Finally, we have made it to Lexington. For some reason, we never seemed to go to Lexington that much when I was a kid. Maybe a few times in the 70s, but only once in the 80s. It wasn't until the 90s that Lexington became a regular destination. When it did, we quickly started going about twice a year, save 2020. It is just so hard sometimes to schedule such a long drive without preparation for me. I'll try to mention as many places from my childhood as I can, but I honestly cannot remember that many I ate out at. Check out the first post in this series here to see how I am organizing this series. Let's begin.
- Jerry's, one of three, DI: The only time I can remember eating out in Lexington in the 70s is here. I was about four, and the mounted fish on the restaurant wall scared me. Such fish were at most of their locations. Makes sense that the owner also started LJS. Anyway, the only thing I remember eating was a parfait glass of strawberry ice cream with a sprig of mint and a small candy hard. I got a tummy ache in the car, and I curled in the floor to help ease the discomfort. (Remember kids, this was before mandatory seat belts. Buckle up!) Now, Lexington had three Jerry's locations, but I have no idea which one we went to. As such, as they are all now closed, I don't know what is currently located there.
- Showbiz Pizza, DI: During the lone Lexington trip in the 80s, my mom was going to take me to King's Island along with my cousin and some of his family. (This was the cousin whose father became my second dentist located in Paintsville.) One the day before, my cousin chose America's second favorite pizza place/arcade/animatronics revue to eat out at. I was still a picky eater, so I barely touched the personal pizza. The revue was a little tiring after having to hear it multiple times. However, I had a knack for Skee-Ball and racked up a number a tickets to redeem. My cousin's mother forced him to hand over some of his tickets so I could get a "I 🩷 Billy Bob" bumper sticker instead of something else I would've wanted. (I would misplace that thing for years before I found it and threw it away. I would have kept it if I had known it could've been a collectible item.) We would try to go back the next day after the King's Island trip was cancelled. (See next entry.) Showbiz would ultimately be bought out be Chuck E. Cheese, with locations either converted or closed. I don't know what happened to this one. I think it was in the northeast section of the city, on a small hill next to the Service Merchandise where I got my first "Super Powers" action figures.
- [Random 7-eleven, TO: Driving around Lexington in the 80s used up a lot of gas. We stopped here to refuel during the trip from above. I went inside to wait, looking at comic books, before my mom came in and we got me a drink. It was supposedly because of the overheating that day that the trip to King's Island was cancelled, but I somehow suspect that something else may have been the reason. I have no idea where this 7-eleven was located, so I don't know if it still exists. I never got to go to King's Island. Ever.]
- Cracker Barrel, DI: When I was looking over colleges in the early 90s, my mom asked a cousin to go with us to Lexington, the last time we ever had someone along. They chose to go here, overruling me entirely. I immediately hated the rural decor and country music, and things got worse from there. They were Coke only, no Dr Pepper, so I only had water and a milk shake. Vanilla as they didn't have strawberry either. I ordered a hamburger, but it was served on sourdough bread, which I never had before. While I was no longer a strict picky eater, I still didn't like the flavor. I could barely eat half the thing before I gave up. It was the only time I couldn't finish a burger. Later on, I would take my mom there to meet up with some of her former co-workers who had been involved in a court case with her against a former manager. She went in for about fifteen minutes while I stayed out in the car looking at some magazines from that morning. That's been my last time there. I think it is still open. We pass by the road to it every time we go to Lexington, but I'm not 100% positive.
- TGIFriday's, DI: During the mid-90s, my mom wanted to expand the places we ate at. This was one suggestion. It was much the opposite from above. First, it was loud. Not just the non-stop oldies, but the Americana decor. It was also tight and cramp. Everyone was just packed into the tables. I can remember if I got a burger or a chicken sandwich, but I'm pretty sure I ate it this time. While I did try some of their frozen appetizers a few times, we never ate here again. Somehow, this place is still open, or at least one near the original location is.
- [Red Lobster, TO: Okay, my mom got obsessed with a dessert they had in the 90s, and we stopped here a few times to pick some up. I waited out in the car as she went to get a slice of "Death by Chocolate Cake." I tried a few bites once, but I was not impressed by it. About the third time we stopped by, my mom found out that they had stopped selling the cake slices, or something. It was near the TGIFriday's, but it is no longer open. {Strangely enough, we did try to recreate their biscuits, years before the baking kits and frozen versions came out. We just used a cheddar garlic biscuit mix, and then we added some extra cheese and garlic powder. We totally ignored the Bay spice. I haven't tried to do this again for a few years.}
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