Two Ky. businesses make list of 38 best restaurants in the South

Located in Lexington and Louisville

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2017) — Eater, a national food and hospitality online magazine, has included two Kentucky restaurants—610 Mangnolia in Louisville and Tortillería y Taqueria Ramírer in Lexington—on its list of the 38 best restaurants in the South.

The region consists of Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina Tennessee and Virginia.

Eater said of the restaurants:

610 Magnolia:

• A special-occasion restaurant open since 1978, whose energized, avant-garde tasting menus are thanks to Edward Lee, who took over as chef-owner in 2002. There’s an exhilarating contrast between the calm, flatteringly lit dining room and the eclectic, unexpected plates conceived by Lee and executive chef Kevin Ashworth. The most memorable dishes subtly incorporate Lee’s Korean culinary heritage, such as wagyu beef tongue with sauerkraut kimchi over caraway johnnycake, or king crab punched up with daikon, carrot, ginger, and cured egg yolk.

Tortillería y Taqueria Ramírez:

• An exceptional taqueria and tortilla factory — and the only one in Kentucky that uses Weisenberger corn, a variety milled in the nearby town of Midway since 1865. A family-run success story, helmed by Laura Patricia Ramírez, this is the standout restaurant in Lexington’s community of Latino immigrants (affectionately known by its residents as the “Bluegrass barrio” and “Mexington”). In addition to fantastic tacos and one of the best overstuffed, Mission-style burritos outside of San Francisco, the menu also offers the intense flavors of the Mexican state of Jalisco, in particular the famous pozole rojo, guajillo-spiced pork and hominy stew. ­