Flavors of Kentucky

Get ready to party for Valentine’s Day and Fat Tuesday. Enjoy lobster and filet mignon Saturday and Sunday, and fill up on gumbo and jambalaya Tuesday.
Here are places to celebrate both occasions.
■ A la lucie, 159 North Limestone, (859) 252-5277, www.alalucie.com. Fat Tuesday celebration, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., will feature special wines, gumbo, jambalaya, oysters on the half shell and king cake.
■ Furlongs, 735 East Main  Street, (859) 266-9000, www.furlongs.com. Two specials are offered: A five-course meal for $75 includes fresh oysters on the half shell, whole lobster, filet mignon and champagne, and a limited Valentine’s Day menu is $50. Furlongs is boiling live crawfish Friday, Saturday and Tuesday. The restaurant will be open for lunch at 11a.m. Fat Tuesday.
■ Gumbo Ya-Ya, 1080 South ­Broadway, (859) 252- 9292, and 367 East Main Street, (859) 523-9292.. The Fat Tuesday menu will feature alligator sauce piquant, crawfish etouffee, chicken Creole nd free king cake.
■ The Julep Cup, 111 Woodland Avenue, (859) 226-0300, www.
thejulepcup.com. The evening menu for ­Valentine’s Day features Alaskan halibut with Roman-style Parmesan gnocchi, Maine lobster tossed with country ham, and steak Diane. The Julep Cup has a new menu that includes cornmeal-fried oyster salad wraps, buttermilk fried chicken livers, smoked salmon ­cheesecake, and house-smoked BBQ short ribs.
■ Le Deauville, 199 North ­Limestone, (859) 246-0999. A $49 prix fixe menu featuring fresh oysters, filet mignon and Chilean sea bass will be served from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
■ Natural Bridge State Resort Park, 2135 Natural Bridge Road in Slade, (606) 663-2214. A Valentine’s buffet will be served from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday with roasted prime rib, pecan encrusted salmon fillets and glazed marmalade chicken. The cost is $16.95.
■ Orchid Flower, 3090 Old Todds Road, (859) 543-1126, www.orchid
flowerrestaurant.com. A three-course meal, paired with wine, will be served Sunday. The cost is $40. Included are white asparagus soup, ahi tuna sashimi salad, Bento box and rum cream puff.
■ Ramsey’s Diners’ four locations will celebrate their 20th Mardi Gras on Fat Tuesday. The menu includes boiled ­crawfish, gumbo, and red beans and rice.
■ Riptide Restaurant, 9079 Old Richmond Road, (859) 263-3286,  www.riptideontheriver.com. Valentine ­specials, served 4 to 10 p.m. Friday through ­Sunday, include prime rib, sea bass and jerk chicken, plus steak and lobster specials.
■ Three Suns Bistro, 298 East ­Brannon Road, (859) 245-0048, and at Lone Oak Country Club, 44 Club Lane, Nicholasville, (859) 881-1600. An a la carte menu will be served through ­Sunday at Brannon Crossing, and the country club will offer a brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Brannon ­Crossing will be open 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
■ Winchell’s, 348 Southland Drive, (859) 278-9424.. On Sunday, Valentine specials are prime rib, fried oysters and shrimp cocktail. The Fat Tuesday menu offers gumbo, etouffee and pickled shrimp. The restaurant has a new slow cooker and is serving prime rib on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sweets and more for sweeties

Vendors at the Lexington Farmers Market will have some great gifts for your sweetheart Saturday.
Viburnum Valley Confections will have raspberry truffles, made with dark ­chocolate ganache infused with ­Chambord liqueur and finished with dried organic raspberries. Bleugrass Chevre will sell heart-shaped goat cheese garnished with pink peppercorns, and Three Toads Farms will have pink lily bouquets.
The market is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays in the atrium at Victorian Square, 401 West Main Street.
Rincon times two
Rincon Mexicano Restaurant has opened a second Lexington location, at 3901 Harrodsburg Road, near Murrays’ restaurant. Luis Javier opened the first Rincon in 1992 at 818 Euclid Avenue. The new spot is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call (859) 219-0181, or go to www.rinconmexicanorestaurantky.com.

New choices to make

Restaurants often brighten winter by jazzing up their menus with new items.
■ J.J. McBrewster’s American ­Smokehouse, 3101 Clays Mill Road, has a new menu that now includes baby back ribs and smoked barbecued goat. “Goat is leaner and has less calories and fat than chicken or turkey and has a pot roast flavor,” owner Susan Mirkhan said. Also new is a pulled chicken salad sandwich. Call (859) 224-0040 or go to www.jjmcbrewsters.com.
■ Giuseppe’s Ristorante Italiano has several new items on the dinner menu including fried gulf oysters, seared beef tenderloin slices, lobster ravioli with red pepper cream sauce, and jumbo sea ­scallops cacciatore. Giuseppe’s is at 4456 Old Nicholasville Road. Call (859) 272-4053 or go to www.giuseppeslexington.com.