Happy Belated Birthday

I've done a fantastic job of neglected my blog. Which is kind of my fault and kind of not... no, I still don't have access to a kitchen at IU, which makes whipping up anything that requires more than a microwave impossible. BUT I did say I was going to tell you about some of the restaurants I've been trying out in a desperate attempt to avoid anything resembling a food court, which I haven't done either. This time around I'm not blogging about anything I made OR a restaurant in Bloomington.

Over winter break I went to a restaurant that was perhaps one of the best I've ever dined at. I know, winter break was forever ago... it's been about two months since I went to Oakley's, but now that I've found time to actually write about it, it's worth the wait! Taylor asked me where I'd like to go out for dinner for my birthday, but being the indecisive person I am told him I'd rather him just pick a place and surprise me. He could not have picked a better restaurant! Oakley's Bistro on 86th Street is a fairly small and gorgeously quaint restaurant with innovative dishes. It is a little bit on the pricey side, but it was absolutely divine and I'd absolutely recommend it.

I failed to take a picture of the soup I started off with, probably because I was distracted by the flavor explosion going on in my mouth. Any place that has butternut squash soup on their menu, which Oakley's did, in automatically on my good side. It was the best butternut squash soup I've ever had. And it only got better from there.

Being indecisive didn't serve me well when scanning the menu. The entire menu was one page, only around 8 options for a main course, but eliminating any of them was nearly impossible! I eventually settled on lamb (yes, I do on occasion eat meat!). This is what the waiter brought me:

I still don't know what everything on that plate was! BUT IT WAS SO GOOD! I don't think I stopped blubbering on about how insanely delicious the food was until the waiter took my plate away. Taylor was pretty amused ;) He wasn't quite as excited as I was, but he claimed the short rib he ordered was even better than my lamb loin (a complete lie, but whatever...)

Even though this wasn't my meal, I actually know what some of the foods here were. Yes, one short rib topped with a ball of fried cheese. Yes, that white rectangle is artfully arranged mashed potatoes. Yes, the majority of the vegetables remained even after the meat and potatoes were gone ;)

And of course, what kind of birthday would it be without dessert? A less awesome birthday than it would be with dessert. And why would ever choose to share a dessert with Taylor? I wouldn't! So I order the creme brulee and tiramisu mousse while Taylor decided on lemon crepes.

I was a little hesitant to order a dessert as common as creme brulee but Oakley's did it so well it was worth it! The tiramisu mousse wasn't as good as I was hoping but it will still pretty tasty.

Taylor's crepes were also really good. The lemon creme on the inside was tangy and had a fresh and bright lemon flavor. The thing in the corner is a homemade marshmallow. You can't really see it under that crispy thing... don't actually remember what that was... Many of the desserts had marshmallows listed as a component, probably because they are a fairly unique option, but the mallow was probably our least favorite of the components. As cool as it was that the marshmallow was made in house, I'd much rather bite into a crepe or creme brulee!

I left Oakley's pretty much in awe. The food was incredible and, of course, I was there with excellent company! I've got my fingers crossed that I'll get to go again sometime, especially since they have a seasonal menu that constantly changes! I'm also hoping that if you're looking for a nice dinner you'll consider Oakley's Bistro, I promise you won't regret it!

Thai to Try

Except for when I go home I can't really cook or bake anymore. Since I'd hate to limit my blogging to every four or five weeks, which may happen anyway because of my homework load and tendency to be easily distracted, I decided I should find a few other directions to take. Food related of course.

I noticed that there are a number of incredibly intriguing restaurants on Kirkwood, not to mention all the places in the strip across from my dorm and, of course, the numerous dorm cafeterias. I've made it my mission to try every last one of the incredible looking ethnic restaurants here and explore some of the more popular Bloomington joints.

First, the Siam House. Oh. My. God. This Thai restaurant serves food straight from heaven. Or at least my dish was. Taylor and I went together before the Margo and the Nuclear So & So's concert this weekend and I just about died I was in such a state of bliss. I do love Asian food, like true asian cuisine, not the Americasian stuff (the American version of Asian food) like Panda Express and whatnot :P.

Taylor ordered Pad See Aiew. He claims he really enjoyed it, ate nearly the whole thing, and I thought it looked delicious, but there is no way he fell for this restaurant the way I did. I love curry and had an awful time trying to pick off of their menu which curry dish I wanted. After much debate and the emotional support of Taylor I order a dish called Mus-Sa-Mon. The menu described it as "a classic three flavored curried chicken or beef stew with potato onions and peanuts." One of the best meals I've ever had I do believe.

The vegetables and chicken were nestled in a thick sauce that was almost sweet with a pleasant spicy after kick. You can order your food spicy on a scale from 1-5, I ordered 3 and was very comfortable, but I do believe the spiciness was turned down by the ingredients of the dish, one of which I'm nearly positive is coconut milk. What really made this dish hit home, though, was the cinnamon. There was an actual cinnamon stick in my bowl of curry! I think that was where they absolutely won me over. The cinnamon wasn't too strong, but just enough to make it's presence known and add warmth to the dish. Comfort food unlike any other. My dish came out with a large bowl of jasmine rice, as well, just the thing to soak up the flavor of that pot of creamy goodness.

Better yet after we left the Siam House we made our way to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater with two tickets to Margo and the Nuclear So & So's. Admittedly I only knew one song, but it was a really good show! Margo is definitely ideal chill music, the kind of band you listen to when you need music to get lost in.

But anyway, you can find the menu for the Siam House at their website: http://www.bloomingtononline.net/directory/site/listing/965. We've only tried two dishes so the restaurant definitely needs further exploration but I don't doubt the rest of their dishes are fantastic. If any of you try anything new from there please let me know what you think, I could use a good recommendation for my next visit!