Minglewood — Restaurant in Lexington

This is a wonderful establishment that I would and often do recommend. When I'm there, I hear some guests browsing the menu and having a group discussion about what to order. This is not something I need to do. As a regular, I always know what I want to eat before leaving the house; a daily, housemade special that piques the interest of my taste buddies (that I've learned about via the restaurant's Facebook page) or one of the delectable items off of their regular menu. (Major shout out to the orange teriyaki wings; longstanding friends of my digestive system and palate.)

FOOD There truly is something for everyone at Minglewood; the specials change daily, the regular menu is equally as impressive with flavor pairings that make your mouth water before they leave the kitchen (unless you don't know what to expect, in which case your delight in the wide array of tastes will be expectedly delayed until the food reaches your table, but only by a few seconds).

BEVERAGE I limit myself to just a couple, to ensure that I avoid forgetting my manners among such fine company. But, as I mostly sit at the bar while dining at Mingle, I can assure you that the drinks are not only of high quality and good taste, but they're also fun to watch the bartenders whip up. (I've been to quite a few restaurants that have taught me what not to like.) Kentucky has a rich history of bourbon production and the bartenders enjoy discussing that as well as why your drink has the ingredients that it has. I enjoy learning about what I put into my body (for the mostpart) and can think of no better place to learn about good food, good drinks, and good service than here at my favorite restaurant in downtown Lexington. Most of my learning comes from experience, but the conversations are pleasant, too.

SERVICE I have never waited more than 10 minutes for food that I've ordered and the collaborative spirit at Minglewood will have bartenders, servers, and even the wonderfully talented kitchen/heart of house staff bringing out food and meeting their adoring fans as well as skeptics that they've converted into believers. Small ticket times coupled with dynamically stellar personalities are all a part of the Minglewood experience.

MUSIC I've discovered a lot of new music here...many of those bands going on to become favorites. From the big brass sounds of the Musicians' Village in New Orleans, Louisiana, to jam bands like Phish and Twiddle, my horizon has been vastly expanded simply by listening to their non-corporate and hip musical selections. What you hear at this restaurant is just as swank and unique as everything else they offer.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY I also enjoy supporting this small business, because of where they stand on conservation and environmental stewardship. Trendsetters in their industry, they were among the inaugural restaurant group that converted to biodegradable paper straws upon request in Fayette County, as the movement toward such gained momentum and took control. They have recycling and composting programs in place, as well. An added bonus. Carbon footprint? More like: shmarbon footprint, am I right?

MINGLE'S MESSAGE To quote a classic song: "Have faith in you and the things you do; you won't go wrong. We are family." With a message of positivity, inspiration, and encouragement, Minglewood happily carries us into the new year with zeal and passion for exemplary experiences!! Go check them out!! You will not regret it; if you do, some serious introspection is needed...

So the food and the experience was not good. The overpriced quesadilla came out burnt, chopped up, and just a nasty mess. $17 for something that is just seasonless. Then the Philly with fries comes out. The sandwich was terrible, all you could taste was wine and garlic, I mean it was one of the worse Philly steaks I have ever had. The server came out and offers aoili to someone that was with me, I asked if it was available to all of us, he said yes. Little did I knoe, I'd be paying nearly $8 for a very small amount of sauce in 7 or 8 cups. We asked for straws, never got em, didnt have anything for "to go" (yet a door dasher picked up food while we were there it looked like). So rather than leave $5 for my tip, I left $1 but I had another one that was with me also leave $7. So, for $90 worth of food, the server that did not do right and overcharged us still received an $8 tip. We leave and they yell out the door at one that was with me and called him a curseword (they better be glad I was already at the vehicle), just so happened, the one they cussed at was the one that left $7 for terrible service at a rough hole-in-the-wall with terrible food. You've been warned.

Update: The fact that they have the audacity to lie in a smart alec review after serving nasty food (and, by the way, never getting more than my initial soda pop. A teenager got a refill and another guest got a refill, that was it. Also, the picture of their nasty quesadilla was NOT touched by us when the picture was first taken. It is our custom to take pictures of food at places we visit for the first time and we have been doing that since 2016). The other guest did NOT eat their Philly because it was disgusting (his words). He tried to eat the meat. I guess we should've took a picture of the table before leaving because, wow, what a deceptive response! And yes, they did offer a to go box to 2 of us before leaving and we said no. We weren't rude and did not complain about the service. The very rude cursing they did to the other guest, using the "b" word and mocking the flag on his shirt in front of the 17 year old and 11 year old was the only initial reason why I had come to leave the review and shine a light on things. Now, after the rude and deceptive reply, I will explain things in further detail. The place was also not clean. When was the last time the pillows were cleaned? When you literally have 2 people drinking at a bar and no other customers, how hard is it to follow thru on 1 table? And who throws cloves of garlic on a Philly and doesn't chop it fine? And that Philly is just nasty. Arby's Philly is far superior and that's a fast food joint and (I dont care much about theirs). After looking at some other reviews and some social media, it looks like this isn't an isolated incident either. Maybe they will step up so that way there aren't other issues with others and they'll make is look like liars. Whatever it takes, I suppose. If they would've just apologized and made things right for how they treated him, I would've deleted the review and hoped that no one else would be treated like that. With them lying and justifying, they are definitely not looking to do right by customers. So the warning is there for whoever is reading and deciding whether to eat...

The evening seemed to start off on a positive note because we were seated immediately but things took a turn. I was displeased with the preparation of the nachos. The chips are more so a pita chip not completely cooked with the center of several of the chips being soft in the middle. The nachos did not come with any kind of salsa and when I asked for salsa I was offered blue cheese dressing??? Then the waitress realized they have pico and I was practically given a thimble sized ramekin of pico for which I was charged 0.75 cents for a side dressing!!! Clearly I asked for salsa because flavor was lacking in my dish! But what wasn’t lacking was the abundance jalapeños. Suggestion, a little less would be more. My friend also ordered a mocktail and she was charged the exact same price, 11.50, for it as an actual cocktail! When we asked the waitress about it she said all the components of the cocktail are included in the mocktail except for the liquor and she couldn’t change the price??? So you charged my friend the same price for a “herbalicious” soda? That literally makes absolutely no sense. She paid almost $30 for an herbed up mocktail, pita chips with guacamole, and again a “thimble” sized ramekin of salsa. Outrageous! The pulled pork tacos were flavorful, as my friend stated, but the portion of pork on each “partially cooked pita style” taco was laughable. Literally quarter sized. My other friend got the burger and she said the bread tasted stale and the burger was over cooked and there must have been a shortage on ketchup. Or apparently a thimble’s worth amount is the theme with “sauces” at this restaurant. She also stated that her Mezcal mule did not have any liquor to taste. Which apparently other customers have complained about as well. So I guess we continue with the thimble size theme? I wouldn’t have written this review and I actually have never written a review but what moved me was the audacity of the restaurant to have a note in the bathroom denouncing the actions of LexPark and accusing them of exploitation! Meanwhile you are serving customers iced up and practically liquorless cocktails, ridiculous portions, and charges for “side dressings.” It seems that the true or mirrored “exploitation” is happening in this restaurant! All the while you are pointing the finger. Least to say, I nor my friends have any interest in EVER returning to this restaurant. No need for a defensive response to this review, there is no salvaging this experience. And we were there just a few hours ago so you will be pleased that I posted my review promptly! This is just to encourage others to pay the “exploitive” parking fee elsewhere as it will be the only reasonably priced service for your evening if you eat at...