Tuesday, April 17, 2012

April 16, 2012. Bloomington, IN. Part 1 of 3. Rosie Finally Gets A Decent Meal Thanks To Mar.

I know you've all been worried about Rosie,
because of Mr. Hawthorne's dietary restrictions.

Is she getting enough sustenance for herself?
What is the poor woman eating?
Will she be strong enough to travel and blog across 
this great Nation of ours?

Not to worry.
We made it to Bloomington, Indiana, yesterday,
to visit my dear friend Mar,
of Foodies Untie blogdom
Mar knew just how to take care of both Mr. Hawthorne and me.

First, the money shot.
Rosie's lunch yesterday:

Feel better now?
I know I do.


Marilyn did her research
and came up with Upland Brewery for our lunch.

First, a little info about Upland Brewery.
Upland Brewery has been brewing since 1998,
making brews that are spins on traditional recipes
while coming up brews from their own imaginations.
Their mission is to do well as a craft brewery
and to do good in their community.

 

The name "Upland" comes from the Norman and Crawford Uplands,
two different geologic regions of Indiana.
The terrain of central Indiana is considered fairly monotonous.
The flat to gently rolling surfaces are the product of
continental glaciation during the Ice Age.
When the glaciers advanced into Indiana,
sediments carried by the ice sheets were deposited
as a mixture of sand, silt, clay and boulders, also know as "till."
When the ice melted, this "till" resulted in an outwash of sand and gravel.
Accumulations of till and outwash filled the bedrock valleys
to create the flat to gently rolling surfaces.

In Northeastern Indiana, parts of the glaciated area are hilly,
the highest elevation being 1257 feet above sea level.
This scenic area consists of steep-sided hills and valleys.
The Mississippian-age rocks making up this area are
mostly siltstone rich in silica.
More than 330 million years ago,
these rocks were part of a vast delta system,
but now make up the bedrock,
 a collection of resistant rock types forming the Norman Upland.

To the west are alternating Mississippian layers of sandstone,
shale, and limestone,
and more sandstone of the Pennsylvanian age,
which make up the Crawford Upland.
This region averages about 500 feet above sea level
and is more than 350 lower in elevation than the Crawford Upland.

The topographical variations of Indiana are a testament
to active glaciation and the relentless forces of running water
working throughout geologic time to erode and shape
both soil and rock.

As Upland Brewery explained,
this physiography of Indiana has influenced
the Hoosier cultural development,
from the trails forged by the earliest inhabitants
to the location of modern highways, powerlines,
and the placement of reservoirs.
 The glacial action resulted in a region of rugged land
and heavily wooded hills and hollows.
This adversity in environment was not easy for the early settlers
and created strong-willed, independent thinkers
with a connection to the land.
According to Uplands Brewery,
"Our approach to brewing beer honors the spirit
of these people and this place."



In today's world, dominated by giant multi-national companies,
processed food, and mass-marketing,
 Upland Brewery strives to honor their local communities,
cultures, and economies by sourcing locally,
and trying to minimize their impact on their environment.
They're all about sustainability and giving back to their community.

Basically, it's a 21st century hippie, communal ideology.
Or at least that's the way I interpret it.


So now you know.

 
  That's our most efficient, most competent waitress on the left.
I ordered my "unsweetened ice tea
 with five pieces of lemon, please,"
and got it.
When she noticed my tea was low,
she didn't refill my glass.
She brought me another glass of tea.
With five pieces of lemon.

No waitperson has ever done that before.
I don't understand why not,
since if I asked for the lemon the first time,
you'd think one would assume I'd want the lemons for the refill.
But most waitpeople don't think that way.
This waitress did.
I was impressed.

Check out their menu and you can understand
why I had a hard time ordering.



Check out the desserts.
I was intrigued by the ice cream
served with chocolate covered bacon.
I never thought about that combination before,
but I might just try it when I get home.


Uplands Brewery has a large outside dining area.

Interior shot.

Mar ordered the Hoosier Classic -
a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich,
fried golden brown,
with lettuce, tomato, and red onion
on a toasted Kaiser roll,
with some of the best fries I've had.
House-cut and extra crispy.

Mar said the pork was tender, no gristle,
and seasoned perfectly.
No salt or pepper needed.

Mr. Hawthorne, adhering to his diet,
ordered the Buffalo Chili,
Made with locally raised ground buffalo,
simmered in a spicy tomato broth
with black beans, fresh veggies, smoked chilies,
and Red Elmer's Porter.
He finished this off in no time.

Then he decided he wanted to try 
the child's portion of the beer-battered cod.
He had a tiny bite of the batter,
then pulled it off and ate the cod.
Excellent tartar sauce.
Wonderful fries.
The cod was sweet
and the batter light and crispy.
Perfection.

I ordered a "Starter"
-the Upland Nachos-
consisting of blue corn chips, melted mozzrella
and cheddar-jack cheeses, diced tomatoes, fresh jalapenoes,
black beans, spicy beef, and sides of chipotle salsa and sour cream.
After 3 crappy meals in as many days,
I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
I couldn't even make a dent in this.

I want to thank you, Mar,
for being the wonderful person you are,
and for taking care of the Hawthornes' dietary needs.

The food was excellent,
and the company even better.

We thank you.




2 comments:

Marilyn said...

Ah shucks. I'm blushing now. I'm just glad that you and Mr. Hawthorne enjoyed your lunches. I know that I enjoyed the company.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

I only wish we could have stayed longer. I'd love to get in the kitchen with you!

You'll have to take a trip to the Outer Banks and let me take care of you next time.