Symphony on the Prairie

A summer outing I always love is heading to Conner Prairie (a fantastic place on its own) to see the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (one of the very few full-time symphony orchestras in the country) play for the Symphony on the Prairie series.

Picture a wide expanse of gently sloping lawn which has this at its base:

The sun sets behind the grand stage and I can honestly say that I feel I am somewhere else completely.

Here's a shot of people hanging out right before the music started:

One of the most fun things is that people come early and bring wine, beer, and food to have picnics during the event. Here's PART of our spread!

My friends and I went to the John Denver tribute a couple weekends ago and I can say that I was blown away. The music was masterful and expertly played. The singer (John Curry) that came to sing the John Denver songs was almost a perfect vocal (and physical!) match. It was a magical evening.

Check out this link for the Symphony on the Prairie for the rest of the season's schedule and ticket/venue information.

Trust me, this is a summertime event worth checking out. It's one of the nicest things Indy has to offer.

Indianapolis International Film Festival

Monday, a friend and I decided to check out the Indianapolis International Film Festival. I was tired that day from a weekend of poor sleep and wanted to skip it, but decided if all I had to do was park my butt in a theatre chair, I could do it.

And I am really glad I did.

The Indianapolis International Film Festival which lasts from July 15 - July 25 (so you still a few days to get out to see some of the films!) is being hosted at the IMA (which is a wonderful place just on its own).

My friend and I saw Fish Out of Water which was wonderful. My brief synopsis is that it is documentary exploring the way the Bible (specifically seven verses from the Bible) are used to repudiate homosexuality and the validity of those claims. Very interesting stuff. I came away with a much more lovely understanding of Jesus Christ, Christianity, and the Bible than I had going in. As a person who likes to study world religions, it was fascinating for me in that regard.

Unfortunately, this film is no longer being aired, but it looks there are still several great ones on the schedule.

Tickets for the time we went (3:15 pm) were $5 for students and $10 for regular admission.

Check it out! I think you'll enjoy it.

Knoxville, TN: A Great Destination Within a Few Hours of Indy

A couple weekends ago, me, my husband, and our doglet took a road trip to Knoxville, TN. Knoxville is a cute town, most well-known as the home of the University of Tennessee, where Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, played college football.

We got in on Saturday afternoon and after settling in to our hotel, took a walk to the World's Fair grounds (it was held in Knoxville in 1982). Here's a picture I got from http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc20965.php

It was a hot day, but the walk around the grounds was pleasant. Their canal area reminded me of Indy's Canal Walk downtown. I am not at all biased when say that Indy's is much better. Knoxville has several of fountains that shoot up from the ground. There were lots of kids (and adults!) enjoying the cool jets in the hot weather.

Knoxville has a rather small downtown area, but they did have a really cute little square called 'Market Square':

There were lots of very cute little shops and some really good restaurants. We ate at The Tomato Head and La Costa and really enjoyed them both. I am a vegetarian and I loved that there were several great vegetarian options at both.

There was also a small Arts Garden by Market Square that's dotted with interesting sculptures. It has a pond with a small waterfall and it's a pleasant place to walk through or sit for a bit.

All in all, we had a great time in Knoxville. It's charming and has just enough to offer for a couple days away.

And here's the doglet on the way back from Knoxville:

Yogokiss

After my visit to Jasmine Thai, I had to stop by at the place next door: Yogokiss. It's a frozen yogurt place right next door. They usually have a few different flavors and a couple made of soy (usually caramel and vanilla). They have a toppings bar with all the usual suspects like sprinkes, cookie dough, oreo bits, etc., and they also a wide variety of gorgeous fruits.

Decor:

Sorry for the dark picture, but you can see the place is fun, very spacious, areas to hang out. The owner encourages people to write on little pink hearts and leave messages on the walls. There is also a wall of magazines, plus comfy couches, and free wi-fi to encourage people to stick around.

Service:

I've never had anything but kind service here. The owner and staff are happy to let you sample the flavors and explain the process. They also allowed me to take pictures in the restaurant (I always ask).

Food:

Here's the toppings bar. Unfortunately, I skipped all the healthy looking fruits and ended up with coconut, peanuts, and reeses peanut butter cup bits on sugar-free, fat-free frozen yogurt. Oh! I was also able to add bits of oatmeal waffle cone for free. I was not sad about it:

The yogurt was not screaming chocolate, but very subtle. It's a sugar-free, fat-free yogurt so it is a but watery and thin and there's little richness to the mouth feel. But it's pleasant. Certainly, if you want a decadent, creamy ice cream experience, this isn't the place for you.

Pricing:

I ordered a small with three toppings for about $4.15 after tax. As I have a smaller appetite, I generally share this size with my husband. I find it in line with other ice cream and yogurt places for this size and amount of toppings. Not cheaper, not more expensive.

Verdict:

A fun place, nice for hanging out, decent yogurt, great toppings. If you're right there and are looking for a sweet treat that's not going to be a calorie bomb, it's the place for you.

Jasmine Thai

I was out running errands and happened to be by 96th St. around lunch time. I love Thai food and generally like Jasmine Thai, so I ventured there for their lunch specials. They are located at 96th St. between Allisonville Rd. and Keystone Ave. (closer to Allisonville) at 4825 E. 96th St. in the River Ridge Crossing strip mall:

Here's the restaurant front:

Decor:

Pleasant, you'll see some of the typical Thai restaurant hanging fabric art and the cat with the waving paw. Not exceptional, not terrible. It was clean and tidy, and I'm happy with that for a strip mall restaurant.

Service:

Pretty fast, attentive service. I've been to Jasmine Thai probably 10 times and service has never been an issue. All the waiters and waitresses are pretty good. Drinks are refilled quickly and they seem to accommodating, but then, I've never had any really odd requests beyond, "Can I have some salt?"

Food:

The lunch menu is a smaller version of their evening menu and all entrees come with a side of your choice of spring roll, salad, or soup (Thom Yum). The lunch entrees are priced at $6.99-$7.99 and feature the more popular Thai dishes (such as the curry dishes, the popular noodle dishes like Pad Thai, and others such as Pad Kra Prow).  I am a pretty light eater, so the lunch portion of the red curry with extra vegetables I ordered is enough for 2 meals.  I also had the spring roll (1 is served with a bit of sweet and sour sauce) as the appetizer.

The flavor is very good, not overly sweet like some curries can be. It's not the best red curry I've ever had and I felt it was lacking some essential ingredient that I couldn't put my finger on. It was almost there...but not quite. I ordered medium on their 5 point scale (mild, medium, medium hot, hot, Thai hot). The veggies were cooked to the point of being crisp-tender, and I liked that. As for the spring roll, it was a little rubbery. I wondered if had been pre-cooked and then re-heated. It had some shredded cabbage and carrots in it and was pleasant at best. I'd go with the Thom Yum soup next time.

Pricing:

I ordered a diet Coke with lemon along with my meal and the total was $9.53, $12.00 after tip. I felt that was reasonable for the amount of food I got.

Verdict:

Since I've already told you I've been here about 10 times, you can bet I'll be here again. This is my second favorite Thai restaurant in Indy and it's the closer one to my home (My favorite is Thai Spice across from the Greenwood Mall). I would say it's very good Thai food.

Amazing Indiana Kids

I’ve had some great experiences this summer in Indy. Visited the IMA for the Summer Nights series, went to Symphony on the Prairie, had many wonderful moments with wonderful friends at great area restaurants (more on all these later in future posts). But probably the most fulfilling thing I’ve done all summer is participating in a Silent Auction inspired by a 6-year-old boy’s desire to help with the Gulf Coast efforts.

Here’s an article we published on Indystar.com.

As you can see, the auction raised a whopping $850 for the Ocean Conservancy!

Here are some pictures from the event:

The Good Stuff Italian Cafe

As it is DAY 1 of my newest venture into the blogosphere, I thought I'd start as I mean to go on: with a review of a restaurant. It's a place we heard great things about from friends. They said it was a hole-in-the-wall place with great, authentic Italian food.

It's located at 4709 North Shadeland in Indianapolis in a little strip mall. I have to admit, there's really nothing else around but a church across the street. They've been open two months and I hope they get a bunch of word of mouth traffic cause foot traffic is going to be hard to come by.

Decor:

Very basic, recently brought up to snuff. It is a rather small space, probably seats 15-20. Nothing to write home about, but not dirty or anything. Lots of light (which I like).

Service:

The service we received was really fantastic. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. We were the only two in the place at the time, but I still think the owner/chef went beyond his duty to be a good host. I'm a service snob so when I get it, I like to acknowledge it.

Food:

The menu is pretty basic, offering a few daily specials (there was a lobster ravioli, a sausage lasagna, a meatball sub, and perhaps another item) and pizzas, subs, house salads, and some Italian dishes (such as spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells, tortellini and some dishes with their alfredo sauce--which is supposed to be outstanding). There are also a few desserts, a couple of which are imported (bomba and canolli) from Italy.

I ordered a small salad (basic, but very fresh and tasty) and the stuffed shells ($7.99 for dinner portion + $1.00 for salad):

My picture is not the greatest (I'm looking at new digital cameras as we speak, if you have any recommendations, please send them my way!), but the food was nicely presented in a very "home" kind of way (note the dinnerware). The sauce was fresh and light, slightly sweet, not acidic at all. There were herbs and larger pieces of tomato, which I liked. The shells were hand stuffed with fresh, creamy ricotta, also well-studded with fresh basil and oregano. The bread sticks were fluffy and a bit crisp on the outside (and dusted with parmesan and oregano, as you can see). I was able to eat one shell and one breadstick. I probably could have eaten more, but I'd already eaten a salad and was anticipating dessert, so, I decided to take a to-go box.

My husband had a small salad and one of the specials of the day: the sausage lasagna (~$8.00 for the dinner portion + $1.00 for salad).

He loved it and said "it was robust in flavor and very fresh and home-style." I trust he's telling me the truth cause he polished off his entire plate. 'Nuff said.

For dessert we actually ordered both the imported desserts (the Italian Canolli--which we brought home and have stuck in the fridge 'cause we're stuffed, and the Italian Exotic Bomba): both were $3.75

This was a "bomba" of passion fruit sorbet (the lightest color), mango sorbet (the orange-y one), and raspberry sorbet enrobed in white chocolate, drizzled with dark chocolate. We had the owner cut it in half for us cause they are huge. The sorbets in this dessert are some of the nicest I've had. The passion fruit was tart/tangy/sweet just like passion fruit should be. The sorbet was so creamy I almost wondered if there was any cream in it, but there wasn't. The mango was a touch floral and had a very bright and true full-on mango flavor. The raspberry portion was very small, but it did have a nice raspberry flavor. If I closed my eyes and tried each flavor, I'd definitely be able to tell you what they were.

Pricing:

On the whole, the pricing here is more than fair for the portion sizes and quality of the food. We spent $35 for the both of us including a couple soft drinks, salads, entrees, and desserts. My husband tipped about $8 on the bill because the service was just so good--friendliness goes a long way! So really, about $27 including tax. Not bad at all. AND I have lunch for tomorrow!

Verdict:

A place I'd visit again. There were enough vegetarian options and the people were so nice. I'd love to see them survive and thrive in this wretched economy. Was it the best Italian food I've had? No. BUT, it was certainly very good, very fresh, and very well-priced. Give it a shot. Invite me.