West Lafayette, Indiana?

I'm going to be in West Lafayette, Indiana this weekend. Does anyone have any suggestions for tasty food in WL or in the vicinity? I prefer local businesses over chains. Modestly priced is also a plus. But all suggestions are welcome.

thanks!!

-comradelaura

When I was in W. Lafayette in Oct., I noticed a number of interesting looking restaurants representing a variety of nationalities at the intersection of 26 and 231. I only had a chance to try one of them -- the Turkish one -- and it was quite good. They had a couple of dishes I enjoyed in Turkey but haven't seen in Chicago's Turkish restaurants, so I had a most enjoyable evening. (Sorry, I don't remember the name, but I don't think there will be too many other Turkish restaurants in town, and certainly not on that corner.)

And if you're driving down, the big Fair Oaks Dairy Farm is a pleasant stop en route. If you don't want to visit the cows, you can at least stop in for really good, organic, all natural ice cream.

Have a nice trip.

Cynthia wrote:When I was in W. Lafayette in Oct., I noticed a number of interesting looking restaurants representing a variety of nationalities at the intersection of 26 and 231. I only had a chance to try one of them -- the Turkish one -- and it was quite good. They had a couple of dishes I enjoyed in Turkey but haven't seen in Chicago's Turkish restaurants, so I had a most enjoyable evening.

That sounds very promising! I was in W. Lafayette about a month ago and noticed that restaurant but it was closed. I ended up at the Korean place on that intersection instead. It was fine, as in good enough. Better than the chain options that surrounded it. Do you remember which dishes you enjoyed at the Turkish place?

The organic ice cream sounds delicious but, unfortunately, I'm driving over from Champaign-Urbana. I should have specified that part. But, come to think of it, I do have friends meeting me in West Lafayette from Chicago so I'll tell them about it.

thanks for the help!

The one dish I remember specifically is hungkar begendi, one of my favorite Turkish dishes -- a rich puree of smoked eggplant topped with a flavorful lamb stew. My dining companion had one of the kebabs -- also very yummy. All I remember about the appetizers is that they were good.

comradelaura wrote:The organic ice cream sounds delicious but, unfortunately, I'm driving over from Champaign-Urbana. I should have specified that part. But, come to think of it, I do have friends meeting me in West Lafayette from Chicago so I'll tell them about it.

thanks for the help!

Ive seen this ice-cream place on the way, but never stopped - thanks for the
rec, will stop the next time.

Have eaten at one non-chain restaurant in West Lafayette - and that was
XXX Family Restaurant, a Purdue-institution (supposedly). They have a
very good cheeseburger, fries and shake there - very much worth the
stop if youre in the mood for that sort of thing. Ive heard their breakfast
stuff is very good too (including one Kyle Orton special IIRC, which I
havent unfortunately tried yet But burgers were very good, and very
much worth sticking with anyway.

c8w

c8w wrote:Ive seen this ice-cream place on the way, but never stopped - thanks for the
rec, will stop the next time.

c8w

They have pretty good cheese, as well -- some nice aged cheddar, among others. And if you have kids with you -- or city folk who aren't familiar with the whole dairy farm scene -- they have a nice little museum of dairy farming and a tour of the impressive operation for a small charge ($7).

But even if you grew up on a farm, it's still worth stopping for cheese and ice cream. (You can even watch cheese being made.)

I feel obliged to report back on my eating experiences in West Lafayette after receiving such gracious assistance from Cynthia and c8w, but I hate to be the bearer of bad or even unspectacular news. Overall, I didn't eat anything that I would strongly recommend to others. There were some inklings of possibly good food in Lafayette or away from campus but I was too busy to explore beyond the campus area.

I didn't get to try XXX Family Restaurant - but I like the name! Very evocative.

Some local friends agreed that Sofra, the Turkish place on 231 and 26, is very good. Unfortunately, this weekend, the restaurant appeared to be switching to buffet service only. I'm not sure if this is a permanent switch but as we were leaving the restaurant, they were posting their new buffet hours and didn't have any other hours on the sign. The food on the regular menu may indeed be delicious but this buffet food was awful (even by buffet standards). The hot food was old, cold, and largely inedible. It didn't even seem like it used to be good before it had sat on the buffet. It started out bad and then aged. The cold food was only marginally better. Oh well. I hope they realize the error of their ways and switch back to the menu.

On the positive side, I went to a place called Blue Nile that served "mediterranean" food which I enjoyed (but I was also ravenously hungry and in a good mood and so thankful that it wasn't Sofra - maybe these lth reviews should specify the mood, hunger level, and expectations of the diner?). The lamb kebabs were pretty good - flavorful and tender. The rice was somewhat bland until I dumped my Jerusalem salad on it. One of my friends had an okra dish in a tomato-based sauce that was delicious (and I'm not a big fan of okra or tomato sauce). The shwarma wasn't too well-received by my Lebanese friend and the chicken kebob was a little dry. But the waiter was very nice and overall it was a pleasant place. (Some friends mentioned Olive House as being good and comparable to Blue Nile.)

The Parthenon was distinguished by having the worst gyros sandwich I've ever had. I mean, how can you ruin gyros? I could go to any random place in Chicago and get a serviceable gyros. But, this gyros was so flavorless that I almost threw it away (and I *hate* to waste food). I was tired and in a hurry and it had been recommended by a friend (whose food opinions I will never trust again) but I should have known when I saw the salads already plated and wrapped in plastic. I have only myself to blame.

Well, having a couple of bad meals wasn't enough to dampen a wonderful weekend.

Sorry to hear that Sofra has changed formats and quality. When I was there in October, they told me the owner was sick, so maybe this was compensation -- or maybe the owner has handed off the baton to someone less competent. Too bad, as it was nice to have some place other than Bob Evans and the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. But then, I usually go for the Feast of the Hunter's Moon, and not for the local culinary scene, so I'll still go back.

We like to eat at the Pita Pit for lunch there.
We love McAlisters Deli. I think there is one coming to Naperville in the near future.

We went to football games and always liked going to the Pizza Hut buffet afterwards.

c8w wrote: Have eaten at one non-chain restaurant in West Lafayette - and that was XXX Family Restaurant, a Purdue-institution (supposedly).

comradelaura wrote: I didn't get to try XXX Family Restaurant - but I like the name! Very evocative.

Triple XXX refers to the type of flour the burgers are dusted with before cooking. This information is from Reid Duffy's Guide to Indiana's Favorite Restaurants. Looking through this book a few months ago, Triple XXX Family Restaurant was the only place in the area that caught my interest. I've never been but I'll certainly visit if I'm ever in West Lafayette. Triple XXX was founded in 1929 and must be one of the oldest hamburger restaurants around here. They still grind their sirloin fresh every day.

Triple XXX Family Restaurant
2 N Salisbury St (off State Road 26)
West Lafayette IN
765-743-5373
Open 24 hours Mon-Sat

Various friends who went to Purdue swear by XXX. I've never been, but it's on my list the next time I go to that part of the world.