Lexington, KY - Perched atop the Chase Bank Building (on the 15th floor) in downtown Lexington, Bakers360 certainly adds some variety to the city's culinary landscape, and excitement to Lexington's skyline.
With dark, ambient lighting, an expansive dining area, an even larger nightclub and bar setting, and a sweeping bird's eye vista of downtown, Bakers360, a newcomer on the local restaurant scene, has already established itself as a unique destination for eaters.
Billed as a steakhouse, the restaurant also features a handful of other entrees, such as pork chops, bacon wrapped salmon, yellowfin tuna, grouper, twice-cooked chicken, and the Baker's Burger. Each of these selections is given a gourmet twist (like an adobo rub with the pork chops) and is accompanied by a complimenting side or two. These items range from $12 for the burger and $29 for the tuna.
An additional menu is dedicated to the restaurant's ample sushi selections, which includes nearly 20 nigiri (with rice) and sashimi (without rice) seafood items - octopus, salmon, squid and mackerel, to name a few. Also included are nearly a dozen sushi rolls (priced between $4.50 for the cucumber roll and $11 for the spider roll) and a smattering of specialty rolls, which are more expensive, but also more exotic - like the buffalo roll, which uses filet mignon ($12).
Bakers360's steak selections include the usual suspects, New York strips, ribeyes and filet mignons, as well as some interesting characters, such as the Kentucky bison strip steak, a hot cocoa seared skirt steak and the Filet 360 "Benedict" - which comes topped with pork belly, mushrooms and a poached egg ($34). Found almost exclusively at steakhouses, many of the steaks are dry-aged, a costly procedure that involves hanging the meat in near-freezing temperatures for weeks at a time; the process alters the composition of the meat in favor of greater beef flavor and taste. Most steaks are priced in the mid-$30 range, but the sides (and sauces) are a la carte, costing between $3 for fries and $8 for creamed spinach.
Over a dozen appetizer selections round out the menu. Priced between $5 for the edamame and $14 for shrimp cocktail, other items include lamb-lettuce wraps, calamari, mussels, scallops, fried manchego "lollipops" and a handful of assorted flatbreads.
For appetizers, my guest and I ordered the manchego cheese "lollipops" (essentially fried cheese sticks with tomato confit and apricot coulis, $7) and a spider roll ($11) from the sushi menu. The lollipops, its name reflected in the wooden poker accompanying each ball, were an inspired take on the popular appetizer. The spider roll was a pleasant surprise on an old standard, utilizing pink soy paper and a flavorful spicy mango sauce - we didn't even use soy sauce for fear of disturbing the taste.
For dinner, my guest ordered the seared yellowfin tuna ($29), which came with Italian white beans and was topped with orange-fennel salad, and I ordered the dry-aged New York strip ($33), along with a baked potato ($4) and French green beans ($6). The tuna was good, though not quite brimming with full flavor one would expect from sashimi grade fish, and the orange-fennel salad and beans were tasty trimmings. The strip was something special, ripe with a full beef flavor obviously due to the dry-age process. Along with the steak I ordered a zinfandel-rosemary demi sauce, but, as with the spider roll, I opted to not spoil the original flavor of the meal.
The bill, prior to tipping, came to $128.08 and included two cocktails, a glass of wine, a beer, two appetizers and two entrees, along with two sides - expensive, yes, but comparable to other local fine-dining restaurants. If available, request a table facing west, the vantage is a bit more striking. If you are adventurous and looking for a night on the town, the nightclub has already become a glamorous place to be seen.