Taj Mahal

6410 West Jefferson Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN 46804-6282

The 3 Elles dined at the Taj Mahal in the Fall of 2009. I was totally opposed to it - canNOT stand curry. To my surprise, I truly enjoyed my meal of chicken and mushrooms. No kidding - that's what it was called "Chicken and mushrooms" (my husband thought I got ripped off since it was an ethnically named dish). The Adams L had received a suggestion that we try Naan Bread which comes in several flavors - we tried a garlic type. It was interesting and worth trying. Allen L had a chicken curry dish that she had prepared very mildly. That was a big plus, the server asked how spicy each of us wanted our dishes prepared. The server brought out my chicken and mushroom dish and Allen L's chicken curry dish and then put a large serving boat of rice in between us. Apparently it was to be shared - not a problem . . . Allen L is my friend, but it may have been odd if you were to share with a business partner or someone other than you care about. Adams L ordered an entree served in a pot type dish with little legs. It had several meats including lamb. It was dense and hearty for sure, but she enjoyed it very much. It too was prepared at a mild level. Each of us really enjoyed our food and took home huge amounts of left overs which heated up well for lunch the next day.

The servers were polite and very knowledgeable about the dishes. I would say that there were several other diners in the restaurant at the time who were pretentious and obnoxious. It was as though they felt they were superior to the rest of the world since they were "cultured enough" to eat at an Indian restaurant - really?!?! Give me a break! With $10 entrees, there aren't many people who couldn't enjoy the experience.

Our very first impression of the restaurant was tainted by the absolutely filthy windows and door - finger print smears obviously from children playing on the windows. It was sooooo glaring that Adams L and I could NOT dismiss it. Once you walk through the finger printed caking, you see white linen table clothes, well dressed tables, and are get greeted politely.

We would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are looking for something different. No desserts or drinks (except wine) - so we went over to Chops (truly a terrible choice - stay tuned for my 2 thumbs down review of Chops).

Until the next bite -

Don Hall's Tavern at Coventry

5745 Coventry Lane
Fort Wayne, IN 46804

I had personally heard many wonderful things about the Tavern at Coventry. So when the "3 L's" decided to go there tonight I was pretty excited (though, I must admit I was a bit bummed that our first choice was closed - more on that later). The night we patronized The Tavern was a night when 6" of snow fell, temperatures were quite cold, and the winds were blustery. Happy we had arrived safely on poorly maintained roads, we found the freshly plowed parking lot to be a welcomed sight. I'm not sure how impressed anyone should be about a plowed parking lot, but given the weather conditions and how well the lot was cleared off, it was a great first impression. I tried to take a picture of the picturesque scene - freshly falling snow, old fashioned tavern building, snow covered evergreens, but it was just too snowy. So just trust me - picturesque!

We entered and were greeted and seated in the bar side. At first there were only 2 other people in the section. As the night went on, more and more people were seated not only in the bar area, but at the table immediately all around us. Why not give us some privacy? Was it really necessary to stick every patron at a table immediately adjacent to us? It was really not that big of a deal - just a small pet peeve of mine.

Jennifer was our server and was quite pleasant. The 3 Elles have learned one thing from our many adventures - service makes or breaks the experience. It could be pretty terrible food, but if the server is fun and engaging then it's not a completely wasted evening. We've also learned the food could be fabulous, but poor service could ruin the entire evening and keep one from returning. Tonight's service was about average - we've had better, but we've had a lot worse. I'd give Jennifer a "B".

Martinis . . . for those of you who are loyal readers, you know that we enjoy a good martini. Jennifer consulted Clancy, the bartender, and reported back that the top 3 sweet martinis are: electric lemonade, key lime, and strawberry cream. So what were we suppose to do?????? Of course, we tried them all. They were delicious! The electric lemonade (Wells L) was sour at the start of each sip but finished off sweet. The key lime (Allen L) tasted exactly like key lime pie - if you like key lime, this is a MUST have. The strawberry cream was probably the best (leave it up to the Adams L to get the best one). It tasted much like a strawberry daiquiri, but different enough to keep it interesting. Martinis were $5.50. Later, we needed a second round - what did Clancy recommend???? Jennifer reported a pomegranate or sour apple martini were the next sweet choices. The Allen L got the strawberry cream and I went with the pomegranate (Thanks Adams L for driving). I was disappointed in the pomegranate martini. Although I've never actually tasted Windex, I think it would be similar to this martini. We all agree these are not the martinis to drink, no matter what variety, if you are interested in consuming alcohol - we didn't notice any. I'm a VERY light weight and they had zippo effect on me. One recommendation to The Tavern staff. . . why not have a martini list???? Don't want to sell martinis? We would have preferred to "study" a printed martini list (check with Club Soda or The Aboite Grill if you aren't sure how to make one)

Appetizers - OHHHH YES!!!!!!!!! The spinach stuffed mushrooms were a HOME RUN!!!!!!!! I honestly haven't had anything as beefy and delicious. It's a pretty big appetizer and should be shared (which we did - except Allen L who hates mushrooms) or they would make a delightful dinner. For $6.99 they were a bargain! I would return to The Tavern just to enjoy these again. We shared an order of crab cakes, which most of you know is one of the appetizers we typically try wherever we go. They weren't fantastic - pretty ordinary actually. I love crab cakes so I enjoyed them, but they weren't full of flavor. The other L's thought the sauce was too spicy - wimps. I wouldn't waste my money ($8.99) on them in the future. Frequent readers know I prefer the crab cakes at The Brickhouse Grill (Huntington), Baker Street (FW), Club Soda (FW), or Marcos on 2nd (Decatur). I would be remiss if I didn't mention the bread. The thick slices of a pumpernickleish/dark brown bread were par - sometimes bread make someone go to a place over another - this would not be the case - unremarkable would be our description.

Entrees -
Adams L: Cobb salad with grilled chicken and the house honey-lemon dressing on the side ($8.49). She thought the salad was very good and the dressing was very light and delicious. The Adams L said the salad compared to other places like Triangle Park. Her salad came with a cup of soup. Tonight's soup special was a type of wild rice, orzo, and chicken. The soup was served hot and was very good, according to the Adams L.

Allen L: Pecan Breaded Chicken Salad with a sesame type dressing ($8.99). She said it was fantastic and is looking forward to eating the other half for lunch tomorrow. There were large blackish colored (the lighting was set on "romantic" not "bright daylight") things in her salad. We all thought they were olives until she bit into them and said, "Oh, they're grapes." In writing this blog, I reviewed the menu and noticed that olives nor grapes are listed, but rather sun dried cherries. Mystery - what were those things? Grapes? Cherries? Sounds like you'll have to try it and find out for yourself. Either way, she thought the salad was good and would get it again.

Wells L: Fillet Sliders ($9.99). Honesty, they were pretty boring. The steak was very delicious and I would definitely order a fillet in the future because of how delicious that part of the meal was. The 3 sliders were mostly bread and nothing really that went "POW!". They were served with the most excellent french fries I have ever eaten (or at least right up there in the top 3). They had a very subtle batter that really made them special. Jennifer allowed me to try one onion ring and honestly - it was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!! It would be a difficult choice between fries or rings in the future.

Dessert -
I took home a piece of snickers pie. Skip it - it's good, but it's not fantastic. It's delicious, but not worth the calories.

Decor -
It was quaint and charming. The "old time" looking glass was special. The lamp by our table was made out of an old-time telephone atop a stack of old books. The framed magazine covers surrounding the bar area were spot on with the other decor. A housekeeping note to The Tavern staff: above our table was a rusty vent and next to us was a very large cob web (paint and dusting, anyone?)

Restroom -
The walls of the stalls could really use a wipe down. They looked as if there had been a sponge that wasn't rung out just tossed up on them and the dirty water allowed to drip. I think it could have been cleaned a bit better. They did have foaming hand soap - LOVE that!

I personally would not put this on my "must go to again" list. I do think I would like to return in the summer and enjoy a burger and fries . . . or rings on the patio. I don't think it warrants all the hype I had heard, but it was acceptable as a second choice on a snowy night. It's worth checking out . . . at least once.

Until the next bite -

Eddie Merlot's

1502 Illinois Road South
Fort Wayne, IN 46804-1220

Fabulous - Fantastic - Delectable

The 3 Elles have been to Eddie Merlot's twice. On both occasions, the service was beyond exceptional. Both times, our servers were charming, warm, and receptive to our humorous exchanges. We enjoyed the extras such as having our napkins folded while we were away in the restroom (side effect of drinking too many martinis), fun interactions with the expediters and water re-fillers (we called the high school boy filling our water by the name on his name tag for more than 2 hours until finally our server let us in on the "joke" - the "water boy" had been wearing another person's name tag), and being greeted by members of management. The atmosphere of EM is sophisticated without being overly pretentious. The courses are paced extremely well - no rushing to get the salad down as the entree sits there getting cold - very comfortable and relaxing.

One highlight of both visits was being seated in a perfect location within the restaurant. Our first visit included about four other co-workers and thus we were seated in a more private section away from the other restaurant goers. It made for a quiet area for us to talk, laugh, and enjoy our time out. It made it feel as if had our own private restaurant. Our second visit was just the 3 Elles and was solely for enjoying our Girls Night Out!!! We were seated in a conversation enhancing semi-circle booth overlooking the main restaurant area - great for people watching.

Shall I describe ecstasy? The Berry White martini - truly the best Fort Wayne has to offer - hands down!!!! The "Allen L" and the "Adams L" both tried it on our first trip and didn't stopping raving how fantastic it was for an entire year! "Allen L" discovered that EM had Martini Wednesdays and thus we had no choice but to make a second visit so that I could also enjoy the fantastic goodness of the smoothest most delectable drink in town (The Berry White martini). This martini has raspberries and blue berries in the bottom of the glass so it has to be good for you, right?. You absolutely HAVE to try it! Worth every penny, even if you don't go on a Wednesday.

The food is delightful! Every entree was prepared to perfection. Our extended group ate the Fillet, the duck, and honestly I can't remember what else. Everyone LOVED what they ordered and raved the whole rest of the week. Delicious! On our second trip, the 3 Elles enjoyed Fillets, crab cakes, salad and soup. The crab cakes were quite possibly the best in Fort Wayne - sure gives Club Soda (Ft. Wayne) and The Brickhouse Grill (Huntington) a run for their money. The salads were plentiful and packed with a wide variety of flavors and textures. I truly enjoyed the wedge salad - something I usually do not go for. EM is very good about making accommodations to the meal to please your dietary needs (i.e. no tomatoes, dressing on the side, etc).

On our second visit, the 3 Elles experienced an amazing dessert that was a gourmet version of a peanut butter cup. It was rich enough to be shared by all of us and worth every calorie. A member of management stopped by our table to share how EM develops new desserts - basically, they are a result of a "cook off" by all of the EM chefs within the corporation . .. . wouldn't you want to be one of their taste-testers. YUM!

We hope you enjoy your experience as much as we did! Happy Dining everyone!!!!!

Until the next bite -

Catablu Grille

6372 West Jefferson Boulevard,
Fort Wayne, IN 46804

Beyond disappointing pretty much sums up our recent experience at the new Catablu Grille. We were HUGE fans of Catablu and had such high hopes for an encore of our fabulous time (centered around a fantastic server/bartender who created amazing original 'tinis, amazingly prepared food, and tasty desserts)- dashed, dashed, dashed!!!!!

We love Martinis and began with such excitement to learn that we were there on Martini Monday - woo hoo!!! Apparently there are about 10 martinis listed on the menu that can be ordered for a discount on Mondays. I asked our young, naive server which she recommended and made a decision as did the other "L's". She returned to the table a few seconds later to inform me they didn't have the appropriate liquor to make the drink I selected. I was bummed, but was willing to look over the other options. Before I had a chance, our server blasted out, "What martini do you want instead?" I asked for a few more minutes. She rolled her eyes, told us that the bartender hated to make martinis and that he hated her so I should order a martini to upset him (yeah - that's what I like to do - upset the bartender and get in the middle of a workplace dispute). She returned to the table 30 seconds later and said, "Which one are you going to get?" I again asked for some more time which she more or less insisted I hurry up. I asked for water, closed the menu and decided that I was upset with her tone - no alcohol bill for you (to put a twist on the soup nazi's famous line). The server must have asked another 5 times what I was going to drink, despite my making it extremely clear I wasn't going to order anything. The other "L's" enjoyed their martinis very much - good for them . . . until "The Adams L" attempted to order a second drink and guess what . . they didn't have Port Wine which was needed. I quickly, and probably sarcastically asked the server, what is it that you all do have? She said, "Not much." About 30 seconds later after she consulted the bartender, she returned stating, "Oh I guess we do have Port." What the heck!

"The Allen L" obsesses about bread and she absolutely LOVES the olive spread that accompanies the cracker-like sticks and sliced french bread.

Entrees -
"The Allen L" ordered lobster mac & cheese as it had such a high recommendation from other review sites and the server. It didn't appear to be a huge serving and in fact, she was able to eat the entire meal - something she rarely does. She said it was fantastic and would order it again.

"The Adams L" ordered a crab cake sandwich which she said was very good. One part of the bun was soggy so she used a knife and fork. She said it had great flavor and would order it again.

I had a fillet which was okay. It was FAR from the fillet I had eaten at the original Catablu. I would not make a special trip to eat it again. It was pretty unremarkable.

Dessert -
"The Allen L" just had coffee which was served in a small bucket - it was a huge, but cute, coffee cup.

"The Adams L" ate some donut type dessert which came with 3 dipping sauces (fudge, raspberry, and banana foster). She hated the banana foster. She didn't enjoy it - a sentiment that was echoed by "The Allen L".

I had the creme brulee. It was okay. It was your standard CB - nothing that went "WOW! I have to come back for this!!!!" Disappointing. The CB at the old Catablu was delicious.

Atmosphere-
First, what is up with the restrooms. There is one labeled with a framed picture of a little girl. The other is labeled with a generic plastic male/female placard.
Second, the giant flat screen tv centered was distracting and out of place with the other warm, charming decor. The fire place and wall mounted wine rack were charming as was the "gated" dining section.

Service -
HORRIBLE!!!!!!!! Our young server continued to hang around our table like a puppy waiting on a treat. She talked about herself WAY TOO MUCH-we know she is a criminal justace major, got 5 tickets in one night, wants to become a drug user psychotherapist, her ex-boyfriend didn't pay car insurance which she gave him the money for, that her ex is her baby's daddy - TMI!!! Shut up already - we're here to have a Girls Night Out - but she remained clueless as to oppressive, suffocating, and obnoxious presence.

Until the next bite -