Holly Hill Inn — Restaurant in Midway

Stellar. Beyond stellar – ‘incomparable’, really. I held a private dining event at Holly Hill. From administration to ambiance to service to cuisine, this was a special evening.

Graham's service was exceptional - his communication was always clear and graceful, and he was extraordinarily accommodating. I greatly appreciated that he was my single point of contact from booking through final payment. Not only that, but Graham is a rare breed: he's a professional server and it shows. He anticipated our every need and held himself responsible for making sure it would happen at a minimum of inconvenience to the party. An hour before dinnertime, the private room and table were already set by the time I arrived - however the porch and weather were so very Kentucky-perfect that I just had to request that we dine on the porch. Graham and his assistant (Connor?) came to the rescue with all the encouragement in the world and whipped up that porch replete with tablecloths and settings. How refreshing.

The service was precisely what service should be – friendly, but not familiar. These gents knew they had a job to do, and they also knew they were at their guests’ service. Impeccably respectful and anticipatory. They hustled and spoke only in any attempt to satisfy their guests. As the host, Graham was on the lookout to be sure I thought the symphony was in-tune. And it surely was. So much so that I could enjoy the evening. I had all the confidence in the world with this crew.

The food was out of this world - I'm not a food critic so I cannot possibly give a proper review. The appetizers were elegant and smacked our tastebuds. Beautiful filo cups filled with a carefully prepared aioli-ish mixture, topped with smoked salmon. Ugh - to die for. Then there were what I believe were pickled quail eggs topped with roe or caviar and a sprig of herb, all nested atop of another savory mix which sat on a platform of a kind of toasty pancake; beyond its deliciousness, it was a visual piece of art. And there was no skimping, . . . there were enough appetizers for us to take a boxful home. The first course served to us was a perfectly-sized salad which was coated with the precisely right amount of dressing; I have a pet peeve when salads are doused, and this did not disappoint in the least. The diners and I could not stop raving about the pickled carrots which bore fall flavors of (perhaps) ginger and cinnamon. We’d never loved carrots so much.

Guests could choose from three entrees: lamb, chicken, and flounder. I had the lamb. Generous portions, with plenty of lean meat, served to order. The chef's rendition of a mint spread enhanced the lamb to perfection and I devoured it. Again, a generous portion; what's more, I had requested a plus-sized portion for one special guest who I know can eat a horse - they practically delivered the whole lamb for him. Guests who had the chicken or fish were very pleased. Finally, dessert offered either a chocolate mousse-y dish-delish stacked on fresh and chewy cookie-like discs - perhaps with a note of toffee. Divine. Pineapple lovers opted for an upside-down cake and reported that it finished the meal with an exclamation point. How the chefs prepared all this miraculous-ness for 15 diners in a couple of hours is beyond me.

I cannot expound enough on how central Graham was – not just to the success of the event – but to the ahead-of-time assurance that all would go well. He absorbed the demands of the evening with masterful skill, and he clearly is empowered by the ownership to orchestrate an authentic Kentucky dining performance. The evening...

What happened to a special evening out with excellent food and Service and owners who want to deliver on creating a special evening for patrons?? Some places push a false narrative of what people actually like. In our opinion, this is the failure of Holly Hill Inn.

She is presenting a 4 course menu. Entrees include rabbit, pork, beef & vegetarian options. It is $70 a person, with extra charges for the beef tenderloin & starters not included in the course menu.

Ouita (the owner) was present in body tonight- but not in passion. Ouita emphasizes buying local & growing their own. None of these qualities benefitted the meal this evening.

My partner and I both cook, and do have high expectations of restaurants. Especially restaurants with such high expectations and reputation.

There are very few choices for starters on the course menu. Three to be exact. We tried the pork belly & borscht. The pork belly was tasty. However it was a small portion & not hot. The borscht is a hard sell anywhere. (opinion) It was a strong attempt and I am not going to pretend to be a borscht expert. But I wouldn’t order a Russian peasant food EVER again. How did anyone convince anyone soup can be cold?

The palate cleanser was basically frozen cucumber juice and spearmint. . And although refreshing- it is the main flavor left in my mouth as I write this.

For our entrees, one had the trout & one had the beef tenderloin. The trout portion was the best of the evening. The beef was undercooked (ordered medium rare) & was quite fatty. It was swimming in butter and a gelatinous gravy that tasted spot-on like gravy mix. It was served with TWO small potatoes- also swimming in butter. This dish was an up-charge, totaling $110.00. We overheard another patron send their steak back as well.

For dessert we tried the chocolate option & the white cake option. The cake was very dry & had little taste. The chocolate dish was good, but did not spark anything special.

One of us attempted to make eye contact with Ouita on our way out, but she was not engaged with customers this evening. We had no managers check on us either.

This restaurant represents the narrative that has been fed to us all via cooking programs. This idea that just because something was grown nearby means it will be delivered in a tasty meal that is worth a high price. This can result in glorifying peasant food & unhappy customers. I am aware that some may fancy rabbit as a delicacy- but I have 20 rabbits in my yard at the moment/ I don’t want to eat them.

Service was sub par. Staff is not dressed to impress. We didn’t order for 45 minutes. The first bottle of wine was incorrect. And the server’s reaction to the steak was improper for a server at a restaurant of this caliber. It was a loud disbelief that anything could be wrong with a $110 steak.

Some people save up all year for one nice meal out. Restaurants seem to never appreciate this. And it is heartbreaking to experience such a failure of culinary hopes. We probably won’t go out to eat anywhere for a while after this. We can cook much better meals for a 20th of the cost. Fine dining isn’t fine anymore.

Care...

Despite its charming setting and warm initial welcome, Holly Hill Inn delivered a deeply flawed dining experience that fell far short of fine dining standards.

Service was problematic from the start. Our server disappeared for 40 minutes after taking drink orders, then returned carrying wine glasses balanced between her forearm and bosom, which raised immediate concerns about the establishment's quality of service.

The pacing was equally troubling—we waited 70 minutes for our first course, with subsequent courses arriving every 30 minutes after finishing the one before. This stretched our 7:30 PM reservation to 10:30 PM, far beyond reasonable expectations.

The Spanish-themed four-course prix fixe menu suffered from fundamental execution issues. The starter's bread was soggy and the anchovies overwhelmingly fishy. Both soups were excessively oily and salty, while the fish fritters tasted rancid and the gulf shrimp were rubbery. All of these were auctioned off by the server who couldn’t seem to remember which seat each dishes were meant to be placed. In the world of fine dining, this is a highly unprofessional trait.

The entrées proved even more disappointing. The quail was overly gamey, the steak arrived lukewarm, and the paella had developed a sour taste. As diners familiar with authentic Spanish cuisine, we found these preparations particularly concerning.

Only the dessert course, clearly handled by a dedicated pastry chef, met acceptable standards.

Most troubling, two members of our party became ill after the meal, suggesting potential food safety issues.

Lexington offers numerous restaurants that deliver excellent dining experiences. Given Holly Hill Inn's significant shortcomings in service, food quality, and apparent safety concerns, diners would be wise to explore...