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The Kentucky Not Brown
Lunchtime in Lexington. A city I am not familiar with. This is what mobile devices and Yelp were made for. A quick scan on my 2G network phone indicated that Ramsey's Diner was the place to go, and numerous reviewers mentioned the Hot Brown. How can I go wrong.
The place wasn't much to look at, but it was busy, and highly rated. My handy cell phone/internet connection is too slow to read many reviews, and too slow to load all the photos, so I went with my first hunch, and decided on the Hot Brown.
"What is a Hot Brown?" asked my wife.
I replied, "I don't know, but theirs is the best."
We ordered 2.
What is a Hot Brown? It's about 1 pound of cheese, covering a white gravy, and garnished with bacon. It also has a tomato, turkey, ham and bread, but really, that stuff is irrelevant under all that cheese. The cheese was all melted, because it was, in fact, hot. But the bacon garnish hardly counts as brown.
The turkey was not brown, the ham was not brown, the tomato (thankfully) was not brown, the bread could be brown, had they used wheat bread. But wasn't.
It was very tasty. I mean 'Cannot believe it's this good' good. Every artery in my body slammed shut, and I suffered a mild stroke just looking at it, but wow was it good. It's just not brown.
Washed it down with some fine sweet-tea, and the service was fast and friendly. I knew I would be doing a review of this place, so I took a picture of the hot brown, just so others could see just how much cholesterol could fit onto one plate. The plate, by the way, was not brown.
I'm no health nut. I like my burgers and fries, fried chicken, and bratwurst. But I eat these things in moderation. The fat content of the hot brown would easily make a Big Mac look like health food. While it was extremely pleasing to the palate, it was a massive assault upon my digestive track.
An hour and a half later, and a tight butted sprint into a restroom - I found the brown.
When you tell people you're going to Kentucky, you might find, if they are foodies, that they will advise you to make sure you try a Kentucky Hot Brown while you are there. This was at the top of my list of things to do while visiting Kentucky! Forget the beautiful green rolling hills, forget the horses and the racetracks... I don't care about any of that junk take me somewhere where I can get me a Kentucky Hot Brown!
That's exactly what my friend did. She took me to Ramsey's Diner. If the weather allows I'd suggest sitting outside on the patio. I ordered their sweet tea (AMAZING!) a Kentucky Hot Brown and four sides... yes! four sides we got, honey mustard carrots, cornbread, fried okra, sauteed okra and mac and cheese. By the way, Mac and Cheese is considered a vegetable! HA HAAAA!
I've gotta say the Kentucky Hot Brown was outstanding as was the sweet tea! I could have passed on the four sides, but I wanted to try them. I thought all the sides needed to be cooked longer, but who cares my Hot Brown and sweet tea and the friendly waitress and good music earned my 5 stars!
Worked there. Cooked there! And still love it.
Everyone calls about the Hot Brown, but my dear friends, you have to try the fried chicken. So freaking good. It's huge, like all the portions there. Scrumdeleumptious!
Cornbread is great. Mashed potatoes w/ the gravy. The okra!
Seriously this place should be one of the places Guy Fieri and the Triple D crew comes and checks out. It's that good.
Oh, and yeah, the Hot Brown is pretty damn good.
Woah, was I full and almost mad at myself for eating so much food here, but Woah was all of the food I ate here pretty frickin' delicious!!
I was in lexington and I told some grad students I wanted to try some kentucky food, and this was one of the first places they told me to try, and I am glad that I listened!!
Here is where you can try Kentucky's favorite the "hot brown." Here is the wikipedia link for you curious ones to what a hot brown is ha
http://en.wikipedia.or...
Basically an open face sandwich with ham, bacon, tomatoes, cream and lots and lots and lots of cheese! And if that wasn't tasty enough we also got their cajun fried catfish which came with mac & cheese, cornbrean, these other little fried corn balls, fried green tomatoes and of course the classic kale greens!!! which yes, was cooked with bacon also. Hence why we were SO SO full after this meal. But everything was tasty, and definitely not something we could have gotten back in California, especially that hot brown, which we continued to see in other forms throughout the rest of our trip, so definitely the one thing to try if you go to kentucky!!!
So come here with plenty of room in your stomach, and your wallet won't even leave that empty! we got two entrees, and pie and a bottle of wine for about $30!!! crazy i know!! but so tasty and so filling, just not the healthiest of things, but hey, it's the south!!!! dig in!!
Best veggie plate there is... lots to choose from. Good atmosphere with friendly staff. Missy's pies (Mayday especially) are the best pies in town.
Decent comfort food, but wasn't blown away. Ramsey's is a Lexington tradition, though. The BBQ chicken sandwich (with ham and swiss) is pretty good, and most of the sides are pretty good. My sister had the chicken and dumplings and enjoyed them.
Didn't have the pie, but I had the sweet tea. It's worth every cavity!
Do not go to Ramsey's if you are on a diet or watching your cholesterol.
Everything on the menu is good but if you are only in town for a weekend and this is the only time you will come to Ramsey's I have two words for you --
HOT BROWN
Yes, Hot Brown. This is a layered, hot open faced sandwich which is a Kentucky concoction made famous by a chef at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. I however had tried it in many locations and this is the best one!
So, the sandwich, Layered -- toast then turkey and country ham then tomatoes then a white sauce. Top with LOTS of cheese and two pieces of bacon, now bake it. Served in a shallow bowl to keep everything together.
The veggie Hot Brown is good too.
OK. I'm hungry, so very hungry for a Hot Brown. Please send me one. Or send me the recipe (just the white sauce, I can figure everything else out)....send me a story of how delicious and cheesy yours was....
Hot Brown....oh how I love you. I have just changed my yelp profile "last meal on earth".
While I was in Lexington, I really enjoyed the food here. I loved the fried green tomatoes, fried banana peppers, and buttered greens. Talk about comfort food and Southern hospitality. Would go again!
Ramsey's is the quintessential Lexington eatery. Focusing on comfort food staples like meatloaf, fried chicken, and pork chops, this Southern diner has never served me anything less than an incredible meal. Reasonable prices and enormous portions make this a very popular spot for families.
While there are plenty of raves for the Hot Brown (which is great, by the way), I've got to send out some love for Ramsey's country fried steak. If I wanted to weigh 400 pounds, I would love to eat this everyday. The crispy fried steak is covered in peppery white gravy and is served with three side items (dinner portion). I highly recommend the mashed potatoes, green beans, and stewed tomatoes.
Though I almost never have room for dessert, Ramsey's sweet treats are out of this world. Their derby pie is a transcendental experience, as the flavors of the pecans and chocolate meld together to create a taste that should be celebrated year round. Another hit was their brownie pie (I think that's what it was called). When we told them it was my grandmother's birthday, she was rewarded with a huge, gooey slice of this fudge filled treat, served ala mode.
This place is really good if you want some good home-cookin'! The wait is usually a little long but i guess everyone else thinks its good too. My only comment..some of the waitresses are scary.
Fresh local asparagus picked and prepared simply made this a favorite. The Hot Brown was excellent, as was the reuben. Great atmosphere and service. Wish I had room for pie.
I've never been to a restaurant that was able to duplicate Southern food more accurately. How do they do it? Lard.
That's right, Ramsey's understands that the key to good, old-fashioned Southern cooking is nothing but grease. Green beans? Grease. Mashed potatoes? Grease. Collard Greens? Ummm, add some grease!
The fried chicken is good, the spicy fried catfish is incredible.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the two very best things about Ramseys!!!! This place has 2 for 1 happy hour! Also, Ramsey's has the most incredible breakfast; nearly enough to feed a family, but for a meager price.
I have to go here at least once each time I visit Lexington. I've only had one thing here- Their VEGGIE Hot Brown. Same as regular less the meat and add grilled zucchini and tomatoes. I believe that the cheese sauce might be different too, but with my eyes on my plate and shoving the VHB in my gob, I could be wrong. Mmmm. OK, I will have one before the year is over.
Everything that's been said is true: it's greasy KY cuisine and it's usually great. The menu is a little small, but I actually like that.
Warning: you will unfailingly be served by a ditzy sorority girl wearing a tie w/ t-shirt.
I love Ramsey's. Good old fashioned southern comfort foods with all the fixins. Save room for pie. The peanut butter pie is my favorite.
It will remind you of Cracker Barrel but with actual homemade food. It's comfort food, but as comfort food goes it's good. They have a long list of veggies and one of the best burgers in town. The waitstaff is compromised largely of local students and can leave something to be desired, though that might have more to do with the popularity of the place and the overload of tables. The burgers are my favorite. The open-faced roast beef sandwich is also good. Avoid the chicken and dumplings. The atmosphere is plain and the seats and tables are a mishmash of uncomfortable wooden secondhand junk. If it's nice out, sit outside on the patio where at least the metal furniture is expected to be uncomfortable. If you're craving home cooking, the food is worth putting up with the seating and service. And the pies by Missy for desert will make you forget any discomfort. They are to DIE FOR!
Just moved to Lexington and Ramsey's hosted my first meal in a local Lexington restaurant. I must say that their hot brown is DELICIOUSLY CHEESEY; it was so big, I took half of it home and had it for breakfast! My husband is in love with their veggie platter and always gets mac and cheese, creamed corn, and mashed potatos. We ordered a side of apple fritters and was sorely disappointed though. They were nothing like fritters I've had in the South before and weren't really that flavorful. If you like a slice of apple dipped in plain batter and deep fried, then you'll like the fritter, but if you're expecting a small round of deep friend dough that is a little sweet, you'll be out of luck. Other than the fritter the PIBS were quite pleased. We're definitely going back once the 'rents come down!
Delicious homemade entrees, good bar and Missy's Pies for dessert! If you haven't been here, take the time to go, you won't be sorry. Try the hot brown or the lemon yogurt chicken if you can't decide-and you will be impressed by the lengthy list of side items including squash 'n' onions, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, onion rings, apple fritters and green beans to name a few; all of which are homemade. And for dessert, I recommend the cherry almond crisp (when it's available, which ain't every day!). Also, plan on taking home some leftovers, as portions are pretty big. Pricing is decent, two folks can eat and have a drink each and share an appetizer or dessert for about $35. Several locations around town make it easy to get to for most everyone-but the ambience in the original at Woodland Avenue and High Street is best.
It's Cracker Barrel with a locally-owned flair. Ramsey's is fine southern food, but forgoe watching your calories if you want to eat here. Their portions are huge, and you get a lot for a little money (around $10 for meat and two sides). The porkchops are great, but be forewarned that the red sauce served with them is a little sweet, kind of like barbeque. It's really good until you get to that third (yes, they give you three) porkchop. You can get them without that, though. I also really like the country-fried steak and the catfish is killer! I tried the chicken and dumplings and was sorely disappointed. I can't believe they screwed those up! They were too grainy and in a watered-down, unflavorful gravy. But the sides are great. I love the green beans and creamed corn. The mashed potatoes are also pretty good, not the best I've had. Aside from the dumplings, the only thing I dislike is that the one downtown is always packed and it's hard to find a parking place. They always manage to seat you within 10 minutes, but the tables are too close together to be comfortable.
It was quite a wait until we (party of two) got a table. ~30 minutes. We sat near the door and there was a terrible draft. The food made up for the bad table. I had a fried buffalo chicken burger that was delicious! I would definitely go back for some of the other southern specialties.
Lexington, KY
Category: Barbeque
Lexington, KY
Category: Southern
Lexington, KY
Category: Restaurants
Lexington, KY
Category: Italian
Lexington, KY
Category: Nightlife
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