoga night, among other entertaining events, in an effort to welcome guests both native to Lexington and those in town looking to get a taste of what the Bluegrass has to offer.

“We want to be a place for folks to gather,” said Hieronymus. “It's family friendly, both day and night. There's always a rotating cast of characters behind the bar or enjoying a beer. It's a great place to come by yourself and bring a laptop to work, sit at the bar and chat with one of our bartenders. It's also a great place to gather with your friends. We want folks to come in and immediately feel invited by the smell of beer and find something on the board, even if they're not a typical craft beer drinker, that they'll love. We want to make a really good craft beer for the state of Kentucky.”

At Blue Stallion Brewing, guests can sit down and enjoy a drink while watching all the beer-making action| Katie Petrunyak

Blue Stallion Brewing

610 West Third Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508

Founded by five brothers in 2013, Blue Stallion Brewing specializes in crafting quality British ales and authentic German lagers by focusing on traditional brewing techniques and ingredients. Nearly 20 different brews on tap offer options for everyone.

The Dunkel is one of the most popular choices at Blue Stallion. The classic dark lager is heavy on Munich malts to give the brew a bread-like taste with some carmel notes as well.

The fun, easygoing atmosphere at Blue Stallion's taproom is brought on by an array of lounge-type seating and a high-top bar, plus an outdoor patio, and it's a popular spot to bring a group of friends to strike up a game of pool, shuffleboard or darts or to watch racing and sporting events. Food trucks are a common appearance at the brew pub, which also holds various events each month including their well-attended Sunday Trivia nights. Visitors can enjoy their drink of choice while checking out the brewing equipment, which is adjacent to the tasting room, and four-legged friends are welcome at this laid-back taproom.

Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling is one of three locations for the growing company | Katie Petrunyak

Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company

401 Cross Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508

Alltech Brewing is the oldest craft brewery in Lexington, founded in 1999 by Irish entrepreneur Pearse Lyons, and is one of the few operations that doubles as a brewery and a distillery. Naturally, the brewery is known for its bourbon-barrel ales.

Their signature Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale is the flagship beer here and is a go-to for barrel-aged beer fans. With notes of oak, vanilla, carmel and toffee, this ale has received nearly a dozen awards, most recently including the 2019 USA Beer Ratings Silver Medal and the 2017 Kentucky Living's Best in Kentucky.

The company offers year-round tours through the Kentucky Bourbon Trail experience and is the only location along the trail where visitors can sample both bourbon and beer. During the hour-long tour, guests have the opportunity to walk through the state-of-the-art beer and bourbon-making facilities before receiving four tokens to select their bourbon and beer samples of choice. At the Visitor Center, guests can relax in front of the expansive bar or outside in the beer garden.

Alltech also has award-winning craft distilleries in Pikeville, Kentucky at the Dueling Barrels Brewery and Distillery as well as in Dublin, Ireland at the Pearse Lyons Distillery at St. James.

The Keeneland Fall Ale | Keeneland

Country Boy Brewing

436 Chair Avenue, Lexington, Kentucky 40508

101 Innovation Way, Georgetown, Kentucky, 40324

Cougar Bait American Blonde Ale, Shotgun Wedding Vanilla Blonde Ale, Cliff Jumper IPA and Halfway Home Pale Ale. The names of Country Boy's four flagship beers are enough to inspire most anyone to visit. But the brewery itself, which started in Lexington in 2012 by four Kentuckians, is all about bringing family and friends together to enjoy minimally-processed beers made with high-quality ingredients.

In 2017, Country Boy broke ground on a second location in nearby Georgetown, Kentucky to offer additional capacity of 1,000 barrels of fermentation space. Today, both the Lexington and Georgetown locations are open for visitors and offer food from 'The Kitchen,' a Kentucky delicatessen that presents everything from nachos and pretzel bites to flatbreads and veggie wraps.

Country Boy Brewing has an ongoing partnership with Keeneland in which they annually release a Keeneland Fall Ale in celebration of Keeneland's fall racing and sales season. This year's edition is a traditional American Pale Ale that features a fruity nose with notes of candied orange and papaya. It is available on draft at bars and restaurants in Lexington and is also served at Keeneland throughout the Fall Meet and the November Sale.

The Keeneland Fall Ale is also available at the Keeneland Mercantile in downtown Lexington as well as local grocery and package stores. For each case sold, one dollar is donated to the Blue Grass Farm Charities Back to School Backpack Program.

For a complete list of breweries in Lexington and to learn more about the craft beer scene in Central Kentucky, go to Visit Lex's Brewgrass Trail page here.

The post Destination Lexington: The Brewgrass Trail appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Destination Lexington: Downtown Midway

On a sunny Friday in August, a vanload of a dozen wide-eyed tourists step onto Main Street in Midway, Kentucky. The picturesque town with a population of fewer than 2,000 is easy to miss passing through, but for travelers who do happen upon it, the charming community is one they'll soon be eager to revisit.

“This is just a lovely town,” said one woman from Kansas after touring Midway's historic downtown for the first time. “It's amazing how clean the storefronts are and how friendly all the owners are.”

“There's a lot of things to see and do,” her travel companion added. “The people are very nice and it's been wonderful. To be able to get an old-fashioned soda just made our day.”

The sodas she mention come from Railroad Drug and Old Time Soda Fountain, a family-run, full-service pharmacy with an old-time soda fountain that offers a variety of delicious treats and harkens a bit of mid-20th century nostalgia.

Those who stop in to satisfy their sweet tooth can gather outside at the shaded benches along the shop's storefront. If they visit at just the right time, visitors will catch a glimpse of the train that runs through the middle of Main Street–also known as Railroad Street– each day.

Historic Midway was the first town in Kentucky established by a railroad. In 1835, the Lexington and Ohio Railroad's line from Lexington to nearby Frankfort was completed and the first steam locomotive rolled through Midway, the half-way point between the two cities.

Midway was the first town in Kentucky to be established by the railroad. | Katie Ritz

At that time, the land the railroad sat upon was owned by Colonel John Francisco.

“When the train came through, it ruined so much of his topsoil that he was going to sue the railroad,” said Leslie Penn, who along with her husband Bill owns the Historic Midway Gift Store and is known amongst locals as the town's resident historian. “To avoid a lawsuit, they paid him $6,500 . Who knows where he went with that money, but he was gone. Then the train owned all the property. They blocked off the streets, named them after board members of the railroad and sold off the lots.”

The town continued to prosper and during the 1930's and 40's, up to 30 trains a day would pass through town. But as the railroad's heyday began to dwindle later in the century, fewer passenger trains came through until in 1963, Midway's depot closed.

Penn can remember the time when Midway's downtown was much less than the hive of activity that now attracts visitors from across the state and beyond.

“At one time there were very few shops downtown and there was only one restaurant,” she said.

As the dawning of the 21^st century approached, efforts were made to revitalize the heart of Midway. In 1978, 176 buildings in Midway were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Penn and her husband were among the leaders to head the charge in restoring downtown. In 1995, the couple purchased an old building along Main Street and transformed it into what is now Historic Midway Gift Store, a popular stop for both tourists and locals that offers handmade crafts and gifts, jewelry and a variety of books on the history of Midway, informational texts on Central Kentucky Horse Country, guides to Southern cooking and more.

“This building was an old saloon and was built in 1880,” Penn said. “We had to renovate upstairs, put in electricity and take out the red shag carpet. We really found a lot of history in the building.”

Another shop a few yards down the street called gigi & george offers a combination of unique antiques and locally-made crafts.

“We like to say that we're a curious mix of old and new,” shop owner Morgan Castle said. “I started out with a passion for antiques and now all of our new things come from other small businesses. We've been here about two and a half years.”

While Castle's collection of antiques is constantly revolving as items are purchased and she brings in new treasures, she said they always has a few pieces that will attract the eye of a horse racing fan.

This summer, she offered a pair of chairs that were in the original sales pavilion at Keeneland up until the facility was remodeled in the 1970s. Castle said the vintage pieces are made of Indiana hickory.

Gigi & George is described by the owner as “a curious mix of old and new.” | Katie Ritz

She also recently displayed an original painting of Hanover, a champion bred by Runnymede Farm who won his first 17 races in the mid-1880s and went on to become a leading sire in North America.

Any true equestrian will be drawn in by the lush smell of leather when passing by Freedman's Harness and Saddlery. The company specializes in saddles and tack for saddleseat and driving-type show horses and has been owned by the Freedman family for six generations.

“We are the only retail location of Freedman's here in Midway,” said boutique manager Jenny Vanwieren-Page. “If you buy something here, it has been handmade in our workshop by wonderful craftsmen in Canada, so it's really supporting a small business here in Midway.”

Shoppers can find just about anything they could dream up in the many shops surrounding Midway's Railroad Street. For the art enthusiast, Damselfly Studio Gallery offers artwork from over 200 regional artists and showcases many pieces depicting famous racehorses–both fan-favorites of today and some of the all-time greats. Antiquers can spend hours exploring Yeagers Antiques while boutique lovers will find plenty of options at Southern Sunday or Midway Boutique. Those hoping to look their best at Keeneland should visit Crittenden and Company Men's Clothing and memorable gifts are on hand for even the most difficult person to shop for at To You From Me and The Milam House.

After one has veritably “shopped 'till they dropped,” dining options in Midway's Historic District are just as extensive as the town's variety of merchants.

The Brown Barrel is a popular spot for locals. The restaurant's walls are graced with racing photos and mementos from the many prominent Thoroughbred farms surrounding the town-from Shadwell and WinStar to Hurstland Farm- and racing coverage is a constant on the televisions over the expansive bar.

Stop by the Brown Barrel Restaurant on a Sunday to discover the Chef's Surprise special for the week. | Katie Ritz

“If you like hot browns, shrimp and grits, steak or seafood, we're the place to go,” said restaurant manager Donn Knattus. “It's casual and we also have an outdoor patio. We get tons of horse people-owners, people who work with horses, the whole gamut.”

Other dining options include Don Jockey, the first authentic Mexican restaurant in town, Goose and Gander, a family-owned restaurant that offers a variety of options including salads, sandwiches and pizza as well as an expansive wine and bourbon list, Heirloom, the fine-dining spot in town that uses fresh, local ingredients to create Kentucky-inspired dishes with a global sensibility, as well a Mezzo Italian, which is well-known for its mouth-watering, wood-fired pizzas and calzones.

Once their stomachs are filled, visitors can finish their tour of Midway by taking a quiet stroll along the train tracks down the main strip and enjoy the architecture of the buildings and the Southern charm of passersby stopping to say hello. While more and more travelers are learning about the must-see destination, Midway still retains its small-town community atmosphere.

“The neighbors all work together,” said Jenny Vanwieren-Page from Freedman's. “People have been here for years and years and it's a great community.”

“Midway is just special,” Morgan Castle of gigi & george added. “It's hard to describe, but it's the charm, it's the character and it's the charisma. All the shops are wonderful and we all complement each other. Of course, there are some of the best restaurants in the state here and we have the train that comes through multiple times a day, which is really interesting.”

“People don't realize how beautiful Kentucky is,” she continued. “I like to say that Kentucky is America's best-kept secret because people don't realize how much we have to offer but when they do get here, they're blown away by the beauty, the landscape, the small towns and all the different things we have to offer.”

Travelers will experience all that and more on a visit to historic Midway, Kentucky.

The post Destination Lexington: Downtown Midway appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Destination Lexington: Classic Favourites Keep Fans Coming Back

While much has changed in the 40-something years that international visitors have been traveling to Lexington, Kentucky for the Thoroughbred sales, plenty, too, has remained the same. And while the culinary scene in Lexington has blossomed in recent times, giving horsepeople myriad options for dining after a day at the sales, it remains odds-on that Dudley's On Short will be packed wall-to-wall with members of the Thoroughbred community.

Dudley's has remained a racing industry favourite by embracing innovation while also staying true to what has endeared it to its patrons. The Tournedos Maxwell and Pasta Dudley have been on the menu since the very beginning, and they are complimented by rotating menu items and a list of up to 10 specials per day, which are dictated by what is available locally and seasonally. Guests, likewise, will not be short on choices for wine, the selection of which is carefully hand-curated, in particular when the discerning sales crowds is in town.

Louisville, Kentucky native Debbie Long founded Dudley's in 1981 with the aim of serving food of the southern traditions of her home state fused with western influences gleaned from the eight years she spent living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Mark Richardson, from Pikeville, Kentucky and executive chef since 2015, adds a French flair, having spent time cooking in Paris as well as New York City, Arizona, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston before returning home. Describing the style of Dudley's cuisine today, Long said, “American cuisine, which can be anything because America is a hodgepodge, a melting pot of so many different styles. Our chef Mark Richardson adds a little bit of a French flavour to it, but not to the degree that it feels like a French restaurant. He takes classics and adjusts them to what he can get locally and what our customers enjoy. We're always tweaking it. We try to use as many local and seasonal products as we can, which really drives the menu.”

Long, who can be seen on any given night in the Dudley's dining room socializing with the guests, many of whom she knows by first name, describes how a planned year-long trip to Colorado after graduating from the University of Kentucky to work as a 'ski bum' turned into eight, and paved the way for her discovering her passion for the restaurant business.

“I skied and I lived in a ski area, and it was fabulous,” Long recalled. “It was when you could actually be a ski bum. You could live and work on the mountain. Whatever money I made, in the spring and the fall I traveled. But the jobs that I did when I was there were always in the restaurant industry. I worked for friends that had a little bitty restaurant, helping them in the kitchen. I worked at a late-night bar, a steakhouse, a Mexican restaurant; you worked where the money was.”

Long tried temporarily to leave the restaurant industry, but the seed that had been planted had already blossomed.

“I did that for eight years before I got to one of those decades in life that you're like, 'maybe I shouldn't be waiting tables rest of my life,'” she said. “So I got my real estate license and I thought I'd stay in Colorado for the rest of my life. But I woke up one day and thought, 'I had never not wanted to go to work for eight years.' It was not always glamorous, but I loved it.”

And so it was back home to Kentucky for Long, and when the opportunity arose to take out a space in Lexington's historic Dudley Square, she and her business partner jumped at the opportunity. Dudley's was opened “on a shoestring”, Long recalled, and she credits college friends David and John Greathouse with helping to spread the word within the racing industry.

“The Greathouses were good friends of mine from college, and they became wonderful patrons from the get-go,” Long said. “They helped us bring in the horse crowd. They kept coming and have been great customers ever since.”

Long doesn't mince words when describing what the horse crowd has meant to Dudley's.

“They've been tremendous for us,” she said. “Especially during the sales. The restaurant would be packed, and most of them were European. They have become great customers and friends over the years, and we have enjoyed them so much. I've heard some great stories, I have to say, some I can't even tell. We've been very fortunate to have had them as customers. I've met a lot of unbelievable people in the business. It's been fabulous.”

“There were times I can remember during the July sales, I would look around,” Long added. “On a Monday in the middle of July at midnight, I looked around and every table was full in my restaurant, and there was a bottle of wine on every table. I just stopped for a minute and I said, 'you know what? There probably aren't a lot of restaurants in the world that are this busy at midnight on a Monday in the middle of July.' It was amazing.”

In 1989, Long bought out her partner to become the sole owner of Dudley's. Further change was to come for the Lexington staple some 20 years later when, in the midst of the 2008 recession, Dudley's lost its lease. Needing a new space, Long set her sights on the historic 1889 Northern Bank Building on Short Street. It was ideally situated, being at the head of the Cheapside public square that is the beating heart of Lexington's downtown social scene and now the permanent home of the Lexington farmers market, and near to the entrance to the high-class Gratz Park residential neighborhood. The path there, however, wasn't entirely straightforward.

“It was during the recession, I was a female restaurateur, and the banks were not real excited about lending me money,” Long said. “So we had to gather some folks together to buy the building, and then I had to borrow the money to do the renovation of the restaurant. It took a while, but we got it done and it was a great move for us.”

Further tumult was to come some 10 years on when the world was rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic. Like other area restaurants, Dudley's was shut down for about 2 1/2 months in the first half of 2020, and has had to be adaptable to varying public health restrictions ever since. Thankfully, Long reports Dudley's to be “in good shape.”

“We just sort of did what we could do,” Long said of the uncertainty of the past year and a half. “We were shut down for about two and a half months, and when we reopened we were at about 33% [capacity]. We kept pushing forward, trying to do the best we could for our customers and for our employees. Right now we're busy, really busy, which is wonderful. We're trying to fill our staffing, but as long as things don't take a turn in the wrong direction, I think we're going to be in good shape.”

Next month, Dudley's will welcome some of its longest-standing guests and oldest friends back into town for the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, some of whom won't have been through its doors for two years owing to the pandemic. Thanks to its longstanding history of cuisine and customer service of the highest quality, Dudley's appears to be in good standing to push beyond the pandemic and continue its traditions for many years to come, and Long pays credit to her personnel and clientele.

“Any time you're in business for 40 years, as long as we have been, it has a lot to do with your staff and your customers that have been so loyal,” she said. “The staff have been so supportive, especially during these difficult times.

“Here's the thing: you can't do it on your own. This is not something you do on your own. My customers have been amazing support. My management staff has been wonderful. I'm very appreciative of both of those entities in my life. I've made some of my best friends in this industry. It's been a good ride.”

Dudley's is just one of numerous Lexington favourites that visitors have frequented over the decades. Others are detailed below.

MALONE'S – 10 minutes from Keeneland

3735 Palomar Centre Dr, Lexington, KY 40513

With three locations in Lexington including at Palomar Centre just minutes from Keeneland, Malone's has long been a staple for Keeneland racing and sales goers from near and far. Malone's opened its initial location on Tates Creek Road in 1998, and 10 years later added its restaurant in Palomar Centre just up Man O'War Boulevard from Keeneland. Naturally, given its location, the decor pays homage to horse racing, and at any time during a Keeneland race meet or sale the who's-who of the horse industry can be found enjoying one of Malone's signature steaks. But it's not just the elite of the equine world who frequent Malone's, as you'll quickly notice when scanning the celebrity-signed menus adorning the walls.

And while it is its USDA Prime Beef steaks that made Malone's famous, it is far from a limited menu; Malone's offers a fresh selection of salads, chicken, sandwich and seafood options, with a dedicated sushi menu from its Aqua offshoot that is served at each of its locations. For those looking for a more casual setting, the patios at Harry's in Palomar and Drake's on Tates Creek serve as an excellent alternative.

MERRICK INN – 13 minutes from Keeneland

1074 Merrick Dr, Lexington, KY 40502

If you're looking to experience exceptional Southern fare on hallowed horse racing grounds, look no further than Merrick Inn off Tates Creek Road. Built before the Civil War, the Merrick Inn was the manor house for Merrick Place, where the 1918 Kentucky Derby winner Exterminator, among many other accomplished Thoroughbreds, was trained. The property was named for another racehorse, Merrick, who won a remarkable 62 races just after the turn of the century and was in the money on 157 occasions. Merrick lived to be 38 and his gravestone is located just in front of the inn. Merrick Inn offers a select of steak options, seafood and salads, but is famous for its fried chicken. Pair it with a Classic Southern appetizer like fried banana peppers or fried green tomatoes.

COLES 735 MAIN – 19 minutes from Keeneland

735 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40502

Quickly establishing itself as a Lexington favourite upon opening in 2012, Coles pairs culinary delights with an expansive bar selection including hundreds of bourbons, an award-winning wine program and cocktails handcrafted with unique house-made ingredients. Though it is a more recent addition to Lexington's portfolio of restaurants, Coles occupies a historic dining space; the Coles 735 Main building was constructed in 1938 and was The Stirrup Cup, Le Cafe Francais, Hall's On Main and Furlongs before Executive Chef and Owner Cole Arimes returned to Lexington to launch his namesake restaurant. The history of the restaurant space was important to Arimes and his team, and they have worked to honour it with the restoration of three English hunt scene murals painted for the restaurant in 1949 which are today the focal points of the equestrian art that adorn the walls.

The same care that went into the restoration of the restaurant space goes into the dishes at Coles each day; meats and vegetables are sourced from local farms, with meats cured in-house. Guests will find a selection of steak cuts, pork and chicken dishes, pasta, seafood and more. Fans of Coles can also pop just down the street and visit Chef Arimes's newer offering, Eppings on Eastside, a scratch-kitchen restaurant located in a historic restored Lexington warehouse building.

LE DEAUVILLE – 17 minutes from Keeneland

199 N Limestone, Lexington, KY 40507

While the aforementioned Lexington classics largely revolve around Southern food, that is not so at Le Deauville, which is firmly rooted in genuine French fare, unsurprisingly given its name. And it is authentic, too, having been founded nearly 20 years ago by Frenchman Christophe Descarpentries, with fellow Frenchman Marc Puil-who went to culinary school in Paris and worked at some of New York City's most acclaimed French bistros before relocating to Lexington–taking over in 2007. Le Deauville offers traditional French bistro food-think French onion soup, duck leg confit, Bouillabaisse Marseillaise and much more-while diners likewise have an extensive wine list to choose from. Stop by on Mondays for all you can eat crepes, or on Tuesdays for all you can eat mussels.

CARSON'S FOOD AND DRINK – 18 minutes from Keeneland

362 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40507

Carson's Food and Drink prides itself on its chef-driven plates featuring local Kentucky products and its impressive selection of drinks, from local craft beers to a hand-picked wine list and prohibition-style cocktails. The decor is modeled on 'old Kentucky elegance' and pays homage to the area's history of bourbon, Thoroughbreds and basketball. Featured menu items include filet medallions, scallops, salmon and burgers, while salmon bruschetta and pretzels and beer cheese are popular among the extensive list of appetizers. While good to visit any time of day, Carson's is well known for its brunch.

TONY'S OF LEXINGTON – 15 minutes from Keeneland

401 W Main St, Lexington, KY 40507

Tony's Of Lexington is the second of three steakhouses owned and operated by the Italian-born Tony Ricci, who operates on the philosophy that great hospitality is just as important as great food. Guests at Tony's will have no trouble finding both, with expansive selections of seafood, hand-cut steaks and pasta dishes all complimented by fresh, local, organic ingredients. Enjoy a craft cocktail and live music in the bar area before moving to the dining room, or for a larger occasion reserve one of Tony's private dining rooms.

For more on where to stay, what to do and what's new in Lexington, click here.

The post Destination Lexington: Classic Favourites Keep Fans Coming Back appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Destination Lexington: What’s New on the Food Scene

The 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is just around the corner and soon, buyers from around the globe will be scouring the expansive sales grounds in search of their next star. Such intense scrutiny of the thousands of impressive yearlings at the annual auction is sure to work up an appetite, and thankfully the culinary scene in Lexington is vibrant with a diverse group of restaurants that can appeal to any palate.

For many visitors, it will be their first time in town in two years, so we paid a visit to some of the newest and most popular restaurants downtown to give an early taste to sales-goers who might be looking to discover something new during their time in Lexington.

Horse and Jockey -15 Minutes from Keeneland

131 Cheapside St. Lexington, KY 40507

Horse and Jockey Pub and Kitchen, a traditional Irish gastropub, is located in the heart of downtown Lexington. The restaurant has quickly garnered positive reviews amongst the local horse racing community and the racing-themed decor further lends itself to that clientele.

Paul Murphy, a native of Scotland who spent most of his childhood and young adult life in Ireland, moved to New York 20 years ago. He and his partner, Jimmy McSweeney, had a dream of starting up a restaurant in Lexington.

They found an old night club on Main Street that looked promising, but when they came to town for a visit, quickly realized there was no proper place to add a kitchen. As they were strolling through the streets of downtown afterwards, they came across the building now known as Horse and Jockey.

“The place had just closed,” Murphy recalled. “There was paper on the windows but I looked in and said, 'Wow, this could make a nice speakeasy-type place.' So we got in touch with the landlord and he walked us through the next morning. It was pretty much a done deal right there.”

As for the name, while obviously reminiscent of the famed Horse and Jockey Hotel in Tipperary, Murphy said when he moved to Queens two decades ago, the first bar in his neighborhood that he visited was also called Horse and Jockey.

“Everybody can understand where it's coming from,” he explained. “We figured there were already a couple of Irish bars downtown, but none of them had any food. So we figured that would be our niche-a traditional Irish menu.”

After four months of renovation, Horse and Jockey opened its doors in January of 2020. Five weeks later, they were forced to shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But the new eatery came back with a vengeance this June.

“It has been so busy,” Murphy said. “Luckily we have a good staff and a lot of them stayed on. It was a tough year for everybody and thankfully the people downtown and the local community have come in and it's been great. We've made a lot of friends.”

Murphy said some of their menu's best-selling items include fish and chips, bangers and mash and curry cheese fries. Another popular dish, Shepherd's Pie, is made daily by Murphy's wife.

'A hundred thousands welcomes' greet guests seated at Horse and Jockey's outdoor patio. | Katie Ritz

“It's as good as you'll get back in Ireland,” he said proudly. “We also do a burger with Irish bacon on it. A lot of people ask why we don't have American bacon, but this is our thing. We're trying to stick to our traditional menu.”

First-time guests have plenty of options upon visiting. Aside from the main indoor dining area, the restaurant also has an outdoor patio as well as an upstairs covered patio that features both a bourbon and a gin bar.

The menu offers a wide array of drink selections, from beers on tap to an expansive wine list and various cocktails. All of the herbs used in the drinks–mint, rosemary, lavender and basil–are grown in-house.

“The overall atmosphere on any night is busy,” Murphy said. “We have live music on Thursday nights and we have a big screen where we will show horse racing or whatever sporting event is on. There's a good buzz around the place. Everybody enjoys themselves.”

The first thing that catches any guest's eye, according Murphy, is the artwork.

Before the Horse and Jockey opened for business last year, Murphy and his partner hired Kate Lossen to help design the space. Lossen was also the curator of the collection from famed Eclipse Award-winning photographer Tony Leonard. She provided the photographs that now grace nearly every inch of wall space at Horse and Jockey.

“I think we have maybe 300 and something pictures, but they're all from Tony Leonard,” Murphy said. “Some of them are really, really unique, like we have a picture of Secretariat sitting down. There are even pictures from Ireland that he took. They're all dated and have a description of who is in the photo, so a lot of horse people come in and want to take a look.”

Other popular photos from the collection include a shot of Leslie Combs with stallions Swaps and Nashua at Spendthrift Farm, Mary Lou Whitney in the paddock at Keeneland, and an enlarged photo from 1952 that covers an entire wall and depicts mule-drawn sledges working up the track at Keeneland.

“Steve Cauthen's brother was here and said he thought there might be a picture of him,” Murphy recalled. “We looked and found a picture of Steve when he won an Eclipse Award and his brother was in it too. That was really unique, but a lot of people from the horse business come in. People from Coolmore, Darley, Shadwell, all the big horse farms, they come in to watch the racing and have Irish breakfast. They'll chat amongst themselves and they can remember everything about the horses in the pictures-when they were foaled, how much they sold for and who trained them.”

Murphy said that Breeders' Cup week last November was a busy time at the restaurant with visits from Frankie Dettori as well as some of the owners of Classic winner Authentic (Into Mischief).

“The good think about Lexington is that there's a lot of different types of restaurants that you can go to, but everybody has their own thing, their own niche,” he said. “Our niche is traditional Irish food. For people in the horse business coming into town who stop by, they'll first be intrigued by the pictures and then they'll all know each other and start talking about horses, which is great. I love listening to them.”

Several other new spots have launched in downtown Lexington recently, many of which offer a bit of horse racing flare.

Frank and Dino's -16 Minutes from Keeneland

271 W Short St. Lexington, KY 40507

A racehorse owner, trainer and breeder by day and a restaurant owner by night, Carlo Vaccarezza is a man who wears many hats. The native of Italy has lived in the U.S. for over half a decade now, making a name for himself in the country with homebred Little Mike (Spanish Steps), winner of the 2012 Breeders' Cup Turf, among others.

While his passion is horse racing, Vaccarezza is also involved in the restaurant business. Frank and Dino's, a nod to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, opened its first location in Boca Raton, Florida. This July, a second restaurant is set to launch in Lexington.

With an atmosphere aimed to be reminiscent of Italian-American culture in the post-war 1950s, guests can expect a lively, classy setting where they can sit back and enjoy authentic Italian cuisine. Along with an array of pasta entrees, the menu will also feature Italian fish and chicken dishes, salads and appetizers.

Greyline Station -15 Minutes from Keeneland

In the 1940s, the Greyline Station building was home to the headquarters for Southeastern Greyhound, Lexington's largest private employer. | Keeneland

101 W Loudon Ave. Lexington, KY 40508

Built in 1928, the 65,000 square foot building now known as Greyline Station was once the company headquarters for Southeastern Greyhound Lines. The structure has been mostly vacant since 1960 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Four years later, the complex was given a makeover and modernized into what is now Greyline Station.

The building, now transformed into Lexington's first public marketplace, is home to dozens of restaurants and shops as well as an event space. Popular dining spots in the complex include The Breeze Wine Bar, which features international chocolates along with wines and spirits, North Lime Coffee and Donuts, a well-loved stop for Lexington residents, Porterhouse BBQ, Rise Up Pizza and more. A 'sip and stroll' license in the building allows visitors to grab a drink before exploring the diverse group of merchants.

ItalX–17 Minutes from Keeneland

Spaghetti Carbonara-Guanciale, egg yolk and Pecorino with housemade pasta–at ItalX. | ItalX Facebook

160 W Main St. Lexington, KY 50407

Quality is the word of the day at ItalX, where the menu is inspired by Italy's emphasis on simple, fresh, quality ingredients. Everything offered is made in-house daily-from hand-made pastas to velvety desserts. ItalX, housed in the downtown City Center development, was officially launched last October by award-winning chef and Lexington native Jonathan Lundy alongside partner TJ Cox.

Popular dishes include the Pizza Fritta appetizer with oven-roasted tomato, basil and burrata, the Candele Cacio e Pepe entree, made with toasted black pepper and Pecorino Reggiano and offered with or without truffles, and of course for dessert, Tiramisu al Marsala. An extensive wine selection is housed in a temperature-controlled wine room.

Jeff Ruby's-17 Minutes from Keeneland

The line of lawn jockeys outside of Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse displays many well-known and prominent silks. | Katie Ritz

101 W Vine St. Lexington, KY 40507

Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse opened its highly-anticipated Lexington location in the spring of 2019. With restaurants already established in Cincinnati, Nashville, Louisville and Columbus, the fine-dining company is regarded amongst food critiques for offering one the best steakhouses in the country.

A prominent restaurateur, Jeff Ruby is also known for his love of horse racing. He has been a partner in several graded stakes winners over the years and his company's logo is displayed on the pants of several top jockeys in the U.S.

Ruby was thrilled to launch his fifth location by pulling out all the stops to create a Lexington-themed atmosphere centered around bourbon, (Thoroughbred) breeding and basketball. A long line of lawn jockeys welcomes guests entering the establishment and a horseshoe-shaped bar sits in front of the stage that often features live music. Several signature rooms are graced with equine touches, including one private room specifically geared towards horse racing enthusiasts.

For more on where to stay, what to do and what's new in Lexington, click here.

The post Destination Lexington: What’s New on the Food Scene appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post