3 Italian restaurants have satisfied Lexington for decades. What’s their secret sauce?
Perhaps no industry is as volatile as the restaurant industry. They come and they go – some with great fanfare; others without so much as a fond farewell.
So, it comes as something of a surprise when certain establishments prove they have what it takes to go the distance.
In this case, it’s three of Lexington’s longtime, premier and best Italian restaurants which collectively have been at the forefront of the city’s dining scene for 90 years.
Just what is their secret sauce (and I don’t mean marinara or Alfredo)? What has kept them open the longest?
Giuseppe’s
4456 Nicholasville Road; 859-272-426; giuseppeslexington.com
Giuseppe’s is the kind of old-school eatery that Italians from Al Capone and Fiorello LaGuardia to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin would have loved.
A buzzy atmosphere that still provides a hint of privacy when the occasion requires. A mixture of live jazz and recorded classics that soothes the ear rather than assaults the eardrum.
Wine flowing; servers discreetly serving, and the kitchen cooking up some of the best dishes south of the Big Apple or Chi-Town.
“I’ll put the quality of our food up against anyone’s,” says Scott Moore, Giuseppe’s general manager.
Their Carbonara may be a riff on the classic Roman dish, and the hefty helping of garlic in the marinara sauce evokes Sicily, but Moore insists they don’t specialize in any certain region of Italy.
“We kind of bounce around all over the place,” he says.
Pining for Pasta e Fagioli? Fantasizing about Funghi al Forno? Salivating over spaghetti with homemade meatballs?
Whether you want your chicken Piccata or Parmigiana; your veal Marsala or Milanese, or your Scampi in a lemon garlic or a spicy tomato sauce, you’ll get it at Giuseppe’s, a Lexington favorite for the past 26 years.
When asked if there’s any one dish his customers won’t let him take off the menu, Moore responds, “I’d have to say the oven-roasted sea bass with lobster chili butter sauce over spaghetti.
“I think we’d be in trouble if we took that off the menu.”
Moore believes another reason for their longevity is the people who work here – saying one reason the restaurant has been around so long is that the staff has as well. Moore, who is in his 21st year, says his kitchen staff averages 15 plus years on the job.
Paisano’s
2417 Nicholasville Road; 859-643-8908; paisanositalianky.com
If Giuseppe’s is the kind of place that would appeal to Frankie and Dino, Paisano’s Italian Restaurant & Lounge would be the choice of Grandpa Salvador and Grandma Sophia.
This unprepossessing spot is the real deal. You might say that this dedication to authentic Italian cuisine the way it’s done in the old country is Paisano’s secret sauce (by the way, made from scratch in house as is everything on the menu.)
Paisano’s – now in its 38th year – has a devoted local following who come here for owner Mark Kakar’s Veal Saltimbocca (tender medallions sauteed in white wine and butter, topped with ham, spinach and mozzarella cheese); his Eggplant Parmesan (fresh slices of eggplant hand-battered and fried with marinara and mozzarella), and his clams with linguini.
If you just can’t make up your mind, opt for Paisano’s Sampler Plate which comes with chicken Parmesan, lasagna, Italian sausage and meatballs.
Other fan favorites are Marco’s Chicken, sauteed with fresh mushrooms, finished with lemon wine sauce and served with a side of spaghetti, and the fried mozzarellas.
About the latter, he says, “We are the only ones doing this. I’ve had customers tell me if I ever take the fried mozzarellas off the menu, that’s the last I’ll see of them.”
Diners will be living “La Dolce Vita” if they order one of the dessert options: Cannoli with homemade cream, Tiramisu or Spumoni Ice Cream (three flavors of Italian ice cream (chocolate, cherry and pistachio.)
Kakar says he owes his longevity to the fact that every dish on the large menu is made from scratch, allowing him to satisfy special requests from his customers.
“At least 25 percent of my customers ask for something special to be made for them,” he says. “I like to joke that for many of my regulars, I am a personal chef.”
Bella Notte
3715 Nicholasville Road; 859-245-1789; bellalexington.com
Bella Notte is aptly named, as Lexington diners have enjoyed “beautiful nights” at this popular spot for more than two decades.
While not offering a totally Italian menu, dishes such as Chicken Marsala, ravioli, manicotti, lasagna and Fettucine Alfredo Classico (prepared in the Roman fashion with Parmesan and nutmeg) show where the restaurant’s heart lies.
The restaurant’s most popular dish, according to assistant general manager Gleidys Salazar, is curiously not on the regular menu, but is offered periodically as a special.
The dish? It’s seven ounces of diver select scallops on top of a bed of linguini in a white wine, Parmesan and cream sauce with Roma tomatoes, shallots and chives.
One of my friends, a foodie who is always among the first to try any new restaurant, says Bella Notte has been her go-to since it opened.
“My family grew up in this restaurant, literally from diapers to diamond ring engagements,” she says. “We’ve NEVER had a bad meal here, with the food quality being the most consistent in Lexington.”
When asked what is the secret behind Bella Notte’s longevity (it opened in 1996), Salazar responds, “There are three keys to our success – focusing on local, fresh and seasonal.”
