First up in our series of restaurants in The Barn at the Summit at Fritz Farm is Pasture by Marksbury Farm. The Barn's main draw is that all of the restaurants, plus the bar and retail store (Whiskey Bear and KY for KY, respectively,) are all connected to Lexington; Pasture seems to deviate from that mold ever-so-slightly, with humble beginnings in Lancaster at the family farm. But we love all of our central Kentucky neighbors just the same as we do our local folks, and we're so glad that they were able to move into such an inclusive environment. We got to sit down with the general manager of Pasture by Marksbury Farm, Josiah Correll, and we ended having an excellent conversation. Josiah's parents own Marksbury Farm, just down the road in Lancaster, where he grew up helping out with the family business. He has a theater degree from the University of Kentucky, which he used to move up to New York City to pursue an acting career. While he worked to get his foot in the door as an actor, he held several different jobs in the restaurant industry, from waiting tables to managing restaurants, and found that he was interested in the business side of the culinary world. So after a stint in NYC and a stop in Texas, Josiah made his way back to Lexington, where he has taken on the role of the general manager here at Pasture.  

The philosophy behind Pasture by Marksbury Farm is simple: bring the freshest, healthiest, and most-humanely treated meats to as many people as possible, all while still having great flavors and that down-home comfort food feeling we all crave from time to time. Josiah has a direct relationship with all of the farmers who supply the meat for Pasture, ensuring the quality of the products that they pass on to their customers. All of the animals are grass-fed, not only for their health but for our health as well; studies have shown that grass-fed animals have a positive effect on our own digestive systems, making it a better choice when it comes to eating meat. The shining star of the menu here, the chicken, is also prepared with your health in mind. There are two options for chicken at Pasture; fried or roasted. The fried chicken is battered using a mix of rice flour and chili oil, giving it a Korean/Nashville type of flavor, and is only fried for 90 seconds before being finished off in the oven. If you're trying to be health-conscious but still want to try the chicken then you can totally have it roasted; it has the same flavor while being a little better for your waistline. The menu also boasts contenders for the other 2 big types of meat; pork and beef. Pasture offers a chorizo burger that promises to be a heavy hitter, as well as a beef burger that can be customized to your liking, down to the temperature and cheese choices. 

Renee and I poured over the menu here for a while, trying to figure out what each of us would settle on for lunch. Renee is the resident chicken expert here at Bluegrass Bourbon and Eats, so she was immediately drawn to the quarter white with fries. My curiosity was piqued by the grass-fed beef, so I ordered up the burger with beer cheese and fries. Both dishes came out just as expected; a perfectly fried breast and wing for Renee, and a medium-cooked burger for me. The chicken has a very well balanced blend of spice, giving it an ever-so-subtle hint of heat; the crunch on the chicken was also really good, with the fried batter getting just hot enough in the oven at the end to give it that extra oomph. I also enjoyed my burger; I normally steer clear of red meat these days unless it's a special occasion (I'll always dive into a good steak), but this burger was definitely a must-have. It's not greasy like most burgers tend to be after spending a few minutes on the grill; the meat is so lean that no grease seems to end up in the finished product. I liked the flavor the beer cheese seemed to add to the burger too, as it wasn't overly spicy, giving it a nice compliment to the meat itself. We both had fries as our sides (although you can also choose from coleslaw or the superfood salad), and as someone who doesn't really gravitate towards fries I can safely say that these are some of the best fries I've ever had; they have a good crunch on the outside, while still managing to have the nice, soft texture underneath. Pasture offers two different desserts on the menu, a caramel pecan brownie and chocolate chip cookies, but we decided that we'd better be good and not splurge on sweets this time; next time around though...it's on!

I know we usually like to touch on small details for each place that we visit, like parking and attractions nearby, but we can go ahead and lump those two factors into one blanket statement for all of the establishments in The Barn. There is plenty of parking for this food hall near both entrances, giving you access to all these cool places from any area within the Summit. As for nearby attractions, the Summit itself is an attraction to behold; there are so many shops and activities in the area that you can spend an entire weekend checking out all of the sights! What we keep coming back to with The Barn is how close all of the businesses within its walls are to each other; no one is in competition here, which is rare in the restaurant business. We love coming here, and we can't wait to tell you about all of the other cool people in this local community!