back in Lexington, need recommendation

We (my wife, myself and another couple) are going to be back to Lexington in April for Keeneland. We want one night out at a nice place for dinner. Help me choose.

A La Lucie%26#39;s

Jonathan%26#39;s at Gratz Park

Portofino

Metropol

Obviously, we are wanting to stick to downtown. I have only been to Portofino once a long time ago and it was excellent. We were poor college kids back then and couldn%26#39;t afford fancy dinners very often. But now we are rolling in it! LOL! This is our friends%26#39; first visit to Lexington, so I would like to show them a nice place downtown. I always wanted to go to Jonathan%26#39;s but I have heard great things about A La Lucie%26#39;s and Metropol as well. Thanks in advance for your help and don%26#39;t be afraid to post details about your experiences at each place, because excellence is in the details at high end places IMO.

back in Lexington, need recommendation

I%26#39;ve been to Jonathan%26#39;s 3 times and loved it.

back in Lexington, need recommendation

I have been to all 4 and I personally like them all for different reasons. I had good experiences at each one.

It has been several years since I have been to A la Lucie, so I can%26#39;t comment on how it is now. As far as I hear, it is still excellent. My only complaint is that I feel cramped when the dining room is full.

I have been to Jonathan%26#39;s 3 times and never had a bad experience. The last time I was there was last Mother%26#39;s Day. I have no complaints about the service or food, but the decor needs to be updated. This could have changed since I have been there.

I was last at Portofino on New Year%26#39;s Eve. My dinner and one of my friends was excellent and our service was very good as well. However, the Delmonico steaks that 2 other people in our party received were very fatty and the waitress had them taken off the bill. I love the atmosphere in that place though.

It has been a few years since I went to Metropol. It was very good at the time and the interior is one of my favorites. I have heard that they are not always consistent, but I had no complaints and would love to go back.

One place you did not mention was Le Deauville. I%26#39;m not sure if you were aware of it, but it is a great place too and has a nice setting on the corner of Lime and 2nd. It has nice french doors that open to the sidewalk, kind of giving it a Parisian feeling. It is one of my favorites.

Thanks george, no I hadn%26#39;t heard of La Deauville. Is it French? How long has it been there? It has been almost 8 years since I lived in Lexington. I will check it out.

I like all 4 places as well. If you choose Jonathon%26#39;s I would recommend getting reservations in the bar. It is much cozier than the big dining room and has the same menu. If it%26#39;s a nice day they have a patio too (if you don%26#39;t mind being around the smokers).

Metropol is a cool space but I prefer it in the winter since the dining room is on the second floor and there is no connection to the outside.

Portofino%26#39;s-we like it too. We like to eat either on the patio or on the smaller dining room at the back.

A La Lucie%26#39;s is such a great place but like George I find it cramped and loud. Very festive atmosphere though so it depends on your likes.

Le Deauville-the service can be very snooty if you aren%26#39;t in the horse business!

Bellini%26#39;s is a really cool space too. I would recommend getting a cocktail there and eating somewhere else (I%26#39;ve had great meals as well as so-so meals there).

Having said all this my list in the order of preference would be:

Jonathon%26#39;s

A La Lucie%26#39;s

Portofino%26#39;s

Metropol

Le Deauville

Le Deauville is French. I haven%26#39;t had an experience with the snooty treatment, but I%26#39;ve only been a few times and not in the last year...

I forgot about Bellini%26#39;s, but I do like it a lot as well. My only complaint is how noisy it can be and it is hard to hear the other people at your table. I have always enjoyed the food and service and I really like the interior. I don%26#39;t recommend the sidewalk dining...we did it once and nearly choked on the car fumes from Main St. I was last there for Valentine%26#39;s day. It%26#39;s Italian food so a lot of pasta dishes, but they have some seafood and beef selections too.

We made a reservation at Jonathan%26#39;s. I%26#39;m pumped. Our friends requested that we go to a place that served regional cuisine since this is their first real visit to KY, so that pretty much decided it. Thanks for your recommendations, I%26#39;m glad that Jonathan%26#39;s is still as good as it was years ago. I will post my review just in case anyone cares.

%26gt;%26gt;We were poor college kids back then and couldn%26#39;t afford fancy dinners very often. But now we are rolling in it!%26lt;%26lt;

Love that...

Looks like you%26#39;ve settled on Jonathan%26#39;s. Good, you%26#39;ll enjoy it. I met Jonathan last time I was in there. Young guy.

I was also going to recommend Le Deauville. I love that place and have never experienced snooty service. They get very busy when Keeneland is racing. Reservations would be a must, I think.

One more thing. What is going on with the Hyatt? We stayed there about 6 years ago and it was a little dated but OK. We were lucky enough to get a good price on priceline. However, I have heard they have been doing renovations. Are they done? We would love to be downtown but don%26#39;t want to pay $$$ for a mediocre hotel with ongoing renovations. Also, I cannot believe how expensive hotels are during the race season. INSANE!!! It is LEXINGTON, not NYC!!! Is there a serious shortage of rooms in town?

%26gt;%26gt;Is there a serious shortage of rooms in town?%26lt;%26lt;

My perception is when Kenneland is open or the wildcats are playing basketball the rooms go fast...