Scholar’s Inn Bakehouse
by Mike on May 15, 2011
Living in downtown Bloomington for so many years, the Scholar’s Inn Bakehouse has been a staple in my restaurant rotation for as long as I can remember. If you are looking for dinner, this is not your place, its strictly for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and coffee/tea. A great meeting spot, fast and reliable service, and the aroma within the place always makes you want to stay. All of their breads are baked fresh on a daily basis, and in my opinion Bakehouse has the best quality bread around town. Great deli type sandwiches on any type of bread you would like. If you are in the mood for breakfast, don’t shy away from their Challah french toast, or their egg sandwiches, as they are both delicious. Some of the menu items are a bit pricey, but the quality makes it worth spending an extra dollar or two. I highly recommend their egg sandwiches, and their grilled ham and swiss with spicy mustard is a home run! View their menu at www.Btownmenus.com!
Scholars Inn Bakehouse
(812) 331-6029
125 North College Avenue
3002 East 3rd Street
573 West Simson Chapel Road
Cost Friendly: You will spend anywhere from $5-$15, a
Restaurant Rating:
Kirkwood Cafe
by Mike on May 6, 2011
In my seven years in Bloomington, I had never heard of Kirkwood Cafe, and that is because they just opened a couple months ago. I wish this place has been open for my entire time in Btown. My buddies and I were famished around sunday at noon. A warm sunny day led to us all wanting to find a place outside to eat that had great breakfast. We were in luck when my friend Jeff remembered this place he had passed on his way back from the movie theater on West Third Street a couple weeks ago. Time was on our side as we arrived fifteen minutes before the breakfast/brunch buffet was over. The food was very good, and for being a buffet the quality matched the quantity. This is usually hard to say for many buffets, and even though it was almost close at Kirkwood Cafe, they were willing to make more fresh food for the buffet if we all were still hungry. The service was friendly, and sitting outside on a deck with the sun beating down on us while we all enjoyed a nice meal before the end of the year made the entire experience a memorable one. Not to mention, who doesn’t love stuffing their plate with unlimited french toast, eggs, sausage, biscuits, and quiches along with any beverage we wanted for $12.95.
Kirkwood Cafe
620 West Kirkwood Avenue
(812) 335-3545
Cost Friendly: You will spend anywhere from $10-$15
Restaurant Rating:
Michael’s Uptown Cafe
by Mike on April 26, 2011
Probably the most underrated, and most hidden restaurant in all of Bloomington, Michael’s Uptown Cafe is one of my favorite restaurants! Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, their high quality dishes never disappoint.
Great eggs and omelette options for breakfast, and they have some unique cottage cheese pancakes that I’ve had a few times. Solid burgers, and club sandwiches, but they are well known for their steaks. Filet Mignon, and Strip Steak are my go to’s, and the mac and cheese and mashed potatoes are great sides.
Michael’s Uptown Cafe isn’t cheap by any means, you are going to have to empty your wallet a bit. Every menu item is well worth the money and the atmosphere is very welcoming, and the service is extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Go with friends, on a date, or with your parents when they are in town, there is something for everybody!
MICHAEL’S UPTOWN CAFE
102 East Kirkwood Avenue
(812) 339-0900
Cost Friendly: You will spend anywhere from $15-$25
Restaurant Rating:
Deangelos
by Mike on April 15, 2011
DeAngelos is one of the best places in town to have a quick, yet classy, sit down Italian meal. Tonight, my friend and I sat down to a nice meal during Little 5 as our waiter made us a plate of oil, vinegar, roasted garlic, and some cheese and pepper to dip our bread in. 
It was a delicious start to our quaint meal. My friend ordered the house specialty, Shrimp and Crawfish Diavolo, with gulf shrimp and Louisiana crawfish sautéed with a sauce of Asiago cream and a touch of fresh tomato tossed with linguine and a little spice. I had the Spaghetti and Meatballs, a classic, with tomato basil sauce and meatballs garnished with spicy Asiago. They have many other pasta dishes including Ravioli, Lasagna, and Chicken and Artichoke pasta. They also have some great Calzone selections and you can even create your own. The prices are great, extremely reasonable, and you get a good amount of food for what you’re paying for. I always have leftovers when I go! They also have a lot of great deals during the week. Monday is buy one pizza, get another of equal or lesser value for free, Tuesday is Family Night, Wednesday is ½ priced wines, and Thursday is $8.00 entrée night. DeAngelosprovides a quiet atmosphere with great food for a simple yet tasty Italian meal.
DEANGELOS
2620 East 3rd Street
Bloomington, IN
(812) 961-0008
Cost Friendly: You will spend anywhere from $10-$20
Restaurant Rating:
Domo Steak and Sushi Restaurant
by brittany on April 4, 2011
“It hurts so good.”
That’s what you’ll be saying after this meal. Domo is a great place
for birthday parties, family visits, or just a delicious decadent meal
with friends. Tonight, my friends and I headed over there for some
hibachi, and we were sure to make a reservation as it gets busy after
7:00pm. Main entrees include choices from chicken, shrimp, salmon,
steak, lobster, and also many combination dinners. Each meal comes
with soup and a house salad with ginger dressing, rice (fried rice is
an additional $2.00 extra), noodles, and vegetables. The hibachi
chefs cook the food right in front of you, so it really is a true
entertainment dining experience. Our chef tried to pull a few jokes
on us by squirting a ketchup bottle on my friend and a string popped
out, and he also tossed an onion onto my plate. He made a flaming
onion tower by lining up the rings of an onion, pouring alcohol
inside, and lighting it on fire.
He used pepper to get some sparks
out of the fire too! You also get two sauces for your meats to be
dipped in. One is a spicy mustard sauce and the other is called
YumYum sauce. Not sure what’s in it, or that I even want to know, but
it’s yummy! Overall, it was a great dinner and it left us all
completely filled to the brim.
106 S Franklin Rd
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 332-7700
Cost Friendly: You will spend $15-$25, but its worth every penny!
Restaurant Rating:
Mama’s Korean Restaurant
by brittany on March 28, 2011
Mama’s opened up shop in 2003 and was originally intended to target Korean students at IU. However, since most other students on campus have not had much experience with a variety of ethnic foods, it became a great spot to try out some authentic Korean cooking. Mama’s offers Korean style tabletop BBQ, where you can cook the food yourself on this awesome charcoal fire system, or you can sit at a regular table where they cook your food for you. Whether you’re in the mood to play with your food or simply eat a hearty meal, Mama’s is the place to try something new on the menu. In order to sit at the BBQ do-it-yourself tables, you must order at least 2 entrée dinners.
Trust me, you’re going to want a lot of food to play with and cook with. Tonight, started out with an appetizer of Steamed Wantons, which had beer, onion, scallion, Chinese cabbage, and beat sprouts wrapped in egg roll skin. Then for entrees I ordered the Kahl Bee, short ribs tenderized and marinated in the special house sauce for ten hours before broiled, and the Boolgogee, thin tender beer marinated in special Korean sauce served broiled. Mama’s is great because it allows you to have fun while you cook your meals in front of you on this massive charcoal grill. It’s easy too, you just let the meat cook a few minutes on each side, you can leave in on longer if you like some pieces extra crispy. For the short ribs, you put the bones on the outside of the grill circle because they take longer to cook, pretty much like slow roasting them! The center of the grill is the hottest part so meat placed there cooks the fastest. Each dish is served with a vast amount of side dishes such as Korean pasta salad, seaweed salad, kimchi, fish cakes, tofu, Korean coleslaw with wasabi, and more. This is definitely a delicious place to go with family or friends for a fun dinner experience.
Address: 2630 E. 10th Street
Phone: (812) 333-8071
Cost Friendly: You will spend $10-$15 and leave very satisfied!
Restaurant Rating:
Bloomington Sandwich Company
by Mike on March 13, 2011
You want the best turkey club or reuben in Bloomington? Go to Bloomington Sandwich Company and I can assure you that you will get your fix. They have switched locations a couple times, but now are located right by kirkwood on north college avenue. The owner, Mike is one of the friendliest guys, and hardest workers that I have ever met. Hailing from Chicago, his menu consists of numerous mouth watering sandwiches such as the Bloomington Sandwich Club, which comes with…drum roll please… Honey ham, smoked turkey, salami and pepperoni stacked high with swiss and mozzarella topped with lettuce, onion, and tomato, served on a sub bun. ( I highly recommend asking for it pressed on the grill). Their Classic Reuben and Italian Beef are amazing, and their Chicago Dog makes you think that you are at Wrigley Field watching a Cubs game.
I am not even from the Chicago area, but Bloomington Sandwich makes me want to go to the Windy City a lot more often! If you have a sweet tooth, Mike gives out complimentary small italian ices to many customers. Just ask, and you shall receive. He is as hands on as you can get owning a restaurant. Normally I order Bloomington Sandwich Company on Btownmenus.com for delivery or takeout. Being only a 2-3 minute walk from my apartment, takeout is usually the way to go. I am sucker for their turkey club, and Mike’s friendly nature is contagious and leaves you feeling in a great mood!
BLOOMINGTON SANDWICH COMPANY
107 North College Avenue
(812) 330-9611
Cost Friendly: You will spend at most $10 on a sandwich chips and a drink!
Restaurant Rating:
Truffles Restaurant
by Mike on March 7, 2011
Since I arrived in Bloomington in the fall of 2004, Truffles Restaurant has been my favorite upscale dining spot. Whether my parents were in town, I wanted to do a nice dinner with my buddies, or take a girl on a date, this was always a sure thing. They’ve got a nice upscale atmosphere, and a menu that is high in price, but even higher in quality. Great fish dishes, strip steak, rib eye, and some phenomenal appetizers such as the Duck Confit and Water Chestnut Croquettes which comes with Gingered-Orange Hoisin Glaze, Asian Slaw, and Toasted Sesame Seeds. My favorite appetizer is definitely the Pine Nuts Crusted Goat Cheese with Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Basil Oil, and Toasted Ciabatta Bread.
What really got me excited is when I found out that Truffles wanted to start delivering on Btownmenus.com! Not only do they deliver food, but beer and liquor as well! It just so happened that we were running an eat cheap week last week, and they offered 2 Kobe beef burgers that are normally $36 for a total of $22. I took advantage of this special twice throughout the last seven days, and lets just say it was incredible! Truffles is definitely the most expensive restaurant throughout Bloomington, but you have to pay for quality, and being from the Metropolitan area, this place makes me feel right at home with how exceptional every single one of their dishes are! Great place for dining in, but as I mentioned…you can also order from Truffles on Btownmenus.com for delivery! Make sure to be 21 and have 2 IDs ready if you are ordering beer and/or liquor!
TRUFFLES RESTAURANT
1131 South College Mall Road
(812) 330-1111
Cost Friendly: You will be spending at least $20 but its worth every penny!
Restaurant Rating:
Japanee
by Mike on March 3, 2011
I live literally right across the street from Japanee, so you would figure I go in all the time. Being in this town for over six years now, Japanee used to be on my rotation of restaurants I would dine in at least once a week. That took a toll on my wallet, but the biggest problem was that their former owners were not good people. That led to bad service, and eventually the sushi wasn’t even fresh on the day to day. I decided to take a hiatus from Japanee up until this year. I was a little skeptical about going back in, after years of dealing with problems.
What wonders new management can do for a place! The atmosphere was completely different from the second I walked in the door. Relaxing music playing, tons of flat screens with different games on, and most importantly, a smiling hostess to greet us at the door. There is a giant scale that you can step on to see how much you weigh. Its always fun to hop on that before you stuff your face with sushi and then see yourself gain five pounds after your meal!
I went into Japanee on a Saturday night with a group of friends, and we decided to go the whole nine yards with sake bombing and tons of platters of sushi. You can’t go wrong with hot sake on a cold February night. This warmed us up for some sushi, as we were all starving! My go to whenever I am at a Japanese restaurant and want sushi, is to allow the Chef to choose his favorites and surprise me! I am not picky when it comes to raw fish, as I will literally try everything! Therefore I asked for a platter of the chef’s recommendation. That was definitely the right call and I have to say that every roll I had was phenomenal! Eel Roll, Salmon Roll, Tuna Roll, Dragon Roll, I even had one called the Awesome Roll, and it was… AWESOME! Japanee really changed its way in a positive light, and although it’s a bit pricy (as sushi always is) the quality made it well worth the price! I will be walking across the street now a lot more often to get my Sushi kick! Go to Japanee and have a blast with your friends as you sake bomb and eat away!
JAPANEE
(812) 334-3474
320 North Walnut Street
Cost Friendly: You will be spending at least $20 but its well worth it!
Restaurant Rating:
Quiznos
by Mike on February 27, 2011
My friend and I were driving around yesterday by the college mall area and it just so happened that I had to stop into Quiznos and speak with their new owners about getting back on Btownmenus.com. After a great conversation with the very friendly co-owners, they offered us free sandwiches of our choice! I was starving at that point so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Quiznos will also be back on Btownmenus.com starting tomorrow on online ordering for delivery and takeout. After looking over the menu, I decided to go with the Turkey Ranch and Swiss on 9 grain artisan wheat bread. Turkey, Swiss, Lettuce, and ranch dressing followed by a thirty second run through a conveyer belt which toasts the sub to perfection. I wonder if the employee behind the counter saw that I was salivating, because he immediately said that I looked extremely hungry! You can never go wrong with a free meal, but overall I am huge fan of Quiznos subs. They give you a ton of meat on the sandwiches, and I have always been a big proponent of the toasted sandwich, as I love when my teeth chomp into the hot bread and melted cheese. Although Quiznos isn’t on campus, as I mentioned earlier they deliver on Btownmenus.com and have some great deals! Look out for their EAT CHEAP WEEK specials starting tomorrow, and if you are a feeling a sub that will leave you 100% satisfied then its time for you to try Quiznos!
QUIZNOS
115 South State Road 46 Ste H
(812) 334-3495
Cost Friendly: You will be stuffed for under $10 everytime, and that includes chips and a drink with your sub!
Restaurant Rating: