Visited here on a Saturday. It is a beautiful place to visit. The wine is generally very good, though a bit pricey for what it is. You also pay too much for food that is mediocre. We had the BBQ pork and mushroom risotto. The pork was very dry, though the BBQ sauce was very good. The grits and Brussels sprouts that came with it were nearly flavorless. The mushroom risotto was good- creamy and flavorful. The service was good- they were attentive and helpful. I will say- they do not allow any substitutions and leaving something off is considered a substitution. This makes it difficult for anyone with allergies. I recommend going once if you have never been, but not sure it's worth a repeat visit. read more

Jean Farris - Mushroom risotto - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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We'll be back. We travel highway 75-corridor, a lot--found traveling on a Sunday night. Caught them at a slow moment with good music. Delicious cocktails and a wine flight. Jean Farris herself waited on us all night-- mixed & served our drinks. Soup is a tasty cream based broccoli. Dinner is a pork chop (shared). - not over cooked or dry. Can't do carbs so they accommodated with more veggies. Recommend the Red Head- their own bourbon barrel sweet red wine. read more

Jean Farris - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Tonight we got to have a date night and it was the perfect night!! The service was TOP NOTCH and we felt so cared for the whole time! I ordered the chicken and my hubby got the pork and we devoured every bit because it was SO amazing!!!! I can't wait to bring others back here and we will definitely be back!!!!! Bonus - we are from versailles and saw others from there too!! It was such a good night!!!! read more

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We had a nice experience at Jean Farris today. We just stopped in for a drink but the customer service was awesome and my husband loved the wine and I liked the raspberry lemon drop a lot. We'll have to return in the warmer months. read more

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A WONDERFULLY Veteran family owned and operated winery by Mr. and MRS. Porter. SUPER friendly, great service and a wide variety on the menu of food and wine! We got the smoked cheddar which comes as a board and the fried oysters with deviled eggs an amazing amazing Brussel sprout slaw! All pictured below with our wine flights!! I had the dulce white in my flight and it was delicious. Great open clean concept with plenty of seating and soft music!!!! The owner was very kind and proud! He was open and accepting of our dogs as we were traveling. read more

Jean Farris - Cheddar board, fried oysters with deviled eggs and a Brussel sprout slaw. Along with 2 wine flights - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Exceptional wine and delicious food in a relaxing, upscale environment. Thank you for a lovely afternoon. We'll be back. read more

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The food here has generally surpassed my expectations! Service is good and the ambience is stunning... I always eat in the outdoor patio. A glass of wine and the sunset are a wonderful way to end the day! read more

Went here for Valentines Day. We had reservations, it was closed just for reservations. Was my first time here and I had a great experience. The courses we ate were delicious. The service was great!! We will be back! read more

Amazing food with poor service. Our meal tasted fantastic. The grilled Caesar salad with pickled onions was so tasty, as was the mushroom risotto. Unfortunately, our server didn't seem familiar with the concept of a restaurant. We had to ask her three times for a bottle of wine, and our soups and salads came with our entrees. They have an outdoor patio, as well as a covered sunroom. read more

A beautiful place. Great service. Amazing food (seasonal selections), family owned. Wanted to treat my cousin visiting from CA to a wonderful place and this was the spot! She loved it! The food was amazing! Happy hour is worth it! And save room for dessert!! read more

Jean Farris - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Food Fun Adventure Saturday took Fat Man Reviews to Jean Farris Winery & Bistro. Jean Farris is a small winery that offers farm to table food. We started with two flights of wine to sample the different types of wines made on site. We tried the classic reds and the Sweet wine tastings. I especially liked the Red Head. It is a sweet wine aged in bourbon barrels. It reminds me of a port. I tried their Old Fashioned, made with Fosters bourbon. Personally, I would have liked a touch more sweetness and a little less bitters, but it was a good drink. We decided on the Butcher's Board to start out. It had local cheddar, pepper jack and honey chèvre goat cheese, candied pecans, roadhouse almonds, homemade pickles, date and currant chutney, stone ground mustard, a smoked pork and an apple and pear chicken sausage and homemade crackers. This was excellent, and we would go back just for this again. The honey cheese was sweet and refreshing, the sausage was tender with a good snap from the casing. One knock was one of the crackers was mealy in texture. I also tried the drink Between the Sheets, made with Fosters bourbon. It tasted sweet and tangy, a bit like lemonade with bourbon. A very enjoyable drink. For my entrée I had the Duck Breast, whipped potatoes, blanched green beans and a sweet and spicy chutney. The duck was cooked to perfection, tender and juicy, but it was heavy-handed with the salt. The potatoes were great with melted Asiago cheese on top, but could have used a touch of pepper. The green beans were cooked and seasoned well. The chutney was delicious, but I needed more to help cut through the saltiness of the duck breast. My fiancé tried the Lamb. It was cooked to a great medium rare, but was a little salty as well. The mushroom risotto was a bit over done and slightly dry, but it was seasoned well and had a good mushroom flavor. This was also served with beans. Jean Farris Winery & Bistro offers several dishes, wine pairings, cheeses as well as vegan or vegetarian options. The service was fantastic with several recommendations and good knowledge of the menu. The Fat Man says Jean Farris Winery & Bistro is Fat Man Approved. read more

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We found Jean Farris on a list of wineries. In what seemed to be the trend of the day, this isn't *quite* a winery. It is a bistro, a rather nice looking restaurant (with prices to match). They do serve their own label wine, as well as other local wines, brews and bourbons. We were here solely for the wine. Since we intended to winery hop, we weren't exactly properly dressed to be there. We had been on a 7 mile hike and were in the proper clothes for hiking (which often are a-ok for winery hopping). As soon as we walked in, I hoped we would be seated at the bar. Then at least we would be a liiiiittle less out of place. But we were seated at a table next to a sizable group of ladies dressed for a night out. So we just did our tasting as quickly as we could. Tastings are $5-$6 for four one ounce tastings of the wines listed with each tastings. I went with the My Little Sweet Wine tasting. This came with Jean Farris Rose, Jean Farris Riesling, Jean Farris Dolce White, and Stonebrook Blackberry. They were all alright, nothing leapt off the page as bottle-buying-worthy. The service was very good. And to her credit, the waitress did nothing to make me feel uncomfortable for being underdressed...that was all on me. The food did look interesting and we were there during happy hour, during which glasses of Jean Farris wine is, I believe, half off. I would revisit for a nice dinner. It is certainly more of a restaurant than a winery. So as long as expectations are in the right vein, I think you'll enjoy yourself. read more

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Went for Valentine's dinner last night and overall quite disappointed. The patio was really cold, seating on cold metal chairs, and had to leave our winter coats on throughout the whole meal so not a comfortable dining experience. The service was good, other than taking a while to get our orders in we had no concerns with this. As far as the drinks, the house Kentucky Chardonnay was undrinkable but our other beverages were fine. Do not order this wine! The French onion soup had an overly boozy flavor and I didn't finish it. The pears in the salad were so cold, like out of the fridge, which was challenging given how freezing we were. The mahi mahi was good quality, well cooked, and large portion, and warm, but was served atop of very cold spaghetti squash that needed to be sent back to be warmed. The lamb was likewise prepared well but the accompanying mushroom risotto was inedible: very al dente, so very dry. We tasted it and didn't touch it after that. We were too disappointed by the meal to even attempt dessert. I don't see us returning, not worth the price tag on the meal. The attention to detail to make a nice dining experience were just not there. read more

Wine, place and service were AMAZING. Order desert (not so good) but for sure I'll be BACK read more

Jean Farris - Wine and coffee - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

The website is not up to date. The hours are wrong. They were not open at all on Thursday. Left a sign on the door to see you Friday at 5pm. We tried again the at that time got and saw not one vehicle in the parking lot. We then saw an employee come out and we asked her if they were going to be open today. She curtly told us we had to have a reservation because they were all booked and very busy, citing Covid and social distancing issues. There was NO ONE in the parking lot. Guess they don't want any wine tasting visitors. We left feeling very unwelcome. read more

I didn't get to explore much, but I enjoyed my time here. I did a red tasting and each of the wines were great. I will say they are on the expensive side compared to other local wineries. Their meat/cheese plate was $25. Bartender was friendly and helpful. read more

Jean Farris - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I pass this place every day and finally decided to stop in. We made a reservation for an early Sunday dinner but probably didn't need it. Shared a bottle of wine, butchers board, each had our own french onion soup, beet salad, grilled Caesar, and a cheesecake to share and were just over $100. Everything was so tasty and good service. Will definitely be back even if only for the french onion soup it's a 10/10!! read more

Visiting from New Hampshire and we decided to get outside of downtown and we're so glad we did. Our food and drinks were amazing and incredibly reasonably priced and the people were so kind. If I'm ever in Lexington again I will absolutely go back. read more

Jean Farris - Pork Tenderloin - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I wouldn't recommend this place in a million years! My mother and I were so extremely disappointed with this awful experience. We booked this table thinking we would need a reservation b/c it was X-Mas Eve. We were seated and everything started as it should. Ordered a couple glasses of wine, which weren't great, and we each ordered soup. Soup came and then the waitress came around with rolls. We accepted. Along with the soup, we ordered the scallops with carrot "kimchi" and the brown butter brussel sprouts to share b/c we were planning on getting a dessert. It took 30+ minutes to finally receive our entree and side in an EMPTY restaurant. (we asked about them twice) oh, and during that 30+ minute wait, not once were our waters refilled or were we checked on. Again, the place was basically empty. I think there was one other table in the whole damn place. We each cut into a scallop and they were still RAW!!! Barely seared on ONE side, the "kimchi" was shredded carrots that were tossed in vinegar and the cauliflower mash was utterly bland! Oh and the brussel sprouts were burned! See photo. We tried to wait for someone to come back, but my mother had to get up from the table and wander back into the kitchen to find the hostess! When she follows my mother back to the table, she asked us to put the scallops back on the original plate. What where they going to do? Put the poorly cooked scallops back in the pan and serve them to us again???? WTF?! Finally, after having to hunt down the hostess (AGAIN), we asked to just have it canceled, as we had both lost our appetites. It was obvious that we also didn't eat the side but paid for the side, wine and soups. We will never return and strongly suggest against anyone else from wasting their time here. read more

Jean Farris - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I love this spot for a nice farm to table menu! They are so welcoming and love all the food options. We have been going here over 4 years and with all the challenges they have faced still make you feel special and treat you like family. We enjoy the wine, Zinfandel and the Tempest are my two favorites. But the reds are what we primarily drink and treat our selves to the Higher end reds like Petite Syrah and Zinfandel. Love the Lobster Pappardelle. Generous portions of seafood and the homemade pasta. I can't wait to enjoy my Thanksgiving by treating ourselves with Jean's meal. So glad they are still providing service with the pandemic and all the restrictions. We will be bundled up for some outdoor eating. read more

Decided to hit up a winery while in Lex this trip. Drove past the entrance and barely saw the sign! After turning around and making my way down the driveway, we parked and went inside. I was hoping to sit on the patio and enjoy the first bit of fall weather with blue skies and sunshine. We were ushered to the outside and there was a tent up and quite a breeze. Once the server left and came back with our waters, we decided it was too chilly and not the vibe we were into-- we sat inside in the sunroom, warmer but not in the sunshine. Our server took our wine flight order and returned a little while later with them. Two of the four were yummy and we ordered full glasses of the Moscato. My friend ordered a cheese board and sausage. It looked amazing and she enjoyed every bite. This rating gets a three star because our server went missing half way thru our meal and we needed to go inside to the bartender to order another glass of wine. The bartender brought our wine and we still didn't see out server until it was time to pay. No bueno! read more

Jean Farris - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Valentines dinner was the Worst ever !! Not wort $250 !! Listen don't waste your $$ !!! Wine is terrible !! Food is terrible . Much better places in Lexington to have a great meal , this is NOT it !!! read more

We got our reservation at 7:00 pm and it is now 16minutes past know-one has took our drink order or gave us water or napkins. A minute later our waitress came and just saw us then went away we waited probably 5 minutes and then someone came to take our food order and realized we had nothing! She had said the manager was super busy but she would be taking care of us. We ordered the butchers board it was ok not very good. I ordered a salad and no it was just a bunch of leaves with to much vinaigrette. My moms fish was gross and it stuck to your teeth. My dad got a filet he ate it but said it was probably the worst steak he had ever had. This is definitely a non kid friendly place. read more

My wife and I made reservations for a Saturday evening dinner at Jean Farris and weren't surprised at all to find that it was as wonderful and welcoming as the few times we'd visited in prior years. We began with a smoked Old Fashioned, which may be the best cocktail anyone has ever created, with this restaurant's version being the pinnacle of the lot. To say it's outstanding would be an understatement. We each ordered salads with some cream-based dressing which was tasty enough, if fairly common. The small tomatoes were a nice addition to what is otherwise primarily a simple field of greens. We followed with the entrée--shrimp and grits--an absolutely amazing concoction of flavors that somehow turned bland grits into what I may consider one of my "top ten" food options. It was wonderful. My only complaint is that I wish the quantity was greater, but it was the right amount within the scope of a full dinner. We concluded the evening with desert and decaf coffee, both of which were as good as we'd expect, and we left the place quite stuffed. I will add that I have to agree with some other reviewers that the restaurant's additional space leaves something to be desired, as we've sat in there before, but the main dining area is very nice. Overall it was a five-star experience. read more

I love when Porter trusts my taste and knowledge for new drinks to come at Jean Farris Winery. He nailed this one and is naming it Three Kings. It's a must if you stop by and tell them I sent ya. Always a great experience every single time with the most welcoming staff. Great wine, food, staff, atmosphere and even better friends. read more

Jean Farris - Cocktail: Three Kings - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Wonderful. Great ambiance and amazing food. The Mahi-mahi was cooked perfectly. Looking forward to coming back.

The food and wine was horrible. We couldn't drink the wine and when the food arrived and we tasted it we left. The potatoes tasted like mildew and the steak was something that you would expect from Golden Corral. It was supposed to be one with Bernaise sauce, but I think they opened a jar of generic brown gravy. This would have been expected at $12.99, but the prices were on par with high end restaurants. Save your money and the time it takes to get there, go to anywhere else. read more

Disappointing on a number of levels. Came here for Valentine's day where they had prix fixe (fixed menu) running. That was my first concern as there were only 2 options for each course, but after reviewing them decided to keep our reservation and give it a try under the allure of a farm to table venue for Valentines day. However, the overall experience was a train wreck. Upon arrival, the hostess did not greet or take anyone's names until the next table was ready. The result was instead of having anybody sitting at the bar relaxing with a drink as they waited, there was just a clump of people standing awkwardly about the doorway for 20-30 minutes. After finally getting a table, we were placed in a room with a large number of floor to ceiling windows presumably to gaze out at the farm / winery. Except it is February, and 20 degrees out, so the entire room is freezing. Everyone had to wear their coats. There is no lighting outside so you cannot see out onto the estate at night anyway. The result is a frigid room for no reason. Presumably this place is open at night in the winter on other evenings, how can they not have thought to have heat lamps on the patio at this point? This is basic restaurant 101. Despite the fixed menu, food came out exceptionally slow. I would get my course and finish eating it before I was able to try the wine supposed to be paired with it. At the end, it wasn't a big deal because while the first wine (a sparkling wine) was good, the other 3 wines we sampled ranged from mediocre to terrible. It would have only ruined what I was eating. Meanwhile, fingers and toes became increasingly numb as frostbite set in waiting between courses. As for the food, the lobster bisque was excellent. The shrimp cocktail was good though it is difficult to mess that up. The beef wellington was edible but not good. And the red velvet cake was far too dry without the cream, of which there was only enough for a bite or two making the majority of it inedible. I can swallow some of these failures at any restaurant. I am not much of a complainer, I'm one of the few people out there who is more likely to write a positive review than a negative one. But for the price tag of $100 per person, this was truly inexcusable. I am left here feeling actual anger. This would have been a bad experience even at $50 a plate but for a supposed fine dining / romantic endeavor it was a colossal embarrassment. It wasn't just us, a look about the room told the whole story. There was palpable awkwardness and misery. Worse yet, the shame most of us men felt by gambling on a place like this on Valentine's day and losing so fantastically. I'm sure this place is fine when it has its usual volume of next to nobody. But with no redeeming qualities on Valentine's day, I would never risk giving it another chance. read more

We stumbled across this place a few months ago after a day of hiking around Red River Gorge. On our way back to Louisville, we stopped off in Lexington to find a place to eat and to visit a few wineries. We had a booklet/brochure that pointed this place out to us. Since it was close to one of the other wineries we went to, it was a no-brainer to visit here. The drive up and through part of the vineyard is cool. Honestly, I don't think this place should be listed on any type of winery list whether it be on paper or on Yelp. This place is more of a restaurant than a winery. They serve wine. They even have their own label but it immediately became clear that they don't focus on that or much care if you do either. We went in. We were approached like we were going to eat. Flag number 1: This definitely isn't a typical winery experience. We decided to tell them we were just there for a tasting. Flag number 2: We were seated at a table within the restaurant. What made matters worse is a table full of people that we were sat next to. It was a group(no less than 10). I'm not sure if it was a night out or if it was a special occasion of some type. It's not that they were overly obnoxious or rude but privacy wasn't a dish on the menu this day. We were just doing a tasting but I definitely wouldn't want to eat around a clump of people the way we were. We might as well have been with the group because we were so close. It also didn't help that a wall was on the other side of us. All of the sounds were traveling our way, through us, off the wall and back through us again. So much for peaceful wine drinking after a day of hiking. We waited for a server to come and that was one of the good things about the experience. Although her initial thought was that we were getting dinner too, she was probably the best thing about the place. Nice and accommodating. Flag number 3: We ordered our tasting flights and they were delivered. No personalization. No history about the winery. Little to no information about the wines(only the limited info in the menu book). The wine tasted fine. There weren't any specific wines that I'd go out of my way for. I didn't have any food there but the first impression experience didn't thrill me... not even slightly. I was ready to leave not long after I arrived. With that, I doubt I'll ever go back to try their food. The place looks cool(at least what we got to see of it). I guess I'm more disappointed that the place clearly makes wine but focuses more on their restaurant business or so it seems. If you're looking for your typical winery and tasting experience, I'd skip this place. There are dozens of other distilleries and wineries in Kentucky that will give you that experience. read more

Second time here and I'm loving it! I know it's epidemic times and my friend and I were safe outside on their patio sitting socializing apart from others. They have beer flights and bourbon flights for those not into wine and of course wine flights. The cheese boards and butcher board is awesome! read more

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Love everything about this place! Food is outstanding & wine is superb!

I've been dining here for years. Unfortunately my last experience there was not great. The table next to us was rowdy- very loud and very intoxicated. Another couple near us complained and when nothing was done they got up and left. The filet we ordered was poor quality. Over half of the meat was inedible. The salmon we ordered was excellent. The server was not very attentive. We had to wait quite a bit on refills, etc. we asked about one of the wines and she said it was new- but she didn't know anything about it, said she would find out and come back to let us know but never did. Overall not the experience I am used to at this restaurant. read more

What a disappointment. My husband and I ate here for dinner last night, Valentine's Day, which of course was a busy night. Trust me -- I spent a long time working as a server in a busy restaurant. But does not excuse the horrendous service and outrageous pricing. We arrived at our reservation time and were sat 20 minutes later. We were at our table for 15 minutes before a server came over. This was a pre-set menu, and we submitted our orders before even getting to the restaurant, four courses with wine pairings. For two of us it took two hours to eat. The food was good but very slow to come out of the kitchen. They tried to give my husband the wrong thing for three out of the four courses. The wine pairings did not come out with the correct course. Other than the sparkling, the wine was, quite frankly, undrinkable it was so bad. We were seated in an enclosed patio that had very little insulation, meaning I wore my puffy winter coat the entire time. Our seats were hard metal (and cold), as was the table. And, as if the experience wasn't bad enough, we were charged $80 per person plus tax PLUS 20% automatic gratuity. More than $200 for one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had. Do not waste your time or money on this place. read more

If you haven't been to Jean Farris for happy hour, you are missing out! I had a cocktail flight for $6 including a Bee's Knees, Sidecar, The Last Word, and a Hurricane and they were all the delicious! Usually we come here for half off of glasses of wine for happy hour (3-6pm) on the weekend or after hiking at Raven Run but they always have a cocktail special as well. For some snooty Virginian wine lovers, we have found some good wines here that we keep coming back for! We usually get the cheese plates (with homemade crackers) but the bourbon pimento cheese dip was banging today! Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the dip because we were ravenous and crushed it, obviously. I've heard that dinner is amazing so we are looking forward to trying it sometime! read more

Jean Farris - Forgot to take a picture because everything was so good! - Wineries Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

The food was cooked to perfection and delicious! The staff was super friendly! A very relaxed atmosphere. Totally recommend. read more

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Came for dinner and expected delicious food and service, but received average service and an inedible steak times two. Asked for the steak to be redone thinking it was just a bad cut and received a completely raw piece of subpar meat without replacement sides. Positive things were the cab sav and the lava dessert. Also very uncomfortable seating on a cold concrete floor with metal patio seats. This place has gone downhill from several years ago and it's a shame. read more

We went for Valentines and had a good time. The wine flights were ok but wasn't exactly my glass of wine. The old fashion on the other hand was top notch. The presentation was excellent and was a great experience. The food was good. We sat in the outside porch area which was fine but the chairs were very uncomfortable. Over all a lovely evening and experience. Check them out for a wine and dine evening. read more

To the Owner (since there is no way to personally email you) My partner and I ate at your restaurant Saturday, July 22, for restaurant week. We came down from Columbus, Ohio for the weekend and to try a couple of restaurants we have not eaten at before. While the food was good, our service was abysmal and really tainted what would have been a delightful evening. I have been a server at three of the top ten restaurants in Columbus and while I have a different occupation outside the restaurant business now, I have a critical view of what I experience and expect when dining out. I understand the challenge of getting good help in general much less seasoned servers though it is on you and the management to insure your people are properly trained. If you do not understand the basic principles of service then you have no business owning and operating a restaurant. Your front of the house staff is a reflection on you and is the face of your business. We arrived early for our reservation though we were promptly seated. The restaurant and outside venue are just lovely. The outlook over the field and side vineyard really made for a special ambiance. One of the first things I noticed was the unprofessional dress of some of the staff. The restaurant lends itself to being somewhat upscale, as is reflected in the prices, though the staff does not project that. Short shorts and tee shirts on a couple of the young ladies is completely inappropriate. Everyone front of the house should be held to a dress code that while it can be flexible, it needs to be coherent and tasteful. Our server, Kai, was completely clueless and obviously has never waited tables before. He had no personality, no knowledge of the menu or the wines. He forgot our cocktails, forgot an extra appetizer we had ordered, did not change silverware, had to wait with entrees in front of us while it took him a couple of minutes to hunt down a couple of forks-that he should have replaced prior and why isn't there a station on hand where extra plates, silverware, glasses and water pitchers are kept?- had to hand him our dirty plates, had to ask for more water after he had been to the table more than once and neglected to observe I needed more. I actually asked the young lady who served us a dessert for more water as the glass was empty, never saw her again! Then, at the end of our meal we are handed a bill that is over a hundred dollars more that what it should have been! Unbelievable. Our unfinished bottle of wine, we asked for it to be prepped for take home and that was not addressed, we just left with the cork stuck in it I suggest you review the law on carryout wine and insure your staff knows the protocol. As we left, the front lobby was pitch black as was the parking lot and if someone goes down in your lobby or parking lot and gets injured, you're done. There is no shortage of good eating and good service in Lexington and you cannot afford for someone to have a bad experience-especially when you are in somewhat of a remote location-because like us, we simply won't be back. read more

We had our company Christmas party here with a party of 27. Very pleased. Staff was very prompt and friendly-did an excellent job. Food was delicious and all were very pleased. Atmosphere was spirited with decorations and music. Received 27 thumbs up on this choice. Thank you so much!!! read more

I would love to be able to give this establishment 5 stars as the menu looks fantastic and my wife and I were really looking forward to a special evening here. We had a confirmed reservation, but unfortunately when we arrived fifteen minutes beforehand there was a sign on the door that said the restaurant was closed. We double checked OpenTable to make sure we had the correct time. We did. I also called the restaurant number in hopes of speaking to someone as we could see a couple people inside. But unfortunately without success. read more