Upland offers 'pleasant' dining

Upland Brewery is tucked away in a corner of Bloomington, but we managed to find it and have a pleasant lunch there. The brewery is known for its many beer options, but it also serves good food. The restaurant offers a few unique treats as well. While dining, you can watch activity in the brewery through a large window. It makes for an interesting view. And vegetarians and vegans will love the menu, which marks entrees that are or can be made especially for them.\nOur service at Upland was a bit slow, but our server was pleasant and helpful.\nAppetizers \nWe ordered the hummus and pita plate for $3.75. The pita was served warm and cut in quarters, which made it easy to use for dipping. The hummus was served at room temperature. Though it had a good flavor, it was a bit softer than other hummus we have tried. \nThe Upland nachos, for $4.95, included three different colors of nachos and three different toppings -- black bean, jalapeno and hot salsa. The black bean topping was a bit bland, but had a good texture. The jalapeno topping was hot and spicy, but not too hot to tempt the timid. The hot salsa was, as the name implies, hot. The serving arrangement was a bit inconvenient; the nachos were stuck together with cheese and buried under the sauces, so it was hard to dig out a nacho to eat.\nEntrees\nWe ordered the daily lunch special, spaghetti and meatballs, for $6.95. It came with soup or salad and foccacia bread. We chose the curry ham and rice soup, which included tender ham and small corn kernels; it was served very hot. The delicious foccacia bread was spongy and topped with melted butter. The pasta itself was served warm in a medium-sized dish. \nUpland was generous with its meatball topping, and the sauce had a nice blend of oregano and other spices. The Upland reuben, for $6.75, was mediocre. It was served with turkey, instead of roast beef, which was not a pleasing substitution. The turkey was dry and lacked flavor. But the bread was excellent, which made up for it in some small measure. It was served with a side of potato chips.\nThough we visited Upland Brewery for lunch, dinner options are also available after 5 p.m. They range from $6.95 for fajitas to $14.95 for steak.\nDessert\nWe were so full after sampling the appetizers and entrees we ordered that we opted to skip this course. Perhaps we are still a bit traumatized by our whirlwind "best dessert in Bloomington" experience last spring. Overall, we thought Upland Brewery was a pleasant meal. The food is fairly good, and the clean, crisp decor creates an atmosphere that is conducive to casual dining -- perhaps while sipping one of the brewery's many beers.