How this Lexington-based steakhouse is taking east Louisville by storm

It has been said that good things come to those who wait.

Louisville steak lovers who are familiar with Lexington-based prime beef steakhouse Malone’s have waited a long time for the restaurant to come to town. Its first store opened in 1998, and about eight years ago, its co-founders started looking for a Louisville location. Finally, after a few pandemic-related setbacks, the Paddock Shops steakhouse began welcoming customers in June 2021.

Executive chef Dave Cupolo and his wife, banquet manager Nikki Cupolo, relocated from Lexington to open the two-story, 20,000-square-foot space with general manager Ryan Scherer. Owned by Bluegrass Hospitality Group — which also owns Drake’s — the building is home to Malone’s, Harry’s American Bar and Grill, and Aqua Sushi.

“I’ve been with (the company for) 21 years,” Dave Cupolo told The Courier Journal. “I started scooping biscuits, washing dishes, and peeling shrimp at Regatta (Seafood Grille in Lexington), which is no longer there.”

Cupolo attended Sullivan University simultaneously, commuting back and forth between Louisville and Lexington. Over the years that followed, he worked at various Bluegrass Hospitality Group restaurants.

“It’s been real fun,” he said. “I enjoy doing this with (co-owners) Bruce (Drake) and Brian (McCarty), and the whole team from BHG.”

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Cupolo adds that though BHG is growing into a large company, it’s very family-oriented. All except two managers relocated from Lexington to be part of the Louisville Malone’s location.

The steakhouse initially announced its new location in December 2019, just a few short months before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“We halted operations for about six months,” Cupolo recalled. “Then we were like, ‘we can live; we can survive; we’ll be fine.’”

He adds that the official opening date was pushed back about a week because of construction and pandemic issues.

“But when it opened, it was awesome,” he exclaimed. “The minute we cut the ribbon, we were going; it was (a) full-speed sprint.”

Cupolo adds that there were a couple of weeks when business slowed significantly due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the area, but aside from then, the restaurant has been constantly busy.

“And just about every day, we’ll have all four (banquet) rooms sold out,” he added.

The banquet rooms — aptly named Delmar, Saratoga, Churchill, and Keeneland — are available for wedding receptions, birthday parties, business lunches, and other events for groups of 30 to 100.

“We try to do Kentucky (and) Louisville (-related adornments),” Cupolo said. “We’ve got a bunch of Old Forester and distillery pictures around the whole banquet (area). Harry’s has always (had) Derby-related pictures and everything like that. We’ve (also) got a bunch of distillery names and stuff like that in the decor there.”

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The main dining area seats 572 and features an extensive bourbon collection and celebrity autographs.

“Those are people (who) have dined at our facility,” Cupolo explained. “It (could) be anybody from Def Leppard to LeBron James. After they finish their meal … we get them to sign a menu.”

The most-ordered item at Malone’s is, unsurprisingly, steak. The menu boasts about 20 different steak options, from a prime center-cut sirloin to a bone-in filet. There’s even a mix-and-match option to try three 4.5-ounce filets. Regardless of which option you choose, Malone’s steaks are all wet-aged USDA prime beef, corn-fed, hand-selected, and aged for at least 21 days.

“Louisville loves our steaks,” Cupolo said. “Our seafood is doing well, (too). We have something that will cover whatever anybody wants.”

Thankfully, pandemic-related supply issues haven’t affected his ability to acquire meat and other main ingredients.

“It’s other little things, like ketchup, and mustard and just weird stuff is tough to get,” he said. “It took sometimes weeks to get vanilla wafers.”

He adds that staffing has also been a bit rough, especially in the beginning. Though there are several employees who have been with them since the June opening, others have left, and they are still accepting applications for both front and back-of-house positions.

“We are always (hiring),” he said. “We are always talking to people.”

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Next up for Cupolo is planning the restaurant’s Kentucky Derby specials.

“We’re talking about (doing) a meat board,” he said. “It’s going to be three large steaks that we’re going to slice up. (It will) be a family-style type deal with sides and everything like that. … We’ll do a superfecta, trifecta-type deal with four steaks, (or) three steaks — it’s going to be delicious.”

He urges people to come by not just for the steaks and seafood, but for the overall experience.

“It is a fantastic building, (and) we really are very proud of it,” he said. “(It has) all the technology and all the other fun gadgets, (including) two elevators, and escalators, and retractable windows, and everything like that. It is just a blast to be here.”

Given the evolving nature of the coronavirus pandemic, our weekly restaurant review column’s focus will shift for the foreseeable future. Each week, Lennie Omalza will interview restaurants that are fighting to adapt and survive while serving our community. Please send coverage suggestions to Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@courier-journal.com. 

Malone’s

WHAT: This is a Lexington-based, prime beef steakhouse.

WHERE: 4370 Summit Plaza Drive

SERVICE: Dine-in, patio seating, and carryout; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily

CONTACT: 502-618-0702; bluegrasshospitality.com/malones-louisville/