DeSha's: In Victorian Square, Downtown

Advertised as New and Creative and one of the best in town, we had to try it. The decor and layout was beautiful. Tastefully decorated with a pressed tin ceiling, wallpaper, brass fixtures and historic pictures. The interiour has a very comfortable and inviting atmosphere. The wine list surprised us. It was mostly Californian with some French thrown in too. But they didn't just have the big names, there were creative choices available. We were very happy with this.

The food menu was severely lacking in contrast with the wine list. There was no creativitity to be found - steaks and chops with a few pasta dishes thrown in. The bland selection was typified by appetizer list with it's fried appetizers with and KY-trendy spinach dip thrown in. All dinners includ a salad with homemade dressing (the Sweet and Sour and Blue Cheese were nothing special). A little loaf of hot cornbread was also included. The cornbread was great, light and fluffy with honey butter on the side. My husband ordered the blackened 16 oz. T-bone and I had the Steak DeSha. Both were truly disappointing. The grade of meat was poor and they were both over done. His T-bone was obviously a strange cut as it was less than 1" thick at the bone which is way too thin for a T-bone. The true reason we went to DeSha's was the attached cigar bar. With the disappointing dinner over with, we strolled through the bar to the room next door....

Nicholson's Cigar Bar - attached to DeSha's in Victorian Square

Large painted letters over the bar claim: The World's Largest Selection of Premium Bourbon Whiskey. BELIEVE IT! We really enjoyed Nicholson's. It has a very cozy atmosphere with tiled floors, paneled walls, groupings of couches and chairs, a huge TV on the back wall (Basketball and Hockey turned down low) and even a poker table (which a group of locals took no time to comandeer). We were surprised not only by the huge selection on the liquor menu, but by the friendly people and the cigar availability. They had a cigar menu, but such things can never be trusted. We simply asked the server his recommendations in the size we wanted. No problems and service with matches, a mint and a smile! Hands down the best deal on the bourbon menu is the 3 - 1oz. shots for $5.95 deal. You can choose from all but three types of bourbon listed - including the single barrel bottlings. It was great fun to try the best bourbons in the country! I highly recommend Nicholsons for an after dinner drink or a relaxing cigar. It was empty when we arrived at DeSha's (7:30pm), but between 8:30 and 10:30 it was packed on a Thursday night.

Cheapside Grill - on Cheapside Dr. one block from DeSha's

We ventured to Cheapside on a rainy Sunday morning. Unwilling to chance a wet mea we sat in the windowed- in area and suffered through a smoky meal. On a clear day the two-tiered veranda under the view of large and colorful wall murals would definately be the place to be. The indoor decor is eclectic with southwestern influences and a fairly traditional looking bar area. The menu is just as spacey. One of the weekend specials was a Fried Elvis Sandwich - battered peanut butter and banana sandwich deep fried!

I tried their highly acclaimed black bean soup. It was, as advertised, a meal in itself and a unique dish. It's served with a shot of Jalapeno Sherry on the side. I could only bring myself to add 1/2 of it and it overpowered the taste of the black beans until the alcohol mixed in well. The soup was more like a chile. Well spiced (mild for this Chile-Headed Californian) and tender beans in a thick black sauce. I had to ask for some tortilla chips to eat with it... the sour cream and beans alone just didn't cut it for me.

My husband ordered their souped up version of the KY traditional sandwich, The Hot Brown. Their version combines pork tenderloin, smoked turkey, bacon slices, mornay sauce and cheddar cheese (nevermind that Mornay IS cheese sauce!). These are all over two slices of sourdough bread and the top is broiled until slightly brown. The meats were tender and tasty, the whole thing hot and satisfying, but truly The Hot Brown is for Midwest folks who love these cholesterol feasts. There wasn't much flavor over the cheese, bacon and smoked turkey. I guess it was good for what it was.

We managed to have one of their spicy Bloody Marys as well (after waiting until 1:00pm as it was a Sunday). The Mary's were great and truly spicy and it's a good thing they are SO spicy or you'd just keep ordering more and tossing them back! Overall, this place was pretty dang good. Original dishes and creative flair, good service and real food!

Lexington City Brewery - on Broadway (can't remember the cross street)

This is a fairly new place located in a huge new brick building. It's a hangout for some of the KU crowd. Large stainless vats are housed in a glass room down the center of the bar. They make a lot of beer here and all of it is GOOD! Hefeweitzen was the seasonal special and it was quite tasty. Other favorites were the Red and the Blonde, but they were all great. Very fresh, no additives and served with a smile.

This is a restaurant too. The menu mostly has salads, sandwiches and pizzas. There are wood fire ovens at the back of the place where they make some pretty good pizza. I tried the BBQ Chicken Pizza, which was a little too sweet. My husband had the Hot Brown Pizza and it was okay, but nothing special. On another visit we tried the Nachos (bad idea East of the Mississippi!) and of course they were terrible. Why a pizza place with all that shredded cheese, feels the need to use canned fake cheese sauce...... well that's one of my pet peeves.

This place was never crowded and we went there several times. It's very large and I can imagine that during the Fall as well as in basketball season it probably gets filled with KU types enjoying a brew. We found their growler to be quite a deal. They sell you a filled 64 oz. bottle with the beer of your choice for only $8.00. Refills are $6.00. We did this for the family BBQ and the beer went so fast that we had to make three trips back to the brewery for refills! This place is exactly what you want from a brewery, great beer, fun atmosphere, and decent eats.

Enjoy! -- Vickie McCorkendale