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Lexington Restaurant News April 2022
What opened, what closed, what’s new?
April brings with it Keeneland, Easter, sunny weekends at the Farmers Market, and a return to patio season in the bluegrass. Births, rebirths, and transitions are the order of the day for Spring 2022 in Lexington.
BIRTHS
Graze closed permanently after two tries at Lexington locations, first at Limestone, and later at the Woodlands, with that prime real estate at the corner of Main and Woodland sitting empty til recently. That space is now scheduled to be home to the latest concept from the Frank and Dino’s downtown team, La Folie. The French menu will include tournedos foie gras, beef bourguignon, jarrets d’Agneau. The 3,000-square-foot space has ample room to accommodate dining and a bar, and features a patio, along with onsite and neighborhood parking.
South of Wrigley’s taste of Chicago beef is making its new home on Southland Drive.
Store Dash? DoorDash has rolled out DashMart convenience stores in selected markets, including Lexington. The company says, “DashMart is a new type of convenience store, offering both household essentials and local restaurant favorites to our customers’ doorsteps. On DashMart, you’ll find thousands of convenience, grocery, and restaurant items, from ice cream and chips, to cough medicine and dog food, to spice rubs and packaged desserts from the local restaurants you love on DoorDash. DashMart stores are owned, operated, and curated by DoorDash.”
Sultan’s Mediterranean has opened at Hartland Parkway.
The former JDI space at Cedar and Broadway has sat vacant since Napa Prime opened and closed in the spot in the span of less than a year in 2019. The partnership that owned JDI dissolved in 2016. Louisville’s RecBar team is opening Tilty Bob in Lexington, with dining, a bar, and arcade games on both floors of the massive space.
TRANSITIONS
Athenian Grill has re-opened its Ashland Avenue space after a winter remodel.
Busalacchi Treats has now officially moved across the street inside Cafe Emporio by Busalacchi. A sneak peek for the new space is planned for the Greyline Station Block Party on April 1, with an official opening by Easter.
El Cid has added table service at both locations, skipping the fast casual order-up process. The National Avenue location is adding a rooftop/lounge area for spring and summer.
Lady Remoulade sold out their first Mardi Gras parking lot crawfish boil in less than four hours in March, and is now at home in the former Flag Fork Herb Farm spot.
Rumor has it: Jonathan Lundy is hard at work on his next concept, which might feature classic echoes of a longtime Lexington favorite.
After a brief closure, Lockbox Restaurant + Lounge has reopened its doors to locals and hotel guests with a new look and feel, service style, and menu.
Sam’s HotDogs has added late night eats to its downtown options, now open 8 pm to 1 am.
Whiskey Bear is re-opening this Spring along with Addie’s Stone-Fired Pizza in their new home in Beaumont.
HOLIDAYS
Easter Brunch is expected to be a hot menu item in 2022 after two years of pandemic restrictions. Stay tuned to acemagazinelex.com for a sampling of Lexington offerings.
COMING SOON
Vallozi currently has two Pennsylvania locations, one in Pittsburgh and one in Greensburg. The menus include family traditions like homemade pastas, gnocchi, pizza, steaks, and seafood, along with tapas treats like Italian meats and cheeses flown in from Italy weekly and served from their Fresh Mozzarella bar.
Julian Velozzi says he’s “very excited to be taking Vallozzi’s on the road with a third location now underway in Versailles, Kentucky. See you this fall in the Bluegrass State.”
This article also appears on page 17 of the April 2022 print edition of Ace. Join our Facebook group, Ace Eats Out, to keep up with the latest restaurant news.
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