Talent on Display at Restaurant Tallent

Once per year, my husband and I gather up friends and make a pilgrimage down to what he believes is the promised land...Bloomington, Indiana. Evidently his most formative and positive memories were formed at Indiana University. So I oblige and try not to hashtag anything #bbn for a few days straight. The trips have varied from tailgating food to Little Zagreb's. This year, we're getting older, wiser, and perhaps more demanding in what we seek out for dinner. We've steadily risen from pizza to elevated "Indiana cuisine." Restaurant Tallent prides itself on offering "what is available in the Southern Indiana region during that season."

Our first trip to Restaurant Tallent didn't disappoint. I only wish I'd taken more photos to share, but since we were in the company of friends in a cozy, dark space, I didn't want to be the tourist diner. There were a few other tables dining on Friday night. The restaurant was somewhere near half full. Half our dinner party had already arrived, so we joined them and promptly ordered wine. I wish I could remember what I ordered since I enjoyed it. I was debating between these three selections from the moderately sized (about nine whites to choose from by the glass) but thoughtfully composed wine list:

Santa Magdalena Pinot Grigio 2009 (Alto Aldige, Italy) $32/ $8.25
Ponzi Pinot Gris 2013 (Willamette Valley, Oregon) $36/ $9.25
Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2013 (South Africa) $36/ $9.25

Mostly, I was happy to see selections that aren't what everyone is serving...no overplayed Santa Margherita and Menage a Trois.   Someone had clearly curated the wine offerings lovingly, not based on what their distributor told them sells big.  This little detail set a distinctive tone for me--it represented the thought the owners put into making their restaurant special.

The amuse bouche arrived--tiny specks of fried okra that looked like black eyed peas. They were crunchy and fun.  Perhaps a little awkward to share among a table since it's like putting your fingers in communal bar nuts, but since we were all good friends, it wasn't too weird.  Over a work dinner, those probably wouldn't have been eaten.

We accepted our server's offer to bring bread given that we anticipated that, like any good trip to Bloomington, the night would end with at least one AMF or Hairy Bear. The butter was one of the many memorable parts of the meal. It was satisfyingly salty and at room temperature so it was easy to spread. It drives me crazy when restaurants bring you a frozen brick of butter.

I skipped the appetizer since I'd already indulged in two pre-dinner cocktails at the hotel. I'd checked the menu ahead of time, and the menu online didn't exactly match the selections at the restaurant. My husband chose the heirloom tomato soup and grilled cheese, which are not listed online. The soup was stellar...the most delightful rendition of tomato soup I've ever tasted. The color represented the heirloom tomatoes uniquely--it was red with a tie-dye purple cast. The soup was not the creamy bisque-like presentation you're used to, but instead, more gazpacho-like with the tomato's texture evident and lots of bright acidity. The sandwich was buttery and melty. If I didn't have a full-time job and they served lunch, I'd have to resist the urge to make a midday drive to Bloomington and eat this for lunch. Every day.

Our dinner companions ordered the heirloom tomato soup and the fish crudo as appetizers. The fish crudo was artfully prepared with tiny pearls of melon to resemble caviar.

I selected the scallops as my entree. Again, the preparation offered Friday was not identical to the online menu but it was similar. The three scallops were accompanied by fried green tomato and succotash. Each scallop was pleasantly browned on the outside and buttery inside. The succotash was heavy on the sweet corn, but that was fine by me. Nothing says summer like sweet corn. The wafer of fried green tomato on top was crispy without the grittiness of some fried green tomato preparations. For a particularly hungry adult or a man, the entree may have been a bit small, but it was perfectly sized for my appetite and recent attempts at having more restraint in portion size.

Scallops with succotash and fried green tomato at Restaurant Tallent.

My husband ordered the fried chicken.  It was not traditional buttermilk chicken, as described on the online menu.  Instead, it was a hot Asian interpretation.  It was presented like wings--very small pieces spread across the plate.  The heat wasn't overpowering.  He ended up regretting ordering something fried since he felt uncomfortably full afterwards--with a heavy belly not conducive for drinking like he was still in college.  This one might be a better choice for cold weather or a night when you can go home and curl up with a glass of port and fall asleep.  I think he had scallop envy.  Hot weather plus fried chicken equals sleepy time.

Overall, I could deal with watching IU football more often if each trip involved a visit to Restaurant Tallent.  Although I think eating there just made it impossible to go back to Bloomington and be satisfied eating pizza somewhere like Nick's.  And get the heirloom tomato soup if you go.  I'm hoping I'll be back again soon.