There is an old joke about driving through a small town: “Don’t blink or you might miss it.” For Paint Lick in Garrard County, that adage almost applies. The compact downtown of a dozen buildings fills less than a city block. While there are operational businesses in town—a post office, auto repair shop and environmental consulting firm—the village vibe is a bit sleepy.
For visitors, that’s a good thing. It is a place to relax, breathe deeply and spend time not tied to a device (cell service is not guaranteed). An outing there feels a bit like playing hooky from regular life.
To enjoy a visit to Paint Lick: Pick a beautiful spring day; drive a leisurely backroad route to the town, about 40 minutes south of Lexington; grab a table on the patio of new restaurant Solidago; join in the convivial conversation across tables; feel the warm sun; and indulge in a delicious farm-to-table meal.
Solidago is in the center of the historical village. Originally the community’s general store, the neglected 1885 building had fallen into disrepair until Mark Gumbert bought the structure and renovated it. Last summer, Solidago quietly opened and has experienced organic growth ever since.
The name, Latin for the goldenrod flower, was an intentional choice by Gumbert. Solidago gigantea derives its name from the verb solido, “to strengthen or heal,” and ago, “to make whole.” By serving local, carefully prepared food, Gumbert and the Solidago team hope to nurture the health of their diners and contribute to forming a stronger community.
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Key to Solidago’s healthy food and upbuilding of the town is local agriculture. Hoot Owl Holler Farm grows many of the restaurant’s summer vegetables, Sylvatica Forest Farm produces mushrooms, and Sunwatch Homestead raises lamb and pork. Two farms are only a couple of miles away—Putnam Farm, which provides beef, and Lazy Eight Stock Farm, year-round provider of vegetables. Solidago is open to new local sources of products.
From the local bounty, Solidago serves an ever-evolving menu. It changes daily and is written on a chalkboard for easy adjustments. A couple of staples are a given—notably the burger and soup beans with cornbread. Other favorites, such as meal-sized salads and homemade gnocchi, are adapted to highlight seasonal components.
This writer had a flavorful dining experience inside Solidago on a chilly March day. One of the menu staples, homemade gnocchi, was served with a collard greens and black walnut pesto. It was mildly bitter and complex, with hints of brightness from a lemon-zest and pine-nut topping.
A Brussels sprout Caesar salad was composed of shaved sprouts and a homemade dressing accented with apple slivers and crispy browned croutons. It ticked all of the veggie boxes, and the intensely flavored dressing made it a perfect winter dish.
The dessert menu is small, but I was grateful I ordered a chocolate chip cookie to share with my fellow diner. The hefty treat had a perfectly crisp outside and tender inside. The salt flakes sprinkled on top counterbalanced the just-right sweetness of the cookie.
Overall, the menu reflected a sensitivity to the season and a unique blending of flavors. That creativity is thanks to Solidago’s chef, Jon Baugh.
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Chef Baugh grew up and attended culinary school in Lexington. He worked in several southern cities—notably Charleston, South Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee—before returning to Kentucky in 2021. His training was classically French, and many of his formational restaurant experiences were in “high-caliber” establishments. But he eschews the fussiness of fine dining in his own restaurant.
Solidago’s cuisine is inspired by sturdy country food from around the world that honors fresh ingredients. He has adopted a creative spontaneity for the menu and fosters a high-quality yet casual dining experience. The style is more inviting, less pretentious.
“I came back to Lexington, then met Mark and saw Solidago as a blank slate,” Baugh said about his involvement in the restaurant. “It felt right. Everything is right here, especially the farmers.”
During our conversation, Baugh was ensconced in the Solidago kitchen, braising lamb with red wine and baking focaccia for the next day. With a gleam in his eye, he recalled the freshest pork he ever served. It was butchered on a Wednesday, delivered to Solidago on Thursday, and on the menu for lunch on Friday. “That is what it is all about,” he said.
Next, Baugh walked to the menu board to explain the day’s dishes. He stopped reading at the celery salad to wax poetic about the lowly vegetable. “It is one of the most underused ingredients out there,” he said. “So aromatic.”
Solidago is in a dry county, but a local vote in May could allow liquor sales in Paint Lick. Baugh dreams of brewing a trademark beer that incorporates goldenrod. When he does, it will be yet one more ingredient provided by the local land.
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The experience of eating at Solidago cannot be separated from place. Diners are immersed into the center of small-town life. The interior of the space is a time capsule, with references to the past and present special nature of Paint Lick.
The wall directly to the right of the front door holds a rotating display of vintage bicycles, shared by a local resident in homage to the town’s placement on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. The components of the impressive bar—from the wooden columns to the skirting of beadboard to the surface—were salvaged from a local home slated for demolition. A bison head is prominently displayed, hearkening back to the days when the iconic mammals roamed freely and frequented the original paint lick to ingest necessary minerals.
Handcrafted dining tables populate the left side of the eatery. Historical photos line the walls: the inside of the old general store, one of the times the Paint Lick Creek flooded downtown, early citizens riding a buggy to town. The food arrives served on mismatched china dinnerware, some purchased at the nearby antique mall.
On the bar, next to the cash register, sits a pile of postcards. Everyone is welcome to take one. The front has a painting of downtown, with the words “Greetings from the Historic Village of Paint Lick.” The back shares some of the town’s unique history, leaving space to write a message. The folks at Solidago have already affixed postage. All visitors need to do is scrawl a note and address, walk across the street to the post office, and drop the card in the mail slot. It is one more way to share the special place of Paint Lick with a special friend.
At the time of this writing, Solidago was open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m-3 p.m., but staff were poised to expand those times. For starters, Solidago launched a dinner event on the third Friday of the month. Check out the restaurant’s Facebook page for the most up-to-date info.
IF YOU GO
Solidago
467 Main Street, Paint Lick
859.925.2000 • solidagoky.com