Scenes from... Valparaiso, Indiana

Years ago, we enjoyed sangria at the Don Quijote restaurant: We like the signage of the Valparaiso Pet and Hobby Shop:

The upstairs of our favorite Valpo store, Lifestyles. Be sure to stop and browse here if you are anywhere in the area. They have a great selection of gifts, home decor, kitchen gadgets, and beautiful things that you didn't know you needed. The cool facade of Bistro 157:

We really can't recommend the Old Style Inn (located in this stretch of Lincolnway) but our group did try a couple of interesting things there. On the appetizer menu, there were deep fried olives (that was a new one on us- they tasted like jalapeno poppers) and Bloody Marys. We should have been tipped off that something was a little out of the ordinary when the Bloody Marys were listed on the appetizer menu instead of the drinks menu. The Bloody Mary came with the standard olives and celery, but the most unique touch was a Slim Jim-esque slender beef stick that was in the glass.

Lincolnway downtown:

We like the Temptations Gifts sign- it looks like they've been in business a long time:

Happy Independence Day Weekend!

Spaghetti Dogs

We decided not to call these pasta dogs because, for a recipe this low-brow, our childhood moniker of spaghetti is much more appropriate. Hot dogs are such a ubiquitous summer food that we started thinking about non-traditional toppings for them. We're sure that we aren't the first ones who've tried this but, we decided to see how they would be topped with spaghetti along with the Castleberry chili sauce and melted cheese.

We broiled our hot dogs until they had a nice dark crust. While they were broiling, we boiled some pasta until it was al dente, drained the water, and added the chili sauce. Once the dogs were done, we lowered the oven temp to 300 degrees, put the dogs in whole wheat buns, topped them with the chili pasta, then covered them with sharp cheddar cheese. Once the cheese was melted, we took them out of the oven.

It seems like it wouldn't really work, but the baked pasta on top of the dog really did. You had the snap of the dog, baked pasta, and cheesiness all in one bite. If you're weary of the traditional hot dog preparations this summer, you might want to give it a try.

TCM is getting into the Dillinger spirit of things tonight. They are airing Manhattan Melodrama at 8PM. It's the movie that Dillinger had just viewed in Chicago at the Biograph theatre when he was killed by federal agents. Evidently, Dillinger was a big Myrna Loy fan (who isn't?). You'll want to watch it tonight (or record it and watch it on July 22nd, the 75th anniversary of his death) but maybe not with a lady in red.

Scenes from... Crown Point, Indiana

We are so excited about the movie Public Enemies that opens today. It was a happy coincidence that we were in Northwestern Indiana this weekend so we could take a look at downtown Crown Point where some of the movie's scenes were filmed. We only wished that we had more time to take this cute town all in- we'll have to go back when we aren't so rushed.

The "Grand Old Lady" Crown Point courthouse:

Did you know that Rudolf Valentino was married here? There's a Valentino's restaurant and ice cream parlor in the first floor of the courthouse.

After we browsed at the shops on the lower level, we went to the upper levels of the courthouse. Even though the museum wasn't open, it was still worth taking a look at just to see the gorgeous woodwork and floors. This directory is engraved:

We adored the Crown Theatre building:

We've heard good things about The Circle restaurant. They had lovely outdoor seating right across from the "Grand Old Lady":

At 223 S. Main St. (just a quick walk south of the town square) is a lovely Carnegie library:

There was a street fair going on the day that we were there so it was hard to get a long shot but this is the Lake County Criminal Court building (across from the Carnegie Center). According to this page, there is a Dillinger pub and grand ballroom inside.

At 201 N. Main Street is A Conservative Cafe.

With good reason, the businesses of Crown Point are eagerly anticipating the Public Enemies movie too. These special screening posters were in a lot of shop windows. What a great city this would be to view the movie.

Scenes from... Noblesville, Indiana

We didn't stop in at Syd's or the Uptown Cafe but we adore their signage. We think Syd's looks like a place where Andy Capp would hang out:

Logan Street:

Some of the rooms at Logan Village Mall:

Nostalgic Noblesville art by Brad Cook:

The lovely room by Hortons of Tipton:

Looks like a must-do:

A display by Blue Moon Pottery:

The view of the sprawling Noblesville Antique Mall from the upstairs:

Some of the offerings at Linden Tree gifts:

We really appreciated the iced coffees at Noble Coffee & Tea (933 Logan St):

Downtown Noblesville really has everything going for it. It has the classic square around a gorgeous courthouse and a lot of cute shops all around the square (along with a coffeehouse and restaurants). We think it's really one of the most charming downtowns in the central Indiana area. We really love the Logan Village Mall. There are tons of rooms here covering a wide spectrum of styles; everything from primitive and shabby chic to sports memorabilia (at Casey's Dry Goods). There is also one of our favorite rooms, the one with the old timey candy. This is were you can pick up some all-day lollipops and slo-pokes along with nearly every other childhood favorite. There was another interesting room by Brad and Christine Cook with art work depicting classic Noblesville on cards and framed prints. There was also a room that seemed new since we were there last. It was by Hortons of Tipton and it smelled good and had beautiful things in it. There was a sign that they are having their First Annual French Flea Market on July 11th at their flagship store in Tipton. That sounds so intriguing that it looks like we'll be making our first visit to Tipton for it next month. There are so many nooks and crannies in the Logan Village Mall that you'll want to allow plenty of time for browsing. It's our favorite kind of antique mall where there are not only antiques but also original pieces of art (like the pretty pottery pieces from Blue Moon Pottery).

For a more traditional antique mall, don't miss the Noblesville Antique Mall at 20 N. 9th Street across from the courthouse. You'll need to allow plenty of time to browse here too because their is a huge main floor, a smaller upstairs, and a fairly sprawling basement.

One of our favorite shops for new items is Linden Tree Gifts. They have everything from home decor and jewelry to cards and purses. On our last visit, we admired the beautiful vases from Fringe Studio. We didn't get any pictures of the Fringe selection at Linden Tree Gifts but you can take a look at their beautiful glass pieces on Amazon (but then go buy them at Linden Tree).

There are many other shops and you can see a list of them on Downtown Noblesville's website.

Jim Dandy- Noblesville, Indiana

Some of their classic ads:

Click the photos for larger images of the menu:

For you sugar cream pie fans, they have it here.

Day-glo selections from the salad/fruit bar:

The Wet Tenderloin:

Jim Dandy is so kitschy cute, how could we not stop in? We've passed this restaurant on Conner Street many times but we didn't make it in there until last week. Something about walking through the doors felt like we'd walked through a time machine and it reminded us of the kind of places our parents took us to in the 70s. This stands to reason since it has been here since 1964. Somehow, they've really managed to retain that feel and it was just nostalgic-rific to be there. Mr. WYA! had heard rumors of a "wet tenderloin" sandwich here so he knew what he was going to order. Mrs. WYA! was just hoping for a big chef salad but lucked out with a huge salad/fruit bar for $6.99. It had all the usual salad bar offerings along with sugar free chocolate pudding, several fruit options, cornbread muffins, and lime green Jell-o which was just perfect for this retro meal. We didn't have any but also noticed heartier options such as mashed potatoes, liver and onions, and fried chicken.

The "Wet Tenderloin" is a standard breaded tenderloin, served on a bun, and COVERED IN GRAVY! The tenderloin, completely hidden from view by the gravy, managed to retain that tenderloin crunch. The bun however, was obliterated by the gravy. Although the thought of gravy on a tenderloin is a little odd, the savory beefy gravy really worked on this sandwich. Caution: this is not a neat sandwich; if you pick it up, you will have gravy hands. We got the basket, which came with fries and coleslaw, but you can also get it with the salad bar.

2301 Conner St.

Noblesville, IN 46060

317.773.3288