OBC Kitchen — Restaurant in Lexington

My family and some friends met for dinner at OBC Kitchen on Friday, January 25, 2019 at 6pm. I called earlier in the day and was pleased to find that they do accept reservations (a number of other local restaurants either do not take reservations or will not allow you to make them on the same day as your visit). I also asked a few questions on their Facebook page earlier that day and was pleased with their fast, courteous response.

We arrived about ten minutes early, but they had our table ready for us. I love the atmosphere of this place. Too many newer restaurants have a generic, uninspired "modern restaurant" look that evokes boredom and a desire to turn over tables quickly. I was pleased to see that OBC had a pleasant, cozy atmosphere that make it the sort of place where one can feel relaxed. If the noise level were lower, the atmosphere would be perfect.

Ever since the tragic closure of The Pub, my friends and I have been searching Lexington for a restaurant that has three things: great atmosphere, good food and quality beer on tap. This would seem easy in a town of this size, but we've been looking (unsuccessfully) for just over a year. We have found any number of places that have two out of the three and, unfortunately, OBC was another that missed the mark. I asked the waitress if what I'd been told was accurate that they only served bottled beer and had nothing on tap. I was a bit taken aback by her response, "This isn't a sports bar." I'm not a fan of sports bars and, in my experience, quality draft beer (ideally craft beer) is not the sole province of the sports bar scene. If anything, sports bars might offer low end domestic beers on tap, but not the kind of quality draft beer we were hoping to find. In any event, the only beer OBC offers is in bottles, although they do offer some really good selections. I ordered the Country Boy Cougar Bait and one (I can't remember which) from Goodwood Brewing Company (from Louisville) that I really enjoyed. Although draft would have been much better, for bottled beer it wasn't bad.

The food was phenomenal and is the best reason to visit OBC. We started with the bacon in a glass. This dish sounds--and looks--a bit quirky, but everyone at our table who tried it was pleased. The bacon was very thick cut and was more meaty and less fatty than more typical cuts of bacon. It is served with a peanut butter dipping sauce which also sounds unusual but we found that tasting is believing. It was very good, but also very filling--one strip is a great appetizer; two strips would be excessive (for me at least). I ordered the Chicken and Biscuits and also got the Buttermilk-Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread to share with the table. The chicken and biscuits were amazing. The boneless fried chicken had the perfect ratio of meat to crispy breading and was a savory delight. The buttery biscuits it was served on were flaky and delicious. As with the bacon, the serving size was ample and I was only able to eat one of the two portions. Surprisingly, the buttermilk-jalapeño skillet cornbread was possibly my favorite dish of the evening. I've had similar dishes elsewhere--or so I thought--but this was a real delight. It was savory and moist with an interesting mix of sweet and spicy. I'll definitely order it again if I return.

Overall, there are many things that OBC gets so right that the few areas where it was lacking were made even more sorely disappointing: this place has such potential that I really wanted to give a higher rating. (And if they changed just a few things, they would easily merit 4 or even 5 stars). The atmosphere is great, but just a bit too loud. The beverage offerings are very good, but the absence of quality draft beer seems like a painful oversight. And the food is phenomenal, decadent even--but nearly everything is very rich and heavy. The dearth of lighter options means this isn't the sort of place where we'll be eating every week. However, for a rare meal of unique, delectable offerings, OBC is well...

In researching local restaurants we came across OBC while camping in the area. I was attracted to the very large selection of Bourbons and whiskeys that they had as well as some of the menu items. It looked like a great dining experience. We made a 6 PM reservation on a Tuesday night. The Restaurant is located in a strip center and parking is not an issue.

We were warmly graded upon arrival. However, we seated in the very back of the main dining room for some reason and at a high top for 4 next to the doors to the kitchen and bathrooms. We tried to move to the bar, but there were no seats available there. There were other tables in the main dining room, but we decided to stay where we were That said there’s good table spacing in the main dining room. Table ware and linens were nice. Chairs comfortable. The Noise level was easy to have a conversation.

All that said I would recommend not sitting in the main dining room unless you want a quiet table. It’s nice but there’s really not much character other than the hundreds of bourbons and whiskey listed on the wall and a large TV screen on the back wall showing drinks and food being prepared. The bar area seems to be where all the action is. There’s about 10 to 15 seats at the bar and it’s surrounded by tables. Behind the bar, they must be over 1000 bottles of bourbons and whiskeys from floor to ceiling making for a nice back drop. There are also some tables outside, but it was a very hot day and no one was out there. Another problem at the bar was there were seats, but they were being saved by people who had arrived early waiting for their friends.

The menu has a nice selection of items to choose from pretty much for any taste. They also provided an iPad like menu that mimics the paper menu with pictures and detailed descriptions of each item, including cocktails.

We started with cocktails. I ordered a smoked Manhattan and my partner an espresso martini. Both had excellent presentation and flavor. The smoked Manhattan came in an empty Blanton’s bottle and poured into the glass.

One of the more unique items on the menu is the bacon in a glass. Basically, thick, sliced bacon baked with a honey bourbon glaze and served with a peanut sauce. Very different and very good.

For a entre I ordered the potato horseradish, encrusted salmon which came with a side of arugula and a Parmesan crisp. it actually felt more like arugula salad with a side of salmon. The lemon Tabasco aioli made a nice accompaniment to the salmon.

My partnered ordered the Parmesan chicken caprese entre which came with a side marinara ragout and mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes. Chicken was tender and very thin and had a good taste.

We also ordered the smoked mac & cheese to share. It was a good portion but lacked a truly good flavor.

Although the main dining room is nice, it has very little character and ambience. It’s basically just a large room with tables.

Our waitress Melanie did an excellent job throughout the meal. She was stable attentive and checked back on his regularly. She truly wanted to make sure that we had a great experience.

When I booked the reservation I actually expected better food based on the ratings and reviews that I read. Perhaps my expectations were set too high or maybe the lack of ambiance based on where we were seated took away...

Update 2/26/2025

A Return to OBC – Still Impressive!

Every great road trip deserves a fantastic meal (or two), and on our way from Chicago to Florida, we made sure to stop in Lexington to visit a dear friend—and, of course, to revisit OBC. It wowed me a year ago, and I’m happy to report: it still delivers.

The place was packed, so we grabbed seats at the bar, which turned out to be a prime spot. We kicked things off with the Hot Baked Pimento Cheese & Bacon Dip and Fried Green Tomatoes, both of which disappeared embarrassingly fast. Then came the Calabaza Halibut, which my husband and I shared (expertly split by the kitchen—love that touch). It was superb. My friend’s Walnut Basil Pesto Linguini looked tempting, but we were all united in pure joy over the Chocolate Pistachio Bar—a rich, indulgent finish to our meal.

Speaking of indulgence, the bar at OBC is a bourbon lover’s dream. I couldn’t resist trying a couple of their well-crafted cocktails: DAMN IT FEELS GOOD TO BE A GANGSTER (a clever Boulevardier twist) and a classic Manhattan. Both? Excellent.

Service, however, was a mixed bag. Akeem, our bartender, took our order, made me a drink… and then vanished into conversation with a young woman next to us. A little disappointing, bordering on rude. Thankfully, Kevin swooped in and saved the night—friendly, professional, and full of great suggestions.

Will we be back next year? At this point, it’s feeling like tradition!

——————————————————————— Original 1/14/2024

I just found a reason to move to Lexington Kentucky, OBC Kitchen. I could be here for a few months to try every item on their menu, perhaps a couple of years to taste every bourbon and whiskey.

I have not smiled or laughed while enjoying a meal in a long time, this is according to my husband, who had a kick at noticing me having pleasure.

The service was superb. Julian, our server was phenomenal, knowledgeable, professional, friendly, good manners, attentive and tuned into our needs, patient and calm, and attention to detail.

The Seared scallops were perfect, salty-sweet flavor, firm and tender texture, and creamy buttery taste. Served over mushroom nutty, earthy rich creamy risotto. Excellent!!

One of the best delightful combinations of buttery thick creamy grits topped with flavorful seared shrimp. Grateful my husband is always willing to share.

My friend enjoyed her choice of pork tenderloin over brie.

We all over-indulged on the Warm Buttermilk Donuts and 3 sinful yummy sauces.

I abandoned myself in several libations. the Old Fashions flight was a delightful surprising treat and enjoyed their version of Boulevardier, one of my favorite cocktails.

This is a must-try spot in Lexington.

BTW, be aware that the reservation process was not the best. We called several times trying to get our preferred time 6:30 pm. First, we were told that there was nothing available until 7:30 pm, so we took that reservation. Called, later on, we were able to move it to 7:15. We show up at 7:00 and we were seated right away - gratitude. There was plenty of empty tables and...