If you're looking for a new or unique place to go and eat, you have tuned into the right experience.

Michiana.

Because we have carry with us and carry you.

You are the author of Unique Eats and Eateries of Indiana.

And so I first want to know, like, what was the inspiration behind the book?

Were you just sick and tired of going to the same restaurants over and over again?

Well, the way that I came across doing the book, it's unique eats and eateries of Indiana.

Yeah.

I've been a travel and food writer for 25 years, so from from the Chicago area, but right on the border.

So I'm always been doing a lot of traveling and eating in Indiana.

And, so the book involves 83 restaurants from all throughout the state, kind of covers each corner, of the Hoosier State and gets a good representation of different eateries throughout Indiana.

Started off with a huge list of, over 250 places and then had to narrow it down to what would fit in the book.

So that's what we came up with.

How did you find out about these places?

Well, a lot of them was like I said, I've been travel writing for 25 years, so some of them are long time, you know, nostalgic places.

Iconic places that have been around a long, long time.

And I had experienced as I was traveling around the state, also just through friends in the, hospitality and tourism, field.

So people I've known through the years just kind of picked their brains on the places in their region that, kind of fell into the category of being unique and just kind of went from there.

And other suggestions from friends and family.

I find it so fascinating, what you do.

And so how did you get into this was just something that, you always wanted to do, or was this just something that kind of came about?

Well, I always wanted to be a writer.

And an author.

I've done, nine books, so far.

This was my ninth book, but it was the first that was, like food and travel related.

But I've always been a writer, and, I was only a month or two into doing freelance writing before I, was given a travel assignment.

And my first one was to Santa Claus, Indiana.

So my first, first travel piece I ever did was, an Indiana spot.

So just going from there and then, my sister Becky and I, we've always, like, dining out, and, especially she still lives in the Chicago suburbs.

And when I was there, we did a lot of dining in and around Chicago.

So we started the Chicago Foodie Sisters food blog, in 2011.

So we've been working on that for years.

And, kind of through that just got to focus more on restaurants and the food scene.

So that's wonderful.

So let's start with at least in the Michiana area because we'll try to cover.

So I saw, on the list that you had some places that, you know, very familiar.

Like the Tippecanoe Place Chicory Cafe.

But then I also saw a few that I live here, and I didn't even know they're here.

So I wanted to ask you about a couple of them.

So Mosers Austrian cafe.

Oh yeah.

That's.

That would be just west.

Do you guys in New Carlisle.

Okay.

And I and I think that's a great that's kind of the purpose of the book is just to get people to get out and try new places and find new places that they haven't heard of and haven't experienced before.

But, most years, that one I loved, I have a fondness for German food because my father in law was from Berlin, and he immigrated here as a late teen and introduced me to, German cuisine when my husband and I started dating.

And so we'd go to these, German restaurants.

And so I got to know all the German cuisine and fell in love with the Wiener schnitzel and roulade and and black forest cake and potato pancakes and all these German specialties.

So, the book I tried to, get a good, kind of mash up of different, ethnic cuisines when putting the book together, too.

So there are three in the book that are, German restaurants, and one of them is Moser's.

It's actually Austrian, but, similar cuisine.

So, any of those German specialties I just mentioned, you're going to find they're they also have an attached bakery.

So the baked, the all of the desserts that are served there are made next door in the bakery.

And, they have outdoor seating in the summer and have a lot of, German bands that'll have a lot of entertainment where they'll have German bands there.

But the authentic music, and it's just a fun experience that's, you know, kind of you can experience Oktoberfest all year long, go there with get a stein, a beer and some German music and fun vibe.

Yeah, no.

That's great.

That sounds like it's a fun place.

And then there was a place called.

And it's kind of funny because you're traveling around.

It's called destination.

Oh.

Destination 814.

Was that the one?

Yeah.

And that that one.

What's really unique about that one?

They got a really good, whiskey, selection.

And so you're going to find a lot, a lot of spirits options there that you won't find at a lot of other places.

So and then, real creative menu and nice specials there as well.

And they infuse the, spirits into a lot of the different menu items.

So, so that's one thing that when I worked on the book, each place that's included, there's just some unique aspect to it, which can be, a unique menu item, maybe one specific specialty that you really don't find anywhere else.

Sometimes it was a unique building.

I mean, there's some really cool historic buildings that are included, some places with just a magnificent view of the water.

And then, some just kind of had unique backstories of how they came about.

So something unique in each one.

Now, I know these are a lot of your favorite places.

Is there one in particular?

I know there's probably some, but is this one that comes to your mind that really stands out to you?

I get asked that all the time.

It's it's really hard.

I mean, they're all kind of favorites, but I get it in the book.

One kind of in your little outside your region, but, not too far, in my opinion, to drive to for a good meal.

So Joseph Decuis which is out near Fort Wayne and, it's in the town of Roanoke.

It's, it has a lot of unique things going on with it.

And that it, as has the farm to table aspect, the owners have a farm right down the street, and so they grow a lot of the produce that's, part of the menu.

They also raise their own Wagyu beef, and they're the only place I know of in the country that raises it exclusively for their customers.

So you can't buy it anywhere else except for there.

You can also go to dine there at the restaurant.

And then it's also neat backstory.

The owner was a, a player with the Yankees organization who, ended up with an injury.

And, so has him, you know, I had to get out of his baseball pitching career.

I think he was a pitcher.

He, went into sports insurance after that and ended up with an office in Roanoke.

He had clients there and didn't really have anywhere to take them out to eat.

So he opened up a private, dining room and an old bank building, historic bank building there, and then eventually open it for the public.

And so it's a nice, fine dining experience.

They also bought some adjoining buildings and, there's a market there as well, and cafe, so you can, you know, have a casual bite there or go on the evening to, Joseph Decuis Restaurant, for a fine dining experience.

And they also doing the chef's table where you concert facing the kitchen and kind of interact with the staff and see everything being made in front of you.

And it's a great experience.

They won a ton of wine awards too.

So for a special occasion, that's definitely a place I recommend and not too far from South Bend.

And that's what's wonderful.

Now, when you go to these restaurants, are you kind of undercover or do you let them know that the the reason why you're there?

Well, some of them, like I said, had been from previous visits.

So, some I revisited for the book and, most of them, they knew I was coming and they kind of would show me what they wanted to highlight.

That's on their menu.

And then I'd get to know the, talk to them and get to know the owners and a little bit about the story.

So, yeah, most of the time they knew I was coming somewhere from, from previous visits.

So that's wonderful.

Now, how can people follow you Carrie So I for the book, I got a Facebook page specifically for the book, Unique Eats and Eateries of Indiana.

You can also find me through my food blog, which is Chicago Foodie Sisters.

So it's Chicago Foodie Sister dot com and also that handle and, Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and threads.

So those are all ways to find me.

And the book, is available at Reading press.com, which is the publisher, and also Amazon Barnes and noble.com.

Different gift shops and bookstores around the state.

All right.

Well, Carrie thank you so much for being with us.

I, I'm you gave us a lot of restaurants to go and try out now.

So thank you so much.

And, experience Michiana is excited about going out there and trying some of that food.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

I one other thing I should mention that, the Indiana Foodways Alliance, they have several food trails throughout the state.

So if you're looking for more stuff beyond what's in the book, check them out and, visit some of their food trails.

They've got, like a tenderloin trail for people who, you know, like the the breaded pork tenderloin, the classic Hoosier sandwich.

And then there's other trails dedicated to, like, pizza and ice cream and and different things like that.

So focus of the book and of the foodways is just to kind of get people to get off the beaten path, you know, kind of stray away from the chains and find some independent spots that are exposure to some new food experiences.

Yeah.

No.

Thank you so much, Carrie We that's that's something that we love to do as well.

So so great to have you on the show today.

Thank you so much.