Pearl Bistro

While anticipating being stuck at the Holiday Inn/waterpark on the outskirts of Indianapolis one day, I looked ahead for a good place to eat and read some good reviews about a little place called Pearl Bistro. Not a terrible rating on Yelp, within a few miles of the hotel, and they even offered a Restaurant.com gift certificate at the time (those are no longer available).

The first time I tried to go there for dinner, I found out they’re only open for brunch and lunch on Mondays. Next time I was in Indy, which was quite a few months, I finally got a chance to use my gift certificate and it took me a few tries to find the place because it’s stuck in the back of a strip mall area. Don’t let its location fool you because it’s still a quaint little place with some stained glass windows looking out on a shaded courtyard. Probably 5-8 tables in the whole place. Real small and intimate.

While reading the menu and looking at the small list of options, I was excited to find out the owner of the restaurant left her career as a biologist to pursue her passion in the kitchen. Cool, right? The service was pretty good and I decided to go with a glass of red wine and the ‘Chicken Italiano.” I don’t remember exactly what was in it or how it was prepared, but look at the image above and know that my taste buds could’ve died and gone to heaven it was so tasty!

The menu here is small and always changing by season and based on local ingredients, so don’t expect a real quick meal or very inexpensive pricing. However, it’s a nice place to have a quiet, enjoyable dinner with fantastic tasting food.

[ official site ]  [ Yelp ]

Nosh and slosh in S-town

We don’t do a whole lot of travel in Missouri, but when we do, it’s all you can do to avoid the misery. Hope that you have a car and can head out to downtown Springfield for a nice evening away from the hotel. Down on Walnut Street, just a few blocks from University Plaza Hotel, is a pretty good area for food and beverage. One night on the town with my presenter led us to the following two establishments: Ophelia’s Tapas & Wine Bar and Finnegan’s Wake/Revival.

Ophelia’s

This quaint little place specializes in wine and custom cocktails, but also serves hors d'oeuvres and tapas for your nibbling pleasure. Neither my presenter or I had any food here, but the patrons seemed to be enjoying themselves. We really stepped in for a little liquor to start the night right. I was in the mood for something strong, but sweet, so we stepped up to the bar and started chatting with the bartender.

After half-gazing at the menu and chatting about nightly specials, the bartender started asking me my liquor preferences and some flavoring ideas. Just a minute or two later, out came one of the best chocolate martinis I’ve ever had. My presenter had a similar experience and loved whatever he concocted for her. His name is Adam and is pretty damn good at his job. Ask for him if you decide to stop by.

Their nightly specials are pretty good from what I remember and the place has a nice Art Nouveau décor. Great service and a relaxing atmosphere are exactly what you need at a place like this, and they definitely deliver.

[ Yelp ]  [ bartender Adam showing off his skills ]

 

Finnegan’s Wake, Finnegan’s Revival, and South Ave. Pizza Co.

 

Less than two blocks away on South Street, you can find a pretty decent Irish Pub called Finnegan’s Wake. Certainly not an original name or concept, but always a safe bet. After we left Ophelia’s, my presenter and I were in the mood for some real food and somewhere to sit down and relax. As soon as we walked past the front door, we knew this would be the next stop of the night.

It ends up that Finnegan’s Wake is strictly a bar, but attached next door is Finnegan’s Revival (a.k.a. South Ave. Pizza Co.). More great drink specials, really good thin crust pizza, billiards, dart boards, and shuffleboard were all in attendance at this place. We happened to catch the beginning of Trivia Night and settled in with some delicious pizza and some pitchers of beer. Certainly not anything you can’t find anywhere else, but it was a relaxing and fun evening when we otherwise would’ve been stuck in the hotel ordering room service or take-out.

[ Finnegan’s Wake on Yelp ]  [ South Ave Pizza Co. on Yelp ]

We be jammin’!

Alright, this review comes directly from a presenter’s recommendation and no personal experience, so no photos, sorry.

What: The Windjammer Restaurant
Where: South Burlington, VT
Why: This place has a salad bar that could rival one of my all time favorites: The Library II in Voorhees, NJ (Cherry Hill).

The photos from their website make this place look real cozy, but maybe a little too swanky if you’re saving your per diem for a weekend rager in Vegas. Currently ranking 4/5 stars (only 42 reviews) on Yelp, it seems like the experience could be worth the hype. I’ve been told to do Happy Hour upstairs at the bar for cheap eats. It’s called the Upper Deck…hehe.

Overall, Barb Blanke tells me it’s great food for an inexpensive price. She’s one of my favorite presenters, so take her word for it.

[ official site ]  [ Yelp ]

P.S. They’ve got a hotel and conference center attached, so try and convince Logistics to start booking there.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 4th location

If you’ve paid attention to this blog long enough, you’ll know that Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a small NY-based chain of BBQ restaurants, made an early appearance and hasn’t quit since. Welcome to the fourth installment of this restaurant’s ever-growing list of locations: Troy, NY.

Just outside of Albany proper, this location backs up to the Hudson River in downtown Troy and is right next to the town’s Riverfront Park, so if  the weather’s nice, it makes for some pretty good views. Plenty of seating, bar space, and good music to go around.

 

 

 

 

These places have consistently good food, a good selection craft beers (including their home-made brews as well), and plenty of atmosphere and attitude to go around. The Honey Hush cornbread and mac ’n’ cheese is to die for.

At the time of my last visit, the Troy location was the most recent addition to the chain, but now they’re in Newark, NJ and Stamford, CT as well. In my time with BER, I made it a point to visit all the locations, but now have those last two to add to my list, damn. You, however, are still traveling on company dime and I highly recommend stuffing your face full of this sweet, sweet meat.

Whether you saddle up to the bar, find a seat on the (hopefully) sunny patio, or cram into a corner somewhere, you gotta’ find some time to fit Dino into your schedule. Yet another great place to take your presenter(s) and unwind after a long evening on the road.

Check out reviews for some of the other Dino Bar-B-Que locations here on the blog.

Elmo’s

I think there are too many Big Bird jokes to make here…

One evening at the Ramada – Amherst with a rumbling in my belly, I sought out some authentic Buffalo wings. After a quick stop by the hotel’s front desk and perusal of some online reviews, I decided on Elmo’s Bar & Restaurant. If you’re a fowl connoisseur, you probably know that the original Buffalo wing is fabled to have been created at a place called Anchor Bar by owner Teressa Lenz as a late-night drunk munchy for her son and his friends. Many claim Anchor Bar to still have the best wings in Buffalo, but some also claim a place called Duffy’s.
From what I heard and tasted, however, the best chicken wings in Buffalo are actually served at Elmo’s.

Cooks at Elmo’s prepare their wings with the B.F.G. method. Brining, Frying, and Grilling these wings gives them their unique flavor and texture. Moist, chewy meat (and lots of it) meets your mouth while still being covered in an outer layer of crunchy, crispy skin. Pictured above are the honey mustard wings with a side of bleu cheese.

If you’re feeling frisky and/or have a fridge in your hotel room, try the special: a double portion of wings + pitcher of beer = little over $20.

The ambiance and look of this place couldn’t matter less; it’s a divey kind of place with TVs to watch The Game on. Eat at the bar or get the wings to go. Your taste buds won’t regret it.

[ website ] – [ yelp ]

You better scream for this cream!

[thanks, sister]

In Denver there is the best damn ice cream you will ever eat. Period.

Enter, Little Man Ice Cream.

Locally-owned and operated in the Highland neighborhood, Little Man Ice Cream opened on the 4th of July, 2008 and has been serving tasty, unique frozen cream one scoop at a time ever since. The building is shaped like a giant milk can, there’s plenty of outdoor seating (and even a few window seats), and a slide down to the store next door for the little ones. The variety of flavors is in constant rotation and each one is as delicious as the last, this even includes their selections of gelato and sorbet!

Little Man is constantly playing host to a variety of events like pumpkin carvings for Halloween, 4th of July parties (also their birthday), and even adults only YouTube nights. Heck, even you lactose intolerants can head over and throw down an extra $0.50 for some Lactaid!

From day one, Little Man has participated in a self-created program called “Scoop for Scoop,” which donates one scoop of rice to hunger- and poverty-stricken folks worldwide for each scoop of ice cream they sell.

Do yourself a favor and get your butt over to Little Man for a tasty little treat. Even if it’s snowing.

[ website ] – [ yelp ]

A Slice Above, Cleveland, OH

If you knew me, you’d know that it pains me not to have photographic evidence of a good meal. Especially when I know that I’ll be posting about it later here on the blog. Well, it happened. I ate some coma-inducing, stomach-filling pizza and got so caught up in things that I forgot to grab the camera. That’s really saying something.

Less than 3 miles from the Cleveland airport Crowne Plaza is A Slice Above Pizza.
Yup, the name really does say it all!

Tons of unique topping combinations, five types of crust to choose from, a few different sauces, homemade ice cream, and even “take and bake” pizzas (baking tray included). Holy cow, what more could you ask for from a tiny little take-out-or-delivery pizza joint?

I took a hint from a Yelp review by Lisa S. and chose one of the staff favorites, the “Honey Bee.” With a real honey base, pieces of ham, big bacon strips (not crumbles), sharp white cheddar, and mozzarella, this pizza was finger-lickin’ good.

[website]    [yelp]