Bloomington's Local Weekend

It's the Bloomingtonians last weekend before our small summer community explodes into a metropolis filled with people going the wrong way on our streets, crowding the bike lanes and making the wait time at our "watering holes" unbearable. So over the last two weeks, I've dined at most of my favorites. Let's start with Finch's Brasserie on Kirkwood. Lunch on the patio with a view of the Sample Gates at the entrance to campus is perfect. The food is always wonderful--particularly the pizzattas. Just to be different, I tried the smoked brisket on ciabatta bread. It was certainy smokey and flavorful. The homemade pommes frites were also super. Finch's needs to go on every person's short list of Bloomington favorites.

Then there's the new "Scenic View" on Hwy 446 on the way to Lake Monroe. The restaurant's gone through a number of reincarnations over the years but this one has to be the best. As the name implys, there's a spectacular view of Lake Monroe from either the patio or the indoor seating which should only get better as the trees begin to turn. Go for the burgers (either beef or lamb) or the baked-on-site pizza. I've also heard good reviews on the barbeque sandwich as well.
There are also some other changes on the restaurant scene since the students left. One is the new menu and chef at Chapmans. Evidently, a former chef from Truffles has returned to town and hopes to breath new life and business into this far east side, recently remodeled eatery. Loads of dough had to have been spent on the refurbishing of the interior. Evidently, now the owners are doing same with the menu.

Lastly, Nicks Old English Hut, a Bloomington landmark since the late 1920s has expanded its seating for families on the mezzanine. The tall tables have been replaced with regular tables and MORE OF them to accommodate the grandparents, parents, teenagers, children, toddlers and even babies. (I'm leaving it at that and not going any further for fear I'll go too far.)

So, now that locals' weekend is nearly over and the 30,000+ folks are on their way. Bloomington is ready...as we are this time every year. Target is stocked to the ceiling. The mattress salesmen are back on the street corners and we've eaten at our faves, I say, Bring 'em on. Go Hoosiers.

Saturdays Backwards and Forwards

On this, the last Saturday of 2007, a Saturday retrospective seems appropriate. For me, Saturday mornings more than likely included a mother-daughter breakfast or lunch at a B'town eatery. In fact, I've frequently described many of those meals including breakfast at Cafe D'Lish and lunch at Truilli Flatbread. Saturdays from May through September more than likely also included trips to the eclectic Bloomington Farmers Market. It's a cacophony of cultures, religions, ethnicity and lifestyles that truly epitomize Liberalville.

Once a month, Saturday afternoons were spent having my hair tinted and trimmed at Champs Elysee Aveda Salon. And what would Saturdays be without regular trips to Sam's Club. As I've said many times, when memberships are listed in my obituary, Sam's Club will be the only one. The "sample" ladies now smile when they see Mom and me coming towards them...except when they're offering goo in a hot pocket.

Then Saturday evenings are always spent relaxing at Chateau Hamm in the country, watching for snowfall or the barn swallows to return in the spring. How I love spending Saturday nights on the patio and listening to the tree frogs, crickets and the mother cows calling their calves. Many cold winter Saturday nights, I'm curled up in the recliner with a glass of wine, my crochet project and Lord of the Manor watching a movie or in the steamy summertime, discussing our plans for Sunday on his boat at Lake Monroe.

Now as one year ends and another begins, I look into the future and the 52 weeks of Saturdays ahead. Will the new year bring any changes? Change is always inevitable. But equally as cliche, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I can only hope that's true for my favorite day of the week.

The New Bisquits and Gravy in Town

From May through October, Saturday mornings mean a Mom-and-Gail trip to the farmer's market and either breakfast or lunch. Today it was breakfast. Earlier in the week, friends had mentioned a new eatery called Cafe D'Lish that specialized in "good old food." No truffle-oil sprinkled omelets, goat cheese and anchovy scones or vegan muffins, but the type of food most small towns have for breakfast. D'Lish is also the kind of cafe that hopefully is coming back after communities turned to Mickey D's and BK's for our daily bread.

Located just west of the square on Kirkwood, Cafe D'Lish replaced the former Cafe Talent. The owners, Donna Stephens and Randy Groh are professional restaurant folks so the service was quick and Nicole, their cook, did a fab job--especially on her French toast with homemade, fresh blueberry sauce. I heard others going ga ga over a sample of Nicole's "Jamaican-Me-Crazy Chili." I snatched up a menu to see the entire list of offerings. Not only is the food especially reasonable, but in a town were the Sisco food distributor has a monopoly on virtually anything served in every restaurant for miles, the words "Made Fresh Daily" hit a high note.

Like breakfast, the lunch menu looks like the "who's who" in down-home, blue plate specials--chicken and dumplings, friend chicken livers, meatloaf, lots of side choices and of course ye' ole' breaded tenderloin. (No place in Indiana can be successful without one of these favorite sandwiches--regardless of the importance of trans fats and clogged arteries.) Desserts include southern Indiana favorites, red velvet cake and blackberry cobbler along with butter cake and chocolate peanut butter pie.

Breakfast is served 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 and lunch from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. Most importantly, they're open on Sunday!

Thanks, Cafe D'Lish. Bloomington needed a downtown place like this since the previous version, Ladyman's, was run out by a big, bad ass ad agency whose owner just HAD to build his "global headquarters"right on top of Ladyman's spot on the city map. (That's material for future blogs).