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Turning back time

Businesses Lexington Misses: The Coach House

An outside shot of the old Lexington restaurant The Coach House.

The Coach House was located at 855 S. Broadway. | Photo courtesy of Lexington Herald-Leader

Businesses come and go, but many leave a stamp on our hearts, and in this case, our stomachs. Back in 2022, we asked you to share businesses from years past that you missed. In our first installment, we’re taking a look back at a Lexington staple — The Coach House.

We have legendary restaurateur Stanley Demos to thank for bringing the white tablecloth, fine-dining experience to Lexington. Prior to coming to the Bluegrass State in 1964, Stanley worked his way through the dining scene in Cincinnati + went on to become the maitre d’hotel at The Maisonette.

LEX Stanley Demos with pan — Stanley Demos inside The Coach House.

Stanley wanted to bring that same experience to Lexington, and in 1969 opened The Coach House at 855 S. Broadway on land owned by The Red Mile. The building was originally a home, but converted to a restaurant with a portico for coaches to pull under — hence the name, The Coach House.

The fine-dining establishment featured French, Italian, and Greek cuisines with an atmosphere that felt more like an exclusive club — fresh flowers, gold-framed oil paintings, and ornate crystal chandeliers.

1988 | The Coach House is sold to Stanley’s daughter + son-in-law, Tootsie + Sam Nelson.
1991 | The restaurant was inducted into the National Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame.
1992 | Stanley retires to Florida + The Coach House is sold to John Dupuy III.
2001 | The Coach House serves its final meal and for years after, there were several attempts at new restaurants in that building.
2013 | Contents of the building are auctioned off + the building is demolished.
2014 | A new building lands at 855 S. Broadway, Lexington’s first Cookout.

Thanks to Readers Terri H., Cindy K., and Tom D. for bringing up this longstanding gem.

Share this story to reminisce on meals and memories from The Coach House.

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Today

Irish Dance Free Trial Class for Adults | Mon., Sept. 12 | 6:30 p.m. | McTeggart Irish Dance Studio, 3519 Lansdowne Dr. | Free | Interested + prospective students of all ages are invited to participate in this free trial class. 🇮🇪
Jordy Searcy | Mon., Sept. 12 | 7 p.m. | The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd. | $15 | Kick off the new week with the fun pop sounds of Jordy Searcy + special guest Julianna Zachariou

Tuesday

History & Nature Meet Up | Tues., Sept. 13 | 10 a.m., 1 p.m. + 3 p.m. | Leslie Morris Park at Fort Hill, 400 Clifton Ave., Frankfort | Free, registration required | Explore the forest + the historic area surrounding two Civil War forts in the heart of downtown Frankfort.
Tea Tuesday at Waveland | Tues., Sept. 13 | 2-4 p.m. | Waveland State Historic Site, 255 Waveland Museum Ln. | $35 | A fun + unique experience with tea, finger sandwiches, and desserts in a historic mansion. 🫖

Wednesday

African American Genealogy - “Genealogy and Records of Intrigue” | Wed., Sep. 14 | 3-5 p.m. | Virtual | Free | The Lexington Public Library is hosting this virtual lecture from staff members at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – Let’s Go Somewhere Tour | Wed., Sept. 14 | 7:30 p.m. | EKU Center for the Arts, 822 Hall Dr., Richmond | $25+ | Rolling Stone says they are “One of Americana’s Most Popular Stars.” 🎸

Thursday

Christopher Cross: 40th Anniversary Tour | Thurs., Sept. 15 | 8 p.m. | Lexington Opera House | $47.50+ | This musician has won Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe + more throughout his 40+ year career.

Friday

Gallery Hop | Fri., Sept. 16 | 5-8 p.m. | Central Library, 140 E. Main St. | Free | Stop by on your Gallery Hop for the opening reception of Jack Fifield’s turned wood exhibit + beaded vessels by his wife Linda Fifield. 📿

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

74º | Partly cloudy | 18% chance of rain

Civic

Last Thursday, the Fayette County Board of Education approved the property tax increase for 2022-23 — changing it to 83.3 cents per $100 of assessed value. The increase will provide funding for general operations + a dedicated revenue stream for school construction and renovation projects. 💰 (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Sports

After UK football’s victory over Florida on Saturday, Head Coach Mark Stoops is now the winningest coach in UK’s history. Coach Stoops has won 61 games leading the Wildcats, surpassing the previous record held by Hall of Famer Paul “Bear” Bryant. Congrats, Coach. 🏈 (UK Athletics)

Opening

This Wed., Sept. 14, Floor & Decor — a specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring — will open its first Lexington location at 2909 Richmond Rd., in the old Burlington Coat Factory spot. Stop by Sat., Sept. 17 starting at 10 a.m. for its family-friendly Super Saturday event with food + games for all ages. (Yahoo Finance)

Eat

Be sure to check out the three new concession stand options at Kroger Field this season. City Barbeque has all your barbecue favorites including nachos + sandwiches. LaDonna’s Candy Kitchen will satisfy your sweet tooth with cookies and fudge, while The Empanada Queen serves up, you guessed it, a variety of empanadas. 🍽️ (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Biz

EKU has sold the naming rights of its football stadium in an 11-year, $1.15 million deal. The Colonels’ home will now be called, CG Bank Field at Roy Kidd Stadium. The deal will bring in ~$100,000 annually + be used to help improve the quality of the facilities. (LEX18)

Travel

Blue Grass Aiport announced even more added flights during Breeders’ Cup Weekend. Lexington travelers can now visit Denver, Houston, or Washington D.C. via United Airlines from Nov. 4-6. Book your tickets. ✈️

Festival

Woodford County natives + pop country duo The Kentucky Gentlemen will be headlining the Twilight Festival in downtown Versailles on Sat., Sept. 24. The festival will be held from 12-9 p.m. and feature local food, wineries, crafts, and dozens of vendors.

Cause

The Coaches for the Kids Foundation is raising money for UK Healthcare’s Kentucky Children’s Hospital through a bourbon raffle. There are only 2,500 tickets available — costing $100 each with 50 chances to win. The live drawing will take place online on Wed., Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. 🥃 (The Bourbon Flight)

Job

The Blue Grass Community Foundation is looking for someone to join its finance team. The full-time, hybrid-remote Accounting Clerk position will help with administrative and clerical tasks for the finance team, including gift processing + online grant recommendations. Learn more and apply.

Community

Here at LEXtoday, we aim to bring the most relevant + engaging daily content about Lexington right to your inbox. If you enjoy our newsletter and supporting all things local, consider joining our LEXtoday Membership Program. Membership helps keep our newsletter free and has some cool perks. Learn more + sign up. 📱

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Events

Horsin’ around

City Editor Molly with her friends at the Bluegrass International Cup. | photo by LEXtoday

Hey, y’all — City Editor Molly here.

This weekend, I attended the Keeneland Bluegrass International Cup at Mt. Brilliant Farm. All I can say is — wow. Here are my top three takeaways from my first true polo experience.

Polo — This was such a different experience from horse racing. There’s no betting. It’s action-packed, yet graceful at the same time.
The fashion — I’m a sucker for a reason to get dressed up (and to go shopping for something new). It felt like the perfect garden party to end the summer season.
The setting — I’ve run The Perfect 10 at Mt. Brilliant Farm before, but seeing a horse farm all done up like this was so dreamy.

Pro tip: Click here if you want to take a peek at our night out.

Obviously, Keeneland will be taking center stage in the coming months with the Fall Meet + Breeders’ Cup. But I know that can’t be all of the equine excitement around town. We do live in the Horse Capital of the World, after all.

So, what other equine events should we know about + share? Send me an email so we can all horse around with you.

THE WRAP

Today’s edition was written by Molly.

Editor’s pick: I’m working on a game day shopping guide + need your help. Where are your favorite shops to find blue and white gear? Whether you sit in the stands or in the suites, let’s go shopping.

Missed Friday’s newsletter? Learn about local artist Kiptoo Tarus.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Aaron Mikel, Molly Thompson, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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