Lennie’s
1795 East 10^th St.
Bloomington, IN 47408

http://www.lenniesgourmetpizza.com/

Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bloomington-IN/Lennies/156042808737?ref=sgm

If you live in Bloomington, are an IU student or alum, you have probably been to Lennie’s.  Located across from the Ashton Dormitory that is being completely rebuilt, it is a meeting place for family, friends and professors in the heart of the Indiana University campus.  Lennie’s is one of the many countless restaurants in Bloomington that adds to making it one of the greatest college towns in the United States.  Recently, I had a chance to visit Lennie’s to see how little things had changed since I graduated from IU eleven years ago.

What I Got:

Drink:  Vision Weiss (Imperial Pint 22oz. $4.75).  Lennie’s and the Bloomington Brewing Company are owned by the same owner and the beer selection adds to make the Lennie’s experience even more unique.  The Vision Weiss is a summer ale with a banana, clove and vanilla flavor.  You may be thinking it sounds weak, but it provides a lite summer taste with punch and comes highly recommended.  For only $9.75, you can order the half gallon Growler unique to Lennie’s and the Bloomington Brewing Company.  IU was not named the #1 party school for nothing.

Roasted Garlic Focaccia ($6.50):  The focaccia is homemade and is baked with garlic, rosemary, caramelized onions and kosher salt.  It is served with marinara sauce, a roasted garlic bulb that is so soft that you can smear it across the top of the bread and some extra virgin olive oil to top it off.  It’s a great appetizer for four people to split and share at the table.

Stromboli: ($10.25):  There are five different versions you can order, but I went with the Supreme including Italian sausage, pepperoni, green pepper, white onions and mushrooms.  I am not sure why it is called a Stromboli because it is constructed as a calzone.  The “Stromboli” was baked to perfection and I enjoyed the pocket it created to hold all of the filling.  Unfortunately, it was a bit dry and needed some cheese.  Although I still enjoyed it, I was disappointed in the fact that I was looking forward to a true Stromboli and not a calzone.

Mushroom & Chicken Tortellini ($15.00):  This dish is extremely rich with the cheese filled tortellini and alfredo spinach sauce mixed with fresh mushrooms and a herb roasted chicken that was tender and retained its seasoning through the richness of the dish.  It is baked and the cheese on the top creates a crust that tops the dish off.  A great choice for a main course and you will get two meals out of this $15 portion.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, 100%. I have only nominated one restaurant, another Bloomington favorite, Dagwood’s Sub Shop for the WIBIA Hall of Fame and Lennie’s comes close to earning a nomination.  Everything I have had there I would buy again, including some of their salads and excellent pizzas that I did not review.  Saving room for their homemade dessert is a must and I just did not have the room this time.

I like my coffee strong and Lennie’s delivers a stout tall cup of Joe that goes well with any of their desserts, making Lennie’s a meeting place for many student groups and professors.  Service is usually excellent provided by some of IU’s best students.  Lennie’s is small and long waits can occur during peak meal times.

If you are visiting Bloomington, want to support local business and are having a difficult time choosing a place to eat, Lennie’s has a little bit of everything for everyone.

-EatHSE

Dagwood’s Deli & Sub Shop
6336 Guilford Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.dagwoodsandwiches.com/

An institution at the WIBIA staff’s alma mater, Indiana University, Dagwood’s has been in business since 1985.  The original location was in a basement of building on Indiana Avenue in Bloomington, Indiana and was every college kid’s dream.  They’ve finally moved their main location up to street level but they still have good and HUGE submarine sandwiches.  They deliver at all hours of the night, so any late night of…ahem, studying…could be capped off with having a sandwich delivered.  When I was at IU, I ended far too many of my nights that way, but it was worth it.

Anyway, Dagwood’s stayed in Bloomington only for most of their existence, but they opened a third location in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis within the past few years and that’s where I went recently to enjoy one of the treasures of my college career.  I will point out that I usually order the Italian sub, but for the purposes of this blog and introducing the restaurant to the blog, I went with…

What I Got:  Whole Dagwood Supreme (their signature and most popular sandwich) $8.94

Dagwood Supreme

I ordered my sandwich as it would be found on the menu for review purposes (ordinarily I’d play with the vegetables and other toppings), but the menu version is made up of Roast Beef, Ham, Turkey, Provolone and Colby cheeses, along with lettuce, tomato, onions, and Dagwood’s Special Sauce.

Outside of the special sauce, this thing is made up of standard sub sandwich toppings so there is nothing really out of the ordinary there besides the fact that they give you a generous amount of meat.  What really makes this sandwich is the special sauce.  It’s a tangy mayonnaise based sauce that it not as creamy as mayonnaise, but shares a lot of similar properties.  What makes it different than mayo is that it is slightly more runny and not nearly as thick (you can see the sauce in the photo above) and when you contrast this tangy sauce with the coolness of the vegetables, cheese and meat, you have a sandwich that is a sub sandwich lover’s delight.

Would I Buy It Again?  Heck yes. I would buy it again because it is good and also for the nostalgic purposes of taking me back to my college days.  Like I said, I usually order the Italian sub because of personal preference of meat on that sandwich but you can’t go wrong with either sandwich.  Both of them are  just so freaking good and that’s why both of them go into the Hall of Fame.

So, if you are in Bloomington or in Broad Ripple and aren’t afraid of something that is a little bit pricey, give this place a shot and you won’t regret it.

-IndianapolisEater

Left: Chicken Pesto - Right: BBQ Chicken

Uncle D’s New York Pizza
430 E. Kirkwood
Bloomington, IN
http://www.uncledsnewyorkpizza.com/

Uncle D’s First Review

As you can tell by the first review, I loved Uncle D’s.  I really like New York-style pizza by the slice.  I can always throw down a slice no matter what.  D’s is located between Kilroy’s and Nick’s in Bloomington (Go Hoosiers!)

On my revisit, I tried the Chicken Pesto and Chicken BBQ Pizza.   You get 2 slices and a drink for $6.00, so it was a good deal.   The Chicken Pesto was really good.  I added a little crushed red pepper because that is the way I roll.  There was a ton of cheese and plenty of toppings on this slice. I really thought that the quality of the mushrooms, cheese and chicken is a step above other chains. It was a really good slice of pie.

The BBQ Chicken didn’t have the magic of the pesto.  Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but overshadowed by the pesto.   I could have used a little more BBQ sauce and red onions, but that just might be my preference?

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes…easily.    I am leaving it on my Hall of Fame because I have had 5 slices of pie there and 4 of them were top shelf.  With any pizza place that carries 10+ pizzas, there are going to be ones that you like more than others and D’s is no exception to the rule.  It keeps the honor of the Hall of Fame because every trip I make to Bloomington, I am craving a slice to start or end my weekend with and I can’t explain why…maybe because it is good pizza, I like it better than Pizza Express and Avers. What I like the most is that D’s doesn’t try to be too fancy, but they have a lot of options outside of traditional pizza.  I really enjoy Uncle D’s and if you are in Bloomington, check it out.

-wibia

Restaurant Tallent
208 North Walnut
Bloomington, IN 47404
http://www.restauranttallent.com/

Bloomington is very different now than the one that I left in 2001.   There are two restaurants that are getting some press, Farm Bloomington and Tallent.   I went to Farm on my last trip and really enjoyed it.  Casual, fun and great food.

Tallent is a touch more formal, business casual attire and a more contemporary minimalist interior.   Ambiance was not aggressively artistic, if you like Crate and Barrel, you would feel comfortable here.

What I Ate:
First:
Moules Frites – Red Wine & Tarragon Broth $14
Casserole Trio – White Truffle Mac & Cheese, Sweet Potato Duck Confit, Broccoli Casserole

Entrée:
Long Farms Elk – Newsome Ham, Chestnut Grits, Mushroom Ragout $36
Indiana Duck – Sweet Potato & Duck Confit Gratin, Broccoli Rabe, Preserved Lemon Jus.

In the beginning:
Service was attentive at the start, reviewed the specials and I ordered a glass of wine.  Bread came and we scarfed it down.  The whipped butter was amazing.  Probably the best butter that I have had in a long time.   Bread and butter is usually a good indication of how the rest of the meal is going to go.    Amuse-bouche was a bacon doughnut.  Dry and bad.

Appetizers:
Moles Frites.  The Frites were great, but the mussles were just average.  The broth was a little heavy.  The taste came from the frites, it should be the other way around.  Casserole trio was hit and miss.  Mac and Cheese should’ve never left the kitchen, the sweet potato gratin was good.  The broccoli casserole was my favorite.

Entrees:
The Elk was recommended at medium rare.  I am usually a rare guy.  The elk was on the low side of rare, but I enjoyed it.  Very lean and flavorful.  What I didn’t like was the chestnut grits, bland and lacked flavor.  I can understand why they are on the plate to add a little fat and creamy goodness, but some flavor would’ve been nice.  The odd combination was ham and Elk on the same plate.  The ham was diced and chewy.  It took away from the elk in a major way.

The duck was solid.  Cooked well and flavorful.  The problem is, the sweet potato gratin was in the casserole trio and a side here as well.  Flavors were clean.

Ratings:

Taste: 30 points/ 4 Items = 7.5 Each
Moles Frites = 5/7.5
Casserole Trio = 4.5/7.5
Elk = 5/7.5
Lamb = 6/7.5
Total Taste = 20.5/30

Service/Management: 5/10
We noticed that tables around us received more visits and were catered to more.  I didn’t like my first wine selection and I asked for something else.  This should automatically come with a recommendation.  Instead I was just passed the wine list again.  We didn’t catch the gratin in the app and with the Lamb, but I think that the server should’ve mentioned it.  Sorry.  The meal was paced nicely.  I never thought “they are on it here…” as far as service.  It was average.

Originality/Execution: 8/10
Interesting menu and wine list.  There is a bar menu for half of the restaurant.  The burger looked great.  The menu changes often and you can have a completely different meal here at least 10 times a year.  However, the menu on the website was entirely different than the one presented to us at the restaurant.  There were a few items from the web that I really wanted to try.

Overall: 33.5/50

Would I Buy It Again? Yes. Great potential and originality. I left wanting bigger and cleaner favors.  The elk by itself was great, add ham and cheesy grits and it brought it down.  There were moments of greatness, but at times those wow moments were a little sparse.  I would give it another try because I left knowing they can do better.

-WIBIA

Uncle D’s New York Pizza
430 E. Kirkwood
Bloomington, IN
http://www.uncledsnewyorkpizza.com/

Pizza by the slice is sometimes an appetizer, a meal, a dessert and even a food night cap.  Today, it was my lunch.  I heard some good things about D’s, so let’s get it on.

What I Ate:  2 Slices.  Mushroom and Buffalo Chicken.   My wife had a chicken/garlic/tomato and cheese slice.  They had a special, 2 slices and a drink $6.00

The mushroom slice had white, portabella, cremini and shitake.  Mushrooms appeared to be sautéed and then put on the pizza.   It had great taste and texture and the mix of mushrooms added a complexity not found on a normal slice of ’shroom.  This is a slice that a chef would make.

Buffalo Chicken stole the show.  If you are a pizza and wing junkie, then you met your fix.  Great flavor and the chicken was plentiful and fresh.  It tasted as if was grilled there that day (the slice on the right).

Chicken/garlic/tomato was solid as well.  If you like margarita pizza and would like to add meat without changing the flavor profile, then this is for you (the slice on the left).

Cheese is not a topping nor should it be on pizza by itself.  I am not going to review cheese pizza.  My wife loved it though.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes, easily.  I wish there was one in Indy as it would be the best NY Pizza by the slice in the city.  For $6, I was stuffed and I can eat a good amount of pizza.  Folks, without a doubt, this is the best pizza in Bloomington.

Highly Recommended and good enough to make the WIBIA Hall of Fame.

-WIBIA