Ace Eats Out: Lexington Restaurant News: Births, Deaths, Moves, and Events
Athenian Grill is shooting for opening its new location at 115 Locust Hill Drive, off of Richmond Road, in early April.
An A&W grand opening is scheduled for the Leestown neighborhood. On Saturday, April 11, stop by the Grand Opening of the newest A&W at 114 Towne Center Drive off Leestown Road. Meet NASCAR driver Ben Rhodes. Enjoy face painting, photo booth, corn hole, radio remote, and the chance to win free floats for a year. Stop by any of the three A&W Burgers Chicken Floats locations in Lexington from the hours of 3-7 pm on April 11th for Free Chicken. (From April 6 thru April 9, A&W is donating 50 percent of sales to Shriners Hospital for Children; and April 10 thru April 12, fifty percent of sales will be donated to Lexington Humane Society.)
There’s a Beaten Biscuit workshop on April 11 at Midway Christian Church Fellowship Hall (123 East Bruen Street, Midway KY). Chef Ouita Michel and biscuit maker Charles Logan of Midway will teach the workshop from 2 pm to 4 pm, demonstrating the use of both a hand-cranked brake and motorized brake at the workshop. Register by calling the church office.
The guest chef series at Best Friend Bar on Euclid Avenue will host chef Phillip Cronin of Apiary on April 26 at 5 pm.
The Bluegrass Farmers Market is now open for Spring Saturdays. It is open Saturdays from 9 am – 2 pm at Azur Restaurant & Patio, 3070 Lakecrest Circle. Info, bluegrassfarmersmarket.org.
Brusters Ice Cream is scheduled to open in Lexington in April on 220 Ruccio Way, off of W. Reynolds Road.
Distilled will begin their first guest chef series with Louisville Chef Andy Myers on April 7. They will also be having a special Bourbon-inspired lunch on April 17th. This luncheon will include a bourbon tasting, a betting/wagering class taught by horse wagering pro Benji Biederman, complimentary shuttle to and from Keeneland.
Food Truck Fridays are back. The first will be set up in the Herald-Leader parking lot at Main and Midland on April 10. A portion of the day’s proceeds will benefit United Way.
Furlongs has announced that they’ve sold their lease to a group planning a new Mediterranean concept. Furlongs Catering and Crazy ‘Bout Cajun food truck remain in operation, and the group is scheduled to open Proud Mary Honky Tonk BBQ in April on Old Richmond Road.
From Plows to Plates: a Journey through Kentucky Foodways is a local foods reception, resource fair, and book signing. Chef Ouita Michel will be one of the panelist. 4 pm, April 9, UK MI King Library, Great Hall.
The Lexington Art League is hosting its next Lunch League on April 24, 11am – 2pm.
The Lexington Farmers Market, which is open year-round at Cheapside Pavilion on Main Street, will hold its Spring Kick-Off on April 4 – 5. The Kick-Off will be held at Cheapside Pavilion on Saturday, April 4 from 7 am – 2 pm and on Southland Drive on Sunday, April 5 from 10 am – 2 pm.
Middle Fork Kitchen Bar is planning an April opening in Lexington’s Distillery District. The restaurant will feature a custom-made Argentinian wood-fired grill where chef Mark Jensen plans to continue serving up the globally-inspired food that has made Fork in the Road a Lexington food truck favorite. Jensen has (literally) built the new place by hand. He says, “We’ve built the tables and the bar, we’ve upholstered the stools, we’ve built the wood-fireplace, we’ve even carved the tap handles. This is us making a place we want our friends (new & old) to come share.”
A benefit for the Makenna Foundation, “Talk Derby to Me,” will be held at Fasig-Tipton on Monday April 27, and will include a spirits tasting and dinner, followed by a panel discussion with Kentucky Derby experts.
A new Panera Bread will open downtown at 120 E Main Street in Lexington’s Park Plaza, next to the Central Library. It will be the fourth Panera in Lexington.
Pho Saigon in the Woodhill Plaza Center is now open, located on 155 E New Circle Road, serving traditional Vietnamese food.
Award-winning food writer (and Kentucky native) Ronni Lundy, has a new cookbook on stands now, Sorghum’s Savor. She is the author of Butter Beans to Blackberries and Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken. Lundy currently resides in North Carolina, but several Kentucky signings are planned.
The half-hour documentary Thrive: The Kentucky Wine Tradition is airing the first week in April on KET. The film features Talon Winery, Equus Run Vineyards, Harkness Edwards Vineyards, Wight Meyer Vineyard and Winery, First Vineyard Winery, and Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery.
Travinia Italian Kitchen at the Mall has scheduled an opening date of April 6.
Vinaigrette Salads is scheduled to open its second location in The Square (formerly Victorian Square) the first week in April.
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This article also appears on page 12 of the April 2015 print issue of Ace.
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