For those looking for a one-of-a-kind dining experience, Indiana offers more than its share of top-notch chefs who left behind big-city life to start their own places off the beaten path. Menus are built around Indiana's wealth of fresh produce and meat, and the famous Hoosier hospitality is very much in evidence. Prices for fine cuisine are comparatively low, too, because, after all, this is Indiana.

Roadhouse Dishes Out Fine Cuisine
Located approximately 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis, Bonge's Tavern in Perkinsville features the fine cuisine of chef/owner Tony Huelster. Huelster has been in the restaurant business for 25 years, having learned his craft in some of Indiana's finest restaurants, including Foxfires in Muncie and The Glass Chimney in Indianapolis. Huelster bought Bonge's Tavern, which is housed in a more than 140-year-old roadhouse, when his best friend decided to sell it.

Huelster said he chose this out-of-the-way spot because, "It's close to home, it's a cool old tavern, and it fits my personality and the way I like to cook." He calls his food "awesome but not too complex." If someone asks, "What's on the fish," Huelster answers, "Butter. We've got five kinds of butter to choose from, but if you're a seafood lover, you want to taste the fish."

Bonge's menu changes three to four times a week. Patrons can always order the "Perkinsville Pork" -- fresh loin pounded into schnitzel and breaded in Parmesan -- and smoked prime rib is available every weekend. Typical appetizers include great crab cakes and cold smoked salmon smoked on-site. Before the entrees and vegetables arrive, diners start with a wedge of iceberg lettuce with homemade blue cheese dressing or Tony's world-famous tomato soup. Entrees are posted on the board nightly and usually include fish, beef, some kind of fowl, and occasionally veal, venison or lamb. Huelster also will whip up vegetarian dishes on request. Desserts may include a sugar cream apple pie or sugar cake with warm blueberry topping.

Bonge's serves good beers and wine, but no liquor. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 4:30 to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Reservations are only accepted for groups of 10 or more.

Couples who find themselves too stuffed to drive home might want to look into staying overnight at Plum's Retreat Bed & Breakfast, located in nearby Anderson. The beautiful 1892 Queen Anne Victorian-style home offers rooms ranging from $70 to $120 per night. Evening snacks plus a full breakfast are included.

No More Shushing at This Greenfield Library
Another great Indiana restaurant located just east of Indianapolis is Carnegie's, A Place to Eat, in Greenfield (so named because it occupies the bottom level of the town's original Carnegie library).

An Indiana native, owner/chef Ian Harrison started his career at a restaurant in Florence, Italy, then worked for Benvenuti, a now-defunct upscale Italian restaurant in Indianapolis, followed by Fletcher's (see below) when it was in downtown Indianapolis. He changes the menu seasonally and has daily specials. He calls his menu "American innovative with Italian flair."

Dinner staples include beef tenderloin medallions with mashed garlic potatoes, green beans and roasted Roma tomatoes, cream of roasted red bell pepper soup and the restaurant's famous crème brulee. (Harrison says the secret to his crème brulee is farm-fresh eggs and real vanilla.) Of course, Carnegie's also offers inventive pasta dishes. Harrison chose to locate his restaurant in Greenfield because although Hancock County is the fastest-growing county in Indiana, he doesn't have as much competition as in larger cities.

Carnegie's is open for lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.

Carnegie's offers an exceptional selection of beers. Harrison says it's "Great food at Greenfield prices."

For overnight travelers, nearby McCordsville is home to the Round Barn Inn Bed & Breakfast. With rates ranging from $72 to $96 per night, the historic 1916 round barn offers a country setting complete with antique furniture and a farm-style breakfast.

Take the Train to Atlanta (Indiana, That Is)
For another truly unique dining option, couples can hop on the Hamiltonian Express, a vintage steam train that departs from Fishers just north of Indianapolis and takes passengers to Atlanta, Ind., home of Fletcher's. Opened in 1993 with just one room and seating for 40 people, Fletcher's has since doubled its space.

Owner Fletcher Boyd quit his studies halfway through law school to live in Europe and work in several restaurants. He says he always tried to find newly opened restaurants to learn from their mistakes. Boyd opened his own place in downtown Indianapolis just as the city's downtown's revival began in 1985. Six years later, he sold the assets of that business and moved his restaurant to Atlanta.

Boyd is about to embark on a rehab of the original Fletcher's building, so the restaurant will move into the former hardware store next door and be renamed Izzy's Grill and Hardware. Boyd says it will be the same old Fletcher's operating under an alias. This switch will occur in early spring 2001.

Fletcher's menu changes regularly, mostly seasonally. There is a pasta special every night, constantly changing fish choices, and "road kill" every night, which is some kind of game or exotic meat. A guru in food history and trivia, Boyd likes to pick creative names for the dishes. Recent offerings included "Grouper Yin and Yang," and "Filet of Beef Alexander's Reply," an eight-ounce filet served over a bed of caramelized onions and topped with a sauce of Dijon mustard and green peppercorns. (The ingredients symbolize a challenge between Alexander the Great and King Darius of Babylon, who sent each other sesame seeds and mustard seeds to suggest the size and strength of their respective armies.)

Fletcher's is open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.

After catching a train ride back to Fishers, couples can stay at the Frederick-Talbott Inn, a bed and breakfast that offers 10 individually styled rooms, ranging from $99 to $179 per night.

Peru Native Returns to Run Hometown Restaurant
Located north of Kokomo, the Grant Street Bar & Grill in Peru is another dining establishment that couples won't want to miss. Chef and part-owner Todd Snyder is a Peru native who worked in the local country club before embarking on a career as a restaurateur.

Snyder's career began when he moved to New Orleans and worked as a cook under a chef who encouraged him to go to culinary school. Snyder took the chef's advice and after graduating from the Culinary Institute in New York, landed a job in the Napa Valley where he trained under fabulous chefs in restaurants and a winery.

Deciding to move closer to home, Snyder worked at the well-regarded Chateau Normandy in Indianapolis. When that business closed, the owner of a restaurant in Peru convinced him to move home and become a co-owner. Snyder accepted his offer, renamed the restaurant and installed a new menu.

Grant Street Bar & Grill's menu changes at least twice a year. A big seller is the filet of beef, pan-seared with a brandy and mushroom cream sauce. Other favorites include fresh tuna with a pepper crust, chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta cheese, pureed potatoes and a buerre blanc sauce of roasted garlic and kalamata olives. Popular desserts are a crème brulee and a really rich chocolate mousse.

Grant Street Bar & Grill is open for lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Also located in Peru is the Rosewood Mansion Inn, a bed and breakfast that's perfect for romantic getaways. The inn offers comfortable and affordable accommodations in an elegant Victorian setting. Rooms are available for $55 to $90 per night.

Read Part Two for more great places to stay and eat at in Indiana!