|
|
|
Annette's |
Atlanta Bread Company |
Cosi's |
Joseph Beth's |
Julep Cup |
Old San Juan |
Panera's |
Saul Good's |
Stella's |
| Josie's | The Lunch Box | McAlister's Deli | Wallace's Station | Woodford Reserve | Georgia's Kitchen | Windy Corner |
Any restaurant on here except Annette's could be visited for dinner and breakfast, but they are best seen as lunch stops.Their strengths are their soups, salads, sandwiches, desserts and flavored coffees and teas. These are restaurants where lunch has become an art form. Since their kitchens are not focused on preparing major entrees for the evening session, they pour all their focus into very creative, cutting edge variations on common lunch items. Since neighborhood executives and their staffs tend to eat lunch here, and many of them will eat at the same places every day, the menus tend to rotate daily or weekly, or else there is a basic menu with a blackboard of daily specials. The same caution applies to these luncheon stops as usually applies to dinnertime restaurants : they can get quite crowded during the noon hour. 11:30 or 1:00 is a much better time to go. Keep in mind that many of the regular restaurants in other sections are also fine places to go for lunch. These restaurants are grouped together here because they specialize in lunch. |
 |
 |
Annette's is a surprising little place. Located at the halfway point between the Raddison and the Hyatt along the skywalk, it looks like a fast food counter, but the menu includes gourmet pot pies, chicken, beef and turkey tettrazinis, meat or vegetable lasagnas, meatloaf, quiches, Kentucky Hot Brown and Shepard's Pie. Full entrees include Rubbed Beef Tenderloin, Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin, three kinds of chicken, Rack of Lamb, and Shrimp Skewers. There are various salads, soups and sides. Annette's also runs a full scale bakery offering pies, cakes, nine flavors of cheesecake, seven kinds of cookies, and various specialties. These are not routine desserts, either. Annette's won both the 2004 and 2005 Taste Of The Bluegrass Bakeoff. 300 West Vine, but this is misleading. There is no street access. From the Hyatt, climb the lobby stairs to the atrium walkway above the restaurant, follow it to the glass doors out to the Skywalk, cross Broadway, take the stairs down one level, go through the doors and turn right then left. From the Raddison, climb the lobby stairs, turn left then left again out through the glass doors to the Skywalk, cross Vine Street, and you'll come out right at Annette's. Great pregame stop. On a cold Winter day eating here in the atrium in the sunlight is one of the delights of downtown. |
| We especially like The Atlanta Bread Company because we're great Cappucino lovers and they have the best in town. But there are lots of other reasons to drop by for lunch. Their "Loaf of Soup" is a scooped out loaf of sourdough bread filled with your choice of their soups of the day. While you eat the soup, it seeps into the bread, so when you're finished you take knife and fork, cut up the loaf, and eat the soup soaked pieces. This is an old Puritan lunch, and is guaranteed to fill you up on a cold Winter day. The gumbo is especially good this way, but you can get chile, tomato basil and several other flavors. In addition to soups, you can order 13 sandwiches on your choice of 17 kinds of bread, five paninis, and seven salads. Of the breads, we really like the Sun Dried Tomato Rosemary Foccacio, and of the sandwiches, we like the California Avocado (avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion, provolone and dill sauce, and Waldorf (chicken, apples, walnuts, cranberries, tomato, red onion, lettuce). The Salmon Salad (grilled wild Alaska salmon, romaine, field greens, black bean corn salsa and pineapple mango vinnaigrette) is great. |  |
 |
Cosi's ("Cozey's") is probably the heart healthiest lunch stop in town. It's also a vegetarian's delight. Their food is seasoned very lightly or not at all. They serve flatbread and sides like fresh baby carrots. And there are wines and gourmet teas. You also get your food fast. Menus are mounted on large wall posters as you come in, so you order from the counter, pick a table and a waiter brings your tray. It may sound like a fast food outlet, but this is gourmet eating. Cosi's strength is its soups. You MUST order the Lobster Squash Soup, surely one of the top soups in Lexington and alone worth a stop at Cosi's. The Tomato Bisque is also great. From there, you have salads, sandwiches, melts and pizzas. Many regulars think their salads are the best choice. There are eight: Signature, Chicken Caesar, Shanghai Chicken, Greek, Cobb, Bombay Chicken, Tuscan Steak and Salmon. The Signature has gorgonzola, grapes, pears, pistachios, cranberries, mixed greens and sherry shallot vinaigrette. There are 13 sandwiches, the best of which are the Fire Roasted Veggie, Tandoori Chicken, Shrimp, and Italiano. Of the eight Melts, we like the Steakhouse and Pesto Chicken. The Flatbread Lo Cal Pizzas are only available after 5 pm but they're good. Our favorites are the Marghherita and Smoky BBQ. If you can save room for dessert, the Mississippi Mud Pie and Cinammon Apple Pie are worth it. |
| Jimmy Johns is a gourmet sandwich outlet boasting that they cut all meat and vegetables fresh right in front of you, bake their own bread each day, and apply everything, such as Grey Poupon, just before handing you the finished sandwich. They don't serve anything except sandwiches but they fix those so fast that if you weren't watching them you'd swear they had to be prepackaged. They have six SUBs, six Slims, 11 Giant Clubs, and their signature Gargantuan. If you're hungry we recommend that Gargantuan (salami, smoked ham, capicola, roast beef, turkey, provolone, onions, lettuce, tomato, Italian dressing on a homemade French bun). It could be considered Dinner in a Sandwich. If that seems a bit much, try the Italian Night Club (salami, capicola, smoked ham, hot peppers, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, Italian vinaigrette). The Vegetarian Sub contains provolone, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and mayo. Other modest offerings are the Bootlegger (beef, turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo), Porker (applewood smoked ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo) and the Unwich, which has your choice of the sandwich meats or vegetables on a plate without the bread. Jimmy Johns has four Lexington locations : Waller Avenue, South Limestone (campus), East Main (downtown), and Tiverton Way. |  |
 |
Joseph Beth is America's largest singly owned bookstore. But there's also a very good restaurant inside. At left is the restaurant entrance from the bookstore. A large fireplace adds cheer to the paintings and books used for decor. Seating is in bad need of updating;upholstered benches, chairs and various sizes of tables looks like a random display from the 1960s. But the food is competitive with any lunch restaurant in the state, and it's a cozy stop for breakfast or dinner. Soup of the Day is likely to be Italian Vegetable or Potato Bacon. There are always two great daily Quiches, one meat and one vegetable, and the Vegetarian Greek Wrap (red onion, artichokes, tomato, olives, feta cheese, spinach and rosemary lemon aioli wrapped in a spinach tortilla) alone is worth stopping for. The six salads are outstanding, with the Turkey Cranberry Feta and Pear/Almond/ Raisen/ Bleu Cheese our favorite. JoBeth serves one of the outstanding Open Face Turkey Sandwiches in Lexington, and Spinach Artichoke Quesadilla (spinach, artichoke, parmesan, jack cheese, mandarin orange dip and sour cream grilled within a spinach tortilla) is very good. Their Vegetarian Chile is served mild with a side of hot sauce so you can flavor to taste. It's pretty rich without the sauce. Beverages include coffees, teas and smoothies. Forest Pie (rhubarb /apple/ peach/ cherry/ berry cobbler) and Peanut Butter Pie are great. |
| Panera's is famous for drinks, soups, sandwiches and paninis. The outlet shown here, in Regency Square on Nicholasville Road, also features a cozy fireplace on cold Fall and Winter days and a patio for Spring and Summer. We like their Ginger Peach Tea, which we have tried and cannot duplicate anywhere else (so we just buy boxes from Panera). Of their soups, which we order in the bread bowl Puritan style, we like Creamy Tomato (pureed with red pepper and oregano in cream) and Garden (Swiss chard, cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, peppers, barley, and basil pesto thoroughly pureed). The two salads we think lead the pack are the Mediterranean Salmon (chilled salmon, field greens, romaine, feta cheese, olives, oranges, almonds, red onions in honey tangerine vinaigrette dressing) and Fuji Apple Chicken (citrus herb chicken, field greens, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, pecans, Gorgonzola, apple in white balsamic apple vinaigrette). The Asiago Roast Beef and Mediterranean Veggie top a whole page of sandwiches. |  |
 |
Saul Good's features a very upscale menu of two soups, six appetizers, six salads, nine exotic pizzas, four sandwiches, four burgers and nine desserts. Each of them is unique in some way. The French Onion Soup, for example, is made with red, yellow, and green onions, shallots, melted Swiss cheese and sherry. The Beer Cheese Dip is made with aged Cheddar, amber beer, garlic and Worcestershire served with celery, cucumbers, pita chips and crackers. There's also the Steak and Beer Cheese Nachos, a platter of crisp blue corn tortilla chips, marinated steak, tangy beer cheese, five different white cheeses, jalapenos, cilantro, scallions, lime and a sea salt topping. It's an amusement park for pizza lovers. There's the Saul Cheese Pizza (Arrabiata tomato sauce plus five cheeses), Kentucky Hot Brown Pizza, Parisian Pizza, Thai Pizza, Mexican Pizza, Argentinian Steak Pizza, BBQ Chicken Pizza, and Saul Meat Pizza. Saul's does interesting things with sandwiches. For instance, the Szechwan Steak Sandwich includes marinated grilled steak, spicy shallot soy mirin glaze, sesame ginger dressed spinach on a toasted artisan hoagie. A Saul burger starts with a third pound beef patty with your choice of Cheese and Bacon, Blue Cheese, Hawaiian or Texas style. Or you can substitute a chicken breast for the beef patty but keep the flavoring. The desserts are another fireworks display. There's the Bananas Foster Waffle and Waffle Sundae but the main track is a very decadent chocolate page. It offers Chocolate Pizza, Chocolate Popcorn, Chocolate Beer Float, Kahula Cupcake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae, Chocolate Fondue, and White Chocolate Cheesecake. There are specials directed at the dinnertime fans : Grilled Salmon, Wild Turkey Top Sirloin and Chicken Waffles. There's also a Saul's Big Breakfast with eggs, maple pepper bacon, potatoes and a Belgian waffle. After the lunchtime crowd disperses, there's a 3-7:00 Afternoon Delite with a rotating series of daily specials at half price. |
| The Julep Cup serves dinner, but we think it's an ideal lunch stop. Sitting out on the canopied patio is a fine way to enjoy Kentucky's three seasons, and in Winter the inside exudes Old South class. We think their Dill Tomato Soup, Crab Cake Sandwich, Hot Brown and various salads are the lunchtime stars. The soup is a bit thicker than you're used to, but it has a great flavor. We're not too impressed with their Fried Green Tomato BLT, which seems rather flavorless compared to the same item prepared elsewhere in town. But they make up for that with the Caprese Panini (mozzarella, tomato and pesto on a baguette), Woodland Club (turkey, ham, bacon, swiss, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo on toast), Three Cheese Macaroni and Smoked Salmon BLT. If you were hungry after a hard morning, you could try the Salmon Croquettes, Pork Shoulder, Cedar Plank Salmon or Shrimp & Grits. They do a Weekend Brunch (11-2) featuring The Woodland Special (two poached eggs over andouille sausage, sweet potato hash, red peppers and grilled red onions). This alone makes the brunch worth stopping by for. |  |
 |
At Wallace Station, lunch is almost an afterthought. The drive out from Lexington on Old Frankfort Pike takes you through some of the most beautiful backcountry in the state, past some of the world's most famous horse farms. In the Spring and Fall, the landscape is lush and green. In the Fall it's a riot of red, orange and yellow. But Wallace Station will quickly pull your mind back to Food. This is a great lunch stop. Their Whitesburg Soup Beans n Corn Bread is an old mountain classic which Chef Ouita has made into a gourmet item. On other days, their Creamy Chicken and Mushroom is just as good if not as famous. There are three Salads (Chicken/Tuna, Turkey/Ham, and Greek) and a Cole Slaw/Potato Salad combo. They're all good. Probably the stars of the lunch menu are the Big Brown and Inside Out. The Big Brown was designed to be Kentucky's finest burger. In addition to beef, it contains ham, bacon, tomato and white cheddar mornay. It's running mate is the Wally Burger, loaded with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and your choice of white cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack or provolone cheese. Over on the Hot Sandwich, the Inside Out is Outa's version of the beloved Hot Brown. It grills roast turkey, ham, tomato and white cheddar mornay cheese on homemade bread. Other sandwiches include a Veggie Cheese, Turkey Rachel, Tuna Melt, Reuben, Cuban, Grilled Turkey and Ham & Brie. There are eight Cold Sandwiches and a Wrap. Wallace's serves Fried Chicken every Monday night and Fried Catfish every Friday night. The Breakfast menu includes some delicious twists on old country favorites. The Hellarito includes sausage, two eggs, guacamole, chipotle, mayo, grilled onions, roast red peppers, grilled potatoes and tobasco sauce stuffed in a jumbo tortilla and grilled. Chef Ouita's Panini features scrambled eggs, creamy spinach, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese and hollandaise butter. |
| Stella's is West of downtown in an old yellow frame house at 143 Jefferson (two blocks north of the viaduct). Stella's takes great pride in either raising or buying locally everything used in their kitchen. On their menu they list precisely where everything comes from : the meats, breads, eggs, cheeses, hand ground grits and flour, wines, all of it. Their $3 Soup Of The Day, $4 Salads and $3 desserts are always worth ordering, but the menu is really an All Star Sandwich roster. Many of them only exist here : Hummus & Tapenade, Apple & Bleu Cheese, Lentil Burger, Candy Bar Sandwich, Grilled Peanut Butter & Jelly, Brat Kraut & Swiss, Vegetarian Hot Brown, and Bagel & Lox. Some are common but just better here : Fried Green Tomato BLT, Reuben, Pimento Cheese, Lamb Burger, Hot Brown and Chicken Salad. Made with fresh picked local ingredients as they are, Stella's sides are pretty impressive : Tomato Aspic, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, and Red Beans & Rice. Just about the only item on the menu originating outside the Central Blue Grass is the Smoked Salmon, but it makes a fine addition to any salad for $3. There are only a dozen tables inside, and over the noon hour they're usually full. You might consider coming earlier or later. Stella's opens at 10:30 daily, closing at 4 Mondays and Tuesdays and 9 the other days. |  |
 |
Old San Juan is a classic Cuban restaurant, run by a Cuban couple along with their daughter and son in law. It's a low key storefront with a Cuban grocery in the back, but the food is outstanding. This is an especially good lunch stop. You could order the Cuban sandwich (ham, swiss cheese, roast pork, mustard, pickles and their incredible homemade Cuban bread), or the Roast Pork Sandwich (pork, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes on that same bread), or one of the other six sandwiches. You could easily become addicted to this bread. Sides include Black Beans & Rice, Fried Plantains, Beef Stuffed Potatoes or Chicken Croquettes. The Coffees here, especially the Cuban Expresso, are almost worth a stop in themselves. But their milkshakes are even better. We love the Pina Colado Shake, but the Mango, Mamey, Guava, Tamarindo and Guanabana Shakes are all good. Order the Medium, however, as these are pretty rich. The Large is a meal in itself. The dinner menu includes Steak, Pork Chop, Ground Beef, Pulled Simmered Beef, Red Snapper, Shrimp, Chicken, Sausage With Onions & Cheese, and a Cuban Vegetarian Platter (black beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions & peppers). Ingredients are basic but their sauces, seasonings and dressings are special. If you can leave room for dessert, there are Cuban Flan, Tres Leches, Pastries and Quesitos, all quite rich. Leaving here you can't help but wonder how Mexican instead of Cuban food became so popular. This cuisine is much lighter and the tastes much more delicate. |
| Windy Corner is one of Central Kentucky's most charming lunch stops. It was a country store in the heart of horse farm country. This is not really the original building, but it's been totally rebuilt to match it as closely as possible. The floor is beautiful reclaimed planking and beadboard lines the walls. There's the same red metal roof and the big windows along the wall opposite this view. But you come for the food. They serve breakfast and dinner (which includes Shrimp & Grits), but their best menu is Lunch. Always take a cup of their Soup of the Day. There's a whole page of Po Boys, of which our favorites are Barbecue and Kentucky (both pulled pork). Chef Ouita's interpretation of this old standard evolves into a sort of Open Face Sandwich, with Fried Pickles and Bourbon Barrel Beer Cheese to liven it up. There's a good Fried Catfish Basket, which has as good a breading as you're going to find in the state, plus some outstanding Hush Puppies, Remoulade and Cream Cole Slaw. The Steamed Vegetable Basket includes locally raised Kale, Broccoli, Red Bliss Potatoes and Green Beans in olive oil and sea salt. There are three good burgers, made from local beef and served with either hot bourbon mustard or spicy peanut dressing. You can get wine, Peach Tea, Hazelnut Coffee or Ale 8 One. Desserts, mostly cookies, brownies or bars, are made in house or nearby from scratch. |  |
 |
McAlister's Deli specializes in salads, sandwiches, soups and potatoes. The first McAlister's was in a converted gas station and this one echoes that with black and white tiles and a light, airy interior with high ceilings and plenty of windows. The best bargain is their Soup with Salad, Spud or Sandwich for $7. They offer four soups a day and they're all good. Of the salads, we like the Italian (black forest ham, salami, olives, roast red peppers, provolone, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes), Savannah (grilled chicken breast, cranberries, gorgonzola, honey roast almonds, tomatoes and cucumbers) and Southwest (grilled chicken breast, roast corn, poblano pepper relish, guacamole, cheddar jack cheese, tomatoes and tortilla chips). There are 33 Sandwiches (Club, Grilled, Classic and Hot) and eight Baked Potatoes. Choices include Muffaletta, Reuben, Memphian, Italian Submarine, Horseradish Roast Beef, and Orange Cranberry.. The four sandwiches which include Black Angus Roast Beef are all delicious, and Applewood Smoked Bacon shows up on seven others. The Veggie Club (avocado, cucumbers, roast red peppers, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, sharp cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan and Peppercorn) is a vegetarian favorite. |
Contact us at GustouCuisine@aol.com. |
Follow us on Facebook at Lexeat.com |