Restaurant opens in Lexington with 40-foot bar, 20 beers on tap and duck fat fries

A “modern classic” new restaurant just opened in the town of Lexington and it might just ruin your New Year’s health regimen.

Consultant-turned-restauranteur Arif Rizvi, 47, opened RF’s Corner Grill (a play on his first name) to customers on Dec. 31. The first full day open was Jan. 2.

Rizvi previously opened and ran Rue 77 on Assembly Street in Columbia and he also co-owned One Taco Two Taco on Sunset Boulevard with business partner Jeff Zona, who died unexpectedly. After Zona’s death, Rizvi shut the doors on One Taco Two Taco in December 2017 and took some time off to care for his personal health.

Now, he’s back and he’s not planning on going anywhere. Rizvi said his plan is to stay as owner and executive chef at the new location, on West Main Street behind the Lexington Post Office, for “eight to 18 years.”

“I’m really excited about this project,” he said.

The industrial, long and narrow restaurant he designed like “a typical restaurant in the Northeast” — Rizvi and his wife Sameena Khan moved to South Carolina from New York — has a 40-foot-long granite bar. There, patrons can pick from 20 mostly local craft beers on tap, a wine list or cocktail menu.

High-top tables and group seating make the space flexible, able to accommodate happy hours, lunches, date nights and more. Rizvi said he brought some of the most popular food items from One Taco Two Taco and expanded the menu to include eastern touches and crowd-pleasers.

Some highlights: Queso made in-house, topped with ground beef, fresh pico de gallo salsa and cilantro, served with tortilla chips, dry rub beef brisket tacos, chicken avocado ranch salad and hand-cut, garlicky duck fat fries.

While chowing down on rice bowls, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads, guests can also spin tunes at the jukebox, listen to live music from local artists or watch TV on one of the six in the restaurant.

“It’s so unique,” Rizvi said, promising a dining experience people are unlikely to find anywhere else, “not even Columbia.”

Rizvi said he plans to start full catering and delivery in the coming months, including a family-style meal service.

RF’s Corner Grill is located at 712 West Main St. in Lexington. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturday. The phone number is 803-490-7800.

This story was originally published January 2, 2019 at 4:31 PM.