By Scott Hutcheson/For the Times Sentinel
April 30, 2008 05:42 pm
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There was a time, a few years ago, when this little newspaper column we know as the Hungry Hoosier had a lot more restaurant coverage. That was when it was only a local column in my home town. In those early days I covered it all — from the town’s high-end dining to the greasy spoons (I mean that in a good way). After a couple of years, the column began running in other papers and it’s in a total of five now, in various parts of our great state.
With readers from such a broad geographic area, I don’t write as much about restaurants unless they are what we call “destination restaurants.” These are the places that are so good that you’ll get in your car on a Friday or Saturday night and make the drive just to go to dinner. Restaurant Tallent in Bloomington is just such a place.
Dave and Krissy Tallent are a husband-and-wife culinary dynamic duo. The story of their relationship is also the story of the restaurant. They are Hoosiers who met when they were both working college jobs in a Bloomington restaurant. They fell in love with each other and with food, deciding to pack up and head to New York to study at the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating, they picked up experience at some of the best restaurants in the United Sates before deciding to head back to Bloomington in 2004 to open a restaurant.
Last week, I had the delicious fortune to dine at Restaurant Tallent twice. I went down on a Monday evening to have a business dinner with a colleague and found it so enjoyable I returned on Saturday night my wife. If I’m willing to spring for both dinner and a baby-sitter, it has to be someplace special.
If I gave tines on a fork or stars in my restaurant reviews, Tallent would get my highest rating. The restaurant hit homeruns in every category: taste, service and ambiance. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so. Restaurant Tallent has received a number of accolades over the last four years and Dave Tallent is on the short list for a James Beard Nomination and Krissy’s wine list is being considered for a Wine Spectator award. These are like the Academy Awards and Golden Globes of the restaurant world.
The menu at Tallent is seasonal and primarily reflects what is seasonal in the Hoosier state. The owners work closely with Indiana farmers and artisan food producers creating a menu anchored with sophisticated versions of Midwest cuisine. The eatery also pays just as much attention to procuring ingredients we don’t have here in the landlocked Midwest. It has recently begun working directly with fishermen in Apalachicola, Fla., to supply it with great Gulf seafood.
Some of the standouts from my recent visits were an Arugula Salad served with crispy artichoke, goat cheese, chow chow and banyuls vinaigrette ($10). Another first-course offering that looked tempting was something called Breakfast for Dinner, a buttermilk biscuit with house-made bacon, quail eggs and hollandaise ($13). My favorite entrée of the two visits was the Flora Farms Pork ($25) which included three different pork tastes: a moist and flavorful tenderloin, a portion of braised pork belly and a serving of melt-in-my-mouth scrapple. This was accompanied by a cider-braised cabbage and served with natural jus. This hog trio was one of the most remarkable pork entrées I have ever had. Other entrees include beef, poultry, seafood and a vegetarian selection. Entrees range from $21-34.
Desserts at Tallent are no afterthought. Between my own selections and tasting those of my dinner companions, I’ve tried nearly all of them. The Poppy Seed Angel Food French Toast ($8) and the S’more Trifle ($10) made with house-made marshmallows and graham crackers were among my favorites.
The Tallent wine list is extensive and helpfully organized by price. Restaurant Tallent has one of the largest by-the-glass selections I’ve ever seen. The mood is casual yet elegant and the service is top notch. This is the kind of place that can work well for both a business dinner or a special occasion. Restaurant Tallent is open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and reservations are recommended. It is located at 208 N. Walnut in Bloomington. Call (812) 330-9801 or visit www.restauranttallent.com for more information.
Scott Hutcheson is a food writer based in Lebanon. Visit the Hungry Hoosier Web site at www.hungryhoosier.com.
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