Growing up as a kid, there was nothing finer than going to local bookseller Joseph Beth and spending the better part of the afternoon sifting through the various science fiction and fantasy tomes waiting for some cute college staff girl to come up and ask me if I needed help.  Of course, when she did, I just sputtered “No,” and sulked back into a corner.

When I wasn’t golluming it among the books, I would go with my family to the Joseph Beth Cafe, where I would get a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream (because I used fatty food to compensate for a lonely childhood) and a slice of the tiramasu.  I remember in 1992 when I first tasted that wonderful Italian delicacy and my mouth has sill yet to fully recover from that taste explosion.

Joseph has since expanded to fill the entire Lexington Green Mall atrium, making it one of the largest independent bookstores in the world, and its cafe now fills the space of a former Mexican restaurant called Mesa.  The great part of the cafe is that it is well integrated with the bookstore, and the menu rotates regularly depending on what new cookbooks are on sale.  Unfortunately the selections are often rotated around Food Network chefs, but I fault the cookbook industry more than the Cafe for that.  I mean who really thinks Rachel Ray makes interesting dishes?

Starting with the bread, which has been a staple at Joseph Beth since its inception, the recipe seems to have changed somewhat since I first used to come here, and it is less sweet than it used to be.

The staple for me, has to be the vegetarian chili which is basically a heartier version of Alfalfa’s red beans and rice.  Though I must say that I prefer Alfalfa’s red beans and rice.

My mother ordered the special which was mixed summer vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes with feta) over rice.  It was pretty underwhelming, but admittedly most vegetarian options outside of the chili are here.  There are a few good quiches, and Paula Dean made a great tomato tart, but I think that was only good because it was 90% butter.

The highlight, of course, is the tiramasu.  I highly recommend this dish, because it is fantastic, and almost everybody that has tried this has enjoyed it (except Hakeem because I don’t think he has any appreciation for good things).

Overall, Joseph Beth is pretty vegetarian friendly, and they have many vegetarian as well as vegan options.  However, I really don’t think that anything is worth eating here outside of the tiramasu (and their peanut butter pie from Missy’s).  But their drinks are great, including coffees, hot chocolates and italian sodas.  And that’s about as much as you can ask for from a cafe.  So, I’ll give it three and a half cheese sandwiches.

Cafe at Joseph Beth
# 1, 161 Lexington Green Cir
Lexington, KY 40503 
(859) 422-1429