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Romantic Indiana Getaways Satisfy the Heart and the Stomach
Part Two
By Carole Witsken
Need more information on the many restaurants and inns that Indiana has to offer? Read on!
In northern Indiana, couples will enjoy the Miller Bakery Cafe, one of only 13 four-diamond restaurants named by Chicago's AAA Motor Club. The Caf矩s located in a town called Miller Beach, an old stagecoach stop that technically is part of Gary (it was annexed in 1919).
The building opened in 1941 as the Miller Bakery, and was owned by an Italian family who ran it for more than 40 years. In 1989 a new owner rehabbed the building and opened the restaurant, retaining the Art Deco cabinetry and the original maple floor. Owner and Chef Gary Sanders, who bought the business in 1993, describes his restaurant as offering "globally influenced cuisine with a seasonally changing menu." Daily specials include Midwestern, Asian and classical/fusion dishes, as well as fresh fish.
A customer favorite is a cornbread custard appetizer-a sweet and savory bread pudding with a cilantro pesto, which Sanders calls "comfort food." Another favorite appetizer is a wasabi-spiked risotto, served sushi-style.
Additional menu items include a baby green salad with maple vinaigrette, a wood grilled salmon fillet and a New Zealand rack of lamb with truffled "smashed" potatoes. Sanders trained under Carolyn Buster at Cottage Restaurants in Calumet City before moving to the Miller Bakery Cafe in 1989 at age 22. He considers himself self-taught, and says, "It took me a little while to find my own style, but I was given full rein of creativity in this kitchen."
The Cafe is open for lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m., Sunday 4 to 8 p.m. The Cafe is closed Mondays and reservations are recommended.
Just south of Gary in Chesterton, the Gray Goose Inn