Uptown almost perfect, except for service

Rumor has it that the Uptown Café is one of the hot spots in Bloomington. Located just off the square in the heart of downtown, the café, better know as Uptown, is recognized for its great food and personable atmosphere. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we sat in the restaurant's outside seating.\nWe were seated quickly and before we could even open our menus, our waiter took our drink orders. We hoped this was a sign that prompt service would be continued throughout the meal. Unfortunately, this was the only time our waiter was prompt.\nAs we perused the menu, we noticed a wide variety of items, ranging from breakfast (served until 2 p.m.) to sandwiches and dinner entrées. We had a hard time deciding between pasta, specialty sandwiches and salads. Upon recommendation, however, we chose the Uptown Club, which consists of ham, turkey, tomato, lettuce, avocado aioli and chipotle sour cream served on toasted deli bread ($8.50). It comes with a choice of side -- home fries (fried potatoes, mushrooms and onions), rice pilaf, steak fries or vegetables. We opted for the steak fries. \nWe also tried the fried ravioli with the "kid-friendly sauce" ($6.95), which was basically marinara, and paired it with the house salad ($3.95). We asked a few questions about the menu, but the waiter was somewhat arrogant in his responses. We wanted to change a few details concerning our meal (no tomatoes on the club), and he did correctly convey that to the kitchen; however, he was cold, quick to leave the table and generally disinterested. He delivered our drinks and disappeared until our meals were ready to be served.\nWe sipped on iced tea and Diet Coke waiting for our meal. It was relaxing to sit outside with a good friend, and although we were situated directly on the sidewalk, the passersby did not distract as much as one might expect. The table was a good size for two people, but we could not imagine trying to fit four people around it as was intended. \nTen minutes went by. No food. We began to get a little impatient. After all, we had been waiting nearly 45 minutes and could not see any reason for the delay. Our food was somewhat simple, we were dining during an off-time, and the hardest dish to put together was the club sandwich. Our experience would have been much better had we not waited so long for our lunch. \nFinally, our food arrived, and we were not disappointed in the least. The Uptown Club was delicious. It was a perfect blend of meats and toppings, and the unusual sauces provided a twist that was satisfying to the palate. \nWe had requested the chipotle sour cream on the side, and it was a great alternative to ketchup for the steak fries. The toasted cheese ravioli was also good, but nothing was especially unique about it. It seemed the ravioli was a little under-cooked (or had been sitting out for a few minutes before being served) because the cheese was not completely melted on the inside. The house salad was a good pair with the ravioli; the homemade bleu cheese dressing was very satisfying. The dressing made up for the small size and lack of toppings. Overall, though, the food was excellent. We could tell much thought had been put into the menu, and the creativity in the dishes was obvious.\nThe club sandwich, priced at $8.50, was worth every cent. It might seem kind of steep for a sandwich, but compared to other restaurants of Uptown's caliber, this price is average. We felt the fried ravioli and house salad were overpriced. We received roughly six ravioli and it was nearly $7. The house salad, served on a plate slightly larger than a saucer, was nothing more than bagged lettuce with one cucumber and one tomato (granted there were a lot of carrots). Considering the lack of vegetables, we felt paying $4 was a little much. Overall, our meal was $23.64, which for two people is not horrible, but a little pricey for lunch. Our lesson at Uptown is to select your entrée carefully: Some things are worth the Uptown price.