Fat Man Reviews K.
Yelp
The Fat Man's wife wanted to try Eppings on Eastside for a bit, so we decided to head down and give it a go. Epping's on Eastside is an inventive, scratch-kitchen restaurant in an elegantly restored historic building in Lexington's Warehouse Block.
I started with Old Fashioned, made with Old Forrester 100, Demerara syrup, bitters, and orange expression. The bourbon, bitters, and syrup meet the tongue at the beginning and then mellow together for a nice, sweet finish. This is a strong drink.
The wife tried Mamaw's Little Helper. This is made with Vodka, Limoncello, house lavender syrup, lavender sugar rim, and fresh lemon. As expected, the lavender is very forward, but the lemon cuts through it. The sugar rim adds texture and sweetness; this was a strong drink but not too heavy on the tongue.
We started with Pork Belly Burnt Ends made with Compart Farms Duroc pork, house chili rub, red chili honey, smoked pineapple salsa, crispy pork rinds, and petite cilantro. The chili offers a blast heat that lingers but doesn't overpower. The pork was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a bit of fat for flavor. The pork rind was chewy but after it soaked up the honey, made for a tasty bite. The salsa was fresh and bright with a cilantro pop.
We also tried the Beef Tallow Fries, hand-cut and twice-fried potatoes served with tomatillo ketchup and chipotle mayo. The fries were perfectly cooked and seasoned well. The ketchup was a sweet sauce and the mayo was creamy with good heat.
Wifey had the Grilled Flank Steak with garlic Parmesan fingerling potatoes, baby arugula, balsamic demiglace, Calabrian chile butter, and crispy capers. The steak was a perfect medium rare but slightly tough. The Calabrian chili butter had a little heat and great flavor. The crisp capers offered a pop of vinegar and the potatoes had a great Parmesan taste with a slight crunch. The arugula added pepper to the bite.
I went with Buttermilk Braised Chicken- two bone-in-quarter portions, pineapple BBQ glaze, sweet corn hoecake, smoked onion butter, and red cabbage slaw. The glaze had a lot of savory flavor and salt, but no pineapple BBQ. The first piece was slightly dry but the second was moist, and the skin was crispy on both. The cabbage hinted at vinegar but I wanted more as it was dry. The hoecake was fluffy with excellent taste, like a savory pancake.
Eppings offers a full dinner menu, including salads, small and large plates, and desserts. They have a full bar and offer a brunch menu. The service was fantastic. The Fat Man says that Eppings on Eastside is Fat Man Approved with 2 chins.