Macri's Deli

When I lived in Bloomington before, Macri's was the restaurant at which I ate the most (well, other than McD & BK drive-thrus).  I was in love with the nachos grande and the BRT.  Even better, they had Monday nights kids-eat-free.  Not the usual kid-per-adult, but two kids per adult.  Since my (now ex-) husband and I have four kids, it was a steal.  We were probably there every Monday.  LOL.

So, when I moved back to Bloomington in August, I quickly searched for Macri's.  It wasn't there :-(  Some months later, I saw a sign that they were reopening downtown.  YES!!!  During the next few months, I often drove past to see if they were ready yet.

They are ready.  Hallelujah!  Leo and I opted to split and order of mozzarella sticks and both had BRTs with fries.  The mozzarella sticks are huge -- closer to the diameter of a half-dollar than the typical deep-fried-cheeze-sticks.    There were five in the basket and were wonderful. 

When the BRT (bacon, roast beef, turkey) arrived, I was nervous.  Would it be as good as I remembered?  I started hesitantly by nibbling on a french fry.  It was fabulous -- perfectly cooked to a golden brown.  I picked up my sandwich and bit in.  OMG, they did it!  I don't think the bread was the same (keep in mind, I'm trying to remember from 2001), but the sandwich was wonderful.  Leo was delighted as well.

Macri's, welcome home!  We missed you!!!   :D

Brother's Bar & Grill

"They have food?"

Sarah and I have drank more here than we'll ever admit, but had never eaten there.  We thought the Indiana Sweet 16 game would be the best time to start.   Go early enough to get a seat, have a relaxing meal, and wait for the game.  Whoops.  Apparently a couple hundred other people had the same idea (well, from the looks of them, some had a liquid dinner).  We searched the place and found a table and a couple chairs on the balcony for smokers.  The table was wet, but we could see the TV.  Good enough!

Considering the place was jam packed, we had an extremely attentive waitress.  Perhaps she noticed our ages and realized we'd tip better than the college kids :D  I went for a simple cheeseburger and fries (and a vodka/diet coke or two...).  Sarah had some kind of wrap.  Mine was ok, but not the greasy pub grub for which I was hoping...  

We were able to slowly slide our chairs inside, but the game didn't turn out the way we'd hoped :(  We will definitely be back to Brothers, but probably not for the food.  Look for us -- the two 40ish ladies sitting at the bar.  And buy us a drink :)   

Bombay Cafe

I was getting my hair fixed at Les Champes Elyees. The fix was after a series of home-grown disasters that took my hair from the color of a pumpkin to banana to snot.  Not a great progression!  Anyway, my dear hairdresser Kelly promised to get me back to normal (and succeeded!).  But I was hungry while I waited for the chemicals to do their magic!  Luckily, there was a restaurant two doors down.  She assured me that people often trekked down there while their hair was processing.  So, I tiptoed down two doors (on Walnut!!!) hoping that no one would see me, with tinfoil folded into my hair and a black cape over my clothing.  The guy behind the counter didn't react whatsoever.  I love that man!  although fellow patrons were shocked...  The guy helped the other customers, discussed various dishes with me, and we decided on buttered chicken (after he assured me it was the best in town).  He showed me a cup-size or a platter, which would include rice and salad.  I opted for the platter.  He told me they called that the American plate.  LOL.  I had a seat, waited a few minutes, then my meal was ready to go.  He suggested I try the stuffed bread the next time I had my hair done.

I ran back to the salon, opened my food, and several of the hairdressers wanted to know what I was having.  They all had recommendations for my future trips, too.  The buttered chicken was good, but  I think it's better (and more expensive, of course) at Amol India.  But I'm sure I'll be back to Bombay Cafe the next time I'm getting my hair done!  If you happen to pass by then, please act like you didn't see me :)

Five Guys

Once, on a business trip to Washington DC, I was hungry, cold, and just needed to eat something.  A Five Guys sign was ahead, so I ducked in not knowing what to expect.  Ordered a burger and fries, and proceeded to have the best burger of my life!  Not so much a fan of the fries, but there were probably enough there to feed half of the homeless on the way back to my hotel.  I stopped again two days later, and on every subsequent trip to DC.

So, when I saw they were franchised, I was SOOOOO excited.  I don't get enough trips to DC to fulfill my greasy cheeseburger quota.  First one was somewhere in Missouri.  Good, but not as good as DC.  Next was in Greenwood, Indiana.  Ditto.  So it was with great trepidation that I entered Five Guys.  Would it be as great as DC?  Or as disappointing as the other franchises?   Well, I have to say it was somewhere in between.  It was a great burger, but not as completely outstanding as those in DC.  I'll probably return to the one in Bloomington.  But if I'm in DC. absolutely!!!

Great Wall

I used to know a lady who said that there was only one Chinese restaurant in the world.  When you enter the door, it's a portal to that one restaurant.  Great Wall's buffet fit that description.  It was fine -- not particularly memorable.  There is a small grocery store attached, which Art (my 15 year old son) found interesting.  Not every day we see shrink-wrapped squid on a shelf...

Caravan

I had an evening alone, so I thought I'd try somewhere new.  Caravan shares an entrance with Puccini's La Dolce Vita on 4th St, which confused me a bit...  For some unknown reason, it was freezing in Caravan the night I went.  I had to leave my coat on throughout the meal...  

The waitresses were very helpful with all the clueless people trying to figure out what things were.  I opted for the Sample for One, which had quite a few choices.  I chose the following:

badenjaan pallao --   (Persian) Fried eggplant with tomato sauce, served over Basmati rice and topped with Persian yogurt sauce

dinich --  (Ethiopian) Fresh eggplant and potatoes simmered in curry

kik wat -- (Ethiopian) slow-cooked spiced lentils

yebeg wat --  (Ethiopian) Cubes of lamb simmered in spicy Wat sauce

Everything was served on a large piece of Ethiopian flat bread (which I didn't particularly care for) with some salad in the middle.  I really liked the lamb.  The other stuff was interesting.  I couldn't really tell which was which, so I'll just stick with "interesting."  :)  

I'm glad I went.  It was fun to try.  But I probably won't be back. 

Grazie! Italian Eatery

Happy New Year!  Sarah and I decided to begin our celebration at Grazie.  I wanted wine.  I like dry; Sarah likes sweet.  I can handle the Riunite Lambrusco and thought it would be plenty sweet for her.  So we ordered a bottle.  Cheers!

I love bruschetta.  After the waitress corrected (ahem, I was correct!) my pronounciation, she brought it over.  There were pieces of toasted bread, a heap of chopped tomatoes, but where was the olive oil?  I asked, and she poured some into a dish for me.  So I spooned some tomatoes and then some oil onto the toast.  I definitely make better bruschetta at home.

Sarah and I both ordered the pappardelle -- fresh pasta, roasted chicken, mushrooms, garlic cream sauce.  It reminded me of a dish I had in Siena, although there it included truffles :)  I enjoyed it. 

Horror of horrors -- they were OUT of tiramisu?  What???  On New Years Eve, they were out of the best dessert by 9 or so?  How can that be? 

So, we ventured off into the night...  Brothers?  Jakes?  Both!