European
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European |
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Athenian Grille |
Le Deauville |
Le Toulouse |
Le Mastin | Marikka's | Greek Orthodox Church | Taziki's |
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Lexington has a limited but outstanding cross section of European restaurants : French, German, British and Greek (Italian has its own separate section). The city is surprisingly heavy with French food with three restaurants, considering the fact that its population has more German and Greek descendants than French. |
| After running a food truck for three years, Ilias Pappas opened the Athenian Grille in Chevy Chase. This is a small facility and a short menu, but Ilias' mother is in charge of the kitchen and the food is authentic and wonderful. If you just want lunch or a quick bite, there are Lamb, Chicken, Sausage, Souvlaki (shishkebab) and Veggie Gyros ("Heroes"), a famous Greek sandwich. For Appetizers, you can pick from Avgolemono (chicken, rice, egg, lemon) Soup, Greek Salad and Horiatki (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, feta cheese, olives and classic Greek dressing). But the heart of the menu is the Dinner Entree list. It features all the classics : Mousaka (eggplant, spiced meat and bechamel sauce), Pastitsio (ground beef, pasta and bechamel sauce), Spanakopita (spinach pie with eggs and other vegetables), Greek Beef Stew and Cypriot Meatballs. Sides include Lemon Potatoes, Basmati (long grain) Rice and Roasted Vegetables. This Chevy Chase Athenian Grill is at the back of the large parking lot across South Ashland Avenue from Starbucks. They have wireless internet and outdoor tables. There's also an upstairs market so you can take Greek specialty items home. There is also an Athenian Grill food cart in the Chevy Chase Krogers, and a much larger Athenian Grill (pictured below) on Locust Hill Road off Richmond Road. You can order takeout. |  |
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| Le Deauville is patterned after a French bistro, including a slow kitchen and some of the highest prices in town. But don't let this deter you, for the food is worth waiting for and worth the price. Their Onion Soup Gratinee is the best in town, mainly due to the great beef broth, fresh onions, and crusty cheese. The preliminary menu offers Oysters, Clams, Shrimp, Lobster Tails, Caviar, Escargot, Sardines, and Mussels fixed four different ways. There are five salads. This is the only place in town offering Chicory Salad, and it's great. But the Beet, Endive and Nicoise Salads are also delicious. These greens are local, fresh and lovingly prepared (although we don't see any olives at all and the tomatoes have little taste). Among entrees, we highly recommend the fish. There's Tuna (sauteed in hoisin cream, wasabi oil and ginger rice), Monkfish (herb crusted, sauteed in mussel sauce), Salmon (sauteed in tarragon cream, tomatoes and tarte), Scallops (pan seared in citrus brown butter and risotto), and Bouillaibaisse (shrimp, mussels, clams and scallops in saffron, fennel and a tomato broth with roulle). They're all good but we love their Scallops. If fish is not your thing, try the Roast Duck (with peach compote and vegetable risotto), Pork Chop, Rack of Lamb or one of three steaks. 199 North Limestone. From the Hyatt, go east on Main and north on Limestone for three blocks. |  |
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Le Mastin is a gourmet lunch stop. They offer a limited menu and do it very, very well. Always order a cup of their soup of the day. It's at least good and often memorable. Their Bistro Salad has its own cult, who drop by just for it. The Bistro contains mixed greens, balsamic vinaigrette, feta cheese, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, and croutons. However, we prefer the Black & Blue, a large bistro salad with blue cheese, topped with pan seared beef tenderloin. We also like their Quiche of The Day, which changes flavors but is always good. Among their sandwiches, we've been impressed with Turkey Cranberry, Jambon (lean baked French ham, pesto, cheese, lettuce and tomato), and Soppressata (gourmet salami, pesto, cheese, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, lettuce and tomato). Their Roma (pesto, tomato, havarti cheese, blue cheese), Parma (prosciutto, pesto, havarti cheese, blue cheese) and Parisian (French ham, cheese) Panini with a salad and soup, can be a meal in itself. Their Zuni Bakery has great breads. Tates Creek. Half a block south of the Euclid light. |
Marikka's is Lexington's German restaurant, featuring a Bier Stube with 400 imports, mostly German and Belgian. This is the best place in Central Kentucky for European beers. The Menu offers German favorites very well prepared. The owner is German and imports ingredients from home. Sauerbraten, jagerschnitzel, potato pancakes, spaetzel, sauerkraut, breads and cheeses are especially good, with portions too large to eat at one sitting. 411 Southland. From the Hyatt, take South Broadway, turn left on Clays Mill, left on Rosemont Gardens, right on Southland, and look for Marikka's in the shopping strip to your left. Marikka's is currently closed for remodelling. In place of the current storefront in a strip shopping center, when they reopen it will be in a two story building with its own microbrewery as seen at right. The Grand Reopening is scheduled for Spring 2018, probably in April. |
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Once a month on Saturday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30, the Greek Orthodox Church on Tates Creek Road, as a fund raiser, hosts a Greek Dinner. Their menu at each one is limited, but they rotate the offerings so over several months you can try Cyprus, Ionian, Macedonian, Crete, Romanian and Makaronada. A typical evening menu includes three entrees, three side dishes, dessert and beverages. You can have coffee or soft drinks, but the wines are by Frankfort's Prodigy Vineyard and are excellent. For example, you might choose from Lamb Stew, Roast Pork or Spicy Baked Eggplant Stuffed With Lentils & Rice. For sides you might choose from Avgolemono Soup, Cypriot Salad, or Bizzlia (baked peas, tomatoes, onions and cinnamon). A meal will cost from $10 to $14 with wine available by glass or bottle. To check on the next date and menu, phone 266-1921, or go to GreekDinner.com. This is truly authentic Greek food, not Americanized or artificially flavored by corporate marketers to suit customer tastes. Portions are ample enough that we've never been able to eat dessert. |
| Taziki's bills itself as "Mediterranean," but in fact it's mostly Greek and American. That, however, is not bad, because Taziki's does a great job with both halves of the menu. Signature items include Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, Tomato Basil Soup, Grilled Lamb & Skordalia Gyro, Gilled Tilapia w/ Caper Dill Sauce, Chargrilled Lamb and the Spanakopita Rollup. They serve a good Hummus, three good Salads, and seven Gyros. Their "feasts" include Grilled Chicken, Beef Tenderloin, Pork Loin, Salmon, Shrimp and Tilapia. There are two Vegetarian Plates : Grilled Veggies and Dolmades (grilled hand rolled grape leaves stuffed with rice). You can order Take Home Dinners For Four : Chicken Breast, Baked Chicken, Pork Loin and Lamb. There's Beer and Wine. For Dessert you can get Baklava from Hellas Bakery. Tasiki's is on Southland Drive, across the drive from the new hotel. |  |
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