Last Night at the IU Ballet

Last night was the end my eleventh year as a IU Ballet Theater season ticket holder. I think that qualifies me to write a critical review of the performance of New York. New York, a trilogy of ballets. The first act, titled Cloven Kingdom, was very difficult for Mother and me to understand. I just couldn't get my arms around male dancers in tuxedos performing like animals or female dancers wearing strange headgear that kept reminding me of Blue Man Group. Conversely, the dancing spotlighted not only the performers' ballet skills, but the gymnastic abilities as well. With all that said, I just couldn't figure out the story. Whew, intermission.

On to act two, the Lilac Garden that thank goodness was a return to toe shoes and more classical ballet. The featured solosist, Brett Benedict's parents were sitting next to me and I could sense her mother holding her breath as the curtain went up and Brett began to dance. As the dancers performed,  I couldn't help but pay particular attention to the beautiful music they danced to. The featured violinist, Benjamin Hoffman, had a starring role in his own right. The act ended as perfect as it began, and I could hear the muffled sigh of relief, as Brett's mother relaxed and began to breath normally.



Caitlin Kirschenbaum,
 Principle, Who Cares?



The last act was a George Ballanchine ballet peformed to George Gershwin. I can't say it any other way, I loved it. And I could sense the audience did as well as applause errupted after each performance. But I have to say that over the 11 years, I have never seen a ballerina more expressive and graceful as Caitlin Kirschenbaum, except for Julie Kent a professional lead dancer from the American Ballet Company. I loved watching Caitlin dance and her body language was so easy to interpret. At times, as I watched her with her partner Paul Danndridge, I was having mind flashes of Gene Kelley and Leslie Caron as they too danced to Gerswin in "An American in Paris." Caitlin, I will miss you and your toe shoes will be difficult to fill as you move onto what hopefully will be a stellar career in professional dance.

So the curtain fell on the 2010/2010 Indiana University Ballet Theater season. To all the students, if you're leaving IU, goodbye and good luck. You've given my Mother and me many hours of pleasure. If you're staying for another year, we'll be back in the center of row 11 and look forward to more great performances.



A Bloomington Classic



Many times in our search to find something new or change a routine, we overlook restaurants where the food is consistently good with stellar service. The one restaurant in Bloomington that always comes to mind particularlySaturday brunch is Uptown Cafe at Kirkwood and Walnut Street. It's Mother's and my favorite spot. When the weather's cold and dreary, we always choose to eat in the bar area where Mark the bartender/waiter greets us with a bright smile and promptly brings a mug of fresh coffee. We were there just this morning and saw a number of familiar faces, so they too, know the secret of eating behind the saloon swinging doors. Many times, the seats at the bar are taken by locals coming in for a cappuccino and the European soccer matches. The pub-like atmosphere at breakfast time is like to no other cafe I know in Bloomington

Along with the ambiance, the breakfast menu is an eclectic mix of creole and standbys with a few surprise specials like huevos rancheros and Indonesian corn fritters. Like all restaurants in Indiana, Uptown has biscuits and gravy, granola, lox and bagels and eggs. But it's the extras that make breakfast so enjoyable for me. The "home fries" a.k.a. red skin potatoes browned with onions and mushrooms are to die for! The potatoes are always well-seasoned and caramelized. I'm also a big fan of the fresh salsa on top of a vegetarian Popeye omelet. It's a three-egg omelet with fresh spinach, sauteed mushrooms and Swiss cheese. Regardless of the fillings, the Uptown omelets are always perfectly flipped, done in the middle and never browned around the edges like so many omelets in town.

Another tasty looking dish my mother prefers is the creme brulee French toast--especially on a summer morning at a shaded outdoor table. The menu describes it as slices of baguette baked atop a layer of custard infused with vanilla. It's way to sweet and sugary for my morning taste, but it looks like a sweet tooth pleaser.

Mom and I may venture to new places, try new things but always circle back to the classics. Uptown Cafe is no exception.