3 minute read
Dining at Azur
WrittenbyBridgetWilliams| PhotographybyEricWilliams
There is one thing you will not find in the kitchen at AZUR restaurant & patio: a microwave. There is simply no place for it in their globally inspired, farm-to-table menu. Celebrating their fifth year of business, AZUR’s spin on fine dining is as unconventional as its location in a Beaumont Centre strip mall. For owner Fred Wohlstein and Executive Chef/partner Jeremy Ashby, taking their clients on a whirlwind culinary adventure is not just their business model, it is their passion. Spend five minutes with either one and you will find your mouth watering over a discussion centering around the creative preparation of New Zealand rack of elk, rabbit, sea bass, veal, bison, boar’s tail and scallops.
When quizzed about the origins of the AZUR name, Wohlstein is quick to reply that it was begotten by the physical space. Influenced by contemporary European décor, the interiors boast a multitude of curvilinear surfaces and a varied blue-green color palette that calls to mind the azure colors of the Mediterranean.
Unlike its name, the concept for the cuisine was not derived by happenstance. “Our goal was to provide a level of cuisine that Lexington lacked. Before we opened, people would have to travel to enjoy the type of worldly influenced but locally sourced cuisine that we offer,” said Wohlstein. He is quick to add that while AZUR attracts foodies, locavores, and adventurous diners, the dining experience is one without pretense. “We want to provide an elevated level of cuisine in a relaxed environment … You don’t need to be a gastronomist to read the menu,” he added.
Executive Chef Jeremy Ashby, a culinary graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, cut his teeth in the industry at the heralded white tablecloth Magnolia’s Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, and Norman’s in Miami, Florida. He cites the cuisine at Norman’s, a melting pot of Latin, Asian, Caribbean, and European styles, as a big influence on his own worldly culinary stylings. At AZUR, each white plate serves as Ashby’s canvas, providing him with an opportunity to wow diners not only with an explosion of flavor but also with presentations that push the envelope, such as his favorite portabella napoleon and desserts presented “by the bite” on tiny white pedestals.
While they do not espouse traditional “Southern” cooking, they do not eschew it either, and specific menu elements call to mind comfort food aspects, such as oxtail whose preparation mimics a traditional pot roast. Monthly chef series dinners allow them to dig into avant-garde cuisine even deeper. Examples include “AZUR Distilled” in which the base source of various spirits (grain, rye, wheat, potatoes or sugar beet molasses) serves as the foundation of a tasting menu.
The vast range of products promoted through the Kentucky Proud movement provides continual inspiration to Ashby and his culinary team of fellow Chef/ owner Miguel Rivas and Sous Chef Justin Clark. “Every day I get contacted by a new farmer, which keeps me excited about innovation. The variety translates into better quality in taste and presentation.” Ashby points out that duck eggs sourced from Winchester are used in dishes calling for eggs and lend a richer flavor than typical hen laid varieties. “It’s a subtle nuance that enhances the dining experience,” he added. With just 500 square feet in the kitchen, space is at a premium, meaning that fresh ingredients are brought in almost daily.
The menu, which evolves seasonally, features à la carte selections and five-to-seven-course tasting menus. Designed to take approximately one-and-a-half hours, the tasting menu is intended to foster the social aspect of dining. Nowhere is the social aspect more at play than on the lushly landscaped 2,500-square-foot patio that serves as a hub of activity during temperate climes.
When dining “outside the circle” at AZUR restaurant & patio, your taste buds will certainly never be boxed in.
