Kentucky has a lot of French influences, which is seen throughout city names, the statues and even the restaurants. A La Lucie is easy to spot with its leopard print awning and twinkling lights around the windows. The interior delivers with light pink napkins, leopard print booths, red tin ceiling and French-inspired paintings. Think Moulin Rouge.

We had made reservations and were seated in a booth on the right side of the restaurant. There was a little confusion with the first server who seated us and then the other who took our drink orders. It seemed like they were rushing and a bit disorganized - that's when we learned the waiter who was supposed to be working that night had an allergic reaction and had to go to the hospital (there was sesame in a dish he didn't realize). So the actual chef was helping fill his place. And Lucie herself was in the back cooking.


As we look over our menus, Vicki realizes she hasn't brought her reading glasses. Long story short, Vicki ends up with Lucie's reading glasses to read the menu.

I ordered the seafood casserole, a house favorite. It has lobster, scallops and shrimp baked in a mornay sauce over rice. Mmm. But before that - Vicki had ordered their featured appetizer of the day which had mini crab, shrimp and salmon salads. Very fresh and crisp.

We were also brought out a basket of bread and butter. Neither was particularly warm, but it was still salty, garlicky, delicious.

And THEN I also had a salad. So, we're like three courses deep at this point, right? The salad was not bad. Nothing memorable, though.


Our entrees came out not long afterward. Vicki had ordered the buttermilk fried quail, which was mind-blowing. The meat was perfect and tender, the batter was crisp, salty and flavorful. The mashed potatoes and cream gravy perfectly complemented the crisp quail. Delicious.

My dish was amazing. Cheesy and creamy and everything my diet had been missing. It's rich and delicious.

Dessert looked too good to pass up. A lemon cake, a creme brulee and a bread pudding. We lined all three up along the center of the table and just took turns taking bites of each. The lemon cake was the most refreshing after such a heavy meal.

The creme brulee was delicious, but I've had many in my lifetime, so I was hoping for something slightly different.



The bread pudding was good, but not my favorite of the bunch. I think the cake was the best. But I am very, very picky with my bread pudding. This was good.

Overall, we had a great time at dinner, and our meal was really great. The service was lovely, and everyone was so kind. A great experience all in all.


Grade: A

Just barely halfway through our final day of touring distilleries - in the middle of nowhere - my stomach is rivaling sounds of erupting volcanoes. I am starving. All that is on my stomach is an apple from breakfast and a lot of bourbon. And in Loretto, there aren't a ton of places for a quick meal (plus we still had a schedule for the remainder of our day). Luckily, Maker's Mark has a small restaurant on site.

The Toll House Cafe has just a few items available, with the bourbon BBQ sandwich being the most popular seller. So, I opted for that with a side of cole slaw and chips.

Overall, it wasn't bad. It's a cute little area, with decent food. The BBQ had a decent flavor, but nothing spectacular. There was no discernible spices or smoke flavor. It was pretty average. And the slaw was the same. But, it definitely filled the belly!



Grade: C

Bella Notte is located near a mall with beautiful shrubbery and accents, paired with a perfectly branded and beautiful building dressed to the nines with a traditional rustic vibe ... which made me think it was a chain restaurant. I panicked for the first 10 minutes of arriving for fear that I just wasted a dinner in Lexington on a chain restaurant before I asked our server. After she said they are not a chain, I let out a sigh of relief and realized how impressive it was to have such a cohesive, polished image.


We were seated and delivered fresh-baked, warm bread with an oil and herb mixture made right in front of us. This was delicious.

Vicki ordered an appetizer of a tuna bruschetta. It was on their seasonal menu - and it wasn't bad, but not my favorite. Fresh slivers of tuna steak would have been fresher and tastier.

We split two entrees because we couldn't decide: the penne gorgonzola with sundried tomatoes, grilled chicken, bacon and a creamy gorgonzola sauce and the veal saltimbocca with fresh sage leaves, award winning La Quercia prosciutto, wood fire grilled and served with creamy parmesan orzo pasta, grilled asparagus and roma tomatoes.

They noted on their menu that their veal comes from a local farm that has free-range calves, who are never penned and allowed to roam free with a completely natural diet of only fresh mothers milk an no artificial ingredients or fillers.


The penne gorgonzola dish I knew I'd love. It has me written all over it. It was rich, creamy, indulgent. The very smart thing, though, is the sundried tomatoes. This is sundried tomatoes used well. The flavor is often concentrated and kind of intense because it's so salty - but that pairs perfectly with the fatty richness of the dish. Beautiful.



The saltimbocca was more of a gamble since I hadn't had it before. The sage was prominent and tasty. The veal was delicious, and the cheesy orzo underneath added that creamy component to this entree. I liked the gorgonzola pasta dish better, but this was also delicious. Home run, on all accounts.

Grade: A

In the middle of visiting distilleries, my friend Vicki and I needed to grab a quick lunch. Our initial choice was closed because it was Memorial Day, but Alfalfa was on our to-do list, and it was nearby. So, we quickly changed direction and made it our destination.

Alfalfa has a cool vibe with lots of mutli-colored chalkboards, exposed brick walls and little hipster touches. They were serving their brunch menu for the holiday. Usually, when I go to a new place, I have studied the menu and chosen the best option. Here, I hadn't had that luxury. So it would've been nice to know what they were known for or what other people suggest.

But the quiche stood out to me. I didn't want anything super heavy, and the fresh veggies sounded delicious - a zucchini, squash, asparagus and swiss cheese! I got it with a side of grits.

And, it was all just fine. There weren't a ton of veggies in the quiche - save for a few on the top. I didn't taste much swiss. But it wasn't bad! Just average. And the grits had virtually no flavor, save for the bits of shredded cheese on top. Overall, I just wasn't super impressed. Nothing super flavorful, nothing too exciting.

Grade: C

DeBerry Farm Fresh Produce has been at the Morgantown Farmers Market since I began frequenting it. A jar of their famous hot pepper jelly has a permanent place in my refrigerator, and I use it on more things than I probably should. Crackers, cream cheese and hot pepper jelly? Yes, yes and more yes.

Of course, they also have lots of fresh greens, fruits and other veggies. But recently, I was treated to some of their strawberries.

Strawberries are a crowd favorite, so if you want some, be sure to be there early. You don't want to miss them - so good! It starts at 8:30 a.m. See you there!