The mushroom truffle risotto was very good. My kid actually ate all her green beans. Our server was the literal sweetest, as well as the other 2 that were there (we interacted with all 3) & the manager/owner. It wasn't was as fancy as we were expecting & you could definitely go in a little dressed down. But the energy among the people working was great & infectious! It seemed like they all genuinely love what they're doing.
Scott
Love dining here! The food is always amazing, wonderful wine and bourbon choices and the ambience is such that you can have nice conversation with each other! We'll be back over and over.
AmandaH
This was our first time and we decided to have our anniversary meal there for lunch after church. It is one of the best meals I have ever had, I got the mahi mahi dish. My husband got the beef bourguignon and he loved it as well!
Jim Wallace
My wife and I celebrated her birthday there last Wednesday. It is a family owned and run restaurant.We had fried green tomatoes with bourbon pimento cheese topping as an appetizer. It was great.Our main course was the pork loin with cheese grits Brussels sprouts. I don’t like Brussels sprouts but this was very good. The pork was perfect. Often pork can be dry but this was juicy and very tasty. For desert we had the mixed berry cobbler and ice cream. Just like everything else it was outstanding.Our waitress was the bartender as well.She was Jean Farris the owner. She lives next door. During the week they are not usually crowded but the weekends are a different story.Overall I highly recommend the restaurant, what more can you ask for, great food and great service.
Dinner was outstanding! The pork loin accompanied by Blue cheese brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes (a last minute substitution) was excellent. Quiet and very enjoyable experience.
tim michaud
Completely overrated. Food is bland, wine is not good(why it's cheap-should have known), ambience is non existent. Don't be fooled by it being a winery.
Erin Langhoff
I ordered the valentines day experience package (264$ with wine and gratuity) I would have been happy with the experience at half that price.Service: I stood with my girlfriend awkwardly at the reception for about 10 mins before the bartender seated us (receptionist nowhere in sight) Once seated, the server was wonderful, food came out on time despite the couple's next to us on either side complaining about 2 hour wait times for there individual experiences. At one point the staff was yelling at each other. I had hoped the wine would be poured at the table.The Food: the oysters Rockefeller were exquisite, i wish I had twice as many to eat! The golden beat and goat cheese bruschetta was a delicious and surprising combination of flavors, while it was yummy for the first few bites, the beat taste was overwhelming after you've been through half of the dish (I am certain they forgot an ingredient for our plate, Didn't come with pistachio like it was supposed to, and I feel like that was the missing element to tie things together. The strawberry salad was refreshing and simple. The wellington... the beef wellington gave me a mixed reaction. I had never had a wellington before and found the flavor to be some of the best I have ever tasted in my life, however it came out cold, the crust was not flaky but soggy with the juices (delicious delicious juices), my GF's portion was falling apart when it came out to her. Had it been proper temperature and came fresh I am sure this would have been the best dish I had ever eaten. The dessert was a complete letdown. The cobbler was good but definitely not fine dining good, I would have been happy with this cobbler paired with a 20$ meal, not a 200$ meal. The lava cake was a crime, it tasted EXACTLY like those TV dinner brownies (same texture to, very spongy) you would get in the early 2000's, such a thing does not belong on a menu outside of a denny's, A lava cake should have a crumbly or moist dense shell and a liquid lava chocolate center, the chocolate inside felt like it belonged inside of a donate, more whipped consistency then flowing. My GF said she enjoyed the wine, I am not a drinker so I cannot speak to it myself. They ran out of the Red pepper bisque and the chocolate mousse, to my GF's dismay.The Atmosphere: The seating and tables were very close, cramped even. I felt like I was eating at an Ihop with the table configuration with a shared booth, it was like I was siting in a hallway with how close and constant the traffic was behind me, I would have been much happier had I been seated at one of the open floor tables. The silverware was one fork and one butter knife for all 4 courses. I ate my beef wellington with a butterknife, I am not certain if that is how its supposed to be, but it felt wrong. The wine glasses were appropriate and attractive.All in all, this will go down in our memories as a pleasant valentines day experience, however I would not spend nearly as much for a package like this again at Jean Farris's Winery & Bistro. A comparable (and in my GF's opinion slightly better) experience can be had with 100$ less at another fine dining establishments. I would return and recommend this restaurant for date nights to friends simply because the flavors available, however I wouldn't come for there advertised special occasions.Summary: An experience well worth 100-140 $ priced at 260$.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta
SharonB
Jean Farris Winery & Bistro is among the best restaurants in the Lexington, KY, area. The food is always amazing, the menu changes often enough that it never gets tiresome. Excellent service and you can't beat the ambiance.
ZacharyN
Came for Valentine's w/ my partner Service was nice and punctual, space was clean, temperature was lovely. The staff were kind, quick, and attentive. We both felt well cared for throughout the evening. - Starters: - Truffle Fries - Spectacular, must get, every time, my god. - Cheese Board - Fantastic cheeses, the spicy Gouda is my favorite - Meals: - I ordered the Mahi Mahi - Smaller portion, but filling, spectacular flavor composition. - She ordered the lamb - Much larger portion, had leftovers, delicious, sauce to die for. - Drinks: - I had the Pinot Noir - smoother than others I've had, lots of cherry notes. - I had a "Sex in the Paddock" - An alcoholic starburst with subtle notes of caramelized sugar. Hits you harder than you might expect, but a delicious drink. Very refreshing. Good with dessert. - She had a flight of whites (the Vacation) - And a glass of the Chardonnay - sweet, silky smooth, refreshing. Have been before, will go again.y favorite place for a fancy meal with my girl.
Aras
We went to the V-Day preset and prepaid dining experience (with tax and gratuity already included) totals about $300. It was our first time here and our reservations were at 5:30pm. Doors opened at 5:25pm, the hostess was also the server. For such an occasion the music was country and loud, the server was wearing jeans , sneakers and sweater. Not very personable. We have been many places and we thought that perhaps on its prime this place was known for being very nice and with a fine dining price tag for events. However, we would not recommend anyone come here for that experience. Your money would be more well spent on another place that is more welcoming. The food was good, but not anything you could not get somewhere else. There were two other couples there and it seemed they too had a similar impression. The gratuity was $42. By no means was the service worth that at all... No one there was treated like a guest. Unacceptable for any restaurant but more so for a so called “special” event dinner.
I would like to start this off by saying this restaurant has many things going for it, the location, atmosphere, and food are fantastic. That being said, I started my night with a $230 reservation for the Valentine's Day Experience (20% gratuity included). This prepaid experience would imply they have everything they need and should have some level of preparedness. Upon receiving my appetizer after 20 minutes, I was informed that one of the two menu options for the second dish was unavailable. 1 hour goes by before we receive our salad (no cooked meat, just enough ingredients to be considered a side salad). Then another hour goes by before we receive our entree. We start to eat our food, and while my food is great, my partner's beef Wellington is raw and cold inside with a sear on the outside. To end the experience, we were told that neither of the menu options for dessert were available. We took the dessert options they had remaining, paid our bill for the drinks we ordered (bringing the total to $280 and the time to 2h30m), and promptly left. This entire experience went from "Wow, this place is really great looking. I wonder if they do weddings" to the most soul-sucking mood killer we could've asked for on Valentine's Day. Preparedness and a sense of humility would've saved me and the countless other couples involved a lot of pain. Just know your limits as a restaurant, and don't book so many tables if you can't feasibly serve them. Anticipation is only the best part of the meal if the chef can't cook well. 10/10 disappointed at the overconfidence and lack of delivery. If you read this review and feel it's worth the risk, I hope your luck is better than ours.
The waiter was completely “cracked out” and we did not get our wine pairing that we had paid for. Neither did we get the first appetizer or entree but we got several desserts. Lol
JeremyR
Experience was great and a nice place for my wife and I to celebrate Valentine's Day. Service was a little slow. Others around us were getting served faster than us, when they had been seated after us. My food was good, but my wife's meal was cold even though we were told that it was taking longer than normal so her meal could get cooked a little longer. Overall though, had a great evening, food tasted great and would definitely come back.
Cynqn
Great food with the exception that the pastry on my beef Wellington was raw in a few places. Server was slow to pick up used dishes and could not remember order so we had to repeat it, twice! Table was in the middle of the room so I felt a bit exposed. BUT overall it was very good and I'll go back again.
MeleeAndArch
On Sunday, we were able to go to Jean Farris Winery & Bistro for a date night before all the crowds of Valentine's Day arrived. We had a wonderful time! The food was excellent - as always and there were a few special drink offerings that we tried and will have again. Jean Farris is a fabulous destination for a quiet dinner or to celebrate a big event. We will be back.
The mushroom truffle risotto was very good. My kid actually ate all her green beans. Our server was the literal sweetest, as well as the other 2 that were there (we interacted with all 3) & the manager/owner. It wasn't was as fancy as we were expecting & you could definitely go in a little dressed down. But the energy among the people working was great & infectious! It seemed like they all genuinely love what they're doing.
Love dining here! The food is always amazing, wonderful wine and bourbon choices and the ambience is such that you can have nice conversation with each other! We'll be back over and over.
This was our first time and we decided to have our anniversary meal there for lunch after church. It is one of the best meals I have ever had, I got the mahi mahi dish. My husband got the beef bourguignon and he loved it as well!
My wife and I celebrated her birthday there last Wednesday. It is a family owned and run restaurant.We had fried green tomatoes with bourbon pimento cheese topping as an appetizer. It was great.Our main course was the pork loin with cheese grits Brussels sprouts. I don’t like Brussels sprouts but this was very good. The pork was perfect. Often pork can be dry but this was juicy and very tasty. For desert we had the mixed berry cobbler and ice cream. Just like everything else it was outstanding.Our waitress was the bartender as well.She was Jean Farris the owner. She lives next door. During the week they are not usually crowded but the weekends are a different story.Overall I highly recommend the restaurant, what more can you ask for, great food and great service.
Recommended dishes: Fried Green Tomatoes, Bourbon Pimento Cheese, Cheese Brussel Sprouts
Dinner was outstanding! The pork loin accompanied by Blue cheese brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes (a last minute substitution) was excellent. Quiet and very enjoyable experience.
Completely overrated. Food is bland, wine is not good(why it's cheap-should have known), ambience is non existent. Don't be fooled by it being a winery.
I ordered the valentines day experience package (264$ with wine and gratuity) I would have been happy with the experience at half that price.Service: I stood with my girlfriend awkwardly at the reception for about 10 mins before the bartender seated us (receptionist nowhere in sight) Once seated, the server was wonderful, food came out on time despite the couple's next to us on either side complaining about 2 hour wait times for there individual experiences. At one point the staff was yelling at each other. I had hoped the wine would be poured at the table.The Food: the oysters Rockefeller were exquisite, i wish I had twice as many to eat! The golden beat and goat cheese bruschetta was a delicious and surprising combination of flavors, while it was yummy for the first few bites, the beat taste was overwhelming after you've been through half of the dish (I am certain they forgot an ingredient for our plate, Didn't come with pistachio like it was supposed to, and I feel like that was the missing element to tie things together. The strawberry salad was refreshing and simple. The wellington... the beef wellington gave me a mixed reaction. I had never had a wellington before and found the flavor to be some of the best I have ever tasted in my life, however it came out cold, the crust was not flaky but soggy with the juices (delicious delicious juices), my GF's portion was falling apart when it came out to her. Had it been proper temperature and came fresh I am sure this would have been the best dish I had ever eaten. The dessert was a complete letdown. The cobbler was good but definitely not fine dining good, I would have been happy with this cobbler paired with a 20$ meal, not a 200$ meal. The lava cake was a crime, it tasted EXACTLY like those TV dinner brownies (same texture to, very spongy) you would get in the early 2000's, such a thing does not belong on a menu outside of a denny's, A lava cake should have a crumbly or moist dense shell and a liquid lava chocolate center, the chocolate inside felt like it belonged inside of a donate, more whipped consistency then flowing. My GF said she enjoyed the wine, I am not a drinker so I cannot speak to it myself. They ran out of the Red pepper bisque and the chocolate mousse, to my GF's dismay.The Atmosphere: The seating and tables were very close, cramped even. I felt like I was eating at an Ihop with the table configuration with a shared booth, it was like I was siting in a hallway with how close and constant the traffic was behind me, I would have been much happier had I been seated at one of the open floor tables. The silverware was one fork and one butter knife for all 4 courses. I ate my beef wellington with a butterknife, I am not certain if that is how its supposed to be, but it felt wrong. The wine glasses were appropriate and attractive.All in all, this will go down in our memories as a pleasant valentines day experience, however I would not spend nearly as much for a package like this again at Jean Farris's Winery & Bistro. A comparable (and in my GF's opinion slightly better) experience can be had with 100$ less at another fine dining establishments. I would return and recommend this restaurant for date nights to friends simply because the flavors available, however I wouldn't come for there advertised special occasions.Summary: An experience well worth 100-140 $ priced at 260$.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta
Jean Farris Winery & Bistro is among the best restaurants in the Lexington, KY, area. The food is always amazing, the menu changes often enough that it never gets tiresome. Excellent service and you can't beat the ambiance.
Came for Valentine's w/ my partner Service was nice and punctual, space was clean, temperature was lovely. The staff were kind, quick, and attentive. We both felt well cared for throughout the evening. - Starters: - Truffle Fries - Spectacular, must get, every time, my god. - Cheese Board - Fantastic cheeses, the spicy Gouda is my favorite - Meals: - I ordered the Mahi Mahi - Smaller portion, but filling, spectacular flavor composition. - She ordered the lamb - Much larger portion, had leftovers, delicious, sauce to die for. - Drinks: - I had the Pinot Noir - smoother than others I've had, lots of cherry notes. - I had a "Sex in the Paddock" - An alcoholic starburst with subtle notes of caramelized sugar. Hits you harder than you might expect, but a delicious drink. Very refreshing. Good with dessert. - She had a flight of whites (the Vacation) - And a glass of the Chardonnay - sweet, silky smooth, refreshing. Have been before, will go again.y favorite place for a fancy meal with my girl.
We went to the V-Day preset and prepaid dining experience (with tax and gratuity already included) totals about $300. It was our first time here and our reservations were at 5:30pm. Doors opened at 5:25pm, the hostess was also the server. For such an occasion the music was country and loud, the server was wearing jeans , sneakers and sweater. Not very personable. We have been many places and we thought that perhaps on its prime this place was known for being very nice and with a fine dining price tag for events. However, we would not recommend anyone come here for that experience. Your money would be more well spent on another place that is more welcoming. The food was good, but not anything you could not get somewhere else. There were two other couples there and it seemed they too had a similar impression. The gratuity was $42. By no means was the service worth that at all... No one there was treated like a guest. Unacceptable for any restaurant but more so for a so called “special” event dinner.
Restaurantji Recommends
I would like to start this off by saying this restaurant has many things going for it, the location, atmosphere, and food are fantastic. That being said, I started my night with a $230 reservation for the Valentine's Day Experience (20% gratuity included). This prepaid experience would imply they have everything they need and should have some level of preparedness. Upon receiving my appetizer after 20 minutes, I was informed that one of the two menu options for the second dish was unavailable. 1 hour goes by before we receive our salad (no cooked meat, just enough ingredients to be considered a side salad). Then another hour goes by before we receive our entree. We start to eat our food, and while my food is great, my partner's beef Wellington is raw and cold inside with a sear on the outside. To end the experience, we were told that neither of the menu options for dessert were available. We took the dessert options they had remaining, paid our bill for the drinks we ordered (bringing the total to $280 and the time to 2h30m), and promptly left. This entire experience went from "Wow, this place is really great looking. I wonder if they do weddings" to the most soul-sucking mood killer we could've asked for on Valentine's Day. Preparedness and a sense of humility would've saved me and the countless other couples involved a lot of pain. Just know your limits as a restaurant, and don't book so many tables if you can't feasibly serve them. Anticipation is only the best part of the meal if the chef can't cook well. 10/10 disappointed at the overconfidence and lack of delivery. If you read this review and feel it's worth the risk, I hope your luck is better than ours.
The waiter was completely “cracked out” and we did not get our wine pairing that we had paid for. Neither did we get the first appetizer or entree but we got several desserts. Lol
Experience was great and a nice place for my wife and I to celebrate Valentine's Day. Service was a little slow. Others around us were getting served faster than us, when they had been seated after us. My food was good, but my wife's meal was cold even though we were told that it was taking longer than normal so her meal could get cooked a little longer. Overall though, had a great evening, food tasted great and would definitely come back.
Great food with the exception that the pastry on my beef Wellington was raw in a few places. Server was slow to pick up used dishes and could not remember order so we had to repeat it, twice! Table was in the middle of the room so I felt a bit exposed. BUT overall it was very good and I'll go back again.
On Sunday, we were able to go to Jean Farris Winery & Bistro for a date night before all the crowds of Valentine's Day arrived. We had a wonderful time! The food was excellent - as always and there were a few special drink offerings that we tried and will have again. Jean Farris is a fabulous destination for a quiet dinner or to celebrate a big event. We will be back.