Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1105396
C The Jeff Ruby Experience Louisville in 2006, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Nashville in 2016, and Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Columbus in 2017. Ruby's restaurants in Nashville and Columbus, which were planned and executed in their entirety while the Lexington project was held in limbo, led to direct design elements of Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Lexington. "It's been redesigned several times with different teams," Ruby said. "We had no idea we were going to do Nashville, and now we have done Nashville since we signed on for Lexington. When we did Nashville, the design was so incredible. Lexington's design, in terms of the interior and the ambiance, was good, but with time, we improved, we got better, we saw new ideas, and we got more creative. We said, 'Forget the original plan for Lexington, let's duplicate Nashville.' "Then Lexington still didn't happen, and we found out we were going to do Columbus, Ohio, and it is even nicer than Nashville. So, we said, 'Let's do what we did in Columbus in Lexington.' It kept getting better and better. I have now hired the third design team to design this place. I have a big hand in the design, but it is still a team effort with a professional designer and architect that has a lot more knowledge than I do." Although every Jeff Ruby Steakhouse is different, Ruby takes pride in the fact that they all undeniably have his stamp on it. The Lexington location is no different than its predecessors in that regard. "My personality is seen as soon as you walk into our restaurants," he said. "You know it is my restaurant even without seeing the name. I want people in Lexington leaving that restaurant with more than a doggie bag. I want them leaving with a memory. "I want their memory to be that they were completely entertained, not just fed, and they got to forget about their problems for an evening. If they don't want to have problems the next day, they need to come back the next day. We call it the Jeff Ruby Experience for a reason." Ruby makes an effort to pay homage to things that are important to the local area, and the Lexington restaurant does that in spades through a smart use of themed rooms and carefully chosen design. Given the location, his love of horse racing, and his decades-long personal friendship with Coach John Calipari, the themes are not surprising. "Lexington is about three things primarily—it's about bourbon, breeding, and basketball," said Ruby. "There will be the Bourbon Room, the Breeders' Table, The Wildcat Room, and The Paddock. The Lounge has a baby-grand piano painted in Kentucky blue. Each area feels very upscale and rich." The Bourbon Room, for example, features furniture that dates back to 1890 and tobacco paper with the images of great distillers in Kentucky bourbon history. The Breeders' Table, meanwhile, has 82 authentic jockey silks hanging from the ceiling and an impressive array of horse racing memorabilia, some of which Ruby is responsible for himself. Jeffy Ruby's logo has been carried to victory in many high-profile races, including last year's Triple Crown, with Mike Smith and Justify.