Rolling Scones Part II

The name "Rolling Scones," can be a bit deceiving, it can evoke images of delicious pastries, which they DO serve, but that isn't all they do. On the first and third Saturdays of every month Rolling Scones in the basement of The Old Bag Factory in Goshen serves up a Puerto Rican feast, on top of their regular delicious menu full of tempting breakfast options, soups, sandwiches, and salads. We started our meal with a shrimp ceviche, which was as beautiful as it was tasty...chock full of shrimp, lime juice, and typical salsa veggies! And if you aren't familiar with ceviche it is raw seafood that is marinated in citrus juice and served with tortilla chips for dipping.

My hubby and I decided to partake of the Puerto Rican feast which included pork and chicken (you can choose one or the other, but we wanted both), organic greens and dressing, rice and beans, and a slice of bread. The pork and chicken were unbelievably moist, generally in a restaurant meat has a tendency to be dry, but that is not the case here, and the flavor was delicious, very natural and perfectly seasoned. The dressing on the salad may actually be one of my favorite dressings, it is a light vinaigrette type, and is perfect next to the hardiness of the rice and beans, which were full of sweet potatoes, green olives, and ham; and my hubby who isn't a fan of any of those things really liked this side dish.

My mother in law ordered the "Pita Carnita" and really liked it, she was also surprised at how moist the Puerto Rican chicken in her pita was, it was complimented with Swiss cheese, fresh avocado (a staple for my hubby's California family), green olives, dill pickles, and mayo.

Whether you are looking for delicious scones to take to the office, soup and a sandwich for lunch, or a traditional Puerto Rican meal, Rolling Scones is a must try!

JW Chen's

It seems that everyone has their favorite Chinese place, it's their go to for take out for a busy week night or that special place for dinner out, and I can tell you that if it wasn't located all the way out by Notre Dame, JW Chen's would be our Chinese place. The food is delicious and scratch made, and from what we hear from many who have traveled to China it is as close as it gets in the US, I have never eaten in China, but I can tell you this is different and better than the rest! We started with the lettuce wraps because my hubby has loved lettuce wraps since we were taken to PF Chang's (no judgement for eating at a chain!), and these blew PF's right out of the water; you have your choice of pork or chicken, I chose pork for a little something different and was not disappointed, these wraps were delicious, I was eating every speck of the filling off of my plate!

When it came time to order the owner grabbed a seat next to us and asked us what we liked, she told us that she had fish and lamb and would make us anything we wanted, she will even make suggestions based on what you like, or come up with a whole new dish for you! We ended up with an order of almond shrimp which was on the menu, and black vinegar fish which was not on the menu. As we waited for our food, the waitress dropped off a plate and announced "honey chicken on the house," and what a scrumptious surprise that was! This was not the typical deep fried chicken covered in an overly sweet sauce that I have had before, but rather chunks of tender chicken with a nicely balanced honey sauce, even my hubby liked it and he isn't usually a fan of sweet dishes.

The next dish to hit the table was the almond shrimp, and yes they bring your dishes out as they are prepared, so everything is piping hot. This wasn't the typical shrimp dish with a few almonds sprinkled over top, these large shrimp are lightly battered and coated in slivered almonds before they hit the fryer, so you get shrimp that is completely coated in almonds. These crispy shrimp are finished off with a really delicious brown sauce, and are just so perfect, this might be my new favorite Chinese dish!

The final dish to come out was the black vinegar fish, which was an entire filet of fish (my guess was orange roughy, but I couldn't say that with conviction), battered, fried, and dressed in a sauce that, despite being tangy, did not taste like vinegar. This wasn't our favorite dish on the table, but it was good, and so fun to get to try something that isn't on the menu.

JW Chen's not only has delicious food, but a unique environment as well, I mean how many places can you go and have the owner come up with a dish based on your tastes? And while it is nice for a family dinner or even a night out, I also think getting a big group together, each ordering a different dish, and eating family style would be a blast and give you a good taste of what they have to offer. No matter who you choose to go with, just make sure you go to JW Chen's, you won't be disappointed!

Moser's Austrian Cafe & German Cuisine

When some friends told my parents about a restaurant in New Carlisle serving Austrian and German Cuisine, they never would have guessed that the owner used to work at a shoppe they frequented in my mom's hometown in Germany. Moser's Austrian Cafe & German Cuisine is a great place for those who want to try Austrian and German cuisine for the first time or for those who, like me, just miss the food from this region. We began our meal with the "Hot Wurst Platte," a sampling of sausages including bratwurst; weisswurst, a Bavarian sausage made with minced veal and fresh bacon; thueringer, who's ingredients vary, but must come from the state of Thueringia in Germany; and debreziner, a finely minced pork sausage seasoned with paprika that has a kick. I really like the bratwurst and weisswurst, and while the debreziner and thueringer were good, they were too spicy for my palate (have I mentioned I am a wimp?). We also shared the "Bavarian Meat and Cheese Platter," which included sandwich meats such as Speck (German prosciutto), Landjaeger (a dried sausage), and several other cuts similar to bologna with add ins like mushrooms, served alongside cubes of cheese, and swirled rye bread; and I encourage you to try the bread, because I don't usually care for rye, but thought swirling it with white bread mellowed it out. And this is what our platters looked like AFTER we had our way with them!

The menu is extensive and includes choices such as Austrian Gulasch (Beef and pork tips in a brown sauce over drop noodles called spaetzle), Paprika Chicken, and bratwurst with saurkraut, but I went straight to the section with schnitzel, which is a pork or chicken cutlet that is breaded and fried. Moser's offers many varieties such as the Jaegerschnitzel that is covered with a mushroom sauce and the Schwaebisches (the region in Germany my family is from) schnitzel which is covered in anchovies and a white wine sauce. I ordered the plain, traditional pork schnitzel because that is how we have always eaten it in our family, which was a little under seasoned, but cooked perfectly with a crisp crust and juicy inside. My meal came with a side of spaetzle, which my little man ate, and I opted to sub my red cabbage (yech!!) with a side of the biggest, crispiest homemade chips I have ever eaten.

Wiener Schnitzel

 

Homemade Chips

While it was almost an hour drive, I still highly recommend Moser's in New Carlisle, Indiana for a delicious German meal, not to mention a completely unique dining experience, because the only place you will get a better German meal is at my mom's house!!

The Tamale Place

A few years ago my husband and I found ourselves amongst a group of friends who was anxiously awaiting a hot batch of homemade tamales that a neighbor was making, it was an all day process, but by evening time we were sampling the tasty morsels, and we have been hooked ever since! Since that fateful day we searched for a restaurant version to rival these, and while nothing will ever beat homemade we have landed on a local joint in Indy that has become our favorite, and we never drive past the city without a stop at The Tamale Place. It is true that Goshen and Elkhart do have several Mexican restaurants with good tamales, but none can rival the variety and uniqueness of The Tamale Place. The owners Angela and Vladimir met while Angela was backpacking in Mexico in 1999 and  in 2003 along with Angela's mom they opened a tortilla business in Indianapolis, that was not as popular as anticipated, but when locals began asking about good tamales, Vladimir called his Mexican family for recipes, and while Angela loved cooking and had lots of experience, she had never rolled a tamale, which luckily for their customers means half-pound tamales! Though The Tamale Place is home to the half-pound tamale, my personal favorite is the $0.99 cigar sized Cuban stuffed with chorizo, shredded pork, and corn; but I also love the beef with red sauce, which is their most popular tamale, as well as the pork with green sauce. My husband is also a big fan of the poblano with cheese, which he loosely likens to one of his childhood favorites, the chili relleno. The tamales are $3.25 a piece or $38.00 for a dozen and trust me after the first one, you might just find yourself buying the entire dozen! The tamales don't stop at the main dish, The Tamale Place is also serving up delicious dessert tamales, including my favorite apple with pecans that is like eating apple pie in a corn husk, and the chocolate tamale that is somewhere between a brownie, chocolate cake, and mind blowing! While you will find that The Tamale Place makes a great variety of tamales, they are a labor intensive, handmade dish therefore they do not make all of them everyday; next to the cash register you will find a marker board with the day's choices and a number indicating how many are left, so I suggest getting there early in the day before they run out! If you aren't a fan of tamales, but still love good Mexican food, there IS still something here for you; we also love the tacos, they make their own tortilla's with the same masa they use for the tamales and have several different delicious protein options like my personal favorites carne asada and fish (they also have chicken, pork, beans, and veggies), I like mine the traditional way with cilantro and onions, but my hubby loves the addition of melted cheese. They heat the tortillas on the flat top which melts the cheese into the other toppings, and as my hubby says, makes them similar to a quesadilla. He also has an ongoing love affair with their nachos and has to get a half order any time he is there, and by half order we are talking about at least a pound to a pound and a half of homemade tortilla chips (made from their homemade tortillas), chicken verde, black beans, sour cream, white cheese dip, lettuce, guacamole, and jalapenos. There are many other options to customize your nacho order, but no matter how you top it, you can be sure it will be delicious. I cannot promise to have tried a lot of the Mexican restaurants in Indianapolis, but I have tried a great deal of authentic Mexican food, and this restaurant is a must try, especially if you are a tamale fanatic like we are!