Worth Your Attention

2010-01-01T14:17:00.004-05:00

We're not sure how much blogging we'll get done in 2010 so we were glad to find another Indy blog covering local restaurants, Linda's Refrigerator.

2009-12-21T05:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays. We'll post again in the New Year.

Scenes from... Westfield, Indiana

2009-12-16T05:25:00.000-05:00

We had never visited Westfield before a couple of weekends ago and we found it to be absolutely adorable. It was a frigid day but we managed to take some photos.

The Westfield Antique Mall (800 E. Main Street) has 2 big floors of treasures:

Stitches & Scones- what a great combination:

Downtown architecture:

We've heard good things about Marlow's but didn't have time to stop and try it this time.

Some gorgeous old homes that look like they have been there for awhile:

Easley Winery's Mulled Red Wine

2009-12-14T06:24:00.002-05:00

This weekend, we discovered Easley Winery's mulled wine and it became an instant classic that we will have to get every year. We used to have a jar of mulling spice mix that we stirred into a mug of warm red wine that we loved but we hadn't really gotten around to buying a replacement since we ran out of that. While buying gifts at Easley, we picked up a bottle of Warm Mulled Wine for ourselves. All we did was warm it on top of the stove; the honey, apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg are already in there and smelled so good. It has now become an indispensable part of our holiday season. It just doesn't get any better than a mug of mulled wine, the glow of the Christmas tree, and an old holiday movie on TV (for us this weekend, it was charming Cary Grant in The Bishop's Wife).

Bargain books, CDs and DVDs from Daedalus

2009-12-09T06:03:00.000-05:00

Book, music, and movie lovers (along with those who buy gifts for book, music, and movie lovers) should know about Daedalus Books and Music. We've received catalogs from them for awhile and, with their amazing prices on some items, we just couldn't resist placing an order with them any longer. Our recent purchase included the classic The Women DVD for $6.98, a two-fer DVD of Holiday Inn and Going My Way for $6.98, a Billy Taylor Trio CD for $5.98, and a gorgeous big softcover book of The Posters of Mauzan for only $9.98 (which is a huge savings compared to Amazon). They might not have everything that you are looking for but, with these low prices, you feel free to be more adventurous in buying things that you're not as familiar with (we'd never heard of Mauzan and don't know much about Billy Taylor either) so you can enjoy the thrill of discovering something new. While they don't offer the free shipping like so many online retailers are this season, a flat fee of $5.95 for standard shipping isn't too bad, especially the more that you buy.

Scenes from... Arcadia, Indiana

2009-12-08T07:02:00.002-05:00

We braved the cold on Saturday to roam a couple of small towns and take pictures. It was absolutely worth it to see the cute buildings in Arcadia's downtown. Some of the buildings need some love but it is a very quaint Main Street. Arcadia has an arts initiative and their Arcadia Arts logo is displayed outside of artisans shops such as the Hedgehog Music Showcase, Scrappin for Schools, and Tabby Tree Weaver.

We love small town Christmas decorations.

On Washington Street, just off of Main Street, we stumbled upon the adorable Arcadia Cushman Company. We admit that we had never heard of Cushman Scooters but we peeked in the windows and they are very cute. The building is quite eye-catching with the scooter sticking out from the facade.

The railroad crossing on Main Street:

Wayne Newton at Hoosier Park

2009-12-07T06:50:00.003-05:00

The Wayne Newton concert was just as much retro fun as we thought it would be. We had never been to Hoosier Park before and were happy to see that The Terrace Showroom was very intimate. We were surprised that so many musicians joined him on stage; some from his Las Vegas show and some Hoosier musicians who were tapped to play with him since it is a logistically challenging to take all of his musicians with him throughout the country. Everyone did a great job, particularly the back-up singers; Francis, Genevieve, and Darlene. Francis Lee was one of the back-up singers and Wayne told us that she is a very accomplished gospel singer. She sang "Amazing Grace" and her voice is amazing. We hope that we can find some of her solo work to download. Wayne's voice wasn't the strongest (he is 67), but we could not have asked for more energy or enthusiasm from him. He is the ultimate showman.

Here's Francis Lee bringing down the house with "Amazing Grace":
As the evening progressed the tie was loosened and Wayne dazzled us with his talents on the piano, guitar, banjo, and fiddle.

2009-12-03T09:33:00.001-05:00

Nice article in USA Today about the IMA's Sacred Spain exhibit.

Strawtown Koteewi Park- Noblesville, Indiana

2009-12-02T06:41:00.001-05:00

For us, it wasn't a hard choice this weekend between facing shopping crowds or taking a walk outside. We decided to take a break from our Ft. Harrison State Park routine and head north to the Kotweewi Park in Noblesville. While it isn't as woodsy as Ft. Harrison, the north and south loops had their own beauty and provided ample walking. We walked both loops and we walked for about an hour and 45 minutes. It was very quiet and not crowded at all which was quite nice.

There's not a lot of color outdoors right now so we were grateful for these greens and reds:

We like the contrast of the white on the trees:

The path was a little muddy but not too bad. It's a multi-use trail so bikers, walkers, and joggers are welcome.

Part of the path leads you under Strawtown Avenue:

El Bodegon- Fishers, Indiana

2009-11-30T07:36:00.000-05:00

Empanadas:
Arepa with cheese:

Bocata with Spanish Serrano ham:

Spanish potato omelette tapa:

Oh happy day! We were just lamenting when we got back from New York that arepas aren't as prevalent here as they are there and we found El Bodegon. They have a nice variety of Colombian style and Venezuelan style arepas. We tried the Colombian style arepa with cheese and we loved it. It is certainly bigger than we're used to getting at the New York street fairs and only $2.49. We also tried their beef and chicken empanadas and they made us so happy. These were really flaky empanadas and the meat was seasoned deliciously, especially in the beef one. We also enjoyed the Bocata de Jamon Serrano (sandwich with Spanish serrano ham). It was perfect in its simplicity; crusty bread rubbed with tomatoes and sprinkled with olive oil and tasty serrano ham. Plus, it was the perfect size to enjoy but not feel overful after eating. And just because we wanted to try as much as possible, we ordered the Spanish Potato Omelette Tapa. After all, who could resist that for only $1?

We pretty much want to try everything on the tapas menu and all of the arepas too. When we can order all that we did and still come in under $13, we should be able to justify doing that. El Bodegon is on 96th Street (the Walmart side, not the Meijer side) in the back of the building with Panera and the Beauty Brands store. We know that it is fairly new but we were the only ones in there on Saturday afternoon and we dearly want this place to stay open. It is extremely casual so don't let the term "tapas bar" make you think that you have to get gussied up for it. It is quite spacious, the service was very friendly, and the prices are budget friendly. We got our order to go which is a great option anytime but especially great for entertaining during the upcoming holiday parties and football Sundays. We also think it would be an ideal place to meet a huge group of friends so that everyone can maximize the amount of dishes that they can try.

8510 E. 96th Street; Suite D

Fishers, IN 46037

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T04:37:00.000-05:00

We absolutely love Thanksgiving and wish everyone a great holiday. Along with celebrating with family, food, and the Macy's Parade, we are looking forward to our annual viewing of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. "People train runs out of Stubbville."

Sacred Spain at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

2009-11-23T05:41:00.001-05:00

[No photography of the exhibit is allowed]

For some reason, Mrs. WYA! is drawn to icons in art so she was really excited about the Sacred Spain exhibit at the IMA (on display now through January 3rd, 2010). It did not disappoint. First of all, we are amazed that the IMA can offer this for free. We are lucky enough to have this great art museum that doesn't charge admission and to not have a fee for a special exhibit is really generous. We are grateful to whoever made this possible because it is obvious that a lot of planning and manpower went into the exhibit. The walls are different gorgeous hues in each room to showcase the pieces in them. Some of the paintings are really large and all of them are so vivid and bright that you can hardly believe that they are from the 1600s. There are also well preserved books and sculptures. A figure of Christ in the middle of one room is so striking; it has been used in the Good Friday procession in the Spanish town of Navalcarnero since 1652! In the special gift shop at the end of the exhibit there is a film running showing it in the procession.

Even if this art doesn't represent your belief system, anyone who appreciates beauty and history will enjoy it. Show the IMA some love by buying a little something in the gift shop (we bought a Virgin of Guadalupe magnet) and/or putting some money in the museum's collection boxes.

2009-11-20T05:57:00.002-05:00

We like to fully savor Thanksgiving before we think about Christmas activities but, if you're ready to get in the yuletide mood, Shelbyville is having a holiday parade tonight. The Strand Theatre is getting into the spirit by showing Holiday Inn on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The holiday open houses are in full swing too. Gallery 116 in Fishers has theirs this Saturday with a demonstration of glass blowing. Gallery One 36 is having a holiday sale on Saturday from noon to 5PM in Westfield. It's also Midnight Shopper time on Mass Ave. so there will be ample time to shop at that great store for gifts, At Home in the City/Silver in the City.

Happy 100th Birthday Johnny Mercer

2009-11-18T06:44:00.000-05:00

Woody's Library Restaurant- Carmel, Indiana

2009-11-17T06:22:00.001-05:00

Veggie Omelet:
Chicken Crepes:

"Sunday brunch Indianapolis" is a common Google search that we see and, while Woody's is in nearby Carmel, it is a great choice for brunch that should satisfy those seekers.

Mrs. WYA! took a pal there and loved that it was in an old Carnegie library that was built in 1913. They kept that theme inside with bookshelves full of books surrounding the tables. The food was really good and, if subsequent visits are as satisfying, this one could end up on our W(Y)A-ll of Fame. Mrs. WYA!'s friend enjoyed her Veggie Omelet and the cute and tasty mini potato cakes that came with it. Mrs. WYA! thought that the chicken crepe was divine. It was filled with chicken, spinach, bacon, cheese, and tomatoes with an herb cream sauce and wonderful crunchy onions on top that made for a perfect textural contrast. We look forward to visiting Woody's again to try some of their other menu items (if we can restrain from ordering the crepes again).

(As if there aren't enough options on the brunch menu, you may also order from the lunch menu.)

Indianapolis Winter Farmers' Market

2009-11-16T06:50:00.001-05:00

Tasty treats from Lena's:

We went to the first day of this season's Indianapolis Winter Farmers' Market along with what seemed like the rest of Central Indiana's residents on Saturday. Since Cityoga is in the spot it was held in last year, it has new digs at The Chatham Center at 901 N. East Street (if you know where the big Red Cross building is, it is just behind that). They seem to have more space there and it is a good thing because it was quite busy. The main reason we went on their grand opening day was because we were getting dangerously low on our last Willowfield Lavender candle and we read on their website that they would be there. Sure enough, they were set-up right outside in front of the building and had a new scented candle but we had to go with the original that we love. We perused the market and picked up a couple of goodies from Lena's Mediterranean Kitchen. We've never heard of Torsita's before but we figured how can you go wrong with spinach and feta wrapped in a phyllo dough spiral and it was delicious. We also had some deliciously spiced sirloin in dough (we think was a bureka) which was also quite good. Judging from the crowd and the enthusiasm, it looks like the market will have a successful season.

Artique Winter Fair in Lawrence, Indiana

2009-11-14T14:05:00.000-05:00

Picturesque Louis Jenn Park:

We checked out the inaugural Artique Winter Fair at Louis Jenn Park in Lawrence today and were impressed with the beautiful pieces that were for sale there. There was a wide variety of arts and crafts including bird feeders (there was a gorgeous glass Buddha one that was $80 but we should have bought anyway), photography, paintings, purses, jewelry, and wooden bowls by Earlybirde Art. This looks like the start of a nice tradition by The Partnership for Lawrence and we hope that it continues.

Heartstrings Holiday Open House- Markle, Indiana

2009-11-12T04:30:00.001-05:00

The holiday open house for one of our all time favorite places to shop, Heartstrings, is this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It's a beautiful shop where you'll find Indiana made lotions, soaps, candles, and so much more for gifts and for yourself.

Current obsession... Whole Foods Apricot Goat Cheese Spread

2009-11-09T06:42:00.001-05:00

While we enjoy the foods that Whole Foods has out to sample, we rarely buy them. However, when Mr. WYA! tasted their Apricot Goat Cheese Spread, he knew he had to have it. He turned to the woman next to him, who was also trying it, and said, "this is almost too good", and she agreed. We love goat cheese and this one is very creamy. We can't even say that apricot is in our top 5 favorite fruits but something about its sweetness contrasting with the goat cheese is irresistible. If you're looking for an easy, crowd pleasing food for your upcoming parties and celebrations, this would be a great choice. Just scoop it in your own serving bowl and tell your guests you made it yourself.

Amalfi Ristorante Italiano- Indianapolis, Indiana

2009-11-08T07:05:00.000-05:00

The interior was gorgeous; we liked their tile floor:

From the bread basket:

Marinated grilled eggplant:

Chicken Pesto:

Gnocchi in tomato sauce:

Even though we used to live very close to Amalfi, this was our first visit to the restaurant. It's tucked away in the shopping center at 86th & Ditch by the Cinema Grill and we greatly enjoyed our lunch there.

The atmosphere is elegant without being stuffy. We appreciated the wonderful music that played while we were there (such as classics by Tony Bennett). Service was perhaps a little on the slow side but there appeared to be only one hard-working waitress for a pretty decent sized lunch crowd.

We started with a delicious soup of the day (a vegetable based soup with beans) and the Melanzane Alla Griglia appetizer (marinated grilled eggplant with olive oil and garlic, served cold). We love eggplant and this dish was a winner with us. The chef definitely wasn't shy with the garlic but that was fine with us. There were also a few hot red pepper flakes. We found it to be a very generous starter. We were delighted to be given a basket of 3 delicious biscuit/muffin hybrids. They had a little crunch to them and really soaked up olive oil. They were a nice change from the standard loaf of crusty bread served at Italian restaurants.

For our entrees, we ordered the Mostaccioli con Pollo Pesto and the Gnocchi di Patate Sorrentina. We make pesto sauce at home frequently but we'll confess to using the Knorr packets. That makes getting pesto at a restaurant a treat because you can definitely tell the difference. The sauce covered every bite of chicken and pasta and could not have been better. Chefs who can make good gnocchi amaze us; how can they make potatoes taste so light? The gnocchi was covered in a tomato sauce that tasted decadent but not too rich.

The lunch entrees were $10.50- $16.00 and they only serve lunch Monday through Friday but they serve dinner Monday through Saturday. We were very pleased with the ambiance and the food and look forward to visiting Amalfi again.

Christmas Open House at Logan Village Mall in Noblesville, IN

2009-11-06T06:34:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it is Christmas Open House time but it is at Logan Village Mall this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We nearly have all of our holiday shopping done but, since this is one of our favorite places to browse, we'll be there this weekend.

Bacon Suckers at Whole Foods

2009-11-05T07:14:00.000-05:00

If you're trying to stave off the natural human instinct to pack on the pounds during the winter, this might be just the tool to do it. Instead of reaching for that slab of bacon, reach for this tasty sucker from Das Foods that we found at Whole Foods. We found it to be quite tasty.

2009-11-03T05:42:00.003-05:00

We think it sounds like really big campy fun to go see Wayne Newton in concert and we're so glad that he'll be doing a show at Hoosier Park in Anderson. If you think it sounds like fun too, tickets go on sale today for the December 6th show.

Twisted Sisters Store- Indianapolis

2009-11-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

We were glad to get to the Twisted Sisters store this weekend after reading about it awhile back. You can't miss it in an old Taco Bell on 71st Street just passed Kroger from Binford. It's not huge but every nook and cranny is filled with unique items, many of which are made in Indiana. We bought a couple of bars of soap made by Julia's Soap Shop. We couldn't resist the coffee scented soap which we were told is good for getting the smell of stubborn cooking smells like onion and garlic off of hands. We also liked the locally made bags from Freakin' Billboard crafted out of recycled highway billboards and the bath and body products from Nature's Providence. The store also had a nice selection of scarves, home decor items, and stationery among other goodies. We liked the nice touch of our small purchase given a little flourish with a bag with ribbon for our soaps and pretty tissue paper billowing from the shopping bag.

Since the calender has turned to November, thoughts turn to gift shopping and this is a great place for that. It might not be in your usual stomping grounds but it is worth going out of the way for to browse.

(We also have to say that we love stores that have dogs and cute little Izzie behind the counter added a lot of charm to the place.)

5628 E. 71st Street

Indianapolis, IN 46220

Tel: 317.841.7177

Serenity Restaurant- Zionsville, Indiana

2009-10-29T05:22:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Soup:

Fig and Walnut Salad:

Hobo Panini:

Even though we hadn't been there before, Mrs. WYA! felt confident choosing Serenity Restaurant as the place to treat her friend to lunch because we had enjoyed the owner's other restaurant, Serendipity, so much. There's no place like Zionsville on a brisk Autumn day and there's no place like Serenity to duck into and feel cozy. It is in a restored 1868 home so the atmosphere is historic and refined without being stuffy and we couldn't have enjoyed our lunches more. We can't speak highly enough about the pumpkin soup. It was thick and flavorful and is now on our "must have at least once in the soup season" list. We also enjoyed the Fig and Walnut Salad (which comes with one of their delicious scones) and the Hobo Panini. A lovely setting, an especially gracious hostess, and good food- we have really enjoyed both of our experiences at these Occasions Divine restaurants and are happy to see that they have 2 new locations in their plans (one in Fishers and one in Greenwood).

IUPUI's Continuing Education Soy Candle Making Class

2009-10-26T06:10:00.001-04:00

Mrs. WYA! and her gal pal took IUPUI's soy candle making class this past Saturday and highly recommend it. It will probably be offered again since it looked like the class was at capacity in its room at the Arthur Glick JCC facility. Marie Beckley, of Beckley's Best Blends, was the instructor and she did a great job. She had our materials organized on our tables and had the wax melting when we got there. Two cute glass jars were provided and she had measured the perfect amount of scented oil out for us. One candle was "Pumpkin Spice" scented and the other was a "Happy Holidays" scent. We stuck our wicks in the jars, added scent to the wax that she poured for us, used a cool little gadget to make sure our wicks were straight before the wax hardened, and then she even gave us cute little labels to stick on the jars. All the while, she was giving us tips and sources for buying materials. We have a bit of pride watching this candle burn and enjoy its scent even more having made it ourselves. One great thing about these fall/winter days of less daylight is that we get to enjoy candlelight more. Marie made it seem so easy to make these; hopefully, when we try it on our own, it is just as easy. If not, we'll gladly do some online shopping on her website.

(In the next IUPUI continuing education catalog, look for the class under "Green and Sustainability".)

2009-10-23T07:07:00.001-04:00

Any time of year is a good time to take one of the Historic Indiana Ghost Walks and Tours but, if you're looking for an especially cool way to celebrate the spooky season next week, be sure to check out their schedule. We've taken the Chilling Chatham Arch- Lockerbie tour and we really enjoyed it. We hope to take some of their other tours soon.

The Best is Yet to Come

2009-10-22T07:04:00.001-04:00

We usually don't go for contemporary singers covering The Great American Songbook; we'd rather hear the classic artists singing them. However, this ad in Time Out New York featuring the gorgeous cover art of The Best is Yet to Come- The Songs of Cy Coleman caught our eye. Maybe we were more open minded to purchasing it because, aside from the title song, we weren't as familiar with Cy Coleman and his songs as we are to say a Gershwin, Cole Porter, or Hoagy Carmichael. The arrangements are lush and beautiful and we highly recommend downloading the entire CD. We hope that Fiona Apple continues her career as a torch singer; she does lovely renditions of I Walk A Little Faster and Why Try to Change Me Now. We embarrassed to say that we didn't really know Cy Coleman's name but, with this compilation, we are enjoying changing that.

Cool Indianapolis Neighborhoods... Lawton Loop

2009-10-20T06:20:00.002-04:00

Someday, one of the residents in Lawton Loop will take pity on us swooning over their home and invite us in for tea. This is such a gorgeous neighborhood, particularly in Autumn.

We always like to gawk at the huge heron on this porch:

Wow, good taste in housing and Halloween fans- we love it!

This is the residents' front yard:

This is their backyard:

Autumn in Indianapolis

2009-10-19T05:51:00.001-04:00

We're going to look at these photos in the monochromatic days of winter to remind ourselves why we live in Indiana.

(all photos taken in and around Ft. Harrison State Park)

Not a lot of color here but a cute over-the-shoulder look from a deer:

Autumn in New York- continued

2009-10-17T10:03:00.001-04:00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We're ashamed to say that it took us our fifth trip to NYC to get inside of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was as overwhelming and amazing as we thought it would be.

Here is a detail of the top of their building facing Fifth Avenue:

We don't know about you but, for us, sometimes we walk through various museums and view what is there knowing that it is perhaps very old and/or people with way more knowledge of such things has deemed it important so we try to appreciate it but it maybe isn't something that strikes us or hits our particular interests. However, for us anyway, there are moments when you come upon a piece that really resonates with you and you don't even have to read about its history or the artist to be moved by it. We appreciated the exhibits that we looked at first but when we ambled from the small room we were in into the expansive and bright American Wing Courtyard, we were overcome. In truth, Mrs. WYA! started to get a little teary. The space is so big and there are exquisite sculptures, a Louis H. Sullivan staircase, pieces by Tiffany, and a facade of the Branch Bank of the United States that was once on Wall Street. The great thing about art is that it is so subjective and different pieces will affect everyone differently but this was our favorite room at the Met. It turns out that we're lucky that we didn't come here until this visit because this area was renovated and just opened this spring.

This is detail from the top of a Vanderbilt fireplace so enormous that you can barely fathom a home big enough to hold it.

We also liked the Parisian rooms. These are the furnishings of a room from the Hotel de Crillon in Paris:

In the "well done curator" department, another breathtaking moment was when, from several rooms away, we could see Perseus with the Head of Medusa illuminated through the doorways.

Detail from Ugolino and His Sons:

Our only disappointment at the Met was that the entire Japanese art area was closed. We were especially surprised because a special exhibit of Japanese Mandalas in it runs through 11/29/09 so we certainly thought that we'd be able to see it. There also appeared to be some amazing Buddha statues in there and we were looking forward to seeing the Japanese Buddha altar that was pictured in our Museum Plan. When we asked an employee she said that the area was closed due to manpower. We're not sure if it was because it was Columbus Day or if they are just generally having employment issues. We were able to take this picture from the hallway:

Subway Tiles

We're sure that, if we lived here, riding the subways would just become routine and a grind but, as visitors, we love it. On one of our rides, we were talking about how nice it would be (and how much quicker) to take the subway from our house to the west side for dim sum. We also really like the tiles, some more ornate than others, that display the subway stops.

Scenes

What we love about Manhattan is that the whole island is like a living museum. On the way to the subway station you can just pass by a building that Abraham Lincoln spoke at in 1860 (Cooper Union, pictured below).

We had to snap a pic of a newsstand because, with everyone on the subway carrying their various electronics, we have to wonder how much longer they can exist. Personally, we still prefer to get the paper version of The New York Post.

Another reason to love Greenwich Village, they really get into Halloween here. We liked this window display.

Ah, to be wealthy and live in the Village.

We had the uber-rare ride in an empty subway car since we caught it on its first trip after being cleaned (which was nice not only for picture posing and breathing room but also because the Duane Reade ad in the subway car reminded us that the poles have about a "gazillion" germs on them).

City dogs are so sophisticated.

We love the old-timey signage:

The Empire State Building looked a little Christmas-y one night:

The gorgeous top of Grand Central Station:

Mrs. WYA! loves the Chrysler Building and really wanted to channel Margaret Bourke-White and climb out on one of the gargoyles for a photo but Mr. WYA! and laws meant she had to be happy with street shots.

Murals at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue:

Ceiling:

We passed the Chelsea Hotel nearly to the day of the 31st anniversary of Sid and Nancy's infamous night there when she died.

Detail of The Puck Building:

Autumn in New York

2009-10-16T07:45:00.000-04:00

[Apologies to local readers who have no interest in New York City. It's all we have to blog about for a few posts.]

The good thing about making our fifth trip to NYC in the last four years is that we have already done the this-is-cliche-but-I-have-to-do-this-while-I-am-in-New York City stuff like riding the Staten Island Ferry, taking a carriage ride through Central Park, hanging out in Rockefeller Center, etc. We take the same approach to New York as we do our own city, we look for unique and tasty eateries, we look for beauty, and we look for history. New York City is overflowing with all of these things which is why we always come back so exhausted.

We've stayed at the Washington Square Hotel the last 4 times that we have been to New York and we highly recommend it. It's reasonably priced (by New York standards), out of the midtown craziness, right by gorgeous Washington Square Park, and close to many subway lines. They even offer a free continental breakfast (with tasty mini- scones) which is rare for a New York hotel. Of course, we love the art deco decor and felt right at home in our room with Indiana native Carole Lombard's photo above the bed.

THE FOOD AND DRINKS

We went with such a huge list of foods that we wanted to try that it was impossible to get to them all but we did a pretty fair job of it. We decided to get our New York City bagel at Russ and Daughters because, not only are they acclaimed, they have been in this spot since 1914! It was bustling early on a Sunday morning with regulars getting their fish and spreads for brunch. We both ordered plain bagels; one with caviar cream cheese and the other with a veggie tofu spread. There was a ton of schmear on the bagels and the caviar one was decadently good without being overpowering and the tofu one was a dead ringer for cream cheese and chock full of veggies. There's no inside seating in this tiny place but there are nearby benches or you can be like a real New Yorker and eat it on the go.

We didn't eat at Yonah Shimmel's this time but we did a couple of years ago. It's another institution Houston Street (since 1910!) and everyone needs to try a knish in their lifetime.

Speaking of legendary eateries on Houston Street, we finally had the pastrami at Katz's Deli during this trip. The place was rocking but they were very friendly and there was so much to take in- a lot of history accumulates in 121 years! They make everything themselves here- right down to the mustard. The pastrami was so tender that it dissolved in our mouths. It is hard to resist the temptation to re-create the famous "When Harry Met Sally" scene here but, not wanting to look like tourists, we did.

Vendors and restaurants will make the coffee however you like it but it seems that the New York standard is with cream and 2 sugars. We generally prefer ours black but, "when in New York...". We have to say, with all of the walking, the sugar energy does come in handy.

This is the interior of the Gray's Papaya on 6th Avenue, very close to our hotel (which is another reason we love our hotel's location). There are several hot dog/papaya drink places in New York with passionate fans who will debate the superiority of their favorite. We've tried a couple of places and Gray's is our favorite.

We didn't get a picture of it, but we had a lovely breakfast on the Upper West Side at the Popover Cafe. We made the trek uptown just so that Mr. WYA! could try their Eggs Benedict Arnold and he was so glad that he did; a popover instead of an English muffin- BRILLIANT! They also endeared themselves to us by playing Gershwin the whole time that we were there. We always associated him with New York so it was just perfect.

Little Italy is pretty much getting taken over by an expanding Chinatown and locals consider it a touristy area and will direct you to better Italian restaurants in other parts of the city. Ferrara, however, is still a must on a New York City itinerary. It was established in 1892 (!) and is spacious and beautiful inside. There were so many tempting pastries but we finally decided to split a chocolate cannoli. Paired with a divine espresso, we were pretty much in heaven.

On another day, we got our chocolate fix at Vosges Haut-Chocolate on the Upper East Side on Madison Avenue. We were served our wonderful spicy hot chocolates in tall, elegant glasses and we couldn't help buying their Mo's Dark Bacon Bar which is Applewood smoked bacon and Alderwood smoked salt dark chocolate. Mmmmmm, order one now.

The Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich has become an obsession with New Yorkers so we had to try one. We chose the Pate banh mi at Saigon Vietnamese Deli which was served on a crunchy baguette with fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, and cucumbers.

We're not sure why Indy doesn't have some arepa street vendors. We've made them at home but they don't quite taste like the sweet corn varieties that we find at every NYC street fair.
Caffe Reggio has been in Greenwich Village since 1927 and we're so glad that we finally had an opportunity to enjoy some espressos there. As we sat there and sipped, we couldn't help but to think about all of the creative artists, writers, poets, musicians, and beats who had probably been there.
Last year, we went on a wonderful Foods of New York tour through Greenwich Village and were introduced to halva from Ali Baba's. We loved it and it is just one of those things that you have to eat fresh so, while we've seen boxed versions of it locally at Saraga, we only get it here while we are in New York.

Sometimes, Mrs. WYA! drives Mr. WYA! crazy by having done so much pre-trip research and knowing very specifically what she wants to eat where- despite the fact the place might be several subway stops and walking blocks away and we might have passed a dozen places that serve the same thing on our way there. Sometimes it is worth it, sometimes it isn't (it turns out Kossar's Bialys have nothing on Indianapolis' own Bagel Fair). The schlep to City Bakery for a pretzel croissant was totally worth it. Somehow it tasted like a pretzel but was flaky and airy like a croissant should be- divine!

Al Yeganeh, who was portrayed as the "Soup Nazi" in Seinfeld, now has franchises of The Original Soup Man restaurants. We generally shy away from a franchise but we had to go back for some more after trying it a couple of years ago. In actuality, the employees are very nice and you need not worry about getting kicked out if you are a little slow to order. There were many soup options of the day and we were so glad to see a crab bisque and mulligatawny among them. Our recommendation for a perfect autumn lunch in New York is to go to the Soup Man location on 42nd Street at Fifth Avenue, get your order to go, then take the short walk to Bryant Park and enjoy it there.

Sometimes, the city can get the best of you. Even though we're pretty adept at using the subways, even though we tried not to cram too many activities in, eventually the foot pain, crowd prompted rushing, and extended periods with a lack of personal space get to a person. That is when it is time to visit another historic landmark, P.J. Clarke's. Their website states that "the modest building at 915 Third Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan has stood on the northeast corner of 55th Street for appoximately one hundred and twenty-nine years". A scene from The Lost Weekend was filmed there, it is referred to in Mad Men (most prominently in season one, episode 8 when the office gang twists there), and it used to be Sinatra's last stop on his pub crawls for goodness sake! We enjoyed cocktails expertly made by Bartender Mike at the bar one afternoon. A Manhattan at P.J. Clarke's; frankly, we just don't think it gets any better than that.
We originally thought that, for our music fix, going to one of the famous, legendary places like Birdland, Blue Note, or Village Vanguard (pictured here) would be a great experience and have the most cachet.

However, the show that interested us most during our stay was at the Jazz Standard in the basement of Blue Smoke restaurant. To paraphrase a line we read somewhere online about it, "who cares if Coltrane never visited the men's room there". It is a quintessential jazz club room- dark and in the basement with a stage that had a red background. Blue Smoke restaurant is upstairs so you can order from that menu or you can choose to not have any food. There was a $25 fee for the show but we went ahead and had dinner there too. We don't generally equate New York City with BBQ but they did it well. They also made a good veggie burger and sweet potato fries with maple dip. We went early so we could have time to eat before the jazz started. They also made a divine Old Fashioned. It was a "Mingus Monday" with the Mingus Big Band and it was a great show full of energy and definitely one of our favorite activities of our trip.
ACTIVITIES

We wanted to go to a Broadway show but not to a musical. There were several shows that interested us but we decided to see A Steady Rain with Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. Yes, we hate to be those touristy people who are lured by Hollywood stars but there are a lot of Hollywood stars on Broadway right now (Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Julia Stiles, James Gandolfini). The Schoenfeld Theatre is intimate and historic so, of course, we loved it. We were in the third row and found both actors completely compelling. There were no other actors and very minimal backdrops so it was exactly the spare, it's-all-about-the-acting kind of show that we wanted to see.

The High Line Park is a really ingenious idea that we are glad that we got to see. What those clever New Yorkers have done is take a former elevated freight train track and make it into a park/walking trail. It is extremely cool and it will eventually be even longer.

Street view looking towards one of the access points, the Gansevoort stairs:
Another street view showing the Standard Hotel (which is becoming a bit infamous due to its uninhibited guests).

Landscaping mixed in with the trail:

Remnants of its past life:

Generally, we like the old stuff, but this building that we saw from the High Line was really eye-catching. Once we got home and did some internet research, we found out that it is the IAC building designed by none other than Frank Gehry.

You can get some great views up on the High Line.

We thought this was an interesting parking lot:

To be continued in our next post...

2009-10-08T06:34:00.000-04:00

We're off for a little fall break on the island of Manhattan.

Halloween Film Fun

2009-10-06T06:35:00.000-04:00

Halloween is Mr. WYA!'s favorite holiday. We have a busy month and, in case you do too, here's a rundown of some films to try to squeeze into your schedule:

We know that we've raved before about Nosferatu but there's another local showing of it on October 29th. This time, it's at The Toby in the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The Strand in nearby Shelbyville is getting into the spirit with Night of the Living Dead on Oct 17th, Ghostbusters on 10/23 and 10/25, and Young Frankenstein on 10/30 and 10/31 (the 10/31 showing includes a costume contest).

If you're closer to Franklin, Indiana, the Artcraft is also showing Young Frankenstein (10/23 and 10/24). On 10/9 and 10/10, they are showing the Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

If you're staying close to home, there are a lot of eerie highlights on TCM's schedule this month. There's Lon Chaney (The Unknown on 10/11 and The Unholy Three on 10/11; both were directed by Tod Browning who we love!), the 1925 Phantom of the Opera also with Chaney(C'mon, does it get any better than this? The masked ball sequence alone make it a must-see), and Nosferatu on 10/25. On 10/18 they're airing Vampyr, on 10/30 there is a Boris Karloff marathon, Friday nights are dedicated to thrillers, William Castle movies on 10/20 (including a terrifying Joan Crawford in Strait-Jacket), a Halloween marathon on 10/31 with some unique flicks, and more Tod Browning brilliance on 10/17 with a couple of our all time favorites, Freaks and Devil Doll. Whew, we are probably going to be watching these well into November.

Sesame Restaurant- Indianapolis, Indiana

2009-10-05T05:53:00.002-04:00

We were the only diners a little after noon.

Egg drop soup, chips, and hot and sour soup:

Vegetarian "duck":

Triple Delight:

We had a fine enough lunch at the Chinese restaurant Sesame but we just expected something a little different after reading reviews on Yelp. Specifically, we thought the menu would be a little different, particularly regarding vegetarian options that were mentioned on Yelp. The lunch options seemed to be the usual Chinese restaurant suspects. Mr. WYA! ordered the Triple Delight lunch special which was shrimp, beef, and chicken with vegetables, a choice of steamed or fried rice, an eggroll, and choice of soup for only $4.95. Mrs. WYA!, intent on ordering a "mock meat", ordered the "Vegetarian Duck" (tofu) off of the dinner menu. It also came with a choice of rice and soup and was only $7.50 for a huge portion that could easily be a meal for two.

The hot and sour soup and the egg drop soup were both very good and had unique touches that made them stand out to us. The egg drop soup had corn kernels which were a nice addition. The hot and sour soup had a bit of a creamier broth than we're used to and it was delicious. They also came with the classic Chinese restaurant crunchy chips. The Triple Delight was good. The Vegetarian Duck, tofu wrapped around mushrooms with a brown sauce and some carrots and snow peas mixed in with it, was fine but not something that we'd crave enough to make a point of driving across town to get. The soups however, might be worth the trip.

1413 W. 86th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46260

Broadway Street- Fort Wayne, Indiana

2009-10-01T07:37:00.000-04:00

After we finished our photo assignment down South Calhoun Street in Fort Wayne, we decided to make our way back south via the equally interesting Broadway Street.

The laundry is boarded up but, thankfully, the cute Canton Laundry sign is still on Broadway between Washington and Jefferson:

The Brass Rail at 1121 Broadway- we like like old soda signs:

Looking south on Broadway from the intersection at Jefferson. It's nice to see a building getting some love, the pretty home of Beadrageous next to it, Antiques on Broadway, and another shot of the Brass Rail:

Aaron's Oriental Rug Gallery at 1217 Broadway (since 1973).
This gorgeous Old Fire Station Number 5 was built in 1893 and used as an active station until 1959:

The GE plant has a huge presence along Broadway:

The building at 1209 Broadway is fascinating. There isn't a business name on it but it looks like an antique shop and it did have a closed sign in the front door. The outside is very cool with lots of artsy embellishments. It is quite intriguing:

Durnell's has been there since 1950 (and yet, we've never been there). We don't know how long Broadway Joe's Tavern has been beside it but for quite a while judging from their adorable neon sign:

The building at the far left (2441 Broadway) used to be a theatre, was renovated into the lovely Catablu restaurant, and is now home to the Philmore on Broadway, a music and events venue with plans to have jazz several nights a week. The building on the far right has the name Eckrich on it which makes us wonder if it was owned by a member of the Eckrich Meats family.

Here's the lovely side of Chappell's restaurant with an advertisement for Otto Peters Drug Store. The drug store is long gone but we love that this painting has survived. Peters was Carole Lombard's real last name (born Jane Alice Peters) so we wonder if this was a relation.

Fort Wayne Mirror Works at 2829 Broadway:

Wildwood Liquors at 3019 Broadway:

Candlelight Antiques at 3205 Broadway is a really nice little antique shop:

South Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana

2009-09-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

By special request from Kevin over at Urban Indy, this is a post following South Calhoun Street in Fort Wayne from Rudisill to Murray Street, which is right before the overpass that leads you into downtown. It's an eclectic stretch full of great old buildings and signs and now with a mix of ethnicities breathing life into it. (click photos for larger image)

At 3702 S. Calhoun is Southside Vacuum, in business since 1947!

This building at 2730 S. Calhoun is the Calhoun Street Emporium. We love the top of the building where the name Leland is with 19 and 23 on either side of it.

At the Pontiac and S. Calhoun intersection, we liked the detail at the top of this building.

We couldn't tell what this rusty round thing on the side of the Rialto Theatre was from the street but, from the picture, we see that it reads "police alarm".

The gorgeous Rialto Theatre has had many lives. Right now, a non-profit is in the midst of restoring it into the "Rialto World Cafe and Cultural Center- a gathering place to engage and serve the growing international community".

This is a detail at the top of the building right next to the Rialto which is the store Finders Keepers.

And this is the wide shot of the Finders Keepers building at 2608 S. Calhoun. You can see both eagles at the upper corners.

At 2124 S. Calhoun is the adorable City Glass shop.

At 2302 S. Calhoun is Mannie's Place which Manta.com says was established in 1948.

We loved the look of the Mungovan and Sons Mortuary at 2221 S. Calhoun.

OK, St. Patrick's church is actually on Harrison, not Calhoun, but it was so gorgeous seen from the mortuary parking lot that we had to include a couple of pictures.

Hopefully something will go into this building at the corner of S. Calhoun and W. Masterson.
The Oyster Bar Restaurant building at 1830 S. Calhoun is so cute that we have to show 2 views.

We adore the people behind Calhoun Street Salads and Spirits for making this building look so good!

We had to take a picture of the public phone outside of Saigon Restaurant because they are a rarity now and will probably soon be obsolete.

We love old advertisements painted on the sides of buildings. This one was at Dewald and S. Calhoun.
The gorgeous Troy Laundry building at 1717 S. Calhoun which, according to this site, was built in 1914 and is one of only 3 remaining buildings in Fort Wayne with a glazed terra cotta facade (one of the other ones is the Rialto).

We loved the look of this building at S. Calhoun and Murray Street but had no idea what the HBC at the top meant. It turns out that it stands for Holsum Baking Company.

Little Blessings Bath & Body Products Made in Indiana

2009-09-29T07:02:00.002-04:00

We weren't in a buying mood when we were at the Indiana State Fair in August but we are so glad that we picked up a brochure for Little Blessings who had some goat's milk lotions and soaps for sale there. We checked out their website and placed an order for some soaps, lotions, and even some incense. Their products are "proudly made in Indiana", Larwill, Indiana to be exact, and they are all natural. Some of our order was for gifts but some was for us and we love the lotion. It's fragrant without being overpowering, not greasy but feels luxurious. They even have a musk lotion which can be hard to find. We also love that the prices are really reasonable. The cute 2 oz. bottles of lotion are $2.50 (that just screams stocking stuffer to us) and 8 oz. bottles are only $6.50. We can never have enough of this kind of stuff and it makes us happy to patronize Hoosiers lovingly making such great products.

Lustron Homes in Fort Wayne, Indiana

2009-09-28T06:12:00.000-04:00

This month's Midwest Home magazine has an article about a "Lustrous Lustron" home in Minneapolis, MN but there are plenty in Indiana. As it so happens, there are several Lustron homes within walking distance of Mrs. WYA!'s parents' house so those are the ones highlighted here. Lustron homes were post WWII prefabricated porcelain-enameled steel houses made for those who wanted a low maintenance home. We've never been inside one but we think that they are intriguing. These are in a lovely older neighborhood in Fort Wayne so we recommend spending a gorgeous afternoon or morning making your own walking tour to see them.

4105 S. Webster:

316 W. Fleming:

415 W. Maplegrove Avenue:

2009-09-25T05:13:00.002-04:00

Be sure to check out the Strand Theatre's website for info about their B Movie Celebration and Tromadance Film Festival this weekend.

My Space Music Finds

2009-09-24T05:22:00.001-04:00

Occasionally we get emails from marketers and individuals wanting us to promote things on the blog. Generally we just delete them unless it is something that genuinely grabs our interest. The music of local artist Pres Maxson we do genuinely like. Take a listen on his MySpace page (where you can also download the songs for free).

We also recently checked out another musician's MySpace page because a paper that we picked up in Columbus, Ohio had an article about her comparing her to an angry Patsy Cline. How could we not listen to Lydia Loveless after reading that? We are looking forward to her first CD.

2009-09-23T05:05:00.000-04:00

Attention horror movie fans, the Dark Carnival film festival is coming up; September 28th- October 4th , 2009 in Bloomington, IN.

2009-09-22T05:48:00.001-04:00

We can't really say that we do much tailgating and we're not really traditional people anyway so for our tailgating food contribution, we just tried to think of foods that sound good at around 10AM and some classic Autumn flavors.

We made a couple of basic quiches:

Mrs. WYA! used her old family recipe for dough to make these cinnamon rolls of her childhood. We'd share the recipe with you but it's one of those family secret things.

We love molasses, especially in the fall:

Molasses Crinkles

Mix thoroughly:

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses

Sift together and add:

2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chill 2 hours and roll into balls the size of large walnuts. Dip tops into granulated sugar and sprinkle with a couple drops of water. Bake 10 mins. at 375 degrees. Do not overbake. These cookies should be set but not hard. They are soft cookies and freeze well.

Butterscotch is another great autumn flavor.

Butterscotch Party Mix

Ingredients:

2 cups oven-toasted cereal squares
2 cups small pretzel twists
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup (about 20) caramels, unwrapped, coarsely chopped
1 2/3 cups (11 oz package) butterscotch morsels

Directions:

COAT 13 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

COMBINE cereal, pretzels, peanuts, and caramels in large bowl. Place morsels in medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on Medium-High power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10 to 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture; stir to coat evenly.

SPREAD mixture into prepared baking pan; let stand for 20-30 minutes or until firm. Break into small pieces.

A September Saturday in West Lafayette

2009-09-21T05:38:00.001-04:00

We actually don't follow college football but, an opportunity to hang out with friends who are like family on a gorgeous September day with good food- who couldn't get into that?!

Scenes from... Centerville, Indiana

2009-09-18T06:15:00.001-04:00

There are several arches along Main Street; many have plaques with dates and names.

How perfect, a classic car on Main Street:

The Old Salisbury Courthouse just behind Mansion House on Main Street. Built in 1811, it was Wayne County's first seat of justice:

It's always fun to browse at White River Architectural Salvage:

We're Chester Morris fans so, while we really wanted this huge poster, we were pretty sure it was out of our budget, pretty sure we'd have to rent a flatbed trailer to get it home, and pretty sure we don't have a wall big enough for it.

On North Morton Avenue:

The school mascot must be the Bulldog because we saw lots of Bulldog pride around town. This statue was in the park off of Morton Avenue:

We definitely recommend a stop at the Centerville Farmers' Market. While there was some fresh produce, there was even more cute home decor items and private label foods like jars of marinated mushrooms, lots of pickled treats, and some delicious dill garlic that we bought.

Mums and pumpkins: a classic Autumn combo. We bought pumpkins and an awesome gourd that was only $1.

Here are some of the cute things that they have for the home:

Their private label soda- we liked the root beer:

They had a whole Christmas room:

As we walked Centerville's Main Street and took pictures, we really felt like we could be on assignment for a publication like Midwest Living. It's just so darn picturesque that it seemed like it would be gracing the pages of a glossy magazine. We're sure that once the fall foliage starts to hit its peak, it will be an especially perfect time to visit so we're giving you a heads up early so you can plan an autumn trip here.

After you visit Webb's and the Warm Glow Candle Outlet, you'll want to stroll a few blocks along Main Street to browse at the shops, see all of the Federal Style architecture, and maybe even grab a bite at the Brown Jug or Blue Monkey. It's an easy trip from Indy; you take a right at Exit 145 off of I-70, immediately to the left is the Warm Glow Candle outlet so you can hit that then or on the way home, 2.5 miles south from the exit is Webb's. From Webb's, you can walk or drive down the road (Centerville Road which becomes Morton Avenue), definitely stop in at the Centerville Farmer's Market & Country Store, and before you know it you are at Main Street. White River Architectural Salvage is at the corner of Morton and Main. We love their Indianapolis store so we had to stop in and browse this smaller version. There are a few shops on Main (and don't miss Mockingbird Antiques on Morton just south of the Main Street intersection) and, for architecture buffs, a lot of cool buildings to see. The Historic Centerville website has a great brochure that you can print to make your own walking tour. While there are some Italianate and Greek Revival styles represented, there are more Federal styles which we don't really remember running across much in our Indiana travels. They really give the place a sense of history; some of them date back to 1830.

Centerville is just way to close to Indy (65 miles from our east side home) and way too cute to miss.

Model T Ford Museum- Centerville, Indiana

2009-09-17T05:57:00.000-04:00

We liked the camper:

Right beside the Warm Glow Outlet Candle Outlet is the Model T Ford Museum. This isn't a huge place (there's maybe 8 or so cars) but admission is only $2. We thought that the camper vehicle was really cool. We thought it was nice from the driver side but, once we looked at the passenger side, we realized that a bed folds out of it- pretty inventive. There was a fire truck and an ambulance among other vehicles. There was also a gift shop with everything from apparel to DVDs.

2009-09-16T13:39:00.000-04:00

As an extra special bonus, the same exit that you use for the Warm Glow Candle Outlet and Webb's (exit 145 off of I-70) has a Stuckey's. Whenever we spot one of these rarities we have to stop in to buy a Pecan Log roll and Pecan Praline and to peruse the cheesy souvenirs.

Webb's Antique Mall- Centerville, Indiana

2009-09-16T05:30:00.000-04:00

We were struck by the symmetry of the ceramic chickens:

Whenever we pass by the LPs anymore, we always think of Baikinange:

The Station Stop restaurant:

Sometimes, we enjoy going from quaint little antique shop to quaint little antique shop but sometimes it's nice to roam a huge, warehouse-esque antique mall and, for that, we can always count on Webb's. It is 85,000 square feet of a variety of antiques. There are a ton of small items in glass cabinets, a big LP section, furniture, toys, old magazine ads, etc. They even have the Station Stop restaurant in the middle of the mall so you can grab some sustenance for all of your browsing. We didn't buy much during this trip but Mr. WYA! did score a paperback copy of A Clockwork Orange for a dollar and some change.

Warm Glow Candle Outlet- Centerville, Indiana

2009-09-15T05:34:00.002-04:00

It's not hard to spot their sign right off of the exit ramp...

...or the gigantic candle at their storefront.

There was a cool little pond with some mighty big fish at the front of the store:

We love the autumnal decor:

We're trying to put off thinking about Christmas as much as possible and enjoying the fabulous time between now and Thanksgiving but, for those of you into the Christmas stuff, they had a lot of it.

Some of the gourmet food items:

There were a lot of batch and body products:

Pies at their Stone Hearth Cafe:

Some of our loot:

OK, this is really a misnomer because this is a candle outlet on steroids. We were expecting a hole in the wall room with misshapen candles but Warm Glow is a sprawling store that has not only candles but also food items such as dip mixes, dipping oils, and cute little log cabin containers of real maple syrup, bath and body products, pet products, handbags, home decor items and we're sure we're forgetting some things. It was pretty overwhelming. They even have a little restaurant in there with some really good looking pies. That's actually pretty clever marketing on their part because so many of their candles are food scented that you start to get pretty hungry after sniffing a few. We ended up buying some Wassail ($5.95) to have for the holidays, some fancy pet shampoo ($10.95), a candle ($3.50), some gift items, and a couple of boxes of long matches in cute boxes ($2.95). We were tempted by some of the lotions like the Chai scented Naked Bee one but we couldn't bring ourselves to pay $15.95 for it. We originally took some more candles to the check-out but the clerk asked us if we knew that they were wickless candles. Wickless candles??????? What the heck?? We did not realize that and were grateful that she checked with us. Evidently, there is some sort of potpourri burner that those go in despite the fact that they looked like votives to us. So, instead of hunting up candles with wicks in those scents we just decided to omit those scents for this trip. We might have to go back for the Northern Pine one near December though- it was the perfect holiday scent.

Warm Glow is very conveniently right off of I-70 at Exit 145.

John's Famous Stew- Indianapolis, IN

2009-09-14T06:25:00.003-04:00

We loved the horse racetrack picture that took up nearly all of one wall:

You can get your stew mild, medium, or hot- we liked the mild:

For non-stew eaters, there are lighter options such as this Chef Salad:

Be sure to go to the coupon page of John's website. You can print coupons for money off or for free cobbler with the purchase of a bowl of stew and a beverage. We chose the peach cobbler:

Amazingly, it is the middle of September already so prime stew eating season is nigh upon us. After hearing about John's Famous Stew for years, we finally got there last week. We were afraid that the stew wouldn't live up to our expectations after so many years of reading about it but, it exceeded them.

We enjoyed the mild stew. It was a combination of beef, potatoes, carrots and celery in a wonderfully rich beef base. Mrs. WYA! isn't even a beef-eater and she loved the taste of it. The chuck of beef in the center was fork tender. Despite the name "mild", the savory brown sauce had a wonderful combination of spices that had a very warming effect. If you're a newbie, mild is the way to go because it can always be made hotter but the heat can't be taken out once it is in it. This huge bowl of stew came with a couple of large slices of white bread with butter available. This was not an appetizer stew, it was a meal stew (although Mr. WYA confessed that he would gladly eat a bucket of it if buckets were available). Per the menu, the "Hot Stew" is a traditional favorite, but we think we'll stick with the mild.

John's is tucked away downtown in an industrial area; probably completely out of your way but it's completely worth the trip.

1146 Kentucky Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46221

317.636.6212

One note, it appeared that this is an "over 21" establishment. There were signs on the doors to that effect. We thought that maybe we just entered a bar side and there was family room side too but we didn't see one. You might want to call ahead and check if you have little ones.

More Fountain Square love

2009-09-12T06:02:00.000-04:00

We love the era when the name of a store was written in tile at their doorway and we love that Fountain Square still has some of tiles intact, even if the store is gone.

Fletcher Place Yard Sale on Saturday

2009-09-11T05:32:00.000-04:00

Be sure to look for the giraffe statues if you go.

The adorable Fletcher Place neighborhood is having yard sale this Saturday, September 12th. Even if you're not in the market for anything, it's a nice excuse to gawk at this historic neighborhood.

2009-09-10T06:39:00.000-04:00

We spotted this in someone's yard on Prospect Street (between St. Patrick & Shelby) in the Fountain Square Neighborhood and it made us laugh. We'd love the story behind it (Statement making installation art piece? Stolen sign from Area 51?) but, whatever the story is, thanks to the residents for making us smile.

Changes in Fountain Square Neighborhood, Indianapolis, IN

2009-09-09T06:01:00.000-04:00

Fountain Square has been the news a lot lately due to their big fountain makeover. Whenever we hear about changes in a classic neighborhood, we want to make sure we've documented the "before" for no other reason than we are history buffs. Despite the less than stellar photo conditions(we took some black and whites because the sky made things look black and white anyway), we took some pictures over the weekend and will add them to our collection of Fountain Square images.

This is the "Pioneer Family" fountain as it has looked from the 1980s to the present:

If memory serves us correctly, the building in the background here (Deano's Vino) was where...
...this mural was, circa about 1994 (photo from our collection) and shows the original fountain that it sounds like it will be made to look like again.
This photo is Virginia Avenue, looking northwest form Shelby Street in the 1880s or 1890s. You can just barely see the edges of the original fountain at the right. According to Indianapolis: A Pictorial History by Edward Leary, the fountain also served as a trough for horses.
This is what that street looks like today (we love the Murphy Building):

Shalimar Restaurant- Indianapolis, IN

2009-09-08T07:01:00.001-04:00

Tandoori chicken, cubes of paneer (cheese), a pakora and a piece of naan are in the background:

Mushroom saag is in the foreground and the yellow sauce to the right was a delicious vegetable curry (all on top of jasmine rice).

The second plate had to include our big favorite, tikka masala (the orangish dish on the right):

We realize that when most people talk about "comfort food" they are talking about macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, and dishes like that. We are native Hoosiers who had mothers who cooked very traditionally but, somehow, Indian food has become our favorite comfort food. It's such a big favorite that we can't believe that we haven't blogged about an Indian restaurant before; we probably have the Jyoti canned Indian foods and Trader Joe's naan to blame for that because they've made it easier to have Indian food at home than it used to be.

Anyway, while we know that we should probably try some of the other Indian restaurants in town, we always seem to find ourselves at the Shalimar lunch buffet. We just know that we can count on a delicious saag (either mushroom or paneer), tikka masala, and tandoori chicken. We sop it all up with traditional or garlic naan. Those are our big favorites that we can count on but we also try bites of whatever other dishes of the day that tempt us. On our visit this past weekend, there was a delicious vegetable curry and a decadent fried bread (poori). We know that a lot of our readers are into ethnic foods but, for those of you who haven't had Indian food, give it a try. The vegetable curry was very mild and, for the dishes in this buffet, spices are expertly used for adding flavor- not heat (of course, when ordering off of the menu, you can specify mild, medium, hot, or extra hot). There are signs above the dishes on the buffet explaining what everything is so it is great for a newbie. The service for beverages and taking away plates is always very courteous and attentive. For all of these reasons, when we have a craving for the comfort food of an Indian lunch, we head to Shalimar.

(Our 2 buffet orders and 1 iced tea came in just over $19 but always check Nuvo or Coupons4Indy for $1 off coupons.)

2009-09-07T05:09:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Day! We'll be spending ours with William Holden and Kim Novak in the only movie we can think of that takes place during Labor Day Weekend, Picnic.

Hook's Drug Store Museum & Soda Fountain- Indianapolis, IN

2009-09-03T05:15:00.002-04:00

While we were at the State Fairgrounds for the fair, we popped into the Hook's Museum and were reminded of what a cute place it is. The soda fountain was bustling so we didn't get a chance to enjoy that, but it is always fun to browse at the antique drugstore items along with the new candies and trinkets that you can buy. Their website says that they are open on "selected weekends" so, if you missed them at fair time, you might want to give them a call to see when you can visit.

Yikes- Goblin soap!

Hobbit Gardens- Fillmore, Indiana

2009-08-31T05:35:00.003-04:00

We finally made it to Hobbit Gardens Herb Farm in Fillmore, Indiana after circling around country roads for awhile a couple of weekends ago. There was a small shop (we were disappointed that they were out of lotion) and pretty grounds to wander but we definitely spent a lot longer finding it than we did actually going through it. However, on Sunday, September 6th, they'll be having their 16th Annual Herb Festival which, according to their website, will include workshops, food, music, cooking with herbs, reflexology, and a fresh herb wreath workshop among other things so that might be a good time to visit.

Regular hours are:

April thru October:Tue.,Thurs.,Fri., 10-5 Sat. & Sun.1-5.

Winter Hours Sat & Sun 1-5 other hours by chance or appt.

2009-08-26T05:53:00.000-04:00

We watch the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari around Halloween every year and this print of the movie poster is on our mantel throughout the month of October. Any time of the year is good for German Expressionism though so we think that it is very cool that Big Car Collective and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library are presenting a showing of the film with live accompanying music by experimental music group Big Robot tonight at 7PM. It will be at the Central Libary at 40 E. St. Clair Street for FREE and, from Big Car's website, it looks like they will be presenting the John Barrymore version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on October 28th.

Szechwan Garden- Lafayette Road, Indianapolis

2009-08-24T06:25:00.003-04:00

Before:

After:

Eggplants with Basil Sauce:

Pork Intestine in Szechwan Broth:

Click images for larger views of the menu:

You might pass by this place thinking that it is just a generic Chinese restaurant but we found it to be a really special dining experience. We don't go out for Chinese food very much because we'd prefer to make it home and control the ingredients (healthier oils, not too much...). We made a point of going to Szechwan Garden because back in May, reader Tom B. told us that DW Market was a good eat in/take out place. We wanted to check it out and went there a few months ago but it was closed. One of the employees stuck his head out when we pulled at the door and said that they had some roof damage and were doing some repairs. We went back about a month after that and it was still closed. Finally, we passed by and noticed that the front had a new sign that said Szechwan Garden (even though the big sign by the road still says DW Market). We went there for lunch and we were so pleased with the experience. From the pictures that Tom sent us, it appears that they really did an upgrade to the interior. There are pretty curtains and cool lights above the lovely upholstered booths all making for a simple, elegant atmosphere. It is a big open space but it doesn't feel cavernous.

We couldn't tell from the menu whether the lunches came with anything (such as soup). It turns out that they only come with a bowl of steamed white rice but that is fine because the portions are huge. We could have very easily ordered soup or an appetizer and split an entree and have been quite satiated. Keep in mind that, if the prices seem high, you can easily get two meals from these portions.

Good news for vegetarians; there are a lot of options here. Mrs. WYA! ordered #V11- Eggplants in Basil sauce. We love eggplant so we figured that we couldn't go wrong with this dish but it was even better than it sounded. The menu is a little light on details about what all is in the sauces but whatever was in the thick sauce that enveloped the eggplant chunks was divine. The basil was not dried and from a container on a spice rack but big, fresh leaves.

Mr. WYA! decided to try one of the more exotic options by ordering the Pork Intestine in Szechwan Broth. The little chunks of intestine were fried crispy (hint for the squeamish, the larger the chunk, the more obvious it was it was intestine). The dish was tossed in a variety of peppers, ranging from the standard pepper to the peppers that you would only eat on a dare and the red pepper flakes were evident everywhere. On the menu, this dish had a star by it so we assumed that it indicated that it had some heat so, if you aren't into food with a burn, don't worry- there are still plenty of options on the menu that aren't starred.

We got that really warm, welcoming feeling that we get in the restaurants that we love the most. We were greeted by a gentleman as we walked in, he stopped by later and asked how everything was, and then he went out of his way to thank us and say goodbye when we left. We love giving our business to people who really seem to appreciate it.

Szechwan Garden (formerly DW Market)
3649 Lafayette Road
Indianapolis, IN 46222
317.328.2888

Scenes from... The Indiana State Fair

2009-08-21T07:43:00.002-04:00

We have to confess, we don't go to the Indiana State Fair every year. This year however, Mrs. WYA! wanted to go and get some images that she could get artsy with and eventually add to her available selection of cards celebrating Indiana. We took advantage of the Indianapolis Star's free Fair admission coupon and checked it out last night. Lucky us- it turned out to be one of the most lovely evenings of the summer; the humidity was out of the air, there was a dreamy breeze, and the sky was the most beautiful color of blue with puffy white clouds. We hope that these pictures practically make you smell the fair food in the air, hear the happy screams from the midway, and either bring back good memories from fairs you've attended in years gone by or, get you to go visit this one during its last weekend.

You never know who or what you will see at a State Fair. We stumbled upon MC Hammer belting out some tunes:

We didn't go see all of the animals but the pigs are a must-see for us:

Here's Champion- "World's Largest Boar":

The Midway; the stuffed bananas and monkeys are cute but the stuffed money isn't so heartwarming:

We think that if you didn't know this was a shot from a midway you'd think it was from an oil field or something like that:

The Food; corn dogs in the sky:

While we wished that the bacon was more crispy, the chocolate covered bacon was oddly good.

Not a signature dish for Indiana, but this was a fine Philly Cheesesteak sandwich:

We love the art deco buildings at the fairgrounds:

Inside the Pepsi Coliseum:

The Indianapolis Propylaeum

2009-08-19T05:46:00.001-04:00

The Carriage House: the first home of the Children's Museum:

The Tea Room:

Mrs. Curry's Famous Rolls:

Soup of the Day- Lobster Bisque:

Chicken and Mushroom Crepes:

Hoosier Chicken Pot Pie:

Meeting room space:

Guest Rooms:

The third floor ballroom:

On the third floor, just to the left of the ballroom, is the Carole Lombard room:

Maybe she powdered her nose here!

Finally, after years of living in Indianapolis, we made it to the Propylaeum. For some reason, we had it stuck in our heads that the only event open to the public was their Tuesday Teas but actually, they serve lunch Monday- Friday from 11-2P. Reservations were recommended per their website so we made those the day before. This place just has all of the things we love; food, tea, history, architecture, and even a dash of old time Hollywood.

First, we really enjoyed our food. The tea room was cozy and beautiful. Mr. WYA! thought that it might be a little too precious for him but the men won't feel too overwhelmed by frilliness here. There is certainly something for everyone on the menu. We had to try the soup of the day because it was one of our favorites, Lobster Bisque. The broth was a little thinner than some we've had which was fine since it can be a heavy soup and we were having it before an entree. The lobster pieces were huge.

For our entrees, we ordered the Hoosier Chicken Pot Pie and the Chicken and Mushroom Crepes. The entrees come with a fresh green salad (try the tasty homemade poppyseed dressing) and Mrs. Curry's Famous Rolls. We don't know who Mrs. Curry is but, my goodness, she can make a roll. These are actually sweet rolls that remind us of the cinnamon rolls that Mrs. WYA!'s Mom makes. We don't know how the Tea Room sells any desserts when they start you off with these decadent treats. The crepes were covered with a Champagne sauce. The whole entree was very delicate and lighter than it might sound like. It was beautifully presented with a flower on top. We're suckers for aesthetics so we liked that.

The Hoosier Chicken Pot Pie might sound like a heavy lunch choice that would make an afternoon nap mandatory, but it wasn't at all. The crust was light and airy, and the temptation to oversalt something like chicken broth didn't occur to the chef. The veggies were firm and fresh. The whole thing came together as an Indiana classic that didn't leave you overfull.

As if that lovely meal wasn't enough, patrons are free to roam through the 3 floors of the historic building. There are many meeting rooms that can be rented and overnight rooms that can be used if anyone rents the space for an event (what a great place for a wedding reception). We loved wandering around and really loved the Carole Lombard room. As old Hollywood historians know, Fort Wayne native Ms. Lombard died when she was flying back from an Indianapolis War Bond Rally and her plane crashed. Her last night was spent in Indianapolis at the Claypool Hotel which was where the downtown Embassy Suites now stands. Some furnishings from that room, such as the dresser, were sold and are now in a room at the Propylaeum. How cool is that? We don't know why this information isn't prominently posted on their website for old Hollywood fanatics like ourselves. We also think they could have a nice event where they set up a movie screen in one of the meeting room areas and showed one of her movies. That's just a moneymaking idea from us to them.

Our server and the rest of the staff couldn't have been lovelier and our experience couldn't have been better at the Propylaeum. Hopefully, other Indianapolis area residents have not procrastinated going there as badly as we have. We won't wait so long for our next visit.

Indianapolis Vegetarian Society's Savor the Summer Garden

2009-08-16T06:33:00.000-04:00

Chickpea Mini-Burger:

A trio of sorbets- we especially liked the basil one:

Maybe we've just experimented for too many years at home with meat free meals and maybe we've eaten at too many ethnic restaurants that really get how to prepare vegetarian food but, we have to say, we didn't find a lot of inspiration at the Savor the Summer Garden event. We appreciate what they are doing but just didn't walk away with many ideas or any dishes that really excited our taste buds. Several years ago, we went to one of the Society's Meat-Out events. This was definitely an improvement on that. That was held in a church and got so crowded that we had to eat outside on the church steps after a very long wait in the buffet line. As we recall, there were some prepared foods by companies like Amy's Organics at that Meat-Out. We were grateful that wasn't the case this time.

There were several rooms that had serving stations with different offerings. Each room had tables and chairs but it still felt very crowded and confined as people stood in line out of the doorways, tried to get by the people in line at the doorways, etc. It was also awkward (and a little icky) to jostle our plastic plates and plastic utensils from room to room when we were asked to not get new plates for each dish since they were running low on plates. As for the food, maybe our expectations were too high. There just didn't seem to be a lot of flavor in the dishes. Just like dishes with meat, vegetarian food can be greatly enhanced with spices. We were looking forward to the Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Peanut Pesto but, not only were the vegetables way too raw to stab our plastic fork in, we did not taste peanut pesto. The Oven Roasted Cauliflower, Vegetables in Curry Sauce, Ratatouille, and Quinoa were all good but nothing special in that "Oh my gosh I can't believe they did that all with vegetables" kind of way. We liked the Chickpea Sliders but were surprised that beans, tofu, and tempeh were so under-represented. Those are all such great blank canvases that we would have thought for sure there were going to be some innovative dishes utilizing them. Maybe they didn't fit into the "Summer Garden" theme. Things ended on a disappointing note in the last room which our menu said would have Fruit Tarts but, not only did we not find those, the huge platters that had "Vegan Cookies" signs in front of them were empty (this was a little after 2 and the event went until 3).

It was nice to see the Chef's Academy and also nice to see that the event was so popular. We'd love to hear thoughts from anyone else who attended.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, we must say that we were kindly offered complimentary tickets to this event but, as bloggers, we felt that we couldn't ethically accept them. We happily bought our tickets and experienced the event in our usual covert way.)

2009-08-14T14:10:00.002-04:00

Wow, first they gave us Mad Men and, now, it looks like AMC might give us The Walking Dead, one of Mr. WYA!'s favorite graphic novels. We always thought that TCM was the superior movie channel (and it continues to be for the classics that we love) but we like the direction AMC is going in these days.

2009-08-13T12:30:00.001-04:00

We salute you Les Paul. We love your take on our big favorite, Caravan.

2009-08-12T06:33:00.001-04:00

Oh we wish we could be in Chicago on Saturday for Dusty Groove's first ever sidewalk sale. Per their email:

"We'll be offering some amazing merchandise for that one day only -- lots of vinyl and CDs that we've never offered to the public before, all at special prices for the event. This is stuff we've had in storage for quite awhile, and have never got around to putting out in the store -- most of it first-rate merchandise, just material that doesn't always fit the styles we sell in the store -- which means that we'll have some extra-cool records that you won't find everyday
-- assorted odd artists and genres that should make the sale an amazing musical event. We've got weird Brazilian titles, lots of indie-label releases, unusual Latin, offbeat Now Sound, vintage Vocals, sealed Soundtracks, long-lost 12" Singles, Funky 45s, and lots more great bits -- all in really good condition. These titles won't be junk at all -- just the sorts of things we've picked up over the years because they were cool -- but which we've never got around to putting in the racks. For this one day only, we'll be selling them at some very low prices -- and after that day, they'll be put back in storage, and not offered in the shop."

Sigh- it sounds really cool if you have an opportunity to be in the Chicagoland area this Saturday, August 15th.

Road Trip... Columbus, Ohio

2009-08-10T06:38:00.000-04:00

Mrs. WYA! hopped in her car and took I-70 East for 3 hours Saturday morning to visit a girlfriend in Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. WYA! was a tiny tot the last time she was in Columbus so, as always, she was excited to see the sights, the unique shops, restaurants, and architecture that the city has to offer.

The first stop was German Village, more specifically, the renowned Book Loft store in German Village. This is a "32 room labyrinth" of books. Mrs. WYA! had heard about the store from several people and mistakenly thought that it was used books. They were new books though and, while that is nice, that meant no lovingly beat up 50 cent bargain books. Most of the books had "5% off Publisher's List Price" stickers on them so there were good deals. There are also some very good coupons on their website. We used the "20% off any one item" coupon to get a discount on our most expensive purchase. What really got to Mrs. WYA! was the fabulous music playing in the room nooks. There were a lot of classics such as Bing Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, and even some classic Johnny Cash in the automotive room. Not only did it make browsing even more pleasurable but, beside the speakers, they had big signs with the name of the artist, the album, and where the CD could be found. There was also a big display near the entrance with most of the CDs that were playing. This was very dangerous for Mrs. WYA! because she just falls in love with the mood that those old jazz, big band greats, and crooners evoke. Consequently, Mrs. WYA! ended up buying more music than books. Many of the CDs were $6.98 although some were discounted even more. There were several discounted Sinatra ones that tempted her but she really scored with a $3.49 Coleman Hawkins CD. We had just mentioned not a week before that we missed seeing the old Superman series and that we wished someone would air it so Mrs. WYA! was delighted to see boxed sets of the series and bought the second season which was only $14.99 (but $11.99 after the 20% off coupon).

We wandered the adorable streets of the village and browsed at the beautiful Caterina store. The extremely helpful salesmen there asked if we were visiting the area for the first time and then proceeded to give us a German Village brochure with a map and circled his pick hits for restaurants to go to in the area. We know that they talk about Hoosier Hospitality but the Buckeyes have it too because everywhere we went we were greeted by ample friendliness not only from the employees but from fellow shoppers as well.

Scenes from German Village:

Taking one of the suggestions the salesman gave us, we landed at The Brown Bag for a lovely, casual lunch. We checked out the chalkboard menu, placed our order, found a table in the cozy place, and soon were brought our Mohawk Stroller and Tuna Melt. These were delicious and very generous sandwiches. Mrs. WYA!'s choice, the Mohawk Stroller, was delicious smoked turkey, sprouts, red peppers, and basil pesto on a Cheddar herb roll.

We then headed to the Short North neighborhood downtown near Ohio State University. We just wandered up and down High Street as long as we saw the distinctive black arches that punctuate the area. This neighborhood was right up Mrs. WYA!'s alley because it was full of independent restaurants, antiques, and shops. There were also cute signs and murals that took up the entire sides of buildings.

This display was at the extremely cool Collier West store:

Another lovely store was Loot:

Along High Street near the Convention Center:

Mural at 714 N. High Street:

Another really cool store to browse in is Karavan Treasures from Turkey. You've got to love it when the salesperson suddenly comes around and hands everyone little charms. Mrs. WYA! couldn't pass up this $7.99 change purse (and loved the shiny sealed shopping bag):

If you want to head out of Indy for a late summer getaway just to see something new, we highly recommend these areas in Columbus. If you get an early start, it makes a very do-able day trip if you don't want the expense of spending the night.

West Central Neighborhood, Fort Wayne, Indiana

2009-08-06T06:01:00.000-04:00

If pressed, we'd have to say that West Central is our favorite neighborhood in Fort Wayne. We're suckers for architectural variety and turrets and it has those in spades. In our minds, it will forever be the epicenter of cool in Fort Wayne because Miss Carole Lombard was born here and lived here for six years (and if you don't understand the importance of that, please put My Man Godfrey, Nothing Sacred, and To Be or Not to Be in your Netflix queue). You even have an opportunity to tour Miss Lombard's house coming up on September 12th and 13th during the West Central House and Garden Tour. We've enjoyed the home tour several times and highly recommend it. We're so grateful for people who move into these grand old houses and maintain them so well.

Castle Gallery:

Homes along Wayne Street:

On Thieme Drive:

Photos along Berry Street; this is the office of Grinsfelder Architects:

Cobblestone sidewalk:

Some apartments in this Sheridan Court apartment building have been on the home tour in previous years and they were lovely:

A couple of views of the Carole Lombard house at Rockhill and Thieme:

The Arena Dinner Theatre is right in the neighborhood:

Old Aqueduct Club Memorial facing Main Street. From the plaque "The aqueduct carrying the Wabash and Erie Canal across the St. Marys River was located just north of the bridge about where the Nickel Plate railroad crosses the river and was the playground and swimminghole for the West End Boys".

Scenes from... Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana

2009-08-05T06:12:00.002-04:00

We'll preface this by saying that we are not baseball fans. However, once every few years or so, we head to a cute minor league ball park and take in the atmosphere. Usually it is at Victory Field but, this past weekend, it was the new Parkview Field in Fort Wayne. The previous stadium was on the north side of town but Parkview Field is downtown. With a new stadium, there generally comes controversy over whether it really needed to be built. We're not aware of all of the financial implications for the city so we can't really weigh in on that. What we do know is that it was nice to see downtown Fort Wayne bustling on a Saturday night and that we like seeing the view of the city skyline from the park. Also, we were never tempted to see a game at the previous stadium but the new park got us there during its inaugural season and we'll probably go back.

The Tincaps insignia on the scoreboard. The name refers to Johnny Appleseed who spent some time in Fort Wayne (and evidently wore a cooking pot on his head or that at least has become part of the legend).

Team mascot Johnny:

The Zooperstars were the special entertainment for the game. This is Peyton Manatee:

Shark McGwire:

Clammy Sosa devouring a player:

Harry Canary singing during the 7th inning stretch:

Havana Cafe- Indianapolis, Indiana

2009-08-03T07:26:00.000-04:00

Yuca Frita:

Fricase de Pollo:

Ropa Vieja:

(click for larger image of menu page)

We really wanted a good dining experience when we went to dinner at Havana Cafe and we really got one. In a tiny strip mall on Moller Road (just around the corner from Abyssinia and Best Buy), we felt like we walked into our favorite restaurant in Miami's Little Havana, Versailles. A really nice gentleman greeted us and asked if it was our first time there. After telling him it was, he let us choose our table and he walked us through the expansive menu. Mr. WYA! chose the Ropa Vieja and Mrs. WYA! chose one of the daily specials, Fricase de pollo. We also couldn't pass up the chance to have the yuca frita that we spotted on their menu board behind the counter. If you haven't had yuca before, it's a starchy root vegetable that tastes a lot like a potato. It was served with a delicious creamy sauce.

This is a new place and they are constantly testing new items, so they kindly brought us a couple of bowls of garbanzo bean soup. It had garbanzos, potatoes, and pork in a salty broth. We enjoyed it so much that, next time, we'll get the big bowl.

The entrees came with a basket of grilled bread at the table which was a nice touch (although we already had plenty of food).

The Ropa Vieja platter is a dish of the shredded beef in a tomato base sauce, a huge mound of Cuban rice (or you could get white rice), and sweet plantains. The finely shredded beef was insanely tender. The sauce was a flavor explosion and we appreciated having the crusty bread to dip in it so we could not waste a drop if it.

We've never had Fricase de Pollo before but we'd definitely have it again. It was chicken on the bone also in a tomato based sauce. There were a few potatoes surrounding it and they had soaked up the delicious sauce too. The rice was overflowing (and both of us had to box our rice up and bring it home) and there were 3 perfect plantain pieces on the plate.

We felt really welcome from the moment we entered Havana Cafe until we left. We got the feeling that the staff genuinely appreciated our patronage and that's a great feeling. We could not have been more pleased with our food or the entire experience. The very friendly gentleman who first greeted us said that they have more upscale plans for the future but we thought it was pretty much perfect as it was. Who needs a pretentious atmosphere when the food is this good? We can't wait to go back for a lunch to try the empanadas and Cuban coffee. We also can't wait to go there on a cold, dreary February day when we need to imagine that we're in Miami. This place takes our tastes buds back to Calle Ocho and we're so glad to have them here in Indy.

Restaurants like this are the reason we are cutting back on blogging. If you write a blog about your meals, you really feel that you can't repeat and we want to get back to Havana Cafe soon.

2009-08-01T05:50:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in a previous post, we're going to slow down the frequency of posts starting in August. We just want to feel like we can vege out all weekend reading or watching old movies without worrying if we have enough material for a weeks worth of posts. We'll try not to have too long of gaps in between postings- just enough to give us some breathing room (and we appreciate the readers who chimed in and encouraged us to keep blogging and said they understood if we didn't post as much as we have been).

2009-07-31T06:11:00.000-04:00

We always love seafood, but we especially love it when the temperatures start to rise and we need something light to eat. Here are helpful sites from the Blue Ocean Institute and the Monterey Bay Aquarium that have guides to sustainable seafood choices.

Horse at Pogues Run

2009-07-30T12:24:00.000-04:00

When we're traveling home from downtown on I-70, we like to jokingly ask each other if the horse will be out near Pogue's Run. Of course, he always is. We're not sure why he's there but he always brings smiles to our faces.

2009-07-30T09:25:00.004-04:00

The good news just keeps coming for Indianapolis area yogis and yoginis. Not only do we have Rolf Gates coming to Cityoga in October, inspiring local teacher Gina Radice will be teaching her uplifting 2 hour classes on August 28th and on 10/9 (the October one will be with DJ Stefan) at Invoke.

2009-07-29T17:56:00.000-04:00

Long time readers know that we're big fans of AMC's Mad Men so we're quite excited about the premiere of the third season on August 16th. If you're a fan too, here's a fun link to recreate yourself in swanky '60s style. Pictured here are Mrs. WYA! (that's right coming into the office with a martini) and Mr. WYA! who has coffee because they had the "happy to serve you" Greek cup that Mr. WYA! likes to get when we're in New York.

Curls Gone Wild- Hooray for TIGI'S Catwalk Curl Amplifier

2009-07-29T15:46:00.001-04:00

There's a certain point during the summer that those of us with naturally curly hair wave our white flags. We realize that the humidity has climbed up to the point where no amount of flatironing or Frizz-Ease will keep our locks smooth and straight. At that point, we either pull the hair back until September, take to hats, or resign ourselves to looking like something the cat dragged in for the duration of the summer. The number of products on the market that will allegedly help is overwhelming but, when Mrs. WYA! read raves about TIGI's Catwalk Curls Rock Curl Amplifier in Time Out New York, she decided to give it a try. We found it at the Nora Target and we have to say it's good stuff. Of course, the directions say to use it in conjunction with their other products but it worked well just using our regular shampoo and conditioner. You put it on very wet hair and then let it air dry (we haven't experimented with seeing how it looked by blow drying). Use it judiciously, too much and the hair will be crunchy.

Link to TIGI official site

Pre-Code Musicals on TCM tonight

2009-07-29T05:24:00.000-04:00

Oh we love those spicy films that filled the cinemas before the Hays Code was enforced in 1934. TCM is airing an evening of Pre-Code Musicals tonight including several Busby Berkeley films and films with stars like Bette Davis and Ann Sothern. We have not one but two boxed set collections of Busby Berkeley movies so we're obviously big fans of the genre and look forward to seeing the films we don't own.

2009-07-28T13:12:00.001-04:00

Mrs. WYA! will never forgive herself for not learning how to sew from her Grandma. If she knew how, she could be making some of the stylish clothes and bags from the patterns at Burdastyle.com (many are even free!).

Barking Dog Cafe- Indianapolis, IN

2009-07-28T06:54:00.001-04:00

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, New Castle Ale Beer Cheese Soup:

Crab Roll:

Shrimp Roll:

We knew that Barking Dog Cafe made good soup because, as we recall, they were usually one of our favorites at the wonderful Souper Bowl fundraiser that used to be held downtown at City Market (and that we wish they'd start doing again). This, however, was our first visit to their cafe at 49th and Pennsylvania. Their website lists the specials of the day which is appreciated. The big hit of our selections was the soup of the day, a New Castle Ale Beer Cheese Soup. Mr. WYA! declared it to be possibly the best thing he's ever eaten. We wanted to try some of their "Down East" specialties so we got the crab roll and the shrimp roll. At around $14 and $8 respectively, we thought the prices were a bit high. Of the two, we preferred the crab roll (the shrimp one didn't seem to have much flavor). The crab was plentiful but, for the price, we thought that we'd be more wow-ed. The sandwiches come with a choice of chips or a cup of very tasty coleslaw.

We would go back because we know we can count on great soups and we would try their veggie burger and their "thin and crispy on the edges" regular burger. We will be sure to take cash because they don't accept debit/credit cards.

115 E. 49th Street

Indianapolis, IN

(If you'd like an East Coast style clam-bake for a fraction of the airfare, you might want to check out Barking Dog's "Down East" Clam Bake on August 1st. Details are on their website. )