RVBusiness, September/October 2019

12th Annual ELKHARTRV Open House Local Foodie Favorites brisket plate or bourbon pecan chicken Theres also a Eat where the locals eat no chain restaurants here 138 RVBusiness S E P T E M B E R O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 great selection of burgers sandwiches and wraps 4000 E Bristol St Elkhart 574 264 2337 Tues Thurs 11am 9pm Fri 11am 10pm Sat 12pm 10pm El Maguey Grill Not surprisingly El Magueys menu is pretty extensive with choices ranging from authentic Mexican to more Mexican American fare Burritos okay and enchiladas reign supreme be it the Burrito Mexicana or Burrito Deluxe but youd be remiss to overlook the Mexican Tacos soft corn tortillas with meat avocado onion and cilantro Add the fresh salsa which is excellent yourself The chicken or beef fajitas also come highly recommended Did we tell you about the chunky guacamole 56028 Parkway Ave Elkhart 574 522 1100 Sun Mon 11am 9pm Tues Sat 11am 10pm Luccheses Italian Restaurant A longtime favorite with Elkharts RV building crowd Luccheses menu leans to Southern Italian cuisine with plenty of pasta creations served with a choice of home concocted sauces Try the veal parmegiano served over housemade linguine chicken linguine or the housemade lasagna Steaks include a 6 ounce filet or 16 ounce4 ribeye while theres a wealth of seafood Frankies shrimp and chicken stands out there Of course theres pizza as well as a selection of eight salads and plenty of appetizers The Bella Bella Shrimp appetizer is amazing as are the house made crab cakes and the best wild mushroom soup youll ever taste 655 County Rd 17 Elkhart 574 522 4137 Mon Thurs 11am 9pm Fri 11am 10pm Sat 4pm 10pm Kelly Jaes Café Goshen For a taste of designer food from one of the top rated chefs in the state stop by Kelly Jaes Café in downtown Goshen Spanish tapas plates with an Asian twist fill a menu that has a distinctive epicurean thumbprint all its own Theres plenty to pick from in both small plate and large plate sizes Starters include baked brie in puff pastry with apricot preserves Maple Leaf Farms duck potstickers and Sweet Corn Crab Chowder Hot tapas range from crabcakes and Wasabi Pea encrusted salmon to bakes artichoke hearts On the cold side consider Jaes Salad field greens with blue cheese spiced pecans Asian pears and balsamic vinaigrette or a strawberry and roasted golden beet salad And did we tell you about the truly amazing stuffed dates 133 South Main St Goshen 574 537 1027 Lunch Tues Fri 11 30am 1pm Dinner Tues Thurs 5 30p m 8p m Fri Sat 5 30pm 9pm Das Dutchman Essenhaus Middlebury This restaurant and bakery serves up hearty country food like creamed chicken and biscuits beef or chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes and chicken salad and there are plenty of sandwiches on the menu but Essenhaus is renowned for its broasted chicken deep fried under pressure and its available as an entrée or part of the popular buffet The decidedly home style entries also includes meat loaf chopped sirloin bakes steak and grilled ham For big appetites theres also a morning buffet starting at 7am Just dont forget the pie Das Essenhaus is locally revered for its home made pies in dozens of different flavors 240 U S Hwy 20 Middlebury 574 825 9447 Breakfast Mon Sat 6am 11am Dinner Mon Thurs 11am 8pm Fri Sat 11am 9pm RVB Chubby Trout Housed inside an authentic barn painstakingly restored and modified under the guidance of proprietor Can Snyder and his staff Chubbys is the go to place in Elkhart for sushi and seafood Start with Sue Sue Shrimp then progress to a choice of nearly three dozen sushi rolls including for those not enamored of sushi the Big Roll a tempura fried roll of avocado crab and cream cheese topped with dynamite sauce Sushi also is available in sampler boats for two three or four persons If you lean to traditional seafood choices its tough to beat the Mess O Perch sautéed blackened or deep fried while the 14 ounce ribeye is one of the better steaks in Elkhart Snyder by the way is an award winning brewmaster and Chubbys carries an amazing array of craft brews including its proprietary Fat Hop Brewing label 3421 Plaza Ct Elkhart 574 264 5700 Mon Fri 11am 10pm Sat 5pm 10pm Per Bacco Ristorante Italiano Great Italian cooking runs in the Cataldo family While brother Paul owns Antonios Italian Ristorante Bruno Cataldo is proprietor of both Per Bacco and nearby Brunos Pizza one of the premier pizza shops in northern Indiana Newly remodeled the bar is amazing the Per Bacco menu obviously leans heavily towards Italian dishes from Ragu Bolognese gnocchi dumplings or pasta in homemade marinara sauce to Saccottini pasta sacks filled with spicy sausage served with diavolo sauce However the eatery also is developing a reputation for its fish entries including salmon and grouper And of course theres a full lineup of pizzas cooked in a wood fired oven 28046 County Rd 16 Elkhart 574 226 0838 Sun 4pm 9pm Tues Thurs 4pm 9pm Fri Sat 4pm 11pm Antonios Italian Ristorante Pizza is king at Antonios owner Paul Cataldo annually competes in pizza championships around the world and won the traditional category at the International Pizza Challenge in March but youd be remiss is you didnt pay attention to the rest of the menu Heavily influenced by Cataldos upbringing in Calabria Italy it includes such standouts as seafood ravioli in Alfredo sauce lasagna Al Forno Pasta Pescatore shrimp scallops crab clams and mussels over angel hair pasta in marinara sauce and Sausage Soccottini pasta stuffed with spicy Italian sausage served with Arrabiatta sauce There also are a number of salads and several excellent salmon or sea bass choices But oh the pizza 1105 Goshen Ave Elkhart 574 295 8424 Tues Thurs 4pm 9pm Fri Sat 4pm 10pm Sun 4pm 9pm Flippin Cow The only restaurant in Elkhart with a view of Simonton Lake it is in fact located on the lakes western edge and was remodeled a few years back to provide seating for up to 80 in enclosed screened decks plus more inside Flippin Cow specializes in comfort food hand crafted burgers fries and shakes though you also can order chicken steak salads and even a wrap or two From the Bavarian pretzel stick appetizers through a huge selection of burgers try the Hunka Hunka Burger two patties on a pretzel bun with bacon peanut butter and jalapeno jelly or the Hangover Burger with fried egg bacon and cheese the food is made for hearty appetites virtually all of the named burgers are made with two patties Did we tell you that in keeping with the laid back atmosphere the menus are inside old record album covers 51330 State Rd 19 Elkhart 574 266 0606 Mon Thurs 11am 10pm Fri Sat 11am midnight Sun 11am 10pm 523 Tap Grill One of Elkharts favorite restaurant for steaks it offers everything from a downtown New York strip to The Colonel a 20 ounce dry aged porterhouse 523 Tap Grill also serves up great burgers sandwiches fish and pasta Notable dishes include Octopus Batali Spanish octopus with mixed greens Lobster Mac Cheese the Elk Burger topped with gouda applewood smoked bacon pomegranate BBQ sauce on a brioche bun and an array of salads Theres also a selection of homemade soups and among the appetizers Firecracker Shrimp Atlantic salmon cakes and steamed Edamame 523 South Main St Elkhart 574 523 1523 Mon Sat 11am 10pm Bacon Hill Kitchen Pub Given its manufacturing history Elkhart is filled with great ethnic restaurants but if youve got a hankering for Southern Food choices are limited From fried green tomatoes to pork rinds Georgia Gumbo or fried chicken with bacon cheddar waffles Bacon Hill is tops in Michiana There are also plenty of salads and fish dishes while the sandwiches wraps and burgers are huge draws Start off with the cheddar Jalapeno sweet corn muffins or lowcountry crab cakes and follow through with the smoked