Six Years After Opening, Lockbox at 21c Museum Hotel Lexington Reinvents Itself to Offer Guests and Locals a New Neighborhood Spot for Dining and Drinking
Lockbox Restaurant + Lounge offers locals and guests a new casual dining experience with a revamped design, menus, and style of service
LEXINGTON, Ky. March 3, 2022 –21c Museum Hotel opened six years ago in downtown Lexington. This week, after a short closure and soft opening, Lockbox Restaurant + Lounge will reopen its doors to locals and hotel guests with a new look and feel, service style, and menu.
“We really stopped to listen to what people in Lexington are looking for when they dine out,” says Gabe Isaac, general manager at 21c Lexington. “The new Lockbox offers a more casual and relaxed atmosphere. We looked at the entire experience, from the music to the style of service and what the servers wear. We also added some new design elements that make the space feel cozier.”
The revamp of food and beverage was led by executive chef Nick Fisherkeller, and food and beverage director Rita Kraynak. Dinner will remain as table service allowing diners to be seated and order from a server, but breakfast (open now) and lunch, which will begin in the coming months, will offer counter service.
“We wanted to continue the hospitality of table service at dinner,” shares Fisherkeller. “Going out to dinner is about relaxing with friends and being taken care of. It’s also about trying new things. We designed the menu with a lot of flexibility so that groups can share dishes and explore more of the menu. On the other hand, counter service is ideal for breakfast and lunch. It gives our guests the ability to get in and out quickly or stay longer if they are socializing or having a business meeting.”
Fisherkeller’s Kentucky-inspired dinner menu highlights dishes and ingredients familiar to the region like Ham and Sweet Corn Hushpuppies and Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with local mushrooms, artichokes and preserved lemon. The menu also brings back some of diners’ favorite dishes from years past like the Share Board with housemade crackers, biscuits, pimento cheese and Benedictine and the Lockbox Cheeseburger with lettuce, pickle, American cheese and special sauce. A selection of oysters (raw, cornmeal fried, or baked with garlic butter, country ham, and cornbread crumbs) and an expanded section of sides titled Veggies, Greens, and Grains, allows groups to customize their experience and sample more menu items.
Fisherkeller joined Lockbox to head up the kitchen in the fall of 2021. Prior to that he held positions at ELIXIR Downtown, Minglewood, Julep Cup, and Portofino. His hands-on leadership approach and playful, exploratory culinary style are evident in the new Lockbox experience.
Guests can still expect a large selection of Bourbon and an approachable wine list with a comfortable mix of familiar styles and labels complemented by more adventurous options. The cocktail menu includes guest favorites like Clearance Clarence made with milk clarified Old Forester 86 alongside new creations including a Barrel-Aged French Negroni with Copper and Kings aged brandy, Dashe late harvest Zinfandel, Aperol, Campari, and Benedictine.
One of the most noticeable aspects of the new Lockbox experience is the design of the space. An awning has been added to the Upper Street entrance. This will become the primary entrance and the site for a new outdoor dining area this spring. Inside the restaurant, guests will find new furniture, rugs, and trees that give the space warmth. Expanded lounge space, a new communal table outside the historic vault, and a chef’s table in front of the kitchen add to the convivial atmosphere.
To celebrate the restaurant’s re-opening, a new exhibition has been installed titled Show & Tell: Portraits in Lockbox. This collection of works by artists from around the globe examines the evolution of portraiture as a platform to express identity within the worlds we inhabit, sampling from histories near and far, global, and local, to examine human vulnerabilities. Lockbox is open for breakfast Monday through Friday from 7:00 – 11:00 am; brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm; and dinner Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 5:00 – 9:00 pm and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 – 10:00 pm.
For more information visit LockboxLex.com.
About 21c Museum Hotel Lexington
21c Museum Hotel Lexington is a combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and chef-driven restaurant. Building on its mission of engaging the public with contemporary art and supporting the revitalization of American downtowns, 21c rehabilitated the historic Fayette National Bank Building in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. The 88-room property features 7,000 square feet of exhibition, meeting and event space and presents rotating curated exhibitions, interactive site-specific art installations and a full roster of cultural programming. Exhibition space is open to the public free of charge. The property features a double height main gallery and adjacent pre-function gallery, and a spacious suite on the 15th floor with large windows on three exposures. 21c Lexington is home to Lockbox Restaurant + Lounge, led by chef Nick Fisherkeller, and featuring Kentucky-inspired fare in a lively, casual environment.