In the next few weeks, Marksbury Farm will be opening a second Pasture restaurant, this time in Lexington. Pasture by Marksbury Farm will be opening in The Barn at the Summit at Fritz Farm shopping and dining destination. We took a few minutes to sit down with Josiah Correll, who will be managing partner at the new location.
What will be different about the new Pasture location?
The big difference is our pasture raised chicken. At the new location in Lexingtion, our flagship item will be fried chicken. We have designed our kitchen around this product and are so excited for everyone to try it.
Tell me a little bit about your fried chicken.
The Marksbury Team began crafting our recipe for fried chicken two years ago, really. Some of the best chicken I’ve ever had has been breaded in rice flour, so we decided to start there. Rice flour adds a super crispy texture to the fried chicken that I love. After a lot of trials and testing, we landed on a gluten-free blend of rice flour, cornstarch, and potato starch and a couple other secret ingredients I am not going to share. We decided to keep things simple and just do quarter pieces of chicken, breast and wing, leg and thigh. The struggle with frying such large pieces is that the breading tends to over-darken by the time the meat is cooked through. We overcame that challenge by par-frying until the breading was perfect, drizzling each piece with a little chili oil and then finishing the chicken in the oven until cooked through. This method produces chicken that’s super crispy on the outside while staying incredibly juicy on the inside. It’s a product we’re all really proud of, both because it was raised on Kentucky pasture and because with our secret recipe it really is delicious.
Will you have any other chicken options besides fried?
Yes, actually. We also have a really fantastic roasted chicken we’ll be serving. We really wanted to showcase the natural, delicious flavor of the chicken itself. The chicken is simply seasoned with our Marksbury seasoning blend and roasted to perfection in a steam-injected oven.
Will your previous guests see any of their favorites from the Lancaster location?
While there are a few items that our previous guests may not recognize, like our nacho-style beer cheese fries, they’ll certainly recognize the most popular item in Lancaster, our grass-fed beef burger. And also, just to round things off, we included one of my favorites, the chorizo burger.
So, why The Barn?
Because it’s unlike anything else in Kentucky. You’ve got several of the best Kentucky chefs and restaurateurs all in one space making incredible cuisine. We are honestly humbled and incredibly proud to be among the amazing talent of the other restaurants in The Barn. Athenian Grill, Atomic Ramen, Smithtown Seafood, Crank & Boom Ice Cream and Whiskey Bear will be our neighbors and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
For guests who live a little further away, what about the Summit would make it worth the drive?
Well, Pasture by Marksbury Farm is at the top of that list. In addition, there are some cool, new retail shops that have opened up there, including Brooks Brothers, Vineyard Vines, Kendra Scott, Frye and Warby Parker, just to name a few. It’s also a great place to come and just spend the day. There’s an outdoor play area for the kids. Whole Foods has also relocated to the Summit and has a beautiful new store. If you’re looking for some grass fed and pasture raised Marksbury meat to purchase in Lexington, Whole Foods is one of the places you will find it.
And when can we expect to begin enjoying the fried chicken at Pasture by Marksbury Farm?
We’re now finishing up the final touches, getting things inspected and getting everything in place to open in the next few weeks. Look for further announcements at MarksburyFarm.com or check out our new website, PastureLex.com.