We left MI on Friday morning and drove to Lexington, KY, where we had a hotel reservation. This cut our trip basically in half. We can go multiple ways home, so this one was by choice, for the views it brings.
The Lexington side of Kentucky is very horse farmy, with a few cows here and there (the brown cows are my favorites!) We stayed on the NE side of town. A few miles above is the Kentucky Horse Park. After dinner we drove to that, where they had what was called “Southern Lights” — 4 miles of horse themed Christmas lights. There were some nice views for our 6 year old, the other two were asleep, so the $12 it cost … a bit steep …
Before that we went downtown Lexington, to Joe Bologna’s, a local pizza place. Distinct pizza, and particularly a distinct atmosphere–an old church building. Originally built by a Presbyterian congregation in 1891 … they sold it to a Jewish Synagog in 1912. The floors are original Kentucky Pine, and the windows are all stained glass and protected on the outside by modern material to keep them safe. Our table was right under the big 18-foot high stained glass window that looks out over the street, and has since 1891. Gorgeous. The bar is at the opposite end of the building — yes, right where the Minister used to preach from! Not a problem for Presbyterians, who believe that the Bible teaches, and it DOES teach this, that alcohol in moderation is fine.
The bread sticks are huge, and come with melted butter/garlic in a dish, the dish which reminded Frank of some kind of church dish–metal and just not a shape expected for restaurant use … oblong and boat-like, yet not. Makes no sense as I’ve worded it! LOL
But the bread sticks are good. They are chewy and light, but not heavy and gooey, yet have body. Perfect for white flour bread. Better than any chain restaurant makes, across the board. How was the pizza we ordered? It was a 16-inch round, ham and sausage. The sauce was more like we like, a marinara-ish sauce. And the crust was crispy on the bottom and light and body-like the bread sticks only better. The crispy bottom really made the difference. Good pizza! My whole family ate each slice wholly. I mean, that’s not normal 😉
So, if you are ever in the Lexington area for lunch or dinner, try out Joe Bologna’s downtown. Any local should be able to point you in the right direction, it’s a known landmark. The biggest disappointment is how North that State is. No Suhwheat Tuhee (sweet tea, to you non-southron’s!)