Lake City’s old Railway Restaurant undergoes transformation

LAKE CITY — Classy but casual. Sophisticated but friendly. Great taste without great cost.

These were just a few of the things Katherine Fridl and Tony Whitlock hoped to accomplish when they purchased the old Railway Restaurant in downtown Lake City. And after a three-month extensive renovation and transformation, a much different Railway Charcoal Grill and Club Car Pub is now open for business.

The new Railway offers two dining experiences under one roof. The Dining Car, housed in the main terminal of the old railway depot, offers a warm and intimate non-smoking dining experience. The Club Car Pub, which is now completely separate from the dining room, is a more casual, relaxed English-style pub with a large handcrafted bar, leather lounge-type seating areas and local railroad photography by Whitlock’s son, Ian Whitlock. The full menu is available in both areas.

Fridl was in the restaurant business for 25 years in Florida before moving to Lake City, where she and Whitlock, a good friend of her husband’s, opened Foodscapes at Lake City Airport. Encouraged by their success there, they decided to invest in the Railway.

“Tony and I both used to eat here, and we used to talk about how sad it was that it wasn’t living up to its full potential,” Fridl said. “We wanted a good place to eat locally, so the ideas here kind of came off of Foodscapes. We say Railway is the big brother, and Foodscapes is the hippie little sister.”

Whitlock, a Lake City native, also has a background in food, having served 20 years in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps, where he and others were responsible for feeding hundreds of sailors three to four meals a day. But when the two bought the Railway, Whitlock said he focused his efforts on the renovation and let Fridl handle the menu and kitchen.

“We bought it in June and closed the doors for three months,” Whitlock said. “We wanted to expand the bar and make the dining side a little more cozy and elegant, but still family friendly. My son designed the bar, and this is what he drew.”

Fridl’s nephew, Executive Chef John “Nino” Waterloo, came aboard to lead the culinary team and helped Fridl design a new menu chock full of unique dishes such as fried alligator as well as old steak and seafood classics. A few of the favorites include handcut Choice Certified Angus Beef, large eye lamb chops and Sumter’s own Manchester Farms quail prepared over an open flamed charcoal grill.

For those who want a light dinner, there’s a salad bar complete with fresh fruit and an assortment of veggies. The appetizer menu features many different creations from bruschetta, and brie with raspberry sauce, to fried calamari in a sweet thai-chili sauce. The dessert menu also features several selections including crème brûlée, cheesecake egg rolls and the Railway’s special caramel-filled donuts complete with a coffee dipping sauce.

“It’s not the typical Lake City meal,” Waterloo said. “This is a whole new thing. We’re using local products, but we’re bringing different flavors from different regions. It’s not your everyday meat and three.”

Fridl also worked hard to develop an extensive cocktail menu, which offers everything from specialty martinis to the Railway’s signature lemonade made with Firefly sweet tea vodka. An extensive wine and beer selection also is available.

“We kept a lot of old favorites, but we revamped them and made them our own,” Fridl said. “People know what they like but sometimes don’t know how to put it all together. I put it together for them. We like to say around here, ‘Our menu’s so extensive that if we don’t have it, you probably don’t need it.’”

Railway Charcoal Grill and Club Car Pub
141 S. Acline Road
Lake City
(843) 374-8422
Hours: Dining Car is open Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Pub is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-until. Curbside takeout service is available.