La Bonita Mexican restaurant at 1709 N. College Ave. has a new menu and 22 new tables and booths. The new restaurant area is just inside the main doors to the right before you enter the market. It opened on Nov. 21, according to manager Edgar Palacios.
The restaurant will be open daily, from 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The menu now includes seafood and a wider variety of meats, and there will be daily specials of authentic Mexican cuisine, from seafood and soup to tortas and tacos.
The expanded menu includes nachos especiales with grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, bacon, jalapenos, rice and beans and pico de gallo all topped with cheese sauce; and Alambra al pastor with marinated pork, ham, bell pepper, pineapple and tomato, topped with melted mozzarella cheese and served with rice, beans and corn tortillas. Patrons can choose a variety of meat for their tacos, from carne asada, carnitas, pollo, chorizo, tilapia, al pastor, campechono (with steak, chorizo and grilled onion), beef, beef tongue, goat and shrimp.
La Bonita also serves burritos, chimichangas, fajitas (including vegetarian), quesadillas, enchiladas, flautas, tortas and chicken and seafood dishes. The camarones chipotle has whole shrimp covered with chipotle sauce served with rice, avocado, lettuce, tomato and tortillas. The sopes have handmade, thick corn tortillas with beans, onion, cheese, sour cream and green salsa and either grilled chicken or steak on top.
Desserts of tres leches cake and flan are available or can be purchased in the adjacent Mexican market.
With 12 beers on tap, Heartwork Brewing officially opens its doors this week, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 29, and the grand opening on Thursday, Nov. 30. The brewery at 1703 N. College Ave. will serve people age 21 and older inside and outside. Three food trucks — Pili's Party Taco, Planted Bloomington and Doner Kebab — will be at the brewery throughout the weekend.
In addition to the beers, Heartwork Brewing will have a house-made gluten-free seltzer on tap and non-alcoholic drink options.
Hours will be 4-10 p.m. Thursday, 3-11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. There will be raffles and prizes given away throughout the opening weekend, according to Jeff Browne, one of the co-owners. The brewery will be open 4-10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
Heartwork Brewing has arcade games in the lower area, which will be open along with the tap room and the private area throughout the ]weekend.
For now the brewery is only open to people age 21 and older, but everyone is welcome to walk up and eat from the food trucks, Browne said. Eventually he anticipates Heartwork Brewing will allow all ages and begin offering cider and wine.
Bloomington restauranteur:Nathan Finney, owner of Social Cantina, The Tap, dies in small plane crash
Chocolate Moose opens kiosk in College Mall
Just in time for holiday shoppers, Chocolate Moose has opened a kiosk in College Mall next to Auntie Annes near the food court. The Chocolate Moose booth offers ice cream and a full coffee menu, including lattes, frappes, Americanos and drip coffee using Brown County Coffee beans. The handmade ice cream flavors will rotate and can be served in a bowl or on fresh-made waffle cones, according to Jordan Davis, director of operations for Chocolate Moose.
Hours for the College Mall Chocolate Moose will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday during the holidays. The kiosk will be open through at least January.
Chocolate Moose closed the shop that was next to BuffaLouie's at 114 S. Indiana Ave.
Chipotle on West Third Street to open Dec. 4
A new Chipotle restaurant is scheduled to open its doors at 3151 W. Third St. (next to Outback Steakhouse) on Dec. 4. The restaurant will have a drive-thru pickup lane, known as a Chipotlane, that allows guests to conveniently pick up digital orders without leaving their cars. The new restaurant is the fourth Chipotle in Bloomington, and the first with a Chipotlane.
Warm up with the Caribbean menu at Lennie's
Lennie’s is bringing back its Caribbean menu 4-9 p.m. Dec. 4-5. A special Jamaican Patty appetizer is made from pastry filled with potatoes, red bell peppers, peas, corn, onions and carrots, with mango chutney on the side.
Entrees include: green curry shrimp with garlic shrimp sautéed in a spicy ginger and coconut curry with pineapple and red pepper over white rice; jerk-spiced smoked pork shoulder, house-made beef sausage, tomato, garlic, pepper, olive and onion served with white rice and black beans; green curry tofu of marinated, pan-fried tofu with pineapple and red peppers in a spicy coconut curry sauce over white rice; and a Cuban sandwich with ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and mustard all hot-pressed inside a garlic roll. It also comes with white rice and beans.
Special desserts are house-made pineapple-coconut cake, with warm pineapple-banana rum sauce and vanilla bean ice cream or a Key lime pie mini Indulgence dessert. Lennie's is at 514 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Other food news:Brown County Coffee begins using low-emissions roaster
Upland Brewing's Courtside pale ale is first Pacers-branded beer
Upland Brewing Co., a Bloomington based craft brewer with brewery and brewpub locations throughout Indiana, recently released a new limited edition beer called Courtside Indiana Pale Ale in collaboration with the Indiana Pacers. This is the first Pacers-branded craft beer.
Courtside is a crisp pale ale with a 5.4% alcohol by volume (ABV). It's now available for purchase at all Upland Brewing locations in Indiana, including the brewpub at 350 W. 11th St. in Bloomington. Pursuant to an agreement between Upland Brewing Co. and Levy Restaurants, it now is available during Pacers games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“Living in Indiana, basketball is almost as much a part of our identity as craft beer,” said Brent Ducker, director of sales and strategic accounts at Upland Brewing, in a news release. “Deepening our relationship with the Indiana Pacers by launching Courtside is a natural next step and one we’re thrilled about. We hope it will enhance the already incredible fan experience for people at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and also appeal to anyone who wants to display their support of the local team and the craft beer industry.”
The Pacers and Upland Brewing Co. first took the court together in late 2022 when Upland Brewing became an official sponsor of the Indiana Pacers, which included the unveiling of an Upland Brewing Co. branded bar, serviced by Levy Restaurants, on the balcony level of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Burma Garden closed
Burma Garden, at 413 E. Fourth St., has closed its doors. A post on the restaurant's website says: "Burma Garden is closed. Thank you for all of our customers their support and patronage for 17 years."