After some down time and a complete makeover, a Lexington restaurant and lounge has reemerged, inviting diners to come for a completely new experience.
Lockbox Restaurant + Lounge in 21C Museum Hotel recently announced it’s reopening with a new menu and a more casual look and feel.
With counter service for breakfast and lunch on the horizon, dinner remains table service with entrees like ham and sweet corn hush puppies, and cornmeal crusted catfish with local artichokes, mushrooms and preserved lemon, according to a press release.
Some past favorites remain, like the Lockbox cheeseburger and the Share Board, with pimiento cheese, Benedictine and a variety of breads. There are even more sides from which to choose, an expansive bourbon selection and a cocktail menu.
An awning has also been added on the Upper Street side, which is now the primary entrance to the restaurant. Outdoor dining will be offered in warmer months. The interior décor has been refreshed, with an expanded lounge space, communal table and a chef’s table.
In other local restaurant news:
Representatives with new French eatery La Folie announced a spring opening at The Woodlands, 111 Woodland Ave., in the former Graze location. A preview of the dinner menu includes appetizers such as French onion soup, escargot and more, along with salads and featured entrees like a variety of mussels dishes, lobster ravioli and duck a l’orange.
A new boutique butcher shop called VanMeter James has launched at 333 E. Main St., Ste. 160, offering hand-selected, wet-aged specialty Angus beef cuts, filet, bone-in filet, ribeye, T-bone and more, along with accoutrements like fine butter, cutting boards, spice mills and Japanese knives.
Lexington resident Rudy Leake oversees what’s sure to become a destination for local carnivores.
“If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need human connection,” he said in a press release. “We need to be with our family and friends, spending time together and making memories. One of the best ways to do that is around a shared meal,” adding that he hopes his high-quality beef will easily enable more people to create those meals.
Good things are still coming to those who wait. After some delays, Burnaco’s featuring Maiden City Brewing, located in The Lex, announced in mid-March that its opening was just days away, with chef Colin McQuarrie at the helm, featuring “tasteful Tex-Mex and more.”
Sawyer’s Downtown Bar & Grill updated fans on its Facebook page that specialized equipment delays have also postponed the restaurant’s reopening for a few more months at its new location, 140 W. Main St. at City Center.
South of Wrigley Chicago-style hot dog restaurant has opened at 472 Southland Drive.
Hoggy’s Ice Cream updated its Facebook page that unanticipated equipment delays have also affected its planned opening for a Georgetown location but that it would eventually happen in the next few months at 100 E. Main St., across from the courthouse.
The Squawking Goat, from Maple Street Biscuit Company, includes a fried chicken breast, goat cheese medallion and pepper jelly on a homemade biscuit.
The Peach Cobbler Factory Lexington is on the way later this year, the Nashville-based company has announced on its website, featuring five flavors of banana pudding, a variety of cinnamon roll flavors, fruit teas, coffee and, of course, cobblers. The dessert shop, located at 521 S. Broadway in The Lex, plans to offer 12 flavors of cobbler, ranging from peach and mango peach to apple walnut raisin.
If you need a caffeine jolt, some more options are on the way, as Old School Coffee’s website promises a new location coming soon in Fayette Mall, adding to its original location at Dudley Square.
And Dutch Bros. Coffee has announced it will open a location at 234 E. New Circle.
Kristen’s Kreations is a new bakery in Versailles that’s opened at 110 S. Main St. featuring cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cookies and more created by Kristen Harlow, a Woodford County native.
According to the company’s website, a new location for Maple Street Biscuits Company is coming to 2270 Nicholasville Road, at the site of the former O’Charley’s. The biscuit-heavy menu also includes eggs, waffles, salads and sides.
From the folks who brought baked Italian treats to Julietta Market via Tratti di Busalacchi comes Café Emporio by Busalacchi general store and eatery at 808 N. Limestone, formerly the J. Gumbo’s/ Beltline location. According to the new store’s Facebook page, a one-day sneak peek will be held at the April block party at Greyline Station before the official debut Easter weekend. Sunrise Bakery will provide bread for Café Emporio.