Serendipity- Carmel, IN

Serendipity is the yellow building at the intersection of Main St. and Rangeline Rd.

Here is the entrance to the old bank vault where you can have a tea service.

One of the old LS Ayres chandeliers.


The gorgeous table setting.

Chicken velvet soup

Tortellini salad

The Blast sandwich

Even the restroom was gorgeous.

First off, Serendipity is absolutely beautiful. What a perfect spot for a meal or tea with girlfriends. However, Mr. WYA! was dragged to this precious place and, for awhile, was the only guy there. More fellas came in later though and, as a matter of fact, Mr. WYA! enjoyed his lunch so much he didn't even care that he was outnumbered.


We didn't make reservations and it was pretty busy even before noon but we were seated to a lovely table without a problem. The decor just wow-ed us. There were gorgeous fresh flowers on the tables along with really beautiful floral art on the walls. Being lovers of history, we were sure to check out the chandeliers that we learned from their website are from the old LS Ayres Tea Room. The building was originally a bank so the original vault is part of the restaurant where you can have a tea party- how cool! In addition to really enjoying the atmosphere, we had a wonderful lunch.


There were some tempting sounding specials but we went with a couple of items on their regular menu, the Ayres Chicken Velvet Soup, the Serendipity Tortellini Salad and the Blast sandwich. We also both had the iced tea which was fresh brewed and delicious. Many of you are probably familiar with the Ayres chicken velvet soup either from the original LS Ayres tea room or the re-created one at the Indiana State Museum. It's a bowl of creamy heaven. The tortellini salad might sound heavy but it wasn't at all. There were enough but not too many tortellinis on a bed of greens with their balsamic dressing. There are all kinds of options of what you want mixed in; ham, shrimp, asparagus, cranberries, bleu cheese, green onions, fresh basil, cashews, and parmesan cheese. You can have it with all of these or pick and choose. The portions aren't overwhelming so even choosing them all won't leave you too full. A tasty little scone comes with it too. It was perfection. The Blast sandwich is a creamy combination of bacon, lobster, shrimp, and tomato on a hoagy roll. Our server told us that it used to be a special but was so popular that it became part of the permanent menu- we could taste why. It was absolutely wonderful and, again, it was the perfect portion. Because it was so good, we would have eaten more if it was bigger but we certainly didn't need more- especially since it came with a side salad, scone, and a generous cup of mixed fruit.


We don't go to Carmel very much, and we definitely don't go out to eat often when we are there, but we are sure glad that we made a point to visit Serendipity.

Starbucks Via

Last week, we received our requested sample of Starbucks new instant coffee, Via. We have to say, it is pretty darn good. Especially compared to the taste memory of other instant coffees of days gone by. We tried the Italian Roast since it was the bolder one of the 2 samples we received. We'll definitely keep some of this around for when we don't have time to fresh brew, don't need a whole pot, or for trips (when that hotel room stuff just doesn't cut it). Right now, you can only buy it in Chicago, Seattle, or online.

Movies at The Strand

Woo-hoo!! We've been waiting for this news. It's movie time at The Strand Theatre in Shelbyville. They are kicking things off next weekend with a whole weekend full of FREE movies! How cool is that? There is a wonderfully wide variety of movies on their schedule; everything from John Wayne to zombies and Ma & Pa Kettle. Be sure to take a look at their website for the full schedule and go ahead and bookmark it so you can watch for more movie offerings. Shelbyville really isn't that far from Indy and, for a classic or cult movie on the big screen to support hardworking people passionate about restoring a historic theatre, it's absolutely worth the drive.

You hear that, in tough times, people turn to comfort foods but we think there's a lot to be said for comfort music. Maybe it's the music of your youth, songs that ushered you through your adolescent milestones, or the stuff your parents listened to on car trips that made you roll your eyes in the back seat and you can't believe that you voluntarily listen to it now. NPR has some of our comfort music in an intimate 4 song "tiny song" concert by Tom Jones.

Murnau- DVD boxed set

We don't know how many of you are silent movie fans (who couldn't be a fan of Nosferatu??) but a really interesting boxed set of 6 of director F. W. Murnau's films was released on Tuesday. Three of the movies are new to DVD in the US. We might have to break down and buy this because we love Nosferatu and Faust and haven't even seen the other four. Of course, as we checked it out on Kino's website we found tons of other fascinating looking films we should probably see...

We are so saddened by Natasha Richardson's death. Cabaret is one of our all-time favorite Broadway shows and she is the one singing as Sally Bowles on our CD. We've gotten so much enjoyment out of that CD and will continue to enjoy it for years to come (which, we guess, is the kind of legacy an artist strives for).

Scenes from... Zionsville, IN

Picture perfect Main Street

It's fun browsing in the Bender Square building (including at Butler's Pantry).
We also like browsing at Kogan Antiques and Lighting.

The Sanctuary is beautiful inside and out.

Zionsville just could not be more cute. We usually find ourselves enjoying a crisp fall day or a festive December day here. We were there this past weekend just taking some pictures and enjoying the springy air.