| Lexington isn't Kentucky's largest city but it's the home of The University, which makes it the center as far as most of the population is concerned. Thousands of people from all over the state pour in for UK football and basketball games, for the annual state tournament, for the racing meets at Keeneland and The Big Red Mile, for shopping, concerts and shows, and for medical care. This influx allows the city to support far more restaurants than its population would suggest. For 20 years, Lexington has led the nation in restaurants per person and number of people eating out as a percentage of population. And because of the university, the number and quality of ethnic restaurants is particularly high. As a result, Lexington is a restaurant lover's Paradise. It's a small enough city that anyone can get to anywhere in 30 minutes (except during the 4:30-6:30 rush hour traffic or immediately before or after games). Because of its agricultural heritage, Lexington restaurants tend to emphasize local foods, not only fruits and vegetables but fish, beef, lamb, pork, steak and dairy. Sullivan College offers a culinary degree and many local chefs went off for training to New York City or even France and have usually worked elsewhere before returning home. |
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