A foreign concept: having enough time to sit down and update my blog!
Hi! My name is Simone. I am not the Simone you knew before, Simone the High Schooler, but now I’m Simone the College Student. I am now Simone, redefined. However, my love for food, friends, and fun hasn’t changed since I’ve gotten to school. My longing for adventures has only grown, and I find myself in new situations that I wouldn’t be in if I were at another school.
Hello from Bloomington, Indiana, home of the Indiana University Hoosiers. We take pride in our excessive school spirit (it’s amazing, I promise), like how on football game days, Bloomington bars and the downtown scene are as fun as the actual game. We also love our pizza joints and higher-end restaurants to which we bring our parents because we can’t afford them otherwise. Our wide variety of eats in Btown keep me wanting more, with friends suggesting new places for my next sweet-tooth episode, or my inevitable hunger for cute, cozy coffee shops.
Welcome to college. Over the course of the next four years, you will be able to live vicariously through me as I eat my way through my late teens and into my early twenties. You’ll probably be able to track how many tens of pounds I gain as I rave about pizza place after ice cream parlor after fresh, warm cookie delivery. Here we go.
Let’s talk pizza. Ah yes, the classic 2 am craving after a night out on the town. There’s a wide range of pizza in which to invest in Bloomington, so here’s the ultimate (but very limited) guide to Btown pizza, as written by a first-year student who hasn’t tried everything because she’s only been here for two months.
First up is Pizza X. Pizza X is only good when you’re not sober, so expect your 2am delivery on a Saturday night to take all night because their pizza is in high demand then. Like, it’s good. Not enough so that you’d take your parents to, but it’s good. That’s all I’ll say.
Then there’s Aver’s Pizza. I’ve only had Aver’s once when my professor bought 20 pies for my class, but that was enough for me to commit to Aver’s as a loyal customer. This ‘za was so good that I’ll definitely hit up Aver’s one night when I want to revamp my late-night snack. This Veggie Revival pie was so good, I know I’ll be having this again.
Mother Bear’s pizza is your high-end pizza. No college student would waste a Mother Bear’s pizza on a 2am pizza craving. Mother Bear’s is for dinner, or better yet, when your parents are in town and can buy you dinner. The pizza is incredible, and being a Bloomington staple, it’s no inexpensive feast. Special occasions are spent at Mother Bear’s and if you’re visiting from out of town, you’ll fit right in with the Hoosier spirit written on its walls (literally). Here’s a snap of my pizza from Mother Bear’s:
Let’s talk about comfort food. Being in a college town in the midwest, our autumn weekends revolve around football culture and inexpensive, greasy food from a hole-in-the-wall so-called restaurant. First up is Z&C Teriyaki and Sushi. They claim that they have sushi, but nobody would dare to have anything of theirs unless it’s their teriyaki. My two friends and I went after a chilly home football game; we were tired and hungry, yet we felt the need to stand in the line that was out the door to get some teriyaki chicken with lo mein. I have no regrets; this was the best shitty Chinese food I’ve ever eaten, but just like Pizza X, I wouldn’t eat Z&C unless I was in desperate need. To the left is a snap of my friends and me sitting on *some* stairs (if you know these stairs, you know these stairs) eating our chicken.\
Another greasy Bloomington specialty includes Siam House’s Chicken Pad See Ew. Siam House is easily one of my favorite Btown spots to eat because of their laid-back atmosphere, serving Thai food until you can’t eat anymore. I took my parents here when they came to visit a little bit ago, so I was able to splurge a bit (thanks, Dad).
Let me tell you about two Bloomington CLASSICS. Buffa Louie’s is the ultimate grill and bar. Their burgers are incredible and the Hoosier spirit makes any day feel like a game day. Another staple is the Big Cheese Food Truck. If you don’t get the Mac Daddy grilled cheese (mac and cheese IN a grilled cheese), then you’re doing it wrong. It’s your perfect midnight snack when pizza isn’t the move that night.
It’s dessert time! Ice cream in a college town is never hard to find, but it’s a matter of finding the best ice cream. I’ve tried a variety of spots around town, but I continuously love Hartzell’s Ice Cream. You can mix and match, and between their homemade flavors, soft-serve custard and milkshakes, you have endless combinations. A little secret I recently discovered is their fridge in the back of the store that holds these huge ice cream sandwiches, so if you want something new, go for those. Here’s a snap of my ice cream from my birthday celebration a few weeks ago:
If you are reading this as a fellow Indiana University student, you understand that it’s quite difficult to fully capture the magic of Baked! of Bloomington cookies. However, for those who are reading this that are outside of Bloomington, here’s what you need to know. Baked! cookies are incredible. They’re nothing like Insomnia cookies (the cookie store chain found in large cities around the country); their cookies can be customized to your liking, and the overall experience of getting Baked! cookies is just incredible. For my birthday, my parents surprised me with a delivery of 30(!!!) Baked! cookies delivered to my dorm room; I shared with all my friends, and it was truly a celebration. Here’s a collage of boxes of cookies I’ve had over the course of my freshman year so far:
Stay tuned for more College Carbs and Midnight Munchies. I can’t wait to find more of the best Btown eats and share them with you. Maybe one day, prospective IU students can look to my blog for food recommendations when they visit and tour campus! If you know anyone that needs food recommendations when they come to town, send them my way!
Signing off for now until I have another free moment to write more about my college adventures!
xo
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