Breaded, deep-fried lamb testicles with cream gravy, a stockyard-era delicacy that central Kentucky never gave up. Columbia Steak House has kept them on its Lexington menu since the 1940s.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Lamb fries came out of Kentucky's stockyard economy, when Lexington's sale barns left offal cheap and plentiful and frugal kitchens breaded and fried what the trade left behind. Columbia Steak House, feeding Lexington since 1948, made them a house signature alongside the Nighthawk Special, and old-line Bluegrass restaurants still serve them thin-sliced, crisp and with cream gravy for dipping.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Ask a butcher to clean them; slicing before breading keeps the texture tender rather than rubbery.
Columbia Steak House has fed Lexington since 1948, still broiling the garlic-butter Nighthawk Special with a Diego salad and frying its famous lamb fries.
Signature: Nighthawk Special, Lamb fries, Diego salad
Tip: Order the Nighthawk Special with fried banana peppers; the Richmond Road room keeps the old-school feel.
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