With expansive windows looking out on Triangle Park, this comfortable hotel restaurant attracts downtown professionals and folks frequenting Rupp Arena. Greenery and brass accents enliven the airy space, which is as good for a business lunch as a romantic dinner. Lunch offers pastas, salads, and sandwiches (including a delicious hot brown!), along with a weekly pasta bar that pulls in regular crowds. The dinner menu features steaks, seafood, and other hot entrees.They offer a Sunday buffet as well.

Occupying a one-time school house, this long-lived local favorite sits not far from either downtown or the UK campus and attracts a professional crowd. Along with the cozy dining room, it boasts an outdoor patio, and a great bar. The menu features roasted salmon, coriander-glazed chicken, veal Milanese, Australian lamb rib chops, and grilled pork. Pastas and steaks are also available, and the restaurant serves dinner quite late, a boon to folks with busy schedules. Applauded by many local and regional publications.

Named for chef Jonathan Lundy, this charming restaurant has a refined, Old World feel, thanks to its presence in the Gratz Park Inn. Deep, ochre-toned walls and polished woodwork surround diners, who delight in the kitchen's "redefined regional cuisine." The hip, upscale menu includes lobster and dumplings, black-eyed pea-crusted sea scallops, coffee-seared pork chops, fried oyster-stuffed filet mignon, and barbecued yellowfin tuna. A wonderfully cozy bar makes a terrific hangout for the professional crowd, and private events are welcomed.

You'll feel as if you're dining in another era at this stately, 19th-century mansion home, which is surrounded by centuries-old trees. Inside, chandeliers and antiques confirm the air of gentility, and the menu boasts an always-impressive line-up, from grilled rack of lamb to pan-seared duck breast, phyllo-wrapped sea bass, veal piccata, and prime NY strip. Finish up with chocolate bread pudding dressed with Maker's Mark anglaise, and you'll understand why the restaurant enjoys a four-star rating. Private events welcomed.

In previous days, Merrick Inn was a private manor house, but for more than a generation now, it's been a preferred destination for local folks, especially those in the horse industry. The interior boasts fireplaces and civilized details, and the menu offers good American standards like steaks, fresh fish, pork tenderloin, and fried chicken. When the weather's warm, the poolside patio is sublime, and the popular bar draws folks throughout the week, especially the 30- and 40-something crowd.