Irish Lion

"The birthday party starts around 11 on Thursday."
What????  Some of us have to work Friday morning!

Sarah and I decided to have a late dinner prior to the party.  She'd never been to the Irish Lion, so that's where we headed.  I reminsced a bit -- the first time I spoke to my children's dad was at the Lion.  My first date with Tony was at the Lion  (Tony, the dude who wants me to not see others, but hasn't seen me in 3 months even though we live 2 miles apart!  Yeah right...).

We opted for Prime Rib, baked potatoes, salads.  I'm usually a Filet Mignon gal, but it was an extra $5 (really?).  I don't know if it's because I'm used to Filet, but the Prime Rib arrived and was HUGE with lots of fat.  As I was able to trim down to the meat, it was quite good.  Salads fine, potatoes good.  My first beverage was something a bit too fruity, so I swapped over to rum & diet coke.  They were good, but not quite as strong as we'd had last week at Trojan Horse.  Sarah reported her margaritas were good, all four of them.  Giggle.

We met up with Silver (what an awesome name) and headed off to Jake's for the birthday party.  Jakes was dead at 11.  We had a couple drinks (from a fishbowl...).  People started trickling in.  We couldn't find the birthday boy.  James did eventually show up.  Apparently his birthday party was getting drunk before arriving at Jakes for the APA (that's a phi, not a P) pre-Homecoming celebration.  Sarah and I completely stuck out -- two middle-aged white women at a black frat party.  Even Silver didn't fit in well, because she had her T&A fully covered.  What an experience... 

Dagwood's Deli and Subs

Leo had a fever yesterday :-( so he couldn't go to school today.  Since he was feeling ok, we decided to go out for lunch.  He suggested Subway.  I took him to Dagwood's instead.

I've been driving past Dagwood's for years.  It was there when I lived in Bloomington many years ago.  Hard to believe I'd never been inside...  I had to explain the Blondie cartoon to Leo, so he'd approve of a dagwood sandwich instead of subway...  

We both ordered the Dagwood Supreme.  Several kinds of meats, a couple cheese, and some veggies on a huge roll (mine wheat, his white).  The sandwiches were so filling that neither of us could finish them and the chips (even though we each only ordered a half...).  They were tasty, but Leo said Subway would've been better.  I'd prefer Penn Station that we'd walked past to get to Dagwood's.  Oh well...  Now I've been there :-)

The Farm

I've been here before for the funky drinks.  They grind up some funky stuff into some of the adult beverages.  Something different and fun!  Once I was on a first date there and my date demonstrated how his pecs could still dance at the age of 50.  Something different and not fun!

But, this was the first time I was going to eat there.  I met my friend Nancy.  We were expecting a child at the same time (me by adoption, her by pregnancy), 15 years ago.  We fretted over every little thing back then, occasionally having dinners such as this.  Now we are the mothers of teens, each been through a divorce (or two), and the conversations are quite a bit more graphic.   The guys at the next table sure got an earful!

Back to the food...  Well, the wine...  I had a glass of Shiraz.  Since it was the last Shiraz they had, my glass was free :-)  Then I moved on to Riesling...  

There was quite a variety on the menu -- anything from seafood to pork chops to pizza to burgers.  I opted for a white pizza -- cheese, mushrooms, and pesto.  Thin crust, baked in a fire oven.  It was pretty good, but not fantastic...  

Falafels

I like to eat in restaurants from around the world.  Occasionally I'm surprised because it's good, not just different.  This happened at Falafels.

I had no idea what to order, so I opted for the Flavors from Jerusalem.  They started me off with a spiced pita with two dips -- one tomato based and one oil based.  I could've stuck with the pita & oil and been happy...  But then my food came...

Falafels - which are chick pea balls, deep fried (I think).  Awesome
Hummus drenched in oil and small pita pieces to dip it in.  Good
Small salad - fine, but I didn't eat there to have salad :-)
Plus two choices...  I picked:
Mamaganush - fried eggplant wrapped around feta cheese
Babaganush - It says it's grilled eggplant in tanish.  It looked like hummus, but wasn't as good.

I was quite surprised at how tasty everything was, and can't wait to return!

Panda Express

I'd been looking forward to my Saturday night date.  I've had so few dates this year that it's comical.  Anyway, plans fell through (don't ask...), so I was looking at a Saturday night by myself.  My kids were staying with friends, so I didn't want to feel like a pathetic loser, at home by myself on a Saturday night.

So, I was a pathetic loser, eating out by myself on a Saturday night...  I got all dressed up as if I was going on a date.  Hopped in the car, and started driving around to see where I wouldn't be completely obvious that I was alone.  I was in the mood for Chinese food.  Driving towards the square, I spotted Panda Express.  Ok, that should do.  

I went in and was transported to Jin-Jin, my favorite eatery in northwest Florida (where I used to live).  The signs were the same.  The menu was the same (except for the header). The level of cleanliness (not!) was the same.   Even the tile floor was the same.  So, I ordered my Jin-Jin addiction, Curry Chicken and had a seat at a not-so-clean table.  The familiar styrofoam container arrived, and I opened it to see that it even looked like Jin-Jin's curry chicken!  First taste, I was preparing to be transported.  I wasn't very enthused by the first taste.  Perhaps I got too much rice and not enough curry sauce?  Next bite was rice-free.  Still bland.  So sad...  I salted everything and ate it, but it was merely transformed from bland to ok.  Jin-Jin, I miss you! 

Amol India

My friend Sarah and I decided to have dinner on a Friday evening.  We met in front of the fire department (had nothing to do with checking out firemen -- really!) and took a stroll down 4th St.  We reminisced about different places there we've tried (mine were complete with bad online dating stories) and stopped at Amol India.  Sarah told me she'd gone there about a month ago with a friend, and the Butter Chicken was fabulous.

When we walked in, everyone recognized Sarah.  It was crazy.  Three of the men were fawning all over her.  They smiled, flirted, joked (even though we couldn't understand them half of the time).  Now, if we were scantily glad college gals, I'd understand.  But we're over 40, average looking, were dressed conservatively, ...  Then a lightbulb went off in the back of my head.  When I'm in the US, I'm overlooked for the pretty young things.  When I'm out of the country, men seem to appreciate women of all ages.  These men were not American...

So, back to the food.  Sarah had the Buttered Chicken, spiciness 2 (of 6).  I had Curry Chicken, spiciness of 3.  We also had naan.  I love that stuff!  Anyway, once I started eating my curry chicken, I was glad I'd only gotten a 3.  It was right on the edge of what I could eat and enjoy (although my stomach made some gurgling sounds along the way...).  My lips were tingling when I left.  I had a taste of the Buttered Chicken, and it was amazing.  

I will definitely be back, have the Buttered Chicken, and take Sarah along.  Can't beat the service ;-) 

Panera Bread

I decided to hit Panera Bread for breakfast on a lovely Saturday morning.  The place was packed!  I ordered a cappuccino, hoping so much to have a good one.  I miss them terribly!  I also had a cinnamon swirl & raisin bagel,m toasted, with butter.  

The bagel was pretty good.  Nothing like the ones you get in NY, but...  And the cappuccino was decent.  I can't stand Starbucks cappuccino -- theirs tasted burnt to me.  I was spoiled during my two years in Italy...  Anyway, I'm convinced the only way to get a great cappuccino in Bloomington is to marry an Italian.  It worked for me for years.  LOL

Malibu Grill

Before I moved to Bloomington, I met a friend here a few times.  It's her favorite place.  I'd had pizzas and different things in the past, and enjoyed them all. 

We chose a lovely day -- a warm Saturday afternoon in October.  IU's football game was ready to begin, so the town was empty.  My mom was up for the afternoon. 

There is nothing I love more that outdoor seating, so I was pleased there were plenty of spots available.  I had the Grilled chicken Marinara -- linguini with chicken, mushrooms, garlic, basil, parmesan & marinara.  I should've stuck to the pizza...  It was ok, but not great.  My mom had a Crispy chicken Salad, which she found quite amusing due to the dried cranberries throughout it.  I had one of her pieces of crispy chicken, which was pretty good.  Art tried the Cajun Salmon, which quite surprised me.  He loved it.  I don't remember what Leo had, but remember he wasn't very impressed with it.

Next time, I'll stick to the pizza :-) 

Scotty's Brewhouse

We came here to celebrate my friend Sarah's birthday.  We had about a dozen of us, so they thought it would take 40 minutes to seat us (not bad, considering it was a football Saturday).  Unfortunately, it took them nearly 90 minutes to seat us...  We'd managed to take over a small corner of the bar, drinks were flowing pretty reguarly over there, so by the time the food came, we would've enjoyed anything...  I had a salad with steak and bleu cheese.  It was good, but I don't know for sure since I was on my 3rd (or 4th?) drink by then.  I do know the waitstaff was very good at managing our large group and keeping us all happy.

Can't really critique the food, but the drinks were great :-)

Casa Brava

Well, dear readers, I've been asking where to find the best Mexican food in Bloomington.  I think I've found it...

We loved the salsa at Casa Brava -- just the tiniest touch of hot to it.  I had the chicken Casa Brava chimichanga.  It was rolled up tight, looking more like a wheat-shell enchilada, drenched in a white cheese sauce.  It was incredible.  The rice was good; the beans were fine (I'm not much of a bean fan).  Leo had a combo meal that had tacos and a few other things (he couldn't remember what they were).  He loved it, too.  Art was too busy texting to talk to us, but his tamales disappeared pretty quickly.

Not only was the food good, but the service was prompty and the decor is nice.  We will definitely return.

Penn Station East Coast Subs

It was a football weekend.  Everywhere was packed.  We thought we'd have to settle for fast food, but then spied Penn Station Subs.  OMG!  These were so good!  I had a pizza sub, served piping hot and open.  Tons of cheese, pepperoni, ham, ...  I had them toss on some sausage, too.  I was in heaven 8-D  Leo had the Philly Cheesesteak and was also quite pleased.  Once again, I don't remember what Art had but know he was delighted.  We also split a big cup of fries. 
I will definitely return, but think I'll go for the Small instead of Medium next time.  It was just too much for me :-)

Trojan Horse

Going in, I already knew it was my favorite restaurant in Bloomington :-)  I ate there some when I lived in Bloomington many years ago.  I had a few dates there before moving to B'ton.  It was my first trip there since moving to B'ton (and my sons' first trip).

I had a Gyro, not the usual Gyro Platter (I wasn't so hungry).  I love the tzitziky sauce!  Leo was a bit more hungry, so he ordered the Super Gyro (I think that's the name -- it was supposed to have double the filler) and some fries for us to share.  Mine was delicious.  Leo enjoyed his, but we didn't really see a difference between our sandwiches except that he had a small container of sauce.  I just can't remember what Art had, but he liked it.  Both boys did complain to still be hungry when we left (well, they are a teen and a tween...), so we stopped at Mcdonalds for sundaes.

I'll be back... often :-)