I’m not sure how I’ve missed out on the Patachou phenomenon until now.  Captioned as “A Student Union for Adults,” this Indianapolis-based mini chain features seven different dining locations, each with a slightly different focus.  We headed to the Pennsylvania Street location to check out some fancy French and American brunch offerings.

We were concerned about parking in this area as well as having a long wait at about 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning.  In the end, we lucked out on both fronts, and only had a few minutes delay before being seated.  The space at Cafe Patachou is pretty sterile and almost warehouse-like, as I suppose befits a “student union.”  The tasty and healthy food offerings, however, make the experience worth the trip.

Each of my dining companions ordered a three-egg omelet with some combination of “stuff” inside.  Options include cheddar, bacon, salsa, tomatoes, herbes de provence, cream cheese, feta, avocado, etc.  One thing I did find a little chintzy was that every filling after the first costs $1.60 extra, while most brunch joints throw in two or three.  The final verdict?  These $10.00+ omelets were good but, in the words of my husband, “a little too healthy-tasting.” 

In contrast, the sourdough toast served with the eggs was a unanimous hit, as such toast tends to be.  Something actually worth paying extra for is the “all berries” fruit cup filled with fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and the like.  Delicious, and nice to have an option besides bland melon and overpowering pineapple.

After much debating, I passed up the croissant french toast in favor of a “loaded bagel” with herbed cream cheese, arugula, red onions, cucumbers, and very fresh tomatoes.  Patachou really got this one right.  The bagel was huge and crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside.  The veggies blended awesomely with the soft cheese.  Plus, I felt virtuous with every bite because I basically had a salad for breakfast.

At about $45 before tip for three people without mimosas, Petit chou is too expensive to be a daily breakfast stop, but is perfect for a leisurely, indulgent weekend brunch with friends and family.  Next time, though, I’m going to have to get some of that french toast!

You can see all of Patachou’s locations here.

I think I have accumulated a small but loyal readership over the past couple of months, so I’m curious who I’m talking to.  Please humor me by answering my (extremely low-tech) poll below about where you live!  If your state/country isn’t listed and you’d like to give me more specific information in the comment section, that would be much appreciated.

Despite being quietly situated in a moderately-sized city in the middle of north central Indiana, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo manages to routinely make its way onto national top ten lists for zoos and family attractions.  I’ve visited many times over the years and found it to be consistently clean and well-maintained.  Plus, it’s generally less crowded than zoos in major metropolitan areas.

Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo has all the basics of a good zoo plus some extra special exhibits.  The sea lion feeding, offered daily, is an especially good show.  We never miss it or the Australian Outback with its boat ride and “walkabout.”  The Indonesian Rainforest is modern and well-designed, although the orangutan viewing area can get fairly congested.  Most recently, though, we went to check out the brand new African Journey exhibit opened in June of this year. 

Your trip to Africa starts with fog – lots of fog, as you can see from this photo.  I thought this special effect made for a nice transition and hope that the zoo keeps it going even after the exhibit is no longer new.

After making their way through the fog, visitors take a series of meandering paths through the wilds of Africa.  Expect to see hyenas, giant pelicans, monkeys, zebras, and giraffes.  The rocks pictured in the distance are kind of fun – they feature nooks and crannies containing African snakes, bugs, and the like. 

No African safari would be complete without lions, and the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo has a couple of nice ones.  My only gripe about the whole exhibit, though, is that they are darn hard to see.  If they aren’t positioned directly behind the glass viewing window, the view of them is almost completely obstructed by rocks.  In order to take this picture I had to go way off to one side of the exhibit and stand on my tip toes with my camera over my head!  Overall, though, African Journey is a great addition, making the zoo worth a revisit if you haven’t been this year.

Cielo is an upscale restaurant at the Four Seasons offering indoor/outdoor dining.  We were originally scheduled to spend three nights at the Four Seasons and attend the restaurant’s Fourth of July buffet.  We ended up staying at the Omni instead but keeping our dinner reservations and were extremely glad we did.  Despite a few service issues, this event was well worth the $55.00 per person set price tag.

If the weather is at all nice when you dine at Cielo, be sure to ask about dining on the terrace for lovely views of the city and its famous arch.  As an added bonus of our holiday meal, we were able to see several different sets of fireworks throughout our meal.

Cielo normally uses a menu but offers special buffets for Sunday brunch and assorted special occasions throughout the year.  Our Fourth of July buffet offered a fabulous array of American favorites done gourmet-style.  As you can see, we tried a lot of different things!

Particular standouts included the macaroni and cheese, hot potato casserole, homemade biscuits, shrimp, and hot dogs.  Items that were just okay included cold potato salad, ribs (not enough seasoning), and corn on the cob.  Nothing was bad.  In addition to what is pictured above, the cold portion of the buffet offered quite a lot of salad items but we opted out of most of those considering them to be “filler.”

   Finally, we finished our main course and moved on to the smaller dessert buffet.  While nothing was exactly worth writing home about, all of the items were better than those offered at a typical buffet including most Las Vegas affairs.  The little apple pies and raspberry tarts were the best, thanks to their delicious home-made crusts.  The brownies were pretty good too, and the red, white, and blue jelly beans were a nice touch.

Overall, our Fourth of July experience at Cielo was pleasant and memorable.  I’m not usually a buffet person and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of most of the food offered here.  The balcony is quite comfortable and there are fabulous views to be had.  Service was a little slow, due in part to the fact that it began to rain at the very end of the meal and everyone needed their checks at once.  Still, this was a minor inconvenience during an otherwise very enjoyable meal.  I would definitely recommend Cielo for anyone looking for a good meal or a pleasant way to spend Fourth of July 2010!

If you don’t mind spending Fourth of July surrounded by thousands of your closest friends, consider heading to Chicago’s Navy Pier for a fabulous firework display.  This free admission entertainment pier actually offers shows all summer (see the schedule here) but the Fourth of July show is a special extended one.  Even if you don’t want to fight the crowds on the pier, you can see the fireworks from various vantage points around the city.

I did a list of ten fun things to do at Navy Pier here, and you can see pictures of some highlights below.

This Ferris Wheel is one of Navy Pier’s most iconic sights.  $6.00 gets you a single loop (about twelve minutes) full of fabulous views like the one pictured to the right.  I only wish the cars weren’t all emblazoned with McDonald’s logos!

Here’s the pier itself, pictured at around 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday.  Restaurants and shops are to the left, Lake Michigan to the right.

Throughout the day on weekends, Navy Pier hosts a variety of family-friendly musical groups and IMAX shows.  This is the free “pirate” performance on the Family Pavilion Stage which we have seen a couple of times.  A little silly, but fun!

Finally, for those needing a break from the heat and crowds, head inside to the totally free Smith Museum of Stained glass.  There are TONS of glass pieces on display including quite a few by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Here’s a nice view from the very end of Navy Pier.