Mary Martin served customers at Alfalfa in February 1975. The iconic Lexington restaurant opened here, on South Limestone across from the University of Kentucky, in 1973, started by six twenty-somethings with about $3,700. The restaurant’s menu was modeled after that of a health-food store. Items on the chalkboard in this image include eggplant stew with rice for $1.50, potato pudding with salad for $1.75 and a slice of cranberry loaf for 45 cents. Click on the image for a closer look. “Most of the things we cook are things we like to eat,” co-owner Artie Hoard, 26, said in 1975. In 1973, Alfalfa employed 25 people and didn’t have enough chairs. On opening day, the restaurant promised a free meal to anyone who contributed a chair. Alfalfa moved in 2005 to its current address, 141 East Main Street. In May 2017, new owners said they will update the restaurant’s offerings but keep their local-food roots. Photo by David Perry | Staff