Hello! I hope you have all had a good first few weeks back at school! I'm already behind in homework - what else is new!
Anyway, I'm interested in starting a series within my blog, simply titled "4th Street Restaurant Reviews." Even as a junior, I haven't crossed off one of the most important things on the IU Bucket List, which is to eat at every restaurant on 4th Street. Although I don't anticipate that I'll make it to every restaurant before I graduate, I wanted to share my thoughts with you regarding the restaurants I choose to go to!
I'm an avid traveler, which means I'm also jumping at the chance to try new food. Fourth Street is unlike any other that you'll find anywhere else in the nation - Bloomington's 4th street has the most ethnic restaurants within a block's radius, for those of you who didn't know!
As a Welcome Week Assistant, I was lucky enough to work on the Ethnic Dinner program from Union Street Center. Another Welcome Week Assistant, Allyson, and I drove to 4th Street to have lunch at Anatolia, a restaurant our team was considering to provide food for the program.
Allyson and I sat outside and were immediately showered with great service. The employees are incredibly friendly and enjoy a nice conversation with customers. We also got to talk with the owner, Sybil, and she is such a generous, friendly woman. She really enjoys when students come and experience Anatolia. By the way, the decor takes you to a whole other world. Not many restaurants can do that.
Anatolia serves Turkish cuisine. I had never had Turkish food, but I was so pleased. Anatolia's menu offers such a wide variety of entrees and appetizers, from lamb to chicken kebabs to shrimp. If you're a vegetarian, not to worry! Plenty of vegetarian options are also available.
Anatolia's bread is also award-winning (rightly so!) and the tarator is impeccable. I've never fallen in love with food so quickly in all my life. I had never heard of tarator before having lunch at Anatolia, but it is so delicious!
I also tried the tomato soup, and it was great! I'm not a lover of most soups, but I highly recommend the tomato soup! The chicken and lamb were also mouth-watering. The tea and coffee also get A-pluses.
Bottom line: EVERYTHING was good.
So, get a group of your friends together and go out for a meal. Did I mention groups of 7 or more eat FOR FREE?! Yeah, you read that correctly.
Peace and love -
Gillian
For other posts about restaurants in Bloomington, check these out: