Home Ace Issues Lexington Food News: March 2015

Lexington Food News: March 2015

Ace Eats Out: Lexington Restaurant News: Births, Deaths, Moves, and Events

Following a grand opening in February, Benni’s Beef is open and ready for business at its new location on the corner of South Limestone and Maxwell.

The guest chef series at Best Friend Bar on Euclid Avenue will host Brian Surbaugh of Table Three Ten on March 22.

Brasabana will host Carnival Night on March 5, featuring street food from Brazil and the Dominican Republic and music by Big Maracas. Call for reservations.

Good Foods CoOp  will host a Sampling Saturday on March 7 from 11 am – 2 pm, with local producers sampling products and answering questions.

The 2015 Dinner Club: Around the World in 80 Days at Holly Hill Inn includes March 12-14: Emerald Isles; March 19-21: Roma
; and March 26-28: Spain and Portugal.

Marksbury Farms is expanding its local offerings. Pasture, a quick-service restaurant and butcher shop is opening up on U.S. 27, in front of Marksbury Farm’s processing facility, on March 14. Marksbury will own the restaurant and provide pasture-raised meats for entrees such as burgers and barbecue.

A new grocery delivery service, The Milk Man, has started up in Lexington. The service, created by former The Vue chef Khalid Rayan, offers to take your shopping list, selects each item, and deliver it to your door (for a fee). The Milk Man delivers anywhere in Fayette county.

Tony’s Steaks and Seafood will open on March 4 at 401 E Main Street. The Cincinnati chain’s niche is “huge portions and ample to-go bags.” The menu includes steak, seafood, pasta, salads, and a raw seafood bar.

Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen on 1781 Sharkey Way will open a second location in downtown Lexington. The new restaurant will open up around the beginning of March at The Square, on Broadway near Urban Outfitters.

AceEatsOut_WestSixthBrewOffThe West Sixth Brew-Off is March 21 at West Sixth Brewing, starting at 9 am. The goal of the competition is to support the homebrewing community and provide an opportunity for regional home brewers to come together. West Sixth will provide a variety of materials, including up to a 10 gallon batch worth of grain and hops. First round judging will be conducted by experienced BJCP judges, and the top five beers will be judged by the staff of West Sixth for the second round.  Beers will be judged for the most interesting and/or delicious beer; not per BJCP guidelines. Judging will take place approximately six weeks after brew day. The winners will have their beer brewed by West Sixth and put on draught around town.

The Annual Wine Barrel Tasting for the Springs is  Saturday, March 28. The annual fundraising event benefits McConnell Springs, and allows participants the opportunity to sample wine before its final stages of bottling and release at participating wineries. The tasting also gives individuals the chance to experience up-and-coming wines and to discuss the soon-to-be-released samples. Sixteen wineries, all within an hour’s drive of Lexington, will participate. Info, www.mcconnellsprings.org.

The Farm to School Junior Chef competition is kicking off its third season this spring. The statewide high school cooking competition is designed to offer youth the opportunity to learn valuable skills in recipe development and food preparation. The program stimulates interest in local agriculture, creates a nontraditional market for Kentucky food producers, and ultimately leads to an increase in consumption of local produce. In addition, it hones skills in areas such as marketing, public speaking, teamwork, and community involvement. All Kentucky high schoolers are eligible to participate. Each team’s recipe must include at least five local products. Each dish will be judged on qualities such as taste, appearance, creativity, and most appropriate use of products. District competitions begin in April, with the regionals taking place in May. Regional champions advance to a final round at the Kentucky State Fair in August. For more information, go to the Junior Chef website.

For our list of St. Patrick’s food & drink events happening in Lexington, click here.

This article appears on page 12 of the March 2015 print issue of Ace.

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To submit a Lexington, Kentucky food, wine, or spirits news item for consideration in Ace’s Best Bites, email acelist at aceweekly.com. To submit a Lexington Food, Wine, or Spirits Event to be considered for the Ace calendar,  please go to the Ace online calendar, and click “Submit” (upper right on the Menu bar). For Lexington restaurant advertising, call Ace Advertising at 859.225.4889 x229.