John Thacker said:
House of Cheung (in Woodhill Shopping Center) had “the best Chinese food I ever ate.”
Barbara and Carl Boyer wrote:
“We were relatively new to Lexington in about 1984 when we stumbled onto Huckleberry’s. It was on the corner of Jefferson and Second streets, across from Jefferson Place. It had good food but most important it is where we first had their dessert called ‘Death by Chocolate.’ We have no idea why the place did not survive but we enjoyed it while it did.”
Kay Collier McLaughlin said:
“One of my all-time favorites was missing — Café Chantant, which the late Bill Nave had for several years. My family and I celebrated many happy times there. They were one of the first in town to ever be open late in the evening, where it was possible to have something to eat after an event, and the performers (several of whom also served as waiters) who then took the stage in the downstairs cabaret were absolutely wonderful. The food was wonderful, the ambiance sophisticated yet warm, the welcome gracious — and the New Year’s Eves, birthdays and others celebrations unforgettable. I never pass the site without thinking of those wonderful people, and the happy times we knew there.
And then there were The OLD Coach House, The Golden Horse Shoe (big thrills as a child to be treated at one of these special places! I remember as a little girl taking piano lessons giving requests to the man who played the organ and piano from one bench at the Golden Horseshoe. I must have been 8 or 9 years old when we had a family dinner there one summer night. The Canary Cottage I barely remember — or maybe I just remember my Grandmother telling me about me swinging on the velvet ropes as a toddler in a fancy dress.
And what about the elegant dining room at the Lafayette Hotel? Now that was true southern elegance. I remember it every Christmas Eve when the women in my family still gather for lunch — as my Grandmother and Mother started the tradition of meeting there after we had done last minute errands. The old Levas’ — especially sitting in the bay window upstairs and watching one of the first 4th of July celebrations. If we went further afield, there was the Old South Inn in Winchester—THE place to have ladies’ lunches.
Barbara Shattuck of Middlesboro wrote:
“My first taste of mahi-mahi was at Amato’s on West Second Street. It was served with julienned vegetables. If you ever get the recipes I would love to have them.”
In the ’60s Adams Restaurant, 683 S. Broadway served a popular “business man’s special” lunch ($1.50) and lamb fries. John and Dorcas Innis were the owners then but many of the staff had been there much longer. Cookie was the head waiter, Bob Hughes was always working at lunch time. Wonderful Minnie Smith cooked breakfast and lunch and Walker Green kept things ship-shape. Wednesday evenings the UK Law School students filled the bar and dining room.
Cowboy Steve Taylor was a regular entertainer, playing requests as he visited his friends from table to table.
Perhaps not the finest food in Lexington, but certainly the finest company
I do miss Cafe Chantant and the old Levas’! So classy and friendly…with great food and service. The Little Inn was a great place for a special dinner and Chef Sears. Of all the terrific spots I miss from those days, though, there’s a special spot in my gustatory memory for Johnny Allman’s on the river–those are still the best New York strips I have ever had!
Does anyone remember a place in Stanton called Daltons? My grandparents used to take me there a whole lotta years ago. It’s probably long gone, but they had the best fish sandwich ever……it was right off the Mountain Parkway…..
My favorite place was Blue Boar Cafeteria in Turfland Mall. They had the best food in Lexington. I worked & lived nearby, so I ate there several times a week. Every year on Mother’s Day, all Mothers ate free!