NEWS
The former Art Bar location at Chevy Chase is on the verge of becoming a new restaurant, Bear & The Butcher. Chef Jason Ritchey, of The Village Idiot, is in charge of the kitchen. Opening has been scheduled for this Fall.
Big Shake’s Hot Chicken is opening on 867 South Broadway. It will be the first of several Big Shake restaurants Chef Shawn Davis is planning to open in Lexington.
Blue Sushi Sake Grill has announced that it will be opening in The Summit at Fritz Farm, the new mall scheduled to go up on the corner of Man o’War and Nicholasville. Other restaurants confirmed for the Summit include Ouita Michel’s Honeywood concept, J. Alexander’s, Shake Shack, Crank & Boom, Athenian Grill, and Ted’s Montana Grill.
BurgerFi will reportedly be a new addition to the Coliseum Plaza on the corner of Rose and Euclid. The Plaza was bought by Phil and Lee Green last year. The casual burger joint will be using the space recently vacated by Sweet Mango and Campus Cafe.
The building that formerly housed CoachCraft on 360 E. Main Street will become Carson’s Food & Drink. The 167-seat restaurant/bar will use 5,000 of the available 10,000-square-feet, leasing the other half of the space. It will be open for lunch and dinner at first, with a plans to eventually serve brunch on weekends.
J. Render’s BBQ is now not only a local food truck, but a full-on brick & mortar. They are now open and serving smoked meats, soups, salads, and sandwiches at Beaumont Circle.
Jax Burgers & Brews has opened at Lexington Green on 161 Lexington Green Circle. The restaurant, specializing in gourmet burgers and craft beer, also features hand-spun milkshakes and will feature live music during Lakeside Live on Friday and Saturday nights.
Lexington Restaurant Week 2016 will be from July 21 – July 30. More than 40 local restaurants are serving up $26 multi-course meals for the fraction of the typical tab. These special prix-fixe menus are updated daily. LexArts is the beneficiary organization of this year’s Restaurant Week; $1 of each special prix-fixe meal will support local arts organizations. Participating restaurants include Athenian Grill, Azur, Brasabana, Charlie Brown’s, Cheapside, Columbia Steakhouse, Distilled, Doodles, Dudley’s, enoteca, The Grey Goose, Holly Hill Inn, Life Brewpub, Magee’s, Malone’s, Stella’s, Willie’s, Windy Corner, and many more.
Life Brewpub, located behind Qdoba on Richmond Road, next to Parisa, had its Grand Opening in June. The pub is scheduled to be open 7:30 am – 10 pm from Sunday – Thursday, and from 7:30 am – midnight on Friday and Saturday.
A new Penn Station is opening this summer at Idle Hour Shopping Center off of Richmond Road. This will be the fifth Lexington Penn Station East Coast Subs location.
Shorty’s, the Urban Market on 163 West Short Street, has closed down, five years after the original ribbon cutting. Shorty’s had already closed once in September 2013, but it reopened in January 2014, just in time to save us from the grocery-less downtown abyss caused when the Euclid Kroger closed down for the rooftop parking remodeling project. The future of the Shorty’s space is unknown.
Table 310 has a new owner: Daniel Marlowe. Marlowe has been in the restaurant business for 20 years. The restaurant is now introducing a variety of Ornish-friendly meals a la carte.
EVENTS
The Great American Pie Contest and Ice Cream Social, a Lexington Fourth of July tradition, is at the Cheapside Pavilion at 12 pm on Friday, July 1.
The Professional Women’s Forum July Luncheon is at The Campbell House on Wednesday, July 6 at 11:30 am. Renee Shepard, president of Downtown Lexington Corporation (DLC) joins as the speaker for the July luncheon. Come with your questions and ideas to join in this downtown discussion.
On July 7-8, the Holly Hill Wine Guild presents Blending Australia. Join the Holly Hill Inn Wine Guild Director, Steve Mancuso, to taste and compare Australian blends of Shiraz, Grenache, and Cab. Seatings available at 6 pm and 7:30 pm both days.
The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill hosts a Fresh Food Adventure on Saturday, July 9 at 6:30 pm. The theme: Hike for Beer with a Twist, featuring Goodwood Brewing. Enjoy a short hike to a secret location for a summertime bash with a surprise twist, complete with a seasonal buffet, live tunes, and local brews.
On July 11, the Apiary hosts Pick & Prep: More Ways with Green Tomatoes, featuring Chef Ranada West-Riley. The Lexington Diner and Creative Table’s Chef Ranada will workshop fresh ways (other than just frying) to transform end-of-harvest green tomatoes into tasty dishes. All ticket purchases benefit Seedleaf.
The Professional Women’s Forum Ice Cream Social is at Crank & Boom on Tuesday, July 12 at 4:30 pm. This will be an ice cream & cocktail social full of networking opportunities.
The Seed to Feed Dinner Series presents Farms to Food at the Kentucky Horse Park on Friday, July 15 at 7 pm. Featuring chef Jacob Coronado of 8Up Elevated Drinkery and Kitchen in Louisville. All of the meat and veggies will be entirely from Scott County farms and the dinner will benefit the Farms to Food Bank participant Amen House.
GleanKY’s largest annual fundraiser, Burgers & Beats, is at Wallace Station in Midway on Sunday, July 17 at 5 pm. The picnic-style event features food by Chef Ouita Michel, music by The Swells, a silent auction, and activities for children. Since 2010, GleanKY has saved over 950,000 pounds of produce from the waste pile and distributed them to people and groups who feed Kentucky’s hungry.
To submit a Lexington, Kentucky food, wine, or spirits news item for consideration in Ace’s Best Bites, email acelist@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 restaurant advertising, call Ace Advertising at 859.225.4889 x229.
