On this week's installment of BB&E, Sara and I met up for a nice afternoon lunch at one of Lexington's newer downtown eateries, Carson's Food and Drink. We've heard nothing but good things about Carson's since its opening in late 2016, so we just had to get over there and see what all the fuss was about. Sara had already been here earlier this year and really liked it, and I had yet to try it out, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to try something new while also being able to write about it for the blog! Carson's location near the corner of Midland Avenue and Main Street makes it extremely accessible to visitors who are coming into the downtown area from the Richmond Road and New Circle Road areas. Plus, the unique outdoor design is enough to pull you inside for a closer look at the interior decor (spoiler alert: it's really beautiful!)

From the entry way all the way back to the expansive bar area, you can immediately see that Carson's puts an emphasis on Kentucky's rich bourbon heritage. I was really impressed by all of the small details in the design of this rustic restaurant. Between the copper and dark wood accents to the exquisite chandeliers hanging throughout the dining area, you really feel like you're enjoying your meal in an intimate setting with your close family and friends. The servers even bring cold drinking water to the table in different types empty bourbon bottles; we got our water brought to us in an empty Woodford Reserve bottle! The bar area is really second-to-none, with an extensive selection of craft beer, wine, spirits, and of course...bourbon! There are several different house cocktails to choose from, or you can have the bartenders recommend something for you based on what you like.

Since it was lunch time and Sara was on her way to work, we decided to skip the drinks and opt for some food instead. We started out with an appetizer of pretzels and beer cheese; this includes two braided soft pretzel sticks and a generous portion of baked beer cheese on the side. I love a good soft pretzel, and this one was no exception! There was an equal balance of salt with the beer cheese, making for a savory treat to go along with our main courses. For our entrees, I feel like we landed on opposite sides of the food spectrum; Sara stuck with a favorite dish from her previous visit, the BBQ Pork Belly Mac & Cheese, while I was intrigued by the Spinach & Field Greens salad. The Mac & Cheese entree is a definite all-star here at Carson's, being one of the signature dishes on the menu, and I can certainly see why Sara likes it so much; she says the flavor of the pork belly combined with the sweet BBQ sauce is really set off by the creamy texture of the mac & cheese, and the green onion garnish is a nice finish to a new comfort food staple. My salad was out of this world with flavor; between all of the fruit (mandarin oranges, granny smith apples, pears, candied pecans, and dried cranberries) and the raspberry vinaigrette, there was a flavor explosion going on that's to die for. And to top it all off (literally!) was a generous serving of blueberry vanilla goat cheese; I'm not very adventurous when it comes to different cheeses but my goodness that was amazing! I wish we could have tried their desserts, which look amazing, but we were both stuffed after eating all of that food! That's okay though, this is just another excuse we can use to come back and try some more meals here at Carson's Food and Drink!

Not only does Carson's hit the nail on the head for atmosphere and great food and drink options, it also makes for a good place to catch a sporting event or two. There are tons of TVs all around the restaurant for your viewing pleasure, and whether it be UK football and basketball or NFL and NBA, there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house! There's also additional seating outside on the patio, located right off of the entrance, with a large covered area perfect for those warm summer days that are just too pretty to pass up. Parking here is a little more easy to navigate than it is at the other places we've been to so far; there is a gravel parking lot off to the side of the restaurant, as well as metered parking around back and valet parking for dinner in the evenings. Reservations for Carson's aren't necessarily required, although they are recommended if you plan on making the trip for dinner. They have a weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings that we're going to have to try sometime soon, as well as jazz music on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. With such a diverse and tasty-sounding menu, you can't go wrong with any of the choices at Carson's Food and Drink, and I for one hope that we get to come back and try it again in the very near future!