After the whirlwind of the holidays, the new year brings plenty of new options for restaurants in the Lexington area, among them Black Squirrel, which was set to open by the end of December at 101 N. Main St. in downtown Versailles.
Richard Turnbull and Cole Arimes
Named for a famed Woodford County-raised Saddlebred stallion, the breakfast and lunch eatery is the latest from chef Cole Arimes, who is partnering with Richard Turnbull. Also part of the day-to-day team will be Director of Operations Chris Hutchison, along with former Manchester Hotel sous chef Olivia Jackson, now serving as chef de cuisine.
“Black Squirrel really became a reality for us because of this building and the location,” Arimes said in a statement. “I’ve always had this restaurant concept in the back of my mind. Once we walked through the building and saw how incredible the space was, I knew we had to grab it. Versailles is in an exciting time right now, and we cannot wait to be a part of it.”
In other local food and beverage news:
Silk’s Steakhouse recently opened in The Aldenberg Hotel, a new 22,000-square-foot boutique hotel in downtown Versailles. Located at 101 N. Main St. and developed by Single Barrel Group, the steakhouse is a white-tablecloth destination with prime dry-aged beef, along with wine and spirits and, coming soon, a rooftop bar with small plates and a curated cocktail program.
Chicken Salad Chick has opened its second Lexington location at 254 E. Brannon Rd. Franchise owner Vickie Tranter said she’s been looking to open in the Hamburg area for more than nine years. The chain offers a dozen flavors of fresh, house-made chicken salads and two flavors of pimiento cheese.
Papi’s Citation, the local restaurant chain’s fourth location, opened in November at 1988 Stockton Way.
Millstone at Dudley Square opened mid-November in the historic 1881-era Dudley Square building at 380 S. Mill St. Starting with dinner service, lunch was scheduled to be added in December.
Cafe Patachou opened in late November on Finn Way at Fritz Farm with an all-day breakfast and lunch menu, kids’ menu, coffee bar, cocktails, grab-and-go items and pastries.
Frank’s Donuts is expanding to Cynthiana, and Futile Bakery moved to Greyline Station at 101 W. Loudon Ave.
Bella Cafe & Grille Hamburg opened in mid-November at 2200 War Admiral Way.
Dutch Bros at 2084 Harrodsburg Rd. has opened.
Fresh Market held a grand opening for its new location in December at 2321 Sir Barton Way, Lexington’s second site for the upscale grocer.
Wawa Georgetown opened in December at 900 E. Main St. Another location, at 1170 Newtown Pike, is planned.
Charlie Gs BBQ Grill has opened at 4300 Winchester Rd.