The Ketch — Restaurant in Lexington

Food Fun Adventure Saturday took Fat Man Reviews to The Ketch Seafood & Grill in Lexington, KY. The Ketch is a long time Lexington seafood restaurant in casual setting.

I tried a Pain Killer with Meyers Dark Rum, Malibu Coconut Run, tropical juices and topped with Old Bay seasoning. Not a bad drink but heavy on the Malibu.

We started with Hush puppies and Oysters Rockefeller. The hush puppies were a traditional corn meal and flour mixture, fried to a proper golden brown and served with honey butter. They were light and fresh. The oysters were baked well with spinach, bacon, Parmesan and Pernod. This added a slight licorice flavor to a nice dish.

I ordered the Lobster Bisque. It had great lobster flavor it was creamy with a hint of butter.

My fiancé ordered the Maryland Crab Cake with Cheese Grits and Hash brown casserole. The crab cake was fried to a golden brown and offered a lot of crab to breading in a tasty dish. The grits were light, fluffy and cheesy that made for a nice dish. The hash brown casserole had a mash potato texture but lacked seasoning and needed more cheese, while the panko topping was a bit much.

I had the Flounder Maryland stuffed with Crab Imperial covered in a Mornay Sauce, I had green beans and hash brown casserole as my sides. The fish was cooked and seasoned well, the crab stuffing was light, tasty and added a nice texture, the mornay was creamy and cheesy adding a nice touch to a fish dish. The only issue was that I could tell the fish had been frozen but was tasty nonetheless. The green beans were cooked country style with onions like the hash browns they needed salt and pepper.

For dessert, we tried the Peanut Butter Pie and Chocolate Dream Cake. The pie was served on an Oreo crust with crushed peanuts and M&Ms on top, it was rich but not overly sweet. The cake was a bit dry, the buttercream icing was dry also, but it had good flavor. The cake was topped with a chocolate sauce that was a bit overpowering to the cake.

The Ketch reminds you of a Tikki bar at your favorite beach destination on the gulf. It offers several steamer pots, fried foods and fish favorites. The Fat Man says that The Ketch is Fat...

The food was bland but okay, but absolutely not worth the price. The service however was terrible. We came in and were asked if we would like to sit at the bar and were treated as if it was an imposition when we requested the table. They stated that we would have to sit at a high top because the other tables were reserved, however these “reserved” tables stayed empty the entire time we were there. Rather than show us to the table, the hostess told us where it was. It hadn’t been cleared, so we stood around awkwardly for about 5 minutes before the hostess came back and cleared it. We weren’t provided with menus or silverware. Our server then comes and takes our drink order and we request menus. She brings those and gives us all of two minutes to look, and while we’re still clearly looking she comes over and demands to know what we’d like. We aren’t ready obviously but put in an order for an appetizer of oysters. The server comes back and lets us know they’re out of oysters, which is fine, except later as we’re leaving we see another table seated after us with a big basket of oysters. Then we order, and I ask if I could substitute a cup of clam chowder for one of my two sides for an upcharge. I’d be perfectly fine with a no, of course, but she says she can. Great. Except she comes back because she can’t, would I like to just order a cup of clam chowder separately? Sure, but I should tell you what side I want since I’m still paying for two sides right? Nope, she’s already rushed off. I might have called her back over but at this point I don’t want to cause any more confusion. Cut to our food coming out. Everything is completely unseasoned and my $20 fried fish tastes like Captain D’s. They forget my boyfriend’s 2nd side and again it’s treated as an inconvenience when we ask for it.

The one upside was their key lime pie. We both agreed it was the best we had ever had and we will definitely be coming back for dessert, but never again for the main meal. If you’re wanting seafood in Lexington, skip The Ketch and head over to Smithtown Seafood at West Sixth Brewery. Better prices, better service, and absolutely...

Three years ago, this place was top-notch. I remember coming here with friends and grazing on a variety of delicious fish dishes and generally having a great experience. A friend of mine was particularly fond of the Baja Fish Tacos.

I came here a few nights ago hoping to have a similar experience with my girlfriend and her three-year-old son. I left disappointed. Starting with the service, it was lackluster to say the least. On a Monday night, not busy at all, our wait time was atrocious. Skipping ahead to the food, all I can really say is... meh. I ordered the walleye pike, the most expensive fish dish on the menu and my personal favorite. It was very underwhelming. While the fish was cooked fairly well, there was no seasoning whatsoever in the breading and several pin bones throughout the fillet. The baked potato had no salt or pepper or any seasoning at all. As for the Baja Fish Tacos, which I recommended to my girlfriend based on past experiences, there was only the slightest little squirt of Baja sauce on one of the three tacos. Her fried green tomatoes were undercooked, as part of the batter was still liquid and raw. The only thing I really enjoyed about the place was the hush puppies; those were pretty great.

It's clear that The Ketch has lost it's way over the years. I'm not sure if it's under new ownership or there's a new cook in the kitchen or what, but it has gone downhill from it's previous standards. I hope to return here in a year or so to a pleasant surprise, but it'll be a while before I...