Jablet and I were crushed tonight when we found that our favorite Lexington area Italian restaurant has apparently gone out of business. Lexitalia had very good food and it was quite affordable. The location, however, was terrible and is almost certainly why they ended up closing. Lexitalia owners, if you read this, please reopen elsewhere. Downtown would work great for you and you could easily charge twice the price for your food.
After four days of Seattle-like weather, the Jablet, Emmy and I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day that was yesterday and take our first trip to Red River Gorge. The Gorge, part of the Daniel Boone National Forest, is approximately 75 miles outside of Lexington and is best known as a rock climber’s paradise, but we just went there to hike. After wandering around lost for a while, we finally found the trailhead to Wildcat trail, a 5.4 mile loop trail that descends through the forest down to and around a large stream, and then rapidly ascends back toward the trailhead. A great, semi-strenuous hike that took a little over 3 hours (including a break at the stream); we saw no other people on this hike—exactly what we needed. Readers, if you have any favorite hiking trails in the Gorge, please post them here. Click thumbnails for enlarged images (the leaf looks pretty neat when the full image is viewed, but the file is over 1MB).
On the way back from Atlanta last night, the Jablet and I compiled a list of Lexington/Central Kentucky restaurants we’ve patronized in the past few months. We have included in this list those establishments for which we have a clear recollection of the quality of our meal, the service, and the mood/atmosphere. We have provided first-pass ratings regarding each of the aforementioned elements and have further provided our summary rating. The overall rating is not simply a mathematical average of the three composite scores, but rather is our assessment as to the “total package” each has to offer. As time goes by (and as we go back to these places), we will provide full reviews of these restaurants. A few things to note:
Prices
$: ≤10/entrée
$$: Up to $20/entrée
$$$: Over >$20/entrée
Restaurants where we ordered take out (TO) are marked as such; service and atmosphere scores were not ascribed to these restaurants.
| Restaurant | Category | Food | Service | Mood | Overall | Dress | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfalfa’s | Hippie Health Food | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Atomic Café | Caribbean | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | Casual | $$ |
| Bangkok House | Thai | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Bella Notte | Italian | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $$ |
| Bistro 147 | Café | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Casual | $$ |
| Bombay Brazier | Indian | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Dress Casual | $$ |
| Boone Tavern | Uniquely Kentucky | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Dress Casual | $$ |
| Charlie Brown’s | Bar | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Cheapside | Bar | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| China Hut | Chinese | 2 | TO | TO | 2 | Casual | $ |
| Clamatos | Mexican | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Dudley’s | Southern Eclectic | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Dress Casual | $$$ |
| El Toro | Mexican | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Casual | $ |
| Giuseppe’s | Italian | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Dress Casual | $$$ |
| Halls on the River | Uniquely Kentucky | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Casual | $$ |
| Holly Hill Inn | Uniquely Kentucky | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Dress Casual | $$$ |
| Kashmir | Indian | 3 | TO | TO | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Le Deauville | French | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Dressy | $$$ |
| Lexitalia | Italian | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | Casual | $$ |
| Metropol | Continental/European | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Dress Casual | $$$ |
| Murray’s | Southern Eclectic | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | Dressy | $$$ |
| My Thai | Thai | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Pazzo’s | Bar | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Ramsey’s | Café/Bar | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Sal’s | Italian | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Dress Casual | $$ |
| Shaker Village Dining Room | Uniquely Kentucky | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Dress Casual | $$ |
| The Ketch | Seafood | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $$ |
| The Melodeon | Café/Bar | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Zuni Café | Café | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Casual | $ |
| Joe Bologna’s | Italian | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Casual | $ |
The Ketch
(859) 277-5919
2012 Regency Road
Lexington, KY 40503
The Ketch is a moderately-priced, no frills seafood restaurants that has somehow managed to stay afloat despite its proximity to establishments such as Red Lobster and Joe’s Crab Shack. Located on Regency Road near the intersection with Southland Drive, you should go to The Ketch if you’re in the mood for the seafood basics—crab legs, lobster, fresh shrimp—not a fancy meal. You’re not going to get fine table linens, a great atmosphere, outstanding service (our waitress had a tongue ring-induced lisp that made our interactions with her both challenging and entertaining), or anything else the least bit upscale. That being said, the food was pretty good.
For an appetizer we had a hefty portion freshly-cooked, then chilled, peel & eat shrimp—simple but excellent. Jablet’s bucket of crab legs was massive, but apparently delicious, as it disappeared with remarkable speed. I, on the other hand, ordered a combination dinner that included a crab cake and a small sirloin steak. Yes, I violated the “keep it simple” doctrine and learned the hard way. The steak wasn’t horrible, but it was definitely overcooked, though not charred past the point of no return. The crab cake, though clearly above average, couldn’t touch what you can pick up on-the-fly at a New York City corner café. A notable highlight was the delicious assortment of fresh grilled vegetables—we both agreed they were excellent. Overall, we give this place a B for food (A- if you keep it to seafood basics), a B for service, and an A+ for people watching. Far more interesting than the big corporate competitors.
The Damage:
2 beers
1 mixed drink
Shrimp Appetizer
1 lb bucket of crab legs
Crab cake/sirloin combo
$48 before tip