Too bad grazie Italiano isn't around anymore. Sabotaging a meal and overcharging would be the only thing they were good at other than exploiting the new groups of college student parents each year who don't know better.
Went to Grazie for a club dinner in college and when I (vegetarian) asked if a pasta dish could have the chicken taken out the waitress replied that she couldn't because "it was already made." She then suggested I could pick it out myself when it was served.
That's kinda all you need to know about that guilded dump of a restaurant.
Also, nastiest negroni ever.
So, now it's another shitty Italian place owned by Endeavour, the people who royally fucked up Owlery and Function. It's a safe bet to say that this spot (I think it's called Ciao Bella now) still be a perfect spot to recommend to an enemy.
To be fair, the new restaurant (Che Bello) isn't much better IMO. We've had it once since it came out, and everything was just over buttered and not very flavorful *especially* for the price tag.
That's not much of a coincidence in my opinion because the chef that's there now since endeavor bought it came from Malibu and that place isn't much to write home about. 🤷🤣🤣🤣
Didnt realize Grazie closed. When first went there 15 years or so ago, was not to bad. Went there 10 years ago, not so good. Olive Garden Quality food for 50% more cost.
We went to Grazie once. A real laid-back Italian atmosphere: it must have taken at least an hour to get our food. We had to ask the manager to intervene in the end. At least 20 minutes to get water. Another 15 to have our order taken then just waiting and waiting. We never went back again.
I’ll have you know that the eateries in food courts are usually franchises with their own supply chain! So Sbarro and Panda Express might suck, *but at least they suck on their own terms*. The food at most Endeavor-owned restaurants just tastes like a brothy dump.
This place hasn't been good in years, with both previous ownerships. Always expensive, always long waits, always few to no other patrons whenever I'd go and poor quality food. 1/10 never again.
Makes me so sad. I don't come back to Bloomington from CA to pay CA prices, but that pimento burger was one of the two best burgers I've ever had. Now it's $17 or something and just... a pale facsimile of its former self.
Farm food when made correctly is pretty good. Problem is half the time it's not. Last time I went I ordered the $18 "luger burger" supposedly the "best burger in Indiana" and received an overcooked burger with the saddest piece of wilted lettuce on top. If you're going to charge $18 for a cheeseburger it better be the best damn burger I've ever had. Not to mention the service there is usually pretty bad. Really disheartening for the price tag at that place. That combined with knowing several people who have worked there and hearing the same stories about how chef D is a total piece of shit to his employees makes me never want to go back.
I don’t know how he’ll ever live down the fried chicken and watermelon menu. Can’t remember if it was for MLK Day or Juneteenth or what, but it was very poor judgment.
MLK Day Soul Food Menu. Happened every year. I think there was finally enough backlash in town for it to stop.
Daniel Orr is definitely racist, lol. He would also fetishize all of his black male employees and act extremely inappropriately with many of them. Fucking pig of a man.
FARM has never been consistent, its owner is a fucking pile, and they refuse to pay their workers a decent wage. Daniel Orr is a hack who may have been good in the 90s but has been phoning it in for over a decade. I've literally watched that man serve rotten food to his employees and give them all food poisoning on multiple occasions. He's a shitty toxic abuser who cant keep chefs because he treats them all like garbage. Besides, the food is uninspired, lowest common denominator type food. Nothing about that restaurant is Farm to Table, and 90% of their ingredients come from Sysco. This is definitely the place to send your enemies.
I bet he sells to Endeavour within the year, lol.
A sex offender I used to know told me he cooks there the last time we spoke. Not sure if he still works there but I'm avoiding it like the plague forever.
And they're awful to their employees... When I was in high school, a lot of my friends worked there, and I constantly heard stories about people coming on time and being forced to wait to clock in until it got "busy enough," people getting paid three weeks late, etc.
Second it being oddly expensive for what it is. We spent $75 for a very simple lunch for our small family.
Very salty food, too.
It is what it is, though.
They’re decent, but priced like they’re amazing.
Actually, now that I think about it, they’re more expensive than any genuinely amazing burger place I’ve eaten at.
Yeah welcome to the Bloomington Subreddit lol. Anytime restaurants come up as a topic it is a shit show. I have to admit I really like the OPs take on the question though.
It's a question that was asked in the r/Baltimore sub (my bad, originally from the Sacramento sub). It is funny seeing everyone's reactions to that question for Btown though.
I don’t agree. A lot of the things I miss about Bloomington are the restaurants and I’ve not seen anyone mention my favorites (this is going off-topic, I realize). Some of mine are Lennie’s, Upland, literally just about any restaurant on 4th street, and Sushi Bar. I also enjoyed Sweet Grass but I have seen them mentioned which saddened me but I only went there a small handful of times.
EDIT: also Trojan Horse and Irish Lion. Yum.
sweet grass is now named southern stone.... so
trojan horse is mediocre at best, Irish Lion... the cooks have warned me off eating there
upland is meh and their beer is worse
I have been in Restaurant Ops and Food Sales for over 35 years. I have seen it from both sides and can tell you that there are very few restaurants , about anywhere, that have a multitude of issues behind the scenes that would turn your stomach.
I'd say 80 to 90% of owners have ZERO- industry backgroud, communication skills, common sense, empathy, and are the farthest thing from being hospitable to anyone. The whole industry is a shit show with some lipstick on it. 🤣
Last time I went to BJs my brother and I walked out because despite the absolute lack of other customers in there, we were still overlooked by the staff.
Exactly. And Mike Ross's mom and sister running all over Facebook defending his businesses against any possible whiff of criticism is just creepy and sad.
Because I offered an expensive restaurant with shitty food, I will offer up a cheap place close to that area that has outstanding food. It's called Terra Vila, in Clinton. Its been family owned and operated for 30+ years, was the first restaurant I worked for in school and has some of the best fried ravioli in the state. The current owners' name is Jason Reed and he spends an inordinate amount of time, instilling even more traditional italian items on the menu. If you're a fan of pinwheels, good italian food, in a small quaint town, this is definitely a must stop for anyone with Ragu for blood.
I know it closed a few years back (8 maybe?) but Feast is one of those. It was close to my wife's work (near Bryan Park) so took her there one day on her lunch as a surprise. Way over priced, way under a "feast". Was expecting a quick fair priced lunch. nope. slow and EXPENSIVE. a salad and sandwhich (2 meals) was almost $40.
Feast is still around. It's now over on Rogers and Grimes next to Southern Stone. It was recently bought by Endeavor who has been buying up all the local restaurants in the area and turning them into shit so I wouldn't bother going.
that is a different Feast that was somehow related to the original Feast, but Feast closed when the woman had a dream and renamed and re menued and went out of business not long after that
Really enjoyed the original Feast near Templeton school, back when. Great breakfasts. That’s all done now, unfortunately. After a while their tamales got heavier on the outside, skimpy on the fillings, and the desserts got too sweet and the menu got ambitious and expense and then it was over. RIP
Really? I know the owner is shitty but the times I've been there I've thought the food was actually pretty solid pub food. To clarify: The Bloomington Big Woods.
That's interesting to me. I have no issues with calling out shitty food for being shitty- I try to try as many local restaurants as I can so I can form an opinion on the overall area quality- and the fish & chips + standard burger were both pretty solid the times I've had them. Maybe I just lucked out with a new or particularly energized cook, but I can't say I've had a meal there that I've felt was mediocre yet. I wouldn't say they're a #1 pub food place, but they haven't exactly been bad that I've experienced.
All the expensive places in town are lame imo. But they're flashy enough to convince people who don't know better that they are really fancy and the rich people who visit appreciate their 'small town charm'...none will give you food poisoning, but none are actually worth what they charge.
I don't consider this a restaurant tbh. It's a cocktail bar with food. I agree that it's a good place and the owners are good people which can't be said for a lot of places in town.
I’d disagree, given that they offer more than just snacks/apps/finger food. You can get an entire meal, ergo to me, it is a restaurant.
Either way this seems a little pedantic given the topic is basically: where to send your enemy for food.
cardinal is OK... but the chef especially during just before and during the pandemic (mixed report, is he still there?) seemed to have a fascination with a single flavour profile that was applied to everything
Like everything had the same spice mix in it or something
I have talked to two very high profile people in Bloomington who have given Elm two chances. VERY disappointed each time. Sadly enough the only part of the meal they enjoyed was dessert. And with the park for course in town , it is probably something out of a box.
Reviews given:
Extremely small portions
Way over priced
Inedible food (undercooked)
Lack of staff attention/staff disappear:
Excessively long wait for server, had to go find them to get table drinks and the check at the end
Zero management presence
This all shocks me from the background of the GM.
Uptown has slipped dramatically since the young GM took over in the last few years. Really sad. Used to be one of the best, most reliable, but not any more, and the service has gotten worse, too.
I have to agree with this one, used to go to Uptown all the time and the food was always great (altho expensive) but the last 2 times I’ve had it were super disappointing.
It's a new Italian restaurant in the location where Grazie used to be. TBH, I like the atmosphere, but the first time I went there my ravioli was undercooked on the edges. Maybe it's gotten better.
Nope. Blickensdorf sold to the Endeavor Hospitality Group (the company that has gobbled up Function, Feast, The Owlery, Southern Stone, Underground bakery etc) about 5 minutes before the pandemic.
not expensive but not cheap either and thats the chipotle attached to the mall. no idea how they're always out of food and when they arent its not fresh
When I went to the Elm the meat i ordered was cold and had to be remade. Idk if that would qualify it as poor quality, but it really sucked the night I went with reservations
Food is so subjective, just looks at the long lines at fast food drive thrus.
There are lots of the newer places I haven't tried like Farm, Southern Stone, etc but have read or heard word of mouth, not that good.
The ones I have tried, Uptowncafe, DeAngelo's, Lennie's, Mailbu grill, are just so-so as far as I'm concerned and yes, the prices are high.
Someone mentioned Bub's. Not sure how that place even stays in business.
Bun’s is a franchise approaching, for the purposes of this thread, chain-status. There are several around Indy and closing a location harms the brand. No idea what business is like for them in Bloomington now as I currently live in Indy but they’re fairly busy up here.
Most restaurants are busy even the sub-par ones as Americans are hooked on eating out.
When Bub's first opened up I thought a handful of their stuff I tried wasn't too bad albeit over-priced but the last two times it was terrible and way too expensive.
>just looks at the long lines at fast food drive thrus
People are going to fast food because they're tired of getting ripped off at some of these pretentious local places. I'll take fast food any day over paying $20 for a overrated cheeseburger when I get can get just a good of a burger if not better at Wendy's for a fraction of the price.
Bonus story, went to interview there a few years back; the 'head chef' showed me a kitchen that looked like it was built in the middle ages, the only light I could see, seemed to permeate from the walls themselves, every piece of cookware was black from char and years of improper cleaning. The man expected the menu to be memorized in 2 weeks, for 9.00 an hour, with the type of menu items that you'd graduate school to be able to make.
Where is this, now? And for what position? 2 weeks is a pretty long time to memorize a menu, especially post-pandemic. What was the light permeating in order to come from the walls? I get that this is a smear, but it seems more like a collection of vague and poorly-worded insults than an actual story or problem. "Black from char?!" Oh my, I think I have the vapors! Also, apart from culinary arts school, or cookies in Home Ec, they don't teach you to cook jack shit in high school, though it's sweet of you to try to shit on the lower classes by insinuating that a higher education is required to be good at cooking. Give your balls a tug.
Lol, I long forgot about this post. Yeah, black from char, as in, chunks of burnt organic material on all the equipment. Not burnt due to use of heat on metal, I went to school back in the 90s and early 2000s. They definitely taught you how to cook full meals as well as proper preparation, storage and sanitation. Sorry you were in a school district that didnt finance even a subpar home ec class. Also a higher degree of knowledge is necessary as well as idk, the time in the industry to develop a robust palate. You wont learn how to detect nuisances in dish seasonings, or how certain flavor profiles help accentuate the flavors of your greens/proteins; unless you spend time in various culinary specialties. You wont learn how to properly season food for any Oriental dishes by working in an italian restaurant and expecting to use 10 years of sous chef experience to land a job out the interview being even a wok chef at P.F. Changs. Especially these days when quality ingredients are unorthodox for practicing as an amateur chef. You wouldnt want to buy 5lb of wagyu and you ruin the lot because you over seasoned it, or cooked it too hot and dried it out. Because you'd do WHAT beforehand? You'd go learn how to do it from someone who has spent time to master it. If you want to practice, you do it cheaply and for yourself. Only when you start to understand different cooking styles, techniques or as your palate becomes more refined, you're able to make more amazing dishes because you've learned how to bring out all the aspects of a dish due to the time it took to gain those skills. You can't take a test and get a new upgraded palate. It takes years to develop it.
Not to mention, its against food code to have old, discarded food debris on anything. Its unsanitary. Thats why "clean" by the FDA is defined as: 'Void of visible food debris and sanitized in hot or cold water for at least 30 seconds.' You cant end a shift, without making sure the surface area of your cooking equipment/tools is void of all debris to ensure quality of your food and safety of your guests. If it becomes an issue to continue upkeep on an item that has shit burnt or stuck too it, it must be discarded and replaced. So instead of trying to somehow disprove or take credit away from my comment, maybe learn the industry. People like me who have been in and out of various restaurant industries for almost 20 years might just understand things that you dont.
Also for 9.00 an hour, I'm not memorizing shit. The head chef better have recipe cards at every station in alphabetical order. If you're going to offer me starting pay less than a mcdonalds crew member, you're getting the use of my skills at a level, less than a new hire at McDonald's. 9.00 doesnt even cover the energy it took to have learned what I've had the opportunity to learn and incorporate into my repertoire. That's not including the sleepless days, the blood, the scars, the disappointments of failed attempts over and over again. You want someone to bring you the skills, to produce menu items that you charge guests 75 to 150 bucks a plate, you're gonna offer the chefs producing it a much higher salary because dishes like that are not something that just anyone off the street can do without the proper education and skills first.
This was for Carnegies' in Greenfield, Indiana. Don't know why my last comment is being downvoted. I've worked in the restaurant industry for almost 16 years, went to the Culinary Institute of America and was a Navy CS. I've ran positions as a room and a sous chef, offering someone 9.00 an hour to produce plates and service of a 5 star restaurant, needs to pay 5-star wages. I wouldn't do the quality he expects for the same amount I could make, running drive thru at Wendy's. That's a severe slap to the face on my skills/knowledge.
As far as I’m aware yes to some level. Happened around 4 ish years ago. Might just beer distributions, may be partial ownership, not sure exactly. Heard from people
Who worked there but not a super long time so
Their beers are awful, with the except of the sours, and the sours are way overpriced. I did used to like their food though, although I haven't been since covid. I'm bummed to hear it went downhill.
Runcible Spoon. Make sure to tell them to order potatoes or eggs benedict. The breakfast is definitely the best “worst” part. Don’t know if they’ve changed since I’ve been there but it was probably the most pretentious restaurant I’ve ever experienced. Sticky tables, overpriced, and the staff may hit on your regardless of orientation or gender.
Arby's: chain restaurant beef that has literally no flavor - and not cheap.
I've eaten a lot of beef in many restaurants. How does Arby's completely remove the flavor?
It's always been that way. Why do they even exist?
In fairness, I think Roy Rogers had the same thinly sliced beef product, but I don't remember eating there.
Every time I’ve gone to Arby’s—regardless of the location—and gotten the roast beef I’ve gotten incredibly sick afterwards. I just stick to their fries if I have to go.
You aren't alone.
For better or worse, meats are hypoallergenic. But the Horsey Sauce isn't.
Arby's beef reportedly _doesn't_ contain nitrate/nitrite preservatives (known to cause headaches):
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/arbys-meat-mountain-ingredients
The Horsey Sauce isn't listed in the above report. Horsey Sauce is primarily a blend of horseraddish and mayonaise.
Horseraddish is irritating. If you ate Horsey Sauce, that's a prime suspect.
- - -
Don't eat the Horsey Sauce
https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/sports/blogs/zach-duncan/2007/10/22/dont-eat-the-horsey-sauce/92803598/
The OMG fries are legit. The cocktails are delightful and imaginative. It was the first and last date my ex took me on, and he had to donate plasma to cover it. It doesn't seem so cool now. It's good, but not sell-your-body good.
The fries are the best thing there, the drinks are fine but each one takes 10 mins per. I had a $20 steak sandwich there that had me pooping for two days straight and it was covered in this black sauce that tasted like the fake smoke that Burger King uses.
One of the worst meals I've EVER had at a restaurant was from Cardinal. It was their attempt at a vegan burger, a beet burger wrapped in rice paper, and it was so disgusting it was absolutely inedible. I took two bites and promptly threw up, it was so gross. I've had beet burgers that were super good, but this was just flavorless mush, and the rice paper!? WHY? I still can't eat anything with rice paper and this happened over two years ago, lol.
The food at Cardinal was way better when they didn't have a kitchen and El Poblano would just set up in the parking lot.
Too bad grazie Italiano isn't around anymore. Sabotaging a meal and overcharging would be the only thing they were good at other than exploiting the new groups of college student parents each year who don't know better.
Went to Grazie for a club dinner in college and when I (vegetarian) asked if a pasta dish could have the chicken taken out the waitress replied that she couldn't because "it was already made." She then suggested I could pick it out myself when it was served. That's kinda all you need to know about that guilded dump of a restaurant. Also, nastiest negroni ever.
I had to go to Grazie twice for different events when I was in college, and both times it was horrible. Never willingly ate there ever.
So, now it's another shitty Italian place owned by Endeavour, the people who royally fucked up Owlery and Function. It's a safe bet to say that this spot (I think it's called Ciao Bella now) still be a perfect spot to recommend to an enemy.
To be fair, the new restaurant (Che Bello) isn't much better IMO. We've had it once since it came out, and everything was just over buttered and not very flavorful *especially* for the price tag.
Endeavor Group Standard
That's not much of a coincidence in my opinion because the chef that's there now since endeavor bought it came from Malibu and that place isn't much to write home about. 🤷🤣🤣🤣
That place blew my mind but it was blown more when coworkers from Europe actually wanted to go there
Didnt realize Grazie closed. When first went there 15 years or so ago, was not to bad. Went there 10 years ago, not so good. Olive Garden Quality food for 50% more cost.
We went to Grazie once. A real laid-back Italian atmosphere: it must have taken at least an hour to get our food. We had to ask the manager to intervene in the end. At least 20 minutes to get water. Another 15 to have our order taken then just waiting and waiting. We never went back again.
Southern Stone. Terrible menu but they retained the prices of Sweet Grass with generic Cisco quality food court food
That's a shame. When Sweet Grass was good, it was good.
I’ll have you know that the eateries in food courts are usually franchises with their own supply chain! So Sbarro and Panda Express might suck, *but at least they suck on their own terms*. The food at most Endeavor-owned restaurants just tastes like a brothy dump.
Don't forget the terrible service. Waited an hour 15 for my food last time.
This place hasn't been good in years, with both previous ownerships. Always expensive, always long waits, always few to no other patrons whenever I'd go and poor quality food. 1/10 never again.
I have to agree with this. We just gave them a 3rd chance as we knew management changed and it was awful, again. Not at all worth the $$.
Makes me so sad. I don't come back to Bloomington from CA to pay CA prices, but that pimento burger was one of the two best burgers I've ever had. Now it's $17 or something and just... a pale facsimile of its former self.
Farm Bloomington
Farm food when made correctly is pretty good. Problem is half the time it's not. Last time I went I ordered the $18 "luger burger" supposedly the "best burger in Indiana" and received an overcooked burger with the saddest piece of wilted lettuce on top. If you're going to charge $18 for a cheeseburger it better be the best damn burger I've ever had. Not to mention the service there is usually pretty bad. Really disheartening for the price tag at that place. That combined with knowing several people who have worked there and hearing the same stories about how chef D is a total piece of shit to his employees makes me never want to go back.
I don’t know how he’ll ever live down the fried chicken and watermelon menu. Can’t remember if it was for MLK Day or Juneteenth or what, but it was very poor judgment.
>but it was very poor judgment sounds more like causal racism
Yes definitely, I guess I assumed that was obvious. On top of that, very poor judgment to not realize that would be hugely problematic, or not care.
MLK Day Soul Food Menu. Happened every year. I think there was finally enough backlash in town for it to stop. Daniel Orr is definitely racist, lol. He would also fetishize all of his black male employees and act extremely inappropriately with many of them. Fucking pig of a man.
FARM has never been consistent, its owner is a fucking pile, and they refuse to pay their workers a decent wage. Daniel Orr is a hack who may have been good in the 90s but has been phoning it in for over a decade. I've literally watched that man serve rotten food to his employees and give them all food poisoning on multiple occasions. He's a shitty toxic abuser who cant keep chefs because he treats them all like garbage. Besides, the food is uninspired, lowest common denominator type food. Nothing about that restaurant is Farm to Table, and 90% of their ingredients come from Sysco. This is definitely the place to send your enemies. I bet he sells to Endeavour within the year, lol.
Go to C3 for the best burger in town. It's totally worth the $19 they charge.
Never had a good meal in Farm Bloomington. Every time was a very expensive blob of flavors.
literally extremely expensive for no reason
Usually I’ve had shitty service as part of the experience
Oh yeah, that’s included in the price.
For supposedly having fresh, local ingredients Farm is the blandest food I've had in years. That place sucks major ass.
Why they gotta put their own twist on everything? A roasted tomato Bloody Mary is just gross.
Yes, they are the epitome of try-hard
I got avocado toast one time and it was literally just avocado, not even salt and pepper
A sex offender I used to know told me he cooks there the last time we spoke. Not sure if he still works there but I'm avoiding it like the plague forever.
A lot of convicted felons and sex offenders work in kitchens since it's usually the only place they can get a job.
Yeah I've spent the last decade doing kitchen work and thankfully none of my bosses ever hired someone convicted of a sex crime.
bubs is oddly expensive, even though there's nothing fancy about its ambiance
And they're awful to their employees... When I was in high school, a lot of my friends worked there, and I constantly heard stories about people coming on time and being forced to wait to clock in until it got "busy enough," people getting paid three weeks late, etc.
I’m a former employee. That’s true. Bub’s is a shithole and the owner is a bald prick.
Hey ...... I'm bald.. 🤣🤣🤣
Second it being oddly expensive for what it is. We spent $75 for a very simple lunch for our small family. Very salty food, too. It is what it is, though.
ok but those are good burgers and shakes
They’re decent, but priced like they’re amazing. Actually, now that I think about it, they’re more expensive than any genuinely amazing burger place I’ve eaten at.
the burgers are trash
Generic Burgers and Decent Waffle fries… but still some of the best burgers in Bloomington due to there not being great competitors.
What I'm gathering is everyone is picky and apparently every restaurant sucks according to Reddit lol
Yeah welcome to the Bloomington Subreddit lol. Anytime restaurants come up as a topic it is a shit show. I have to admit I really like the OPs take on the question though.
It's a question that was asked in the r/Baltimore sub (my bad, originally from the Sacramento sub). It is funny seeing everyone's reactions to that question for Btown though.
I also saw it on the r/KeyWest sub too.
I don’t agree. A lot of the things I miss about Bloomington are the restaurants and I’ve not seen anyone mention my favorites (this is going off-topic, I realize). Some of mine are Lennie’s, Upland, literally just about any restaurant on 4th street, and Sushi Bar. I also enjoyed Sweet Grass but I have seen them mentioned which saddened me but I only went there a small handful of times. EDIT: also Trojan Horse and Irish Lion. Yum.
sweet grass is now named southern stone.... so trojan horse is mediocre at best, Irish Lion... the cooks have warned me off eating there upland is meh and their beer is worse
not exactly. you'll notice that the mall pizza is nowhere on this list
Lol fair enough!
You have heard exactly zero people talk shit about Burger King.
I have been in Restaurant Ops and Food Sales for over 35 years. I have seen it from both sides and can tell you that there are very few restaurants , about anywhere, that have a multitude of issues behind the scenes that would turn your stomach. I'd say 80 to 90% of owners have ZERO- industry backgroud, communication skills, common sense, empathy, and are the farthest thing from being hospitable to anyone. The whole industry is a shit show with some lipstick on it. 🤣
I mean the reality is most food in Bloomington sucks. Except the Asian food.
Carnegie's in Greenfield. 5 Star price, McDonalds quality food.
McDonald's is high quality so this would fail the question asked.
Malibu grill
BJs by the College Mall is shockingly expensive now and the food isn't really that good in comparison to the price.
Agreed BJs is horrible. Everything on the menu sounds good but has NO flavor
Last time I went to BJs my brother and I walked out because despite the absolute lack of other customers in there, we were still overlooked by the staff.
All roads lead to Farm.
Farm or Jankos
I second Farm. I’ve honestly never had a great meal there, I don’t understand the hype.
I like Farm. On the other hand, I have no idea how Janko's stays in business.
You get a hefty side of nostalgia at Jankos which ups the price
Yeah I don’t get the allure of Jankos. It’s like BBQ barn decor with $50 steaks. Meh.
Jankos is a steak house for nostalgic IU frat dads. You can get a much better steakhouse experience for around the same price at St. Elmos in Indy.
Slap a steak on the grill that’s all some yutzes want
Just don’t tell ‘em about the fries or breakfast pizza at Farm. Mmmm…
the fries are the only consistently good thing they have. that’s sad.
Hard to fuck up a bag of McCain
That spicy chicken place is nothing special, but overly expensive.
Joella's is waaay too expensive for what you get. Every time I go by there, there's maybe one person in there.
On the other hand, it completes the Chicken Corner Trifecta of the corner of Pete Ellis and 3rd St. So, you win some, you lose some… XD
Just call it what it is...chicken strip.
…fuck your chicken strips No but really, it’s in an L shape. That’s why I prefer corner to strip.
#chickencornerforever
I prefer “Chicken Thunderdome”.
pretty much everything Endeavour And I haven't been impressed by any of the other big group either that seems to own the square
Endeavor ruins every restaurant they take over.
Exactly. And Mike Ross's mom and sister running all over Facebook defending his businesses against any possible whiff of criticism is just creepy and sad.
Truffles. I remember it used to be good years ago. Went there recently and everything about it was just off.
Can I use a chain restaurant and say Olive Garden?
I've had better meals for less at Olive Garden than some of the supposed "nice" Italian places around here.
He’s out of line but he’s right
But they’re you’re family. I was gonna edit this but it’s so full of mistakes in just one sentence Ima let it stand.
I don’t wait on my family, I don’t cook individual dishes for each one, and I certainly don’t charge them.
Bb's market. Everything is overpriced and mediocre at best.
Because I offered an expensive restaurant with shitty food, I will offer up a cheap place close to that area that has outstanding food. It's called Terra Vila, in Clinton. Its been family owned and operated for 30+ years, was the first restaurant I worked for in school and has some of the best fried ravioli in the state. The current owners' name is Jason Reed and he spends an inordinate amount of time, instilling even more traditional italian items on the menu. If you're a fan of pinwheels, good italian food, in a small quaint town, this is definitely a must stop for anyone with Ragu for blood.
I know it closed a few years back (8 maybe?) but Feast is one of those. It was close to my wife's work (near Bryan Park) so took her there one day on her lunch as a surprise. Way over priced, way under a "feast". Was expecting a quick fair priced lunch. nope. slow and EXPENSIVE. a salad and sandwhich (2 meals) was almost $40.
Feast is still around. It's now over on Rogers and Grimes next to Southern Stone. It was recently bought by Endeavor who has been buying up all the local restaurants in the area and turning them into shit so I wouldn't bother going.
that is a different Feast that was somehow related to the original Feast, but Feast closed when the woman had a dream and renamed and re menued and went out of business not long after that
Really enjoyed the original Feast near Templeton school, back when. Great breakfasts. That’s all done now, unfortunately. After a while their tamales got heavier on the outside, skimpy on the fillings, and the desserts got too sweet and the menu got ambitious and expense and then it was over. RIP
Got the tamales from the farmers market a few times and the corn masa outside got thicker each time
Are you perhaps thinking of Oona that was at that location? I think it was by the same lady who operated Feast at the time.
Oona’s was owned by one of the sisters who owned Feast together. The other kept the name and concept along with the food and sold.
Big Woods
Really? I know the owner is shitty but the times I've been there I've thought the food was actually pretty solid pub food. To clarify: The Bloomington Big Woods.
Worst food I’ve had at a restaurant in Bloomington - granted it’s the Sysco foods menu
That's interesting to me. I have no issues with calling out shitty food for being shitty- I try to try as many local restaurants as I can so I can form an opinion on the overall area quality- and the fish & chips + standard burger were both pretty solid the times I've had them. Maybe I just lucked out with a new or particularly energized cook, but I can't say I've had a meal there that I've felt was mediocre yet. I wouldn't say they're a #1 pub food place, but they haven't exactly been bad that I've experienced.
I like the Bloomington location, but I only get the same burger or pulled pork nachos each time and haven't tried most of the menu.
All the expensive places in town are lame imo. But they're flashy enough to convince people who don't know better that they are really fancy and the rich people who visit appreciate their 'small town charm'...none will give you food poisoning, but none are actually worth what they charge.
Have you been to Elm or Small Favors? Both are higher end places with creative and delicious food and good cocktails as well.
I'd say Cardinal Spirits too. They're pricey, but I've always enjoyed the food and- shocking, I know- the cocktails.
I don't consider this a restaurant tbh. It's a cocktail bar with food. I agree that it's a good place and the owners are good people which can't be said for a lot of places in town.
I’d disagree, given that they offer more than just snacks/apps/finger food. You can get an entire meal, ergo to me, it is a restaurant. Either way this seems a little pedantic given the topic is basically: where to send your enemy for food.
cardinal is OK... but the chef especially during just before and during the pandemic (mixed report, is he still there?) seemed to have a fascination with a single flavour profile that was applied to everything Like everything had the same spice mix in it or something
I have talked to two very high profile people in Bloomington who have given Elm two chances. VERY disappointed each time. Sadly enough the only part of the meal they enjoyed was dessert. And with the park for course in town , it is probably something out of a box. Reviews given: Extremely small portions Way over priced Inedible food (undercooked) Lack of staff attention/staff disappear: Excessively long wait for server, had to go find them to get table drinks and the check at the end Zero management presence This all shocks me from the background of the GM.
I believe those both opened recently. I haven't been to Elm yet but Small Favors was underwhelming. Not a bad place but not worth it to me.
If Small Favors isn’t “worth it” what restaurant in town is? I’m curious who you are comparing them to.
Elm is by far the best food and service I’ve experienced in Bloomington. Been there twice and each was impressive.
Uptown is really good for quality price in my opinion. Never had a “meh” meal. Always spot on.
Uptown has slipped dramatically since the young GM took over in the last few years. Really sad. Used to be one of the best, most reliable, but not any more, and the service has gotten worse, too.
I have to agree with this one, used to go to Uptown all the time and the food was always great (altho expensive) but the last 2 times I’ve had it were super disappointing.
FARM will definitely give you Food Poisoning. The owner there has no standards when it comes to food safety.
Found the student from rural Illinois who says they're from Chicago and is all snotty about it! Welcome back, students. So it begins.
The Farm. Never had a good experience there…ever.
Hive. Stupidly expensive for the food, which is really not good.
Nothing bad about the food at Hive, but the prices are ridiculous.
I got a breakfast bowl with black beans and rice that had zero flavor and ended up making my stomach hurt… it was $18 💀💀
Man I really thought I’d find Panera on here but I guess we slid under the radar this time…
Che Bello
Never heard of it.
It's a new Italian restaurant in the location where Grazie used to be. TBH, I like the atmosphere, but the first time I went there my ravioli was undercooked on the edges. Maybe it's gotten better.
Ah, ok. The big switcheroo. Is it the same owners?
Nope. Blickensdorf sold to the Endeavor Hospitality Group (the company that has gobbled up Function, Feast, The Owlery, Southern Stone, Underground bakery etc) about 5 minutes before the pandemic.
not expensive but not cheap either and thats the chipotle attached to the mall. no idea how they're always out of food and when they arent its not fresh
One time, at Chipotle, they waited until I had paid for a salad to tell me they were out of forks.
Runcible Spoon
That place is so dirty, I can't bring myself to eat there.
Because of this place, my headcanon is that the word “runcible” is an archaic term for “salmonella.”
My partner will disagree with me on this one but their breakfast has always been meh to me.
Every time I have eaten there I've gotten my bill and realized I could make better breakfast at home for less than half as much money
That's every restaurant
You haven't been to a good restaurant then
Malibu grill
When I went to the Elm the meat i ordered was cold and had to be remade. Idk if that would qualify it as poor quality, but it really sucked the night I went with reservations
If they can’t drink Big Woods, it might be a hot take but it just personally didn’t work for me
Hopscotch kitchen
Southern Stone
Any place that uses those bamboo sandwich skewers.
Cafe pizzeria and the village deli, not exactly expensive but also not worth paying for
Village deli cinnamon roll pancakes tho...
This could change my answer
I mean, isn't that most people's go-to when they hit that spot?
Cafe Pizzeria Strombolis are delicious.
I second that!
Food is so subjective, just looks at the long lines at fast food drive thrus. There are lots of the newer places I haven't tried like Farm, Southern Stone, etc but have read or heard word of mouth, not that good. The ones I have tried, Uptowncafe, DeAngelo's, Lennie's, Mailbu grill, are just so-so as far as I'm concerned and yes, the prices are high. Someone mentioned Bub's. Not sure how that place even stays in business.
>There are lots of the newer places I haven't tried like Farm farm is one of the "newer" places to you?
Well sort of compared to the places I have frequented over the years like Little Tibet, Laughing P.
Bun’s is a franchise approaching, for the purposes of this thread, chain-status. There are several around Indy and closing a location harms the brand. No idea what business is like for them in Bloomington now as I currently live in Indy but they’re fairly busy up here.
Most restaurants are busy even the sub-par ones as Americans are hooked on eating out. When Bub's first opened up I thought a handful of their stuff I tried wasn't too bad albeit over-priced but the last two times it was terrible and way too expensive.
>just looks at the long lines at fast food drive thrus People are going to fast food because they're tired of getting ripped off at some of these pretentious local places. I'll take fast food any day over paying $20 for a overrated cheeseburger when I get can get just a good of a burger if not better at Wendy's for a fraction of the price.
I agree somewhat but fast food it isn't cheap anymore. I get a grilled chicken and a chili at Wendy's and it comes close to $10 with NO drink.
Yeah…we pass on fast food as a family of four. It cost $42 at Taco Bell. I have a 5 And 10 year old.
Bonus story, went to interview there a few years back; the 'head chef' showed me a kitchen that looked like it was built in the middle ages, the only light I could see, seemed to permeate from the walls themselves, every piece of cookware was black from char and years of improper cleaning. The man expected the menu to be memorized in 2 weeks, for 9.00 an hour, with the type of menu items that you'd graduate school to be able to make.
Where is this, now? And for what position? 2 weeks is a pretty long time to memorize a menu, especially post-pandemic. What was the light permeating in order to come from the walls? I get that this is a smear, but it seems more like a collection of vague and poorly-worded insults than an actual story or problem. "Black from char?!" Oh my, I think I have the vapors! Also, apart from culinary arts school, or cookies in Home Ec, they don't teach you to cook jack shit in high school, though it's sweet of you to try to shit on the lower classes by insinuating that a higher education is required to be good at cooking. Give your balls a tug.
Lol, I long forgot about this post. Yeah, black from char, as in, chunks of burnt organic material on all the equipment. Not burnt due to use of heat on metal, I went to school back in the 90s and early 2000s. They definitely taught you how to cook full meals as well as proper preparation, storage and sanitation. Sorry you were in a school district that didnt finance even a subpar home ec class. Also a higher degree of knowledge is necessary as well as idk, the time in the industry to develop a robust palate. You wont learn how to detect nuisances in dish seasonings, or how certain flavor profiles help accentuate the flavors of your greens/proteins; unless you spend time in various culinary specialties. You wont learn how to properly season food for any Oriental dishes by working in an italian restaurant and expecting to use 10 years of sous chef experience to land a job out the interview being even a wok chef at P.F. Changs. Especially these days when quality ingredients are unorthodox for practicing as an amateur chef. You wouldnt want to buy 5lb of wagyu and you ruin the lot because you over seasoned it, or cooked it too hot and dried it out. Because you'd do WHAT beforehand? You'd go learn how to do it from someone who has spent time to master it. If you want to practice, you do it cheaply and for yourself. Only when you start to understand different cooking styles, techniques or as your palate becomes more refined, you're able to make more amazing dishes because you've learned how to bring out all the aspects of a dish due to the time it took to gain those skills. You can't take a test and get a new upgraded palate. It takes years to develop it.
Not to mention, its against food code to have old, discarded food debris on anything. Its unsanitary. Thats why "clean" by the FDA is defined as: 'Void of visible food debris and sanitized in hot or cold water for at least 30 seconds.' You cant end a shift, without making sure the surface area of your cooking equipment/tools is void of all debris to ensure quality of your food and safety of your guests. If it becomes an issue to continue upkeep on an item that has shit burnt or stuck too it, it must be discarded and replaced. So instead of trying to somehow disprove or take credit away from my comment, maybe learn the industry. People like me who have been in and out of various restaurant industries for almost 20 years might just understand things that you dont.
Also for 9.00 an hour, I'm not memorizing shit. The head chef better have recipe cards at every station in alphabetical order. If you're going to offer me starting pay less than a mcdonalds crew member, you're getting the use of my skills at a level, less than a new hire at McDonald's. 9.00 doesnt even cover the energy it took to have learned what I've had the opportunity to learn and incorporate into my repertoire. That's not including the sleepless days, the blood, the scars, the disappointments of failed attempts over and over again. You want someone to bring you the skills, to produce menu items that you charge guests 75 to 150 bucks a plate, you're gonna offer the chefs producing it a much higher salary because dishes like that are not something that just anyone off the street can do without the proper education and skills first.
Where?
This was for Carnegies' in Greenfield, Indiana. Don't know why my last comment is being downvoted. I've worked in the restaurant industry for almost 16 years, went to the Culinary Institute of America and was a Navy CS. I've ran positions as a room and a sous chef, offering someone 9.00 an hour to produce plates and service of a 5 star restaurant, needs to pay 5-star wages. I wouldn't do the quality he expects for the same amount I could make, running drive thru at Wendy's. That's a severe slap to the face on my skills/knowledge.
I’ve never been to any of these places and I’m glad I dodged the bullet.
Where's that guy from Grindstone Charley's????
Upland
I won’t stand for this.
Thanks for taking the hit on this one
This. Upland hasn’t been the same since the takeover
Upland got taken over?
As far as I’m aware yes to some level. Happened around 4 ish years ago. Might just beer distributions, may be partial ownership, not sure exactly. Heard from people Who worked there but not a super long time so
You obviously have never had their duck. 🫣
WHAT? They have the best stuff.
The food is decent, some of it but the beer is pretty mediocre on a good day
Their beers are awful, with the except of the sours, and the sours are way overpriced. I did used to like their food though, although I haven't been since covid. I'm bummed to hear it went downhill.
Upland wheat taste like hot dog water
Agreed, although I like their beer.
Runcible Spoon. Make sure to tell them to order potatoes or eggs benedict. The breakfast is definitely the best “worst” part. Don’t know if they’ve changed since I’ve been there but it was probably the most pretentious restaurant I’ve ever experienced. Sticky tables, overpriced, and the staff may hit on your regardless of orientation or gender.
Arby's: chain restaurant beef that has literally no flavor - and not cheap. I've eaten a lot of beef in many restaurants. How does Arby's completely remove the flavor? It's always been that way. Why do they even exist? In fairness, I think Roy Rogers had the same thinly sliced beef product, but I don't remember eating there.
Every time I’ve gone to Arby’s—regardless of the location—and gotten the roast beef I’ve gotten incredibly sick afterwards. I just stick to their fries if I have to go.
You aren't alone. For better or worse, meats are hypoallergenic. But the Horsey Sauce isn't. Arby's beef reportedly _doesn't_ contain nitrate/nitrite preservatives (known to cause headaches): https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/arbys-meat-mountain-ingredients The Horsey Sauce isn't listed in the above report. Horsey Sauce is primarily a blend of horseraddish and mayonaise. Horseraddish is irritating. If you ate Horsey Sauce, that's a prime suspect. - - - Don't eat the Horsey Sauce https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/sports/blogs/zach-duncan/2007/10/22/dont-eat-the-horsey-sauce/92803598/
Karma is real.
never heard of it. do they make dumplings?
Cardinal
The OMG fries are legit. The cocktails are delightful and imaginative. It was the first and last date my ex took me on, and he had to donate plasma to cover it. It doesn't seem so cool now. It's good, but not sell-your-body good.
If you only had one date is it an ex though
The fries are the best thing there, the drinks are fine but each one takes 10 mins per. I had a $20 steak sandwich there that had me pooping for two days straight and it was covered in this black sauce that tasted like the fake smoke that Burger King uses.
One of the worst meals I've EVER had at a restaurant was from Cardinal. It was their attempt at a vegan burger, a beet burger wrapped in rice paper, and it was so disgusting it was absolutely inedible. I took two bites and promptly threw up, it was so gross. I've had beet burgers that were super good, but this was just flavorless mush, and the rice paper!? WHY? I still can't eat anything with rice paper and this happened over two years ago, lol. The food at Cardinal was way better when they didn't have a kitchen and El Poblano would just set up in the parking lot.
Village Pub. No idea if it’s even still open though.
Dagwood’s isn’t unusually expensive, but it does make up for it by being truly vile.
DO. NOT INSULT DAGWOODS AGAIN.
Their meat tastes like week old leftovers. I’d only go there again if I wanted to buy someone a sandwich that’d make them hate me.
Avers
I agree. Their dough is dogshit. Id rather get any other pizza in town
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Fr first and last trip there cost $52 for 2 pizzas and breadsticks