I recently spent a few days visiting my hometown in Northwest Indiana. I had some vacation time left to use up and figured I'd pop home to visit my family, or as I like to call it 'staying in my vacation home in NWI'. Being who I am I had to find some adventures and I was actually pleasantly surprised to find some really neat places to shop and eat. So here's my little 'travel guide' to a few things to do and eat (mostly eat) in and around Northwest Indiana.
Three Floyds Brewpub (Munster, Indiana) www.threefloydspub.com You will find Three Floyds beer at a lot of bars in the city, but I never really paid much attention until I tried their
Dreadnaught IPA. I had actually sworn off IPAs until I tasted this beauty It's fruity and hoppy, but not too bitter like some of the other lesser quality IPAs that I've tried before. I arranged for a family gathering at Three Floyds Brewpub because beer and food are two of my family's favorite interests. As a side note, I did get to ride in my Uncle's Corvette ('94, white with red interior - I felt like a total badass). I had two of their beers, one was called Gazebo something (I think) and was an experimental brew made with Japanese hops. It was light and slightly fruity, but not in the girly beer sort of way. The second was called Topless Wynch and was a Baltic Porter. Both beers were delicious. The food was pretty damn good as well. It's your basic pub fare, but elevated a notch or two. Everyone enjoyed their food, from burgers to mac n cheese with hunks of bacon. They do brewery tours on Saturday and I may just give that a try next time I'm home.
Lucrezia Cafe (Chesterton, IN) www.lucreziacafe.com This place is an old standby and well loved among my friends and family. They have some amazing daily specials and a solid menu of Italian fare. I took my mom here for her Mother's day dinner. We both started with one of their martinis. I actually usually order wine when I'm here because they have a fantastic wine selection. However, I was curious to see what their cocktails were like. I had something called a Journalist that was made with gin, Cointreau, and vermouth. It was a decent cocktail but I did not like that it came with pieces of ice from when it was mixed.
For starters we had their roasted garlic to spread on our bread and the special of soft shell crab. My mom was apprehensive about the garlic, but fell in love with it as soon as she tried it. You really haven't lived until you've spread roasted garlic on your bread. Clearly, I don't recommend for date night. My mom and I both ordered off the specials menu and her prime rib with a paprika pesto sauce was excellent and perfectly cooked. I overcame a little bit of guilt and had this amazing veal with prosciutto in a lemon sauce. My meal paired very well with the glass of Saviougon Blanc I ordered. I only order veal once every few years and this was well worth my 'veal tickets'. It was light, tender and the sauce added a nice creamy citrus twist. We finished with a dessert of lemon tiramisu and then I introduced my mom to lemoncello - which she loved. Better make sure she doesn't pull a Danny De Vito at our next family function.
Molly Bea's Ingredients (Chesterton, IN) www.mollybeas.com This was one of my favorite finds (actually, my sister is the one who found it). Molly Beas sells all those things that any foodie needs in their kitchen. Spices, beans, flours, teas - where was this place when I lived in NWI? They sell a lot of locally produced items and the owner is very helpful and welcoming. This place should be on every NWI foodies shopping list. The best part is that everything has a very reasonable price because she doesn't fool around with fancy packaging - just bulk items in plastic bags.
Tonya's Pastries (Chesterton, IN) This is another great little place that my sister took me to. It's a bakery/cafe that serves about 5 savory items on a menu that changes daily. I had some amazing cream of asparagus soup and a meat pie. My sister ordered a cheese, corn and bacon quiche that was superb. We both agree that the bacon/corn combination is fantastic (as me for my corn and bacon pasta recipe). Of course there is a selection of pastries for dessert.
There are also a few other places that I'd like to try next time I'm home. Some of these are new joints, but a few have been on my list for a while.
Miller Bakery Cafe (Gary, IN) www.millerbakerycafe.net This place has been around for years and always gets great reviews. People actually drive from Chicago to eat here.
Bartlett's Gourmet Grill and Tavern (Beverly Shores, IN) www.eatatbartletts.com The lady at Molly Bea's actually tipped me off to this new place. It's owned by the same people who own Miller Bakery Cafe so it's got to be good.
Don Quijote (Valparaiso, IN) www.donquijoterestaurantandimports.com I know that you usually don't associate Spanish cuisine with Indiana, but this place is rumored to be fantastic and authentic.
Abstract Cafe (Portage, IN) www.abstractcafe.net This is another new place that my friends have been talking about. It looks way to fancy and delicious for Portage.
So maybe there is a bit more than corn in Indiana (or at least some corn and bacon quiche?). I'm not saying that I plan to move home, but it's nice to see good food and drink options out there. This way, next time i go to my 'vacation home' I know I'll have some dining options besides Arby's and Chinese take-out.
PS: Do you have a favorite spot in NWI that you think I should try?
This one was super simple and really healthy. First I steamed the asparagus and then just mixed it with the pasta and a little EVOO. The pasta was okay, but something was a little off with the taste.
