Mad Anthony Brewing Company

Perhaps most Elkhart eaters weren't as fond of Mad Anthony Brew House as my husband and I were, but we were bummed when they shut down the Main Street location here in town, sure we aren't beer drinkers, but their food was always delicious! Fortunately for me the Warsaw location is pretty much halfway between myself and a dear friend, so I get my fix several times a year, because they happen to have some great Gluten Free choices for her (they aren't outlined specifically in the menu, but they do have some options). This visit I was good and did not start dinner with an appetizer, but two of the apps I have had in the past and have loved are the brewery basket and the Bavarian pretzels. The brewery basket is deep fried heaven including pickles, zucchini, portabella mushrooms, and breaded ravioli. Frankly it is hard to screw up fried food, but I still recommend this appetizer as it has some pretty unique deep fried treats, and come on, you have to be getting some sort of nutrients from the zucchini and mushrooms, right? And as for the Bavarian pretzels, well, they don't taste like the pretzels in Germany, but they are still a delicious way to start your meal when dipped in Mad Anthony's pale ale mustard. I can assure you that once you get past the many appetizers on the menu at Mad Anthony's, you might feel pretty overwhelmed by the sheer number of entrees that they offer, so I hope that my suggestions can in some way narrow down your choices and make your dining experience a little easier. The first thing that I ever tried at Mad Anthony's was an unwrap, which is basically pizza on a wafer thin, crispy crust, if you are a lover of thin crust pizza there about a dozen different topping options for you including Greek, Jambalaya, Margherita, and a traditional sausage and pepperoni. Another favorite dish of mine, that I actually tend to crave is the Korean BBQ plate; it is basically a build your own lettuce wrap plate that includes romaine hearts, Bulgogi (Korean BBQ beef), cilantro rice, and several condiments such as fresh garlic, roasted jalapenos, and a delicious pear dipping sauce. This visit, as much as I wanted the Korean BBQ, I have also been dying to try the pizza at Mad Anthony Brew House, and I was NOT disappointed!! I tend to be pretty snobby when it comes to pizza, the crust has to wow me because I am a love of good bread, the sauce has to be well seasoned, and the toppings have to be quality and delicious, and did this pizza ever deliver! The crust was awesome, nice and crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, the sausage and pepperoni were delicious (although I suspect my husband would complain that the toppings were too salty), and the sauce and cheese were perfect. All I have to say is that it is a good thing that this pizza is an hour away, because if it were any closer my checking account would be substantially smaller, and my waistline vastly larger, because it is very high up on my list of pies that I love!

If you find yourself in the lake town of Warsaw and are a lover of locally brewed beer, or maybe just want a menu that gives you options from every corner of this country, from the cajun fair of the bayou to the sophisticated cuisine of the West Coast, stop in to Mad Anthony Brew House on Center Street, right in the heart of downtown.

Constant Spring

As a general rule we are not bar people, neither of us cares for alcohol, so we don't really see the point, unless of course that bar serves all locally grown and purchased produce, cheese, meat, and desserts; then the bar isn't just a bar, it's a link to the community and a means of supporting it. While, I did feel a little funny going into a bar and just getting a water, I have heard enough good things about the food that I was excited to be there! The menu had MANY great choices that I mulled over; a Pad Thai Salad, Pesto Burger, Fish Sandwich, but what I ultimately decided on were a pound of naked chicken wings for $7.00 with Tangy Carolina BBQ Sauce on the side for dipping; you can also have them tossed in Frank's Red Hot sauce, or get any of their sauces for dipping. I am not a huge lover of wings, however, when our local Buffalo Wild Wings closed down for renovations, it about drove me crazy to hear everyone so upset about not having anyplace to go for wings, and to hear their elation at it's reopening, so I decided that I wanted, make that needed, to find good local places for wings, and so my search began at Constant Spring. The first thing that you will think when you see these wings is that they are small, but what that means to me is that these chickens have not been pumped full of growth hormones, since they are from a local supplier with a great reputation (Miller Country Poultry) you can rest assured that you are getting wholesome chicken. Even though the wings are small, you are paying by the pound not the wing, so you are definitely getting your moneys worth, I had 12 wings in my one pound order. The wings weren't breaded or battered, but had an awesome crispy skin and the meat was moist and juicy; and as for the "Tangy Carolina Sauce" it was delicious and lived up to it's name, I was pleased to find that it wasn't spicy, but also wasn't sweet, it definitely was a nice, tangy sauce. Every Wednesday, Constant Spring offers an "Oval Plate Special," for $12.00, which features ethnic and international food, and this week the special was Ethiopian food which my husband didn't even have to think for a second about ordering. His meal included an Ethiopian beef stew over a flat bread called injera, alongside a root vegetable curry, what a unique meal to get to experience in such a small town! So next time you have a hankering for wings, or you want to take your bar experience to the next level, or you just want some delicious food head to Constant Spring on Main Street in downtown Goshen; where a bar isn't just a bar, it is a means of stimulating your local economy.


 

Siam Thai

Admittedly, we haven't spent much time in downtown South Bend, and after spending date night there, I am asking myself "why?" The area has really been built up and from the looks of it, has many delicious restaurants to offer, one of those restaurants has been around for 17 years, Siam Thai on Main Street. My hubby found a Living Social deal offering $20 worth of food for $10, and fortunately he snatched this one up, we had never tried Thai food before, but were anxious for this new experience. The minute we walked in the door the owner (or the man we suspect was the owner) hailed us to a table, and was practically giddy to tell us about the special offerings they had including several appetizers, fusion dishes, desserts, and a tea of the month. Normally I am a water drinker, but the tea of the month was hot apple cider tea and with fall in the air I couldn't resist, it was more aromatic than flavorful, but it was a nice warm up. I had barely laid eyes on the appetizer section of the menu when "Thai Mushrooms" jumped off the page at me; mushrooms stuffed with marinated ground pork, tempura battered, fried, and served with Thai sweet and sour sauce, they were delicious and might make it near impossible to ever eat traditional fried mushrooms again.

Our waitress was very helpful in pointing us in the direction of very traditional, must try Thai dishes and my hubby was smart to take her suggestion to try the Pad Thai, it was delicious! He received a heaping plate full of stir fried rice noodles with shrimp, tofu, eggs, bean sprouts, onions, covered in peanuts and cilantro. The dish came with something like 10 tiger prawns so of course I took it upon myself to try one, the shrimp was cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicious, pair that with the crunch of the peanuts and I could have eaten a whole plate of just the shrimp! Despite the fact that this dish had tofu and onions, my husband loved it, and the heaping portion was just around $11.

  

I was very indecisive when it came to my dinner, they put stars next to the dishes to indicate heat and since I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food, I narrowed down my choices to the items with no stars. I chose one of the specials that the owner had told us about Neau Nam Man Hoi, which was thinly sliced beef with green onions, mushrooms, and broccoli in a wine sauce served with a side of Jasmine rice. Many times when you get thinly sliced beef it can be tough and hard to chew, but this was tender and easy to eat, not to mention the sauce was delicious. The dish cost around $12, but was delicious and a large enough portion to be worth the cost.

On top of delicious, well cooked food, the staff at Siam Thai were incredibly friendly and helpful, in fact we chatted with the owner for a bit who told us to let him know when we come back so he can suggest other dishes to us and give us a good taste of the menu. I am happy to report that our first experience of Thai cuisine will most certainly not be our last!