Sorry, real life intervened, but I’m back and ready to eat, drink, and travel.

I’m more than a little late with this report, but I need to talk about the Sunburst 10K event on June 5, 2010.  The Sunburst weekend of races is pretty famous around these parts, drawing thousands of participants for its roster of events ranging from a Friday night family fun walk to a full marathon.  I had done the 5K in the past but signed up for the 10K this year to try something different.

My friend and I arrived in South Bend at around 7:30 p.m. E.S.T. on the night of June 4, 2010, which allowed us just enough time to check in to our hotel (the mediocre but convenient downtown Marriott) and make it to packet pick-up at the “Expo” at the College Football Hall of Fame before it closed for the night.  Our excitement at making it in time for the “Expo” was quickly dashed.  We encountered a fairly desolate cluster of tents and a stage with music playing to an audience of no one.  The whole effect was rather sad.  I can only assume the crowds must have come earlier.

Instead of being glad to see us, the volunteers at the Expo check-in tents were super grumpy.  They ordered us from one booth to the next and barked at us that we could “only have two safety pins!” for our pin-on numbers.  Anyone whose ever had a race number flapping in their face knows how annoying this is.  Charge us ten cents more for registration and give us four safety pins, will ya?

The morning of the race dawned incredibly balmy.  Apparently, this was the highest level of humidity this race has ever experienced, and I believe it.  I absolutely couldn’t keep my sunglasses from fogging up and ended up having to forego using them.  The 10K departed at 7:45 a.m. which was ideal for us because we lost an hour en route to South Bend.  I highly recommend staying downtown, because walking out the hotel door to the race ten minutes before start time is super convenient.

The 10K race route itself is nothing special.  There are way too many twists and turns through various neighborhoods, and many parts of the course are less than scenic.  After reading online complaints I had been worried about encountering racers from the other events but the 10K seemed to be largely isolated from this until the home stretch.  The highlight of the race is ending in Notre Dame’s football stadium with spectators surrounding in the bleachers.  I must admit that running through the tunnel is cool enough experience and makes this race worth doing at least once.  However, on the down side, the grumpy volunteers attacked again at the race finish, screaming at everyone to get out of the finish chute.  Post-race refreshments were confusingly organized, with water tucked away on the far left corner of the stadium. 

Despite the insane heat, I ran really well this day, finishing in well under an hour.  This was the first race I’ve ever run on my own so being able to have complete control over my pace probably helped.  Because of the good finish and convenient hotel access I’d run this race again, but I certainly hope to encounter some friendlier workers next year.

(image from www.sunburstraces.org)

Due to a Saturday night social engagement, we ended up spending Valentine’s weekend in South Bend, Indiana.  Unfortunately, it didn’t occur to us until several days before that restaurant occasions would be absolutely essential.  Fortunately, Parisi’s Restorante Italiano had fairly last minute availability for a 7:00 p.m. dinner.

This was our first time at Parisi’s.  Despite the restaurant’s close proximity to Notre Dame I’d really never heard much feedback about it while I was a student there.  Overall, this little-hyped Italian eatery is actually a relatively pleasant surprise.  It has a cozy houselike feel with sports-related photos lining the walls and diners separated into several different dining spaces.  The food is quite affordable.  Our four-course meal for two, with drinks, cost right around $60.00 and there was even a $30.00 dinner-for-two menu for those willing to choose from specified entrees.  My only major complaint regards service – our server seemed a bit flustered and disorganized, but this could be chalked up to the extremely busy weekend. 

We started off our Italian Extravaganza with an antipasto platter, which we almost always order when available.  It included salami, soppressata, provolone, pepperoncini, olives, cucumber, and peppers atop a scattering of lettuce.  The meats were particularly good.  Our second course consisted of fresh baked bread and butter (delicious) and iceberg salads (boring).  I barely touched my salad in the interest of saving room for the main course.

For our main courses, the hubby had chicken parmesan and I ordered gnocchi with tomato sauce.  As you can see, the presentation wasn’t anything special.  Food quality, however, was solid on both dishes.  The breading on the chicken was perfectly cooked and the gnocchi seemed homemade.  I was a proud member of the clean plate club and found the portion to be ideal for my hearty appetite.  While gnocchi was the obvious choice for me, I did notice an extensive “design your own pasta” section of the menu as well as plenty of pasta, chicken, fish, and veal dishes.

Finally, we couldn’t end our meal without dessert – a heart shaped tart that was described as “strawberry” but tasted more “cherry Poptart.”  This dessert was definitely the weak link of the meal, thanks to the liberal use of a sweet, artificial tasting filling in lieu of fresh fruit.  If you need dessert at Parisi’s, do yourself a favor and stick with the spumoni instead! 

Fortunately, we were stuffed enough that the lackluster dessert didn’t spoil what was overall a pretty tasty and pleasant meal.  Parisi’s is definitely a safe bet for a quick, affordable Italian meal post-game or while passing through South Bend.