Stories behind quirky menu items

Behind every popular food item is a story.

The menus of many local restaurants feature items named after people, places and events in Bloomington.

“Usually people don’t understand why things are named after people or specific things, and they might think that’s a little weird,” said John Santos, owner of Dagwood’s Deli & Sub Shop. “That might make the items harder to remember.”

Some of what inspires many Bloomingtonians influences the names of their dishes.

Hoosier Pride
Not surprisingly, many local restaurants want to show support for their hometown.
Bloomington is known as a college town with many students and young workers.

“The Hoosier Scramble is something filling with a lot of substance,” said Bryan Mecsey, an employee of Village Deli. “It’s got two eggs scrambled on an English muffin with a good amount of sausage gravy on it — enough to get you through a hard working day.”

Some take a more literal approach to Bloomington-based dishes.
For example, the Cream N Crimson appetizer at Crazy Horse is arranged to flaunt IU’s school colors.

“If you look at the hummus, on one side is roasted red pepper hummus and on the other is regular hummus, so they really are crimson and cream,” Crazy Horse manager Brian Radermacher said.

LOCAL CELEBRITIES
It is common for local restaurants to name food items after the people responsible for creating them.

The original owner of Nick’s English Hut was the inspiration for several dishes on the menu, including Nick’s Fries, Nick’s Original Chili Recipe and Nick’s Burger.

“This place was just a bar when Nick Hrisomalos owned the place,” said Zac Coddens, manager of Nick’s English Hut. “Dick Barns bought Nick’s off of him, and when they expanded the menu to include pizza and burgers, he named some things after him.”

Some owners are even responsible for some of the most popular recipes, including various dishes at Village Deli.

“Paxton’s Patty Melt and Paxton’s Potatoes were named after the former owner, Mr. Paxton,” Mecsey said. “They were his specialties. About a month ago, the Food Network Magazine named it the best thing to eat in Indiana.”

Menu items can also represent the inspiration that restaurant owners get from their families. BuffaLouie’s owner was so inspired by his father that he named the restaurant after him.

Other times, it is the owner’s friends or employees who influence them. The Butch & Beaner’s sub at Dagwood’s was named after two long-time friends of Santos.

“Beaner was a college roommate here at IU, and Butch was a friend from those days,” Santos said. “They were great supporters when we first opened up.”

There are also many everyday Bloomingtonians who have earned their own dishes on local restaurant menus.

“Bad Elmer’s Porter is actually a mechanic that works right around here,” said Angela Schnick, general manager of The Upland Brewing Co. “He’s on the label for this beer. We have him dressed in animal skin and an old-time musket to represent the ruggedness of the Uplands where it is brewed. We make some of our food with it, so those are named after him, too.”

And Village Deli named a food item after Hoagy Carmichael, the same man who earned a statue of himself on IU’s campus in 2008.

“Hoagy Carmichael was a famous pianist, and he also graduated from IU,” Mecsey said. “So Carmichael’s Hogie is a funny play on words for a Village Deli sandwich. It’s like an IU shout- out.”

HOT SPOTS
Many Bloomington restaurants show pride for their own locations. BuffaLouie’s, for example, named The Gable Burger after the tradition of the building our of which they operate.

“The Gables Restaurant was in the same place we are now for a long, long time,” said BuffaLouie’s manager Scott Rogers. “We get a lot of IU alumni wanting to see what we’ve done with the place because they used to hang out here.”

BIG EVENTS
The Cutter’s Club at BuffaLouie’s is a celebration a favorite Bloomington pastime: the Little 500.

“It is the team from the movie Breaking Away, and it is also the name of the independent cycling team that wins all the time at the Little 500,” Rogers said.

BuffaLouie’s also named the Indiana Classic sub after one of Bloomington’s old traditions.

“The Indiana Classic was a big early season basketball tournament,” Rogers said. “We hosted it in Bloomington every so often.”