Sunday, June 24, 2012

Good morning: Eggshell Bistro

This weekend we wanted to try a new brunch place and ended up sitting at the Eggshell Bistro in Carmel. Eggshell is one of the new restaurants at the Carmel City Center along with the newcomer Divvy and a Carmel favorite: Mangia. The City Center is conveniently located just off the Monon Trail. So take an early morning bike ride and stop in at the Eggshell Bistro to enjoy some tasty brunch fare. 


And while your at it, take my poll located on the left hand side of Jane Doe: Foodie. What is your favorite local breakfast/brunch place? 




Atmosphere (***) I would expect no different in Carmel, but I have to say that the decor is a little much for such a tiny place. There were only about 10 tables inside and it was pretty cramped. However, the tables are cute and cozy and there is outdoor seating, which is a big plus. 


Service (**) As noted above, Eggshell is pretty small, so I was kind of shocked that the service was so slow. Don't get me wrong, we were in no hurry so this was not an issue per se, but you'd think they would want to turn tables quickly because of the 5+ parties waiting. The waitress just seemed overwhelmed and I get that happens sometimes, but I didn't even get the tea I ordered until our meal came. 


Food/Drink (****) Again with the tininess, the portions were pretty small for the price. But once you bit into your meal you didn't even notice! I had the potato frittata and a side of seasonal fruit. The frittata  was stuffed with gold and purple potatoes topped with a roasted heirloom tomato and dollop of goat cheese. The egg was cooked perfectly, which made the whole thing come together nicely. The fruit was crisp and there was a great variety of things like grapes, kiwi, and berries. 

My fiance got the Berkshire sandwich and when they set it down WOW my mouth was watering! Placed between a pretzel bun is an over-easy egg, two thick pieces of pork belly, pickled red onion and greens. The pork belly was really flavorful while having the crispy edges I look for in bacon-type meat. The runny yoke (not my favorite) was perfectly cooked. The only downfall was there was little to no dressing on the side salad. 

Overall (****) The food really is the highlight of Eggshell, which is how it should be. I am not rushing to get back there, but if I am in Carmel looking for breakfast, this is where I would head. Hopefully as they get in their groove the service will improve. 


Eggshell Bistro
Carmel City Center
51 West City Center Drive 
Carmel, IN 46032

Eggshell Bistro on Urbanspoon

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Bonnaroo: The Music

So I really went to Bonnaroo for the music, and stumbled upon the food (see Foodaroo @ Bonnaroo). And while Jane Doe: Foodie is a food blog, I really wanted to share the music and give everyone who couldn't be there a taste of what they were missing. With so many bands and stages it was hard to see everyone and everything. Take a listen (Youtube vids b/c mine aren't the best quality) and who knows, you might discover your new favorite performer. So without further ado here is the music:


Day 1: Thursday June 7th
Who: K. Flay (*****) K. Flay is so awesome. Her music gets you hype and she was a great start to Bonnaroo. Pretty awesome for a white girl rapping!



Who: The Lonely Forest (***) This band was pretty chill. They kind of remind me of a lot of the bands that are coming from the West Coast but it was a good band to lay on a blanket and enjoy the show.

Who: Danny Brown (*****) Really fun and super energetic! We only stayed for a couple of songs because we were headed elsewhere, but he sounded good and the crowd was going crazy.

Who: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. (****) So I know your saying, is he related to the race car driver Dale Earnhardt? Well I still never got a straight answer, so google it! This show was packed and it was a really good time!

Day 2: Friday June 8th 
Who: The Tune-Yards (****) My Roo buddy was super pumped for this show and it was great! The sound of this band is really different and they had a pretty big following..enjoy! 




Who: Two Door Cinema Club (*****) Soo great, and defiantly a new favorite.

Who: The Avett Brothers (*****) One of the reasons I made an appearance at Bonnaroo, The Avett Brothers are soulful and have such sweet voices. LOVE THEM!

Who: Feist (*****) Another reason I went to Roo, Feist was one of my favorite shows! I love her music and loved that she kicked her songs up a notch to get the crowd going. You have to watch the video!

Who: LUDACRIS (*****) Now I have seen Luda before so I knew how hype he would get the crowd, but WOW he did a great job. We went cray at this show!

Who: K. Flay, Silent Disco (****) The silent disco was so fun. You go in and put head phones on that are connected to whoever is DJ'ing at the time and no one else can hear what is playing. We went when K. Flay was performing and we danced like crazy! 



Who: Foster the People (****) While we didn't hear them play Pumped Up Kicks, we did hear a bunch of other stuff that was really good and fun. They sounded great and I would like to see their whole show!

Who: Radiohead (****) I am not the biggest Radiohead fan, but I was excited to see them. They did a great job, played mostly their new stuff, which I understand because it really caters to the people who were at Bonnaroo (having a really good time, man)! 





Day 3: Saturday June 9th
Who: Das Racist (*****) Another really great rapper that I had no clue about until Bonnaroo! You must watch!




Who: Blind Pilot (****) The very laid back sound from Blind Pilot made for a nice afternoon siesta. 

Who: Santigold (*****) AMAZING SHOW!! She tore it up and got the crowd going crazy! 


Who: The Roots (*****) I have seen The Roots a few times, but they did a great performance on Saturday right before Chili Peppers. We got really close and it was so fun! 


Who: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (*****) Chili Peppers are one of my FAVS and I was so happy I got to see them again. They put on a stellar show and I was soo impressed with their new guitarist and FLEA! 

Who: Skrillex (*****) Skrillex put on a late night show from 1:30-3:30am and got 80,000 people so hype! The video is unbelievable and you MUST watch! 

Day 4: Saturday June 10th 
Who: Fruit Bats (****) Good way to kick off the last day :(


Who: The Black Lips (****) One of the best bands there for sure. Such a good sound! 

Who: THE BEACH BOYS (*****) I'm not going to lie, The Beach Boys were one of the main reasons I attended Bonnaroo. I am a huge fan of their music and will be playing a lot of it at my wedding! Enjoy the video and the beach balls bouncing throughout! And, notice the conga line in the first video...hilarious! 

Who: Fun. (*****) The other reason I went to Roo was Fun. I LOVE all of their music, not just the song on the radio. I really suggest you check out their Pandora station, it has changed my work week! 




ANNNNND there you have it! I promise from now on I will stick to food, but I just had to share some of the best performances of my life. If you ever think you want to go to Bonnaroo, YOU SHOULD. It was one of the greatest experiences and I can't wait to go back! 

ENJOY! 

Foodaroo @ Bonnaroo

Hello all of the loyal Jane Doe: Foodie followers! I have been out of commission for quite sometime accomplishing things for the Year of the Do! Between wedding preparation, bachelorette party in Vegas (stay tuned for those reviews) and my first trip to Bonnaroo...I have had little time to sit back and give Jane Doe: Foodie some lovin! So get ready because over the next couple of weeks I will be releasing 2 blogs a week! 


BONNAROO!! So of course being the music lover I am, I went to Bonnaroo for the amazing music (see separate Bonnaroo music blog) but don't think I didn't devour some of the 100+ food vendors! We had originally thought that we would be eating at our campsite but psshh.. after I walked into Centeroo I said forget that..I am going to Jane Doe: Foodie it up Roo style! They literally had every type of food you could crave (if you know what I mean) for reasonable prices. 

Here is a recap of the amazing food that this little piece of heaven on earth has to offer! 


Day 1: Thursday June 7th 
Broadline: Chicken pita (****) This pita was exactly what we needed on a hot summer day to re-fuel us and not make us feel like we had food babies! Stuffed with chunks of good chicken (I am particular about my chicken), sautéed onions and peppers, lots of crisp lettuce, and a heavenly chilled ranch sauce, this was the ultimate pita. Not to mention the pita was soft and fluffy...YUM! 


Day 2: Friday June 8th 
Dippin' Dots: Rainbow Ice (*****) Always a favorite, Dippin' Dots had carts everywhere at Bonnaroo! This delicious treat really cooled me off and made me extremely happy! For those novice Dippin' Dots fans, the Rainbow Ice is very different from the other flavors...it's more icey than creamy and when it melts it's especially good! 

Petros Chili & Chips Food Truck: Original Chili Bowl (*****) This was by far one of my favorite things I put in my mouth at Roo! I was stoked when I saw they had the Food Truck Oasis with trucks from all over. Petros specialized in chili bowls with some stellar chili layered with Fritos, cheese, sour cream, black olives, diced tomatoes, and jalapenos.  It didn't even matter how hot it was, we got this twice while at Roo

Bearclaw Coffee: Large Blended Iced Mocha's (*****) As most of you festival go'ers know, you must caffeinated and stay cool..our answer: Bearclaw Coffee! Not only were the people working funny and personable, but the drinks and food were soo good. If you wanted to put a pep in your step this is where to go at Bonnaroo

Day 3: Saturday June 9th 
Sweet & Savory Truck: Fried Avocado Taco (****) Wow...this was delish! A tempura fried avocado with a cilantro lime slaw topped with a chipotle cream. The avocado was still firm, which I was really happy about. I just discovered that mush fruit/veggies are just not my thing. The cream was really tangy and the whole thing had a good crunch from the slaw. 

T's Concessions: Curley Fries with Cheese (***) I can't pass up cheese fries and these did not disappoint..for what they were. This was a situation where my eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I am glad I had my Roo buddy to help share. They were good...a bit soggy by the time you got to the bottom, with no fork! 

The Amish Baking Company: HOT GLAZED RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU DOUGHNUT (*****) As I am sure you gathered from the title, this was amaze-balls! I mean this is what it was all about folks. I am a HUGE doughnut fan and as I have been watching my weight for a certain September 15th event, I have fasted myself of all doughnuts, but not this one. It was too special. I have NEVER had something so good. The doughnut was hot and the glaze was so sweet, but not too sweet. I was in love and it was probably best that I didn't stumble upon this utopia again the rest of the weekend! Check out their Facebook page to see all of the other RAVE reviews! 

R&C Thai-Chinese BBQ: Teriyaki Chicken with Fried Rice & Egg-roll (***) I wanted to go a little outside of the box from fair food and food trucks so we tried this place because it had a long line and smelled really good! The chicken was not great, remember I am a picky chicken person, so I ate around the meat. However, the fried rice was great and the egg-roll was really crispy, which is the way it should be, and good. All in all, eh. 

Spicy Pie: Veggie New York Style Pizza (*****) We had just got done shaking our rumps to Red Hot Chili Peppers (truly amazing show, check more about it here) and were famished. I know your saying, how could you be famished after all of the food you've already eaten, but don't judge, I was! This was so yummy and just like New York pizza. The veggies were still a little crisp, which I appreciate and it was big and filling. 

Carnahan's Ice Cream Gazebo: Soft Serve Cone with Sprinkles (*****) By this time at night, 2:30am, after Skrillex had just made 80,000 people go crazy, we thought it was in deed time for a little ice cream. It was yum and kept me awake as we made the 1 mile (approximate) trek back to our campsite. A true treat next time you visit Centeroo

Day 4: Sunday June 10th 
Dobos: Blackened Chicken with Gumbo Rice (*) Ok so #1 I was throughly disappointed when I ordered this and the guy said "that will be $17", I was shocked but it was the last day and I figured what the hell. #2 this sucked. The chicken was grisly and the rice was very dry. All in all I was pretty disappointed. Not to mention later that night when we got 2 happy meals and 2 large drinks at McDonalds for $6.50 and my Roo buddy pointed out that I had just earlier paid $17 for chicken and rice. Meh 

Sweet Tea (*****) The first thing the person checking our car into Bonnaroo said, was make sure you try the South's sweet tea. Traveling through the South I have had my fair share of Sweet Tea, but this was extra awesome and really cooled us off on a hot summers day. We had it everyday! 


And so my friends, thats where my Foodaroo at Bonnaroo ends. It was the most amazing experience and I can't wait to go next year. As you can image, I am on a strict fruit and veggies diet indefinitely! Visit my Bonnaroo Music blog to get a first hand look/listen at the music that brought us here. And please visit the food vendors pages I have linked to in each review. They were so friendly and stuck it out through the heat and deserve some recognition. Also, I have to give Bonnaroo props for having food vendors use all recyclable and compostable materials.