I lived in Tippecanoe County for about 4 years in my late teens and early 20’s. I’ll admit that besides the mall, movie theater, and bmv, I didn’t spend much of any other time in the city of Lafayette. Like a lot of Indiana downtowns in the 90’s it was full of empty storefronts and a bit run down. As I’ve come back to Purdue University over the years for seminars, alumni meetings, and sporting events, I’ve gotten a little too old to hang out with all the kids at the college bars. With the revitalization around the courthouse I’ve discovered the gem of the city that I avoided in the college years. With another seminar at Purdue and a couple days off, I stayed three nights in Lafayette to check out their offerings and find one of the best tenderloins in the state.
The Tenderloin
Being close to Purdue, I have been to Lafayette for many tenderloins. Some have been good, some OK, some bad, one almost inedible. The truth is, I could have gone around and featured multiple restaurants about tenderloins in Lafayette. Even while visiting others around the city there was recommendations on where to go and very strong opinions on where their favorite was. But, when I mentioned I was going to the B&N Diner, they would get excited and rave about how good that place is or else admit they never had one there before. On the outskirts of town and across from a mall there is a small diner that boasts about their tenderloins. Walking into the B&N Diner you pick your seat and a waitress hands you a menu that contains a Jumbo Homemade Handbreaded Tenderloin, but for a dollar more you can get the Super Homemade Handbreaded Tenderloin. (leftovers for breakfast for $1? I’ll take it). 12 ounces of tender white meat surrounded by a buttery, crispy, seasoned coating came out a few minutes later. There were no chewy fatty areas, no burnt edges, no soggy batter – nothing that would deter anyone from enjoying Indiana’s finest sandwich. It is a little diner that is in the commercial area and surrounded by other chain restaurants, but I would implore you to stop in, bring cash, and try their food, whether it be filling up on breakfast, getting a lite lunch, or enjoying their perfectly crafted hand breaded tenderloin.
The Town
With my time in Lafayette, I’m going to do “The Town” portion a bit differently this time. There were just too many good restaurants, goodie shops, and fun things to do to only pick 4 or 5. So… I broke them up into categories. I even focused more on the food with this visit.
Breakfast
The coffee shop right across from the courthouse, The Eleventh House, offers some bold flavors in both their latté’s and their bagel sandwiches. The latté was made from salted honey, cinnamon, and lemon (which was extraordinary) but you can get others with flavors such as cayenne, rose water, pistachio, or ginger. The bagel sandwiches are their specialty. Again, I went with a more basic bacon egg and cheese, but the sesame covered bagel is what made the sandwich something to crave when you wake in the morning.
There is not really a county historical museum in the seat of Tippecanoe County, but walking into The Sunrise Diner you can get your history fix by checking out the old pictures of the city that cover the walls from end to end. You can also get yourself a pretty good breakfast with your coffee. Bacon, eggs, and biscuits were served up to get a start on my busy day. The story of the start eatery is interesting too. The owner was doing some work on another restaurant. In lieu of pay, they have him a diner downtown. When the diner moved to a larger space in the old Coney Island themed place, they kept the Coney dog and something they call “The Coney Tenderloin”. But that’s for future post at another time.
Goodies
While strolling along the downtown streets of Lafayette, an old neon sign caught my eye about a block off the strip. It was white and was in the shape of a chef hat. Seeing that, I had to make sure to stop into O’Rear’s Pastry Shop to see what kind of goodies they had to offer. The “stars and stripes” cookies were recommended and I walked away with a dozen red sugar topped star shaped butter cookies and red and white twist sugar cookies. My favorite was the caramel donuts with the nuts on top. It is a fine little pastry shop locally owned that has been in Lafayette for decades. And then there is that sign… More places need to have the old signs out front.
For over 100 years you could walk into the small shop at the corner of Main and 6th and get a lite lunch or pick up some treats. After going through some changes since its start in 1912, McCord Candies still serves up hand-crafted sodas and homemade candy. They were all too happy to make me a Green River after I walked in and ordered at the old soda shop counter. Nothing pre-mixed here, they used the soda fountain and mixed the lime flavoring with a bit of phosphate to deliver a special authentic version of a favorite. Walking around the shop yous can get all kinds of special candy from chocolates, gummies, and freeze-dried treats. If you are lucky enough, you can snag one of their “Candy Cane Tours” around Christmastime in which you could go behind the scenes to see how the peppermint sticks are made. It’s great place to have downtown to either stop in between shopping or dinner, or else make it a destination by itself.
Dinner
One of my favorite places to eat of all time is The Black Sparrow. I discovered this place last year while scouting for a tenderloin in the city. It has a dark Edgar Allan Poe vibe to it; dark, mysterious, eclectic… Its menu also offers some unique offerings you’d be hard to find elsewhere like fig pizza, chimichurri steak frites, and lamb chops. The best on the menu is an appetizer they are famous for – bacon wrapped dates. The salty and sweet combo starts with the crispy savory bite and yields a sweet gooey inside. One night I stopped in here for it as an appetizer before heading out to another place for dinner. On this visit the table behind me ordered up a tenderloin. I had not gotten one here before, mostly because I wanted to try some of their other offerings, but it did look pretty good and I’ll have to feature it in the future on a quick Facebook post.
Before you could find brewpubs on every downtown street in Indiana, The Lafayette Brewing Company has been concocting their own porters and IPA’s. All the way back to 1993 you could wander in and sample a beverage that was fermented right in the next room over. In fact, it got the first ever small brewers permit offered in Indiana. The dining room is open to all ages and they serve a large menu of all kinds of traditional pub fare. Being a Purdue grad, I couldn’t pass up ordering the Paint Crew Pils. If you didn’t know, it is named after the best basketball fans in the country.
Digby’s Pub and Patio sits right across the courthouse on 4th St. During the warmer months the streets of Lafayette echo with music from bands playing on the patio. In this cooler weather I stopped inside the place to get a quick dinner on my final night. I enjoyed sitting at the bar and talking to the owner about different bourbons they had to offer. He suggested trying the special, chicken sliders, for my meal. I got them with the “Hell Sauce” and when they came out it almost looked like (3) mini tenderloin sandwiches (with chicken instead of pork). The “Hell Sauce” made the meal, it had a spicy kick while at the same time giving a sweet bite. I’m looking forward to trying it on one their tenderloins in the future.
Fun
In grade school I played the Clarinet. I gave it up when I went to high school, but I have never really wanted to pick it up again until I watched the Purdue University Wind Ensemble play at The Long Center for Performing Arts. Unlike an orchestra that features string instruments like violins, a wind ensemble is more like a high school band with flutes, clarinets, sax, trombones, and drums. What is really fascinating is that not only are you hearing music written a few years ago, but some have been played for hundreds of years. Besides maybe art and books, other forms of entertainment that give you a glimpse into the past like movies, photos, video games only take you back a hundred years. The Long Center, originally built in the 1920’s as the Mars Theater, is something to see in itself. Restored to its vaudeville appearance, you get a venue that also takes you back in history to the movie houses of yore. Make sure to check out the theater organ that is featured prominently to the right of the stage.
When it comes to elevation, it is hard to find good hiking trails in Indiana. The Clegg Memorial Garden is on the banks of the Wabash and gives you a taste of rolling hills and deep gorges. Although advertised 15 miles of trails, I think it would be stretch to get 3 out of here. What you do get is a descent from the old residence through a creek bed and down to the river. There are various points for lookouts, bridges, and stairs to climb. When you get to the river you have a nice quiet secluded jog right next to the water. It's really one of the better trails I’ve been on in Indiana. In wintertime all the leaves are gone which improves the view of the surrounding area. It would be a whole new trail in the spring with the flowers, summer with the trees in full bloom, and the colors of autumn. The Clegg Memorial Garden is worth coming back multiple times throughout the year.
Lafayette is not just the university. It’s actually a pretty big city with with blocks and blocks of shops, fun places to eat, a plethora of history, and many great tenderloins.
by Michael Tomko
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