SPECIAL DELIVERY

After COVID derailed their March opening date, Postmaster's Pub is finally ready to deliver

Written by Bridget Williams / Photography by Andrew Kung and Rachel Lutz

Isabel Ladd recalls a pre-COVID meeting this past February with Brian Behr, who planned to open a new concept within 30 days in the building formerly home to The Village Idiot. "My dad loves a project, but he thought we needed a female touch to soften up the lounge," explained Behr.

Shifting into overdrive, Ladd looked to vintage British racing cars—à la a 1958 Aston Martin DBR1 raced by legends Carroll Shelby and Sir Stirling Moss—for interior inspiration. And while the casual observer might not make the connection, it all makes sense once you survey Ladd's use of British racing green, supple leather and brass. “I took a racecar and made it into a restaurant,” exclaimed Ladd with her characteristic verve. The building itself is Lexington's oldest surviving post office. It retains a few interesting period details, including a tin ceiling on the first floor.

Interior designer Isabel Ladd sits on the stairs that lead to a second-floor lounge and private dining room.

Working with the existing shiplap already installed on the first floor walls before she came on board, Ladd had the bottom threefourths painted racing green. A long communal table was swapped out in favor of a trio of booths with marble tops from Counter Culture. Wood from a bowling alley Behr's family once owned was used to fashion the bar top. A black-and-white graphic tile selected for the stair risers draws attention to the second floor, where a private dining room and a chic lounge space awaits.

Ladd's creativity really sparkles on the second floor. She worked with Behr's collection of vintage liquor posters and walls clad in reclaimed wood to conjure a hybrid deco-mod vibe utilizing interesting furnishings executed in leather, stripes, and sumptuous jewel-toned velvet. Underfoot she selected hardworking indoor/ outdoor rugs printed to appear like a well-worn Oriental carpet. "I really felt the upstairs was a lost opportunity for an intimate cocktail space, and Isabel worked out a better flow so that you don't have to walk through overflow dining space to access it," explained Behr.

Behr, who was also the proprietor of The Village Idiot, has a long history of involvement in Lexington's hospitality industry. He presently co-owns Bear & The Butcher in Chevy Chase with this brother Brett. The notion of closing The Village Idiot and remaking it into something else was borne out of customer demand. "The Idiot was very beer-centric. With all of the visitors that come through downtown, they are looking for a bourbon-related experience," Behr explained.

Jason Huff and Brian Behr

The locally sourced gastropub-style menu at the Postmaster's Pub retains some familiar favorites from The Village Idiot as well as having a few things in common with Bear & The Butcher. Jason Huff oversees the menu and kitchen at both establishments. "We kept a lot of what the Idiot was famous for," said Huff, who added that their wings "are famous all over town." Working across multiple establishments can be a challenge. Still, Huff said he loves the creativity of cooking and working with his tight-knit kitchen crew and with management that is keen on promoting from within.

A sign of the times, in place of paper menus, the restaurant will use a QR code that guests will scan with their phone, and the menu will open on their screen. Behr explained that not only is cleaner than traditional menus, it also reduces waste and allows changes to be made in real-time. A small silver lining in an unprecedented era.

The Postmaster's Pub is located at 307 West Short Street in downtown Lexington. For more information, visit postmasterspub.com.