Malones ****

Coming from the Land of Luger... Peter Luger that is, we have high standards for steak. This place lives up to the hype. We split a 16oz Ribeye (who can eat these things by themselves?!) - perfectly seared on the outside, nice & pink, warm & juicy on the inside. Just seasoned enough to tease out the taste without overwhelming the natural savoriness. The sides (green beans & mushrooms) both contained bacon (gotta love the South) & were above & beyond the call of side dishes. We splurged for the seafood platter - the perfect appetite whetter with its enormous & tender cocktail shrimp, fresh oysters & a rare seared ahi tuna (with a great spicy rub to complement its simplicity).

The service was also stellar. We ended up w/ prime rib instead of the ribeye we ordered and it was promptly & courteously dealt with. That's another complaint I have about many of the higher-end restaurants in Lexington, the service is, more often than not, lousy! In fact, we usually get better service at places like Tony Roma's or Lonestar than at Metropol or Annabelle's.