Culinary Cunundrum

 So, in an effort to impress friends from California, friends who have rarely left the state of perpetual sunshine and all things “hip/cool/phat/dope”, the land of wine snobs (perhaps rightfully so), a state whose official flower is a poppy for gosh sakes……….Anyway, in an effort to impress these timid travelers to the Midwest, or South, or whatever we are (they certainly didn’t know) we took them out to dinner.  As we who live here know, Lexington has more than its share of cutting edge chefs, Culinary Institute of America graduates, and precocious young men and women cooking way beyond their years. So what did our Californians want to sample? Fried chicken. I mean, come on, fried chicken? Don’t they DO that in California?  Or maybe California’s ban on trans fats had them yearning for something a little more decadent than California could provide. Didn’t they want to go to Jonathan’s for Duck Confit with foie gras brioche bread pudding, or the Malone's for some Kobe beef? Or Jean Farris for some grilled Mahi Mahi with cilantro infused basmati rice?

Of course in the end, to be a good host, we acquiesced. And off to Ramsey’s we went, where they chowed down on fried chicken, kale greens, creamed corn, macaroni and cheese and fried green tomatoes. And the Key Lime pie and the Combo pie from Missy’s Pies next door. Their only disappointment? No bones. In the chicken. (originally posted on http://www.visitlex.com)