Indiana was my next destination as I "Air Tranned" to Indianapolis and then whisked off to the Omni Severin Hotel in the downtown area. Then met up with fellow writers Melody Schubert and Leroy Worley. Let me tell you that it is much easier to dine with others in order to taste more on the menu. Time for lunch at Harry and Izzy's just down the block from the hotel. I was dared to try the shrimp cocktail as the sauce is made with fresh horseradish. If steam could have come out of my ears it would have, but you can see the expression on my face. The steak encrusted in black pepper wasn't mild compared to this.
I keep finding a taste of Italy wherever I seem to travel. I had first come across an organization called the Indiana Italian Heritage Society. There is a canal connected with the White River State Park, the perfect opportunity for a ride on a gondola. I briefly met up with Ralph Tambasco, the President and V.P. Joe Giacoletti who gave me a book from Author Carol Faenzi, who wrote The Stonecutter's Aria. We all later chatted on my radio show.
Jeff Hutson is the owner of Old World Gondoliers. Old, open, black and made of wood. What's different about this one is that you don't get to hear a tour of Indy or the houses but Jeff singing live and without any music. One is asked to turn off their cellphones and simply enjoy. Check out the website at www.4gondola.com
Got word the Long's Bakery was on the way to our first attraction stop. The bakery is all about donuts! I think we wound up going there four times during the trip. Absolute best donuts I've eaten!
Now, we are off to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum with legendary cars including one that had the first rear view mirror. I got there about a week before Indy 500 was happening.
After exploring a bit and noticing that the streets and sidewalks were free of debris it was time for dinner. Sensu was another restaurant just down the block on Meridian. Sushi with an upbeat. We didn't really get a chance to walk around the entire restaurant as it was a nightclub atmosphere in the later p.m. I was more interested in the food.
Our intelligent waitress Heather Shaw chose a tasting menu for us which began with a fabulous sweeter tasting unfiltered sake. Here is a description of what we ate and in no particular order.
Specialty Dishes: Red Snapper Sashimi with Jalepeno, garlic chip and Ponzu sauce; Surf and Turf Roll of shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber topped with Kobe beef Tataki and eel sauce; Baked Snow Crab Hand Roll of cooked snow crab mixed with dynamite sauce and tempura crunch then rolled in sesame rice paper.
Cold Plates: Spicy Tuna Poke on Crispy Wontons is tuna with chile pepper, green onion, ginger and soy served on crispy wonton; Lobster tacos using lobster tail with avocado, red tomato salsa and cilantro in a warmed tortilla and a Maki Sushi roll called Krusty Crab of spicy tuna, krab and avocado drizzled with dynamite sauce and sweet soy battered and delicately fried.
Hot Plates: Toast and Jam of crispy shrimp toast with a spicy tuna jam; Sea Bass Enpapillote had the bass cooked "in a paper pouch" with sake braised shitake mushrooms; Kobe Beef Toban Yaki is a combo of kobe beef, enoki mushrooms, shitake mushrooms and asparagus. I believe that I will be returning to Indy!
The evening ended with us seeing the show The 39 Steps at the Indianapolis Repertory Theatre in downtown Indy.
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