ST. PAUL - Though its doors were closed to the public for four years, The Lexington restaurant never really left St. Paul.
"It's like a cornerstone on Summit and Lexington. If you're from St. Paul, you know the Lex. I'm not kidding ya," said Mike Costello, who lives nearby. "Our whole family has been waked here and married here."
That history is what attracted The Lexington's new owners, including Josh Thoma.
"Everyone has a story," Thoma said. “That's what makes it special.”
Thoma and General Manager Sara Luoma, gave KARE 11 a tour of the newly renovated restaurant.
"I was told by a woman that her grandfather brought these chandeliers over from Italy on a boat for a gift to his wife," Luoma said, pointing to the two iconic chandeliers that hang from the dining room.
Those chandeliers remain, though they look brand new.
“We had them recrystaled, rewired and all relamped," Thoma said. “Every chair in this room has also been refinished.”
It was all part of a $5 million dollar project that spanned more than two years to complete. Thoma says the project really began with the centerpiece of the restaurant.
"This is the classic martini bar," Thoma said. "This is where about 80% of the business was done at the Lexington in the past 20 years."
In the next 20 years they plan to bring more of that business into a brand new kitchen.
Co-owner/Executive Chef, Jack Riebel, gave KARE 11 the first look inside that kitchen, along with a glimpse at some of the new dishes, that reflect some of the restaurants history.
"I even have a Lexington spoon from 1954," Riebel said with a smile, as he spooned sauce over a heaping plate of Polynesian Spare Ribs.
The menu has been a hit with customers. Reservations are booked solid into March.
Even some old regulars are back.
"I talked to a ghost," Luoma said with a laugh. "I saw this woman walk in and I said, ‘How can I help you?” And I realized then that I was seeing a reflection in the mirror and the person was actually standing right here talking to me and I looked and there was no one there. I screamed right out loud. Screamed. I was like, 'Ah!'"
As far as she's concerned, Luoma says it's a sign they've done something right.
"There's no greater thing we could do for this neighborhood than to make this place successful, and to let people come back," she said.
The Lexington bar opens daily at 3 p.m. Food service begins at 5 p.m.