Places to eat

We are staying at the Raddison the Friday of the Makers Mark hub-bub and could use some info and suggestions.

How far is the hotel from the Keeneland track? We will be driving in from Louisville that morning and wanted to maybe check in before the races.

Any suggestions for supper near the Raddison and would I need reservations that particular night?

Breakfast the next morning? Even on the way to Loretto?

And finally - any suggestions of a place that would fix a ';picnic style'; lunch for us to take to the distillery with us?

Thanks very much, we are looking forward to the trip.

Russ from Downtown Colorado

Places to eat

By the way, we would much more prefer locally owned places and with local fare.

No offense to TGI Fridays,Crackerbarrel, etc. but you have to support the local places. Plus, I don%26#39;t travel to Kentucky for Mexican food.

Places to eat

RussL, there are plenty of great places to eat downtown, within easy walking distance from the Raddison. We like to go somewhat upscale, and here are some restarants which rarely disappoint: Dudley%26#39;s, A La Lucie, Le Deauville, Metropol, Gratz Park Inn. If you want a steak house, Columbia is a good bet. There are plenty of other good places but these are the ones which come to mind which you can walk to in 15 minutes or less from the Radisson. Definitely make reservations for any of them. If you plan to be at the track all day, I suggest 8:00 or so, to give yourself time to clean up and change clothes. The track is perhaps 20 minutes away (by car). It can be considerably longer depending on the traffic leaving the track.

De Shay%26#39;s is right there. it is a great steakhouse. If you are driving from louisville it would be much closer to go straight to keeneland. Get off of I-64 at the frankfort/versaills exit and go towards versaills (pronounced Ver-sails not Versi) follow the signs. For breckfast look for the nearest Ramsey%26#39;s. there are several in lex. they have an awesome breckfast. Check out the Big Blue Martini in the lobby of the raddison. It is very good on sunday nights. hope you have fun.

The Raddison is maybe 10 minutes from Keeneland.

All the suggestions made by the two previous posters are good bets for high quality, local food downtown. Ramsey%26#39;s is great for breakfast or a low key, reasonably priced lunch or dinner. Go to the one on East High St, they have a few around Lexington, but they aren%26#39;t a ';chain';. It is about as ';Kentucky'; as you get food-wise. Ramsey%26#39;s might actually be a good place to call about a picnic style lunch too.

If you are looking for a night spot, Cheapside Bar and Grill is a nice place. They always have live Blues on the weekends and if the weather is decent, they have an incredible patio.

If you want to try some local dishes try a ';Kentucky Hot Brown'; or ';Derby Pie';. Yum!

I live downtown, and have to say that Alfalfa%26#39;s is my favorite for breakfast/brunch. It is heavily vegetarian, but also has plenty of meat otpions. Magee%26#39;s Bakery on Main Street is also a nice option. I think Jonathan%26#39;s does a nice job with creating innovative regional foods and is downtown as well. Cheapside is good, but more casual. It has a GREAT patio. The patios are all nice in Lexington, a great fringe benefit of our smoking ban!

Bellini%26#39;s is also good Italian. If you want to go out about 10 mintues to Tates Creek Road, Malone%26#39;s, Sal%26#39;s, and Merrick Inn are really close together. There is also a Fresh Market, which would provide picnic foods. I would suggest the Mousetrap, though, which is also in the Landsdowne Center, off of Tates Creek Road. It has great, fresh cheeses, meats, breads, salads, etc., that are excellent. You cannot pass on the pimento cheese.

Have a great trip. By the way, I love Colorado. My family lived there for years. It%26#39;s a great state.

If you want some amazing pasteries for breakfast, head south on Vine/Main St and top in Magee%26#39;s bakery. They usually do a hot item too, like biscuits and gravy, but it is mostly amazing croissants, muffins and rolls.

Annette%26#39;s makes great box lunches. If you take the skywalk from the Radisson over Vine St. you will end up right at their cafe. I%26#39;m not sure if they have a minimum order or not, we%26#39;ve ordered as few as ten. You%26#39;d probably just be able to call and order ahead of time and then stop by and pick them up on your way out. 859-296-6444.

Portifino%26#39;s is a great Italian place with a cozy atmosphere. It is located about 4 - 5 blocks down Main St. to the south. A straight shot from the Radisson.

For excellent Caribbean food go to Atomic Cafe. It is on Limestone St. at 3rd right at the corner of Transylvania University. They have a nice outdoor bar and seating area. I think they have music some nights as well.

The Raddison is close to downtown so some cool local restaurants to consider are:

Bellinis

Natasha%26#39;s

Atomic Cafe

Le Deauville

A La Lucie

Metropole

Any of those are good choices - I am sure they have web sites. Atomic Cafe would be the more economical choice if you like mediterranean.

Have fun!!