Anchoring both the burgeoning Short Street dining district and North Limestone corridor, Rosetta Dining has embraced its prime location with an attractive and inviting storefront, making the most of their limited sidewalk patio space with deep, black upholstered benches fraught with colorful, oversized pillows and elegant white tablecloths. The interior of the space, which was home to bygone mainstays Mia’s and Annabelle’s in recent years, has been treated with a fresh coat of white (walls, chairs, tablecloths); modern and minimal furnishings give the space an air of upscale sophistication while remaining comfortable at the same time.
While the menu, which centers on salads, a limited number of specialty entrees and “short plates” (i.e., small plates), doesn’t contribute any particularly new or noteworthy elements to the repertoire of downtown fine dining, on my recent visit, Rosetta executed all of the relevant dining points (taste, presentation, service, cocktails) so flawlessly that the experience hardly left me wanting more.
Our server greeted my guest and I with a plate of bite sized rolls right away – always a welcome greeting, in my book. We each decided to try a different cocktail from the specialty list – I went with the “Cucu-tini,” a refreshing blend of gin and cucumber, while my guest went with the “Watermelon Cooler,” which was not nearly as sweet as you might fear with such a drink.
Central to the dining menu, the “short plates” are presented alongside the following explanation on the menu: “In Greece they have Mezze, Spain – Tapas, China – Dim Sum, Italy – Antipasti, in America we have Small Plates and in Lexington on Short Street we have ‘Short Plates.’” Options include Duck Fat Frites (French fries fried in duck fat with a smoked tomato ketchup, $6), a “chef’s choice” cheese course ($15), beef bourguignon ($12) and a bevy of seafood options, from oysters to calamari to tuna carpaccio ($11 - 13). We opted to try the mussels (a standby favorite of ours, $11) and the Pike Valley Chicken Wing Trio ($12) from the short plate menu, and the pan-seared sea scallop entree ($28).
All three plates were brought out at the same time following our salad course (I’m sure the server would have staggered them a bit if we had asked him to), and the presentation was impeccable for all three dishes. The mussels weren’t drowning in a sea of white-wine broth, but well-seasoned and piled in a shallow bowl with large chunks of cooked vegetables (kohlrabi and tomato). The order of wings included two each of three different flavors: Sriracha (read: spicy), garlic dijon and peach BBQ, and was a refreshing (but still messy) gourmet alternative to your average chicken wing. The scallops, served over a black bean coulis with a smoked shrimp guacamole and julienned summer squash, were inventive and perfectly seared.
Bar snobs will find an added interest in the well-curated specialty cocktail list and the highbrow craft beer selection (which includes the award-winning Old Rasputin Stout on draft). The final verdict: Rosetta may not offer a groundbreaking contribution to the local dining scene, but it is a solid and welcome addition to our growing downtown dining district. Dinner for two, which included multiple courses and several rounds of drinks, came to $111 before tax and tip.
Rosetta Dining
127 N. Limestone
(859) 255-1800
www.rosettadining.com
Lunch: Mon. - Fri., 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Dinner: Mon. - Wed., 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. Thurs. - Sat. 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.