It’s 1996 and you wake up on a Saturday morning by a train whistle even though you aren’t aware of any tracks nearby. Followed by a song from the Quad City DJ’s, “Come on ride the train…” You rise to peek out the window with a fan in it on full blast since it is August and your 70 year old dorm does not have air conditioning. Outside a train engine with wheels pulling a car with 20 students dancing in it trails on while the empty parking lot the night before is now full of grown-ups drinking beers and grilling meats in what seems way too early to an 18-year-old who has left home for the first time the week before. Leaving your roommate on the top bunk, who has somehow slept through this commotion, you grab your basket of toiletries and a towel and head down to the bathroom that you share with the rest of the guys in the hallway. Luckily, one out of the three shower stalls is open and at least you can start this day feeling fresh.
The city of West Lafayette was home for me for around 4 ½ years. They even hung my picture on the wall after I left. Was it as they say, “The best years of your life”? Well… there were good times, and there were bad times. Being in engineering I had a lot of hard work to do, so I didn’t have that Animal House experience people associate with campus life. But, it wasn’t all libraries and all-nighters as I did manage to get out and have some fun on my time off. Coming back to West Lafayette for a Tenderloin and the Town article, I’m not going to be able to take you through the whole experience of my life as a college student as playing video games in the dorm room, drinking beer from a keg out of a red solo cup at an apartment party, and doing homework in the Union between classes can’t be redone and wouldn’t make good reading material. As college towns change drastically, I won’t even be able to take you to some of my old hang out places and they are long gone. I’m sure I would get some comments about not covering two of the most iconic establishments near Purdue (I’m talking about the XXX place that is for families and the chocolate shop that is not for families), but they have been written about and made into TV shows all over and I’m sure you can google them and see what they are about. What I will do is take you to some of the places still remaining as well as visit some new, and definitely get you pointed towards a great tasting tenderloin.
The Tenderloin
Nine Irish Brothers is one of the new places since my time down there. Story goes that the youngest of 14 children, 9 of them boys, in an Irish family wanted to start an Irish pub. Luckily for the Lafayette area, there are no roads to the college in the northern part of the state that seems to have a monopoly on all things Irish, so the most authentic Irish pub in the state now sits right outside the campus of Purdue. The family has traveled numerous times out to the Emerald Isle and have brought back artifacts and trinkets that now decorate the bar area and family dining room in the back. Just above where I sat was a harp case sitting near the ceiling. I don’t even think I’ve ever seen a harp in person before and here is a case that holds a harp! You can find Irish beer, Irish whiskeys, and Irish food, but as every great restaurant in Indiana does, they pay tribute to the local fare and include a breaded tenderloin on their menu. At first I was a bit skeptical as it looked thin and may be dried out, but with the juiciness of the first bite, I was relieved to find a great addition to some of the best tasting tenderloins in the state. They have their own buffalo sauce and with their stiff brioche bun, it gives you one of the more unique servings of the BPT out there. A special mention for the pub chips that come with the sandwich. Basically, they were circular shaped French fries with some great seasoning on it. We couldn’t finish them during the meal, but were snaking on them the rest of the day. I usually go by the rule when visiting a restaurant as to not order outside of their specialty. You wouldn’t order a steak at a Chinese place nor a hamburger at a Mexican place. But, in this case, if you can resist the urge to feast on their traditional dishes such as bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie, feel free to order up the local traditional Indiana tenderloin. Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.
The Town
The area down by the river in West Lafayette, usually called “The Levee”, has seen many changes throughout the years. Where now you can see apartments, hotels, a movie theater, and numerous chain restaurants, back when I was a freshman there was just a closed up Sears and a few fast food eateries, and even that Sears got knocked down that year. Tucked in there after the Long John Silver’s and the Wendy’s was a small record store known only as JL’s. As none of us hauled a record player down there in the mid 90’s, we were there for the CD’s and VHS tapes. What we found was an eclectic collection of music larger than we had ever seen. Our trip was about a half hour walk from the dorms and at the time none of us had a car, so it was a special treat when we would plan to hike down the Levee to pick up things like a used copy of Total Recall or an obscure Album by a hair band called Every Mother’s Nightmare. My sophomore year they even hosted a concert in the parking lot, a couple members of Motley Crue and Kiss got a new band together “Union” to promote an album. Just like the house in “Up” the area around it populated with newer and larger buildings, while JL’s sits conspicuously nestled on the same street. You can still visit and comb through its even larger collection of music. While the bulk of the inventory is CD’s, you can still get VHS tapes and video games. There is even a mezzanine where they showcase all of their record albums for sale. Make sure the look up on the walls as it serves as a museum of sorts as you can see old radios and guitars. It’s amazing to still visit and purchase music as a physical store where music is mostly purchased online from our phones and stored in a cloud.
The Town & Gown Bistro is a newer place that sits on 43 before you get to State St. It is a coffee shop/bar/diner/bistro/everything. Located in a two story building that used to be a chain shop with a take-out window, you can now eat all meals here. We wandered in for breakfast and were escorted upstairs to a large dining area with a fully stocked and separated bar in the back. The chocolate-chip pancakes and ham and cheese omelet were better quality than most other diners. The highlight was the hot chocolate my son ordered. Arriving in a large coffee cup, it was topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup and sprinkles. Although not as old or famous as some of West Lafayette’s other diner hot spots, this one should be put on any list to check out while visiting campus.
Along State Street in the “old” part of West Lafayette is a series of shops called Von’s. So if you take a mall and condense it down, you may end up with a string of stores like this. It contains books, records, gifts, cards, beads, jewelry, t-shirts, comics, posters, and video – just like it says printed on the wall outside. When I was in school there it was a quick place to buy just about anything. Need a new poster for the wall – Von’s. Need the new CD and don’t want to walk all the way to JL’s – Von’s. Need a birthday card and quick gift for your sweetheart – Von’s. I think you get the picture. What makes it most unique to me in the years after graduating is the amount of used books kept in the basement. If you are looking for an old, out of print book, I’d try here. The basement even looks like some kind of dungeon. You navigate the bowels of West Lafayette through the thin aisles and overflow boxes sitting on the ground. It’s a site just to be down there.
There is a scale model of the Solar System on the south side of campus. Fitting with the new portion of the blog, the VOSS model was built in the early 2000’s and is an interesting art display that would intrigue little kids all the way to adults. As the University is a pioneer in aero and space travel (remember, the first and last man on the moon were Purdue grads) this fits with the technical aspect of its contribution to society. Plus, it is really cool to see while you start at the sun and work your way from the inner planets to the outer ones. It’s definitely worth a stop out there when visiting the campus and city.
If there is one thing that is more of an Indiana tradition than the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, it’s basketball. Hoosier Hysteria has been around ever since Lincoln led his high school team to the territorial championship in Vincennes that was attended by former governor and future president William Henry Harrison. Legend has it that they, along with “Mad” Anthony Wayne, wrestled a bear at halftime and lost! While the high school “Hoosiers” passion has subsided a bit in the past couple decades with the consolidation of school districts and the introduction of separate class style tournaments, the college competition has never been stronger. Some of the smaller schools like Indiana St and Butler have had their “flash in the pan” and have tasted the pinnacle of the NCAA, others like PFW and Southern Indiana have raised the status of their programs to division 1 to play with the big boys. The two giants at the top of the state though, Purdue and Indiana, continue to slug it out not only on the court, but with the badgering between fans. I, myself as a Purdue Alum who would never root for Indiana to win any game, am glad that Indiana is around and have been successful. I believe that the two major schools co-existing make the competition and rivalry better. Without the opposing school keeping all us Boilermakers and Hoosiers in check, we would just all be a bunch of Ohio or Wisconsin fanatics, and that’s not good for anyone. This year has been very special for Purdue as they are undefeated and the #1 ranked team in the nation. In fact, they have been ranked #1 in two consecutive years, a feat that has not been accomplished in almost 50 years before – which was by Indiana! Walking into Mackey Arena this day to see them play a paycheck team in Florida A&M, you can feel a sense of magic in the air. The small circular gold dome encloses a packed out crowd that intimidates the opposition to the chants of, “Who’s House? Our House!” From the tip-off to the last dribble of the walk-on to expire the clock, the fans are relentless in their support. This game was more relaxing as the Rattlers were no match and their opposition doubled their score for most of the game. I cannot imagine another sporting arena in the state to have a more passionate fan base and would provide a more meaningful experience that attending Mackey Arena in the winter.
Finally, It wouldn’t be a visit to Purdue without getting some Mad Mushroom Cheesestix. You can go and eat there, but the proper way to enjoy them is to have them delivered at the end of the day with few beers. After the game, we called up and they brought them over to the hotel room. For me, the taste is nostalgic, but even others that didn’t go to school there, the stix are some of the best snacks they have ever tasted. It consists of a pizza with no tomato sauce and light cheese. They then put some sort of secret garlic spice on top before baking. They give you tomato sauce for dipping, but most just eat them right out of the box. You can try and have your local pizza place make them, but it will always be second best to Mad Mushroom.
I told you they put my picture up at the university. I guess I've changed a bit in 22 years.
by Michael Tomko
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