Night out in the Big Apple

Okay, that was mostly a lie to get your attention.  We didn't actually have a night out in the Big Apple...it was Indianapolis.  And according to Wikipedia, Indy's nicknames include:  Indy (that makes sense), The Circle City, Naptown, The Crossroads of America, The Racing Capital of the World, Amateur Sports Capital of the World, Railroad City, Capital City, and... The Indy City.  

Of course, the nickname I've heard most often is India-no-place.  But after being in Bloomington for a few months...Indy seemed like a pretty big deal.  At the end of last week, I discovered that Indy has a restaurant week called Devour Downtown.  Similar to restaurant weeks nationwide, several participating restaurants offer a three-course dinner for $30 per person.  I decided that we absolutely could not pass up this opportunity...plus, I was dying for a great meal out in a "real city."  So, I made reservations at the Adobo Grill in Indy for Friday night.

It took us about an hour and a half to get there, including a few laps around the block looking for a parking spot.  The restaurant was awesome, and we had a truly tasty meal.  It started with guacamole made tableside, which is always fun.  We then received a margarita - included! - and our appetizers.  Matt ordered an ahi tuna ceviche, which was very tasty.  I had some adobo-marinated baby back pork ribs glazed with a tamarind-guajillo salsa.  I don't really know what half of that is, but it was delish!

For our entrees, Matt ordered the adobo-marinated pork tenderloin with ancho-pineapple salsa and a spinach and sweet potato mash; I had the grilled duck breast in Oaxacun black mole with braised duck tamal and roasted butternut squash.  It was way too spicy for me, and Matt and I ended trading our entrees.  I ate the pork and thought it was absolutely incredible!  For dessert, we both ordered a chocolate tamal with vanilla bean ice cream.  W-O-W.  Talk about a tasty desert!  It was basically the lava-y part of a chocolate lava cake.  It was too good to be true, and after such a big meal, I am sad to say that I was unable to finish it. 

After dinner, Matt and I walked around a little bit and ended up in the Circle Center Mall, chatting and having a good time like we used to in DC.  I know it's only Indy, but we really did have a fun night out!  I'm hoping we'll be able to get up there again for a date sometime soon... fingers crossed!