Valparaiso - Raising the Bar

By Julie Dean Kessler

 True: Old sailors’ colorful tales of the 1812 battle at Valparaiso, Chile, so fired the imaginations of Hoosier listeners of 1837 that they named their new Indiana town Valparaiso.  

They would love today’s Don Quijotes restaurant -- ole! -- billing itself as Indiana’s only authentic Spanish restaurant, whose Iberian cooking includes rich paella and a fun, 25-choice tapas. At nearby Pikk’s Tavern, where entrees are elevated with an amazing array of sauces, there’s live music every Thursday evening. Bon Femme Café‘s upscale menu blends American and Continental European with an French accent.

We hear the hot Gorgonzola Chips at dish Restaurant (the d is fashionably lowercase) are yummy, and Strongbow Inn offers comfort food in a traditional atmosphere. The popular Bistro 157 is also fab, with Chef Nicole Bissonette in the kitchen. Andele! Try them all!

Munchies and Maestros

Valparaiso loves native son Orville Redenbacher, whose popcorn is king at the Popcorn Festival each September. If you have a kernel of sense you’ll mark your calendar now. Ditto the Fall Harvest Festival and Fall Concert Series. And every first Thursday of the month check out “Eat Up, Wine Down” when several downtown restaurants offer guests five of their most famous dishes and/or drinks for a mere $5 per selection (details at www.valpodining.com).

Encore! 

For great performances it’s the Memorial Opera House, built in 1893 by the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (everybody salute now). It’s the place to go in Valpo for concerts, theatrical performances, weddings, plays and more. A peek into its past: The Marx Brothers and John Philip Sousa have graced its stage.  

It’s downtown, which is also where you’ll find Designer Desserts Bakery, with fanciful décor and even more fanciful desserts. You can enjoy a cuppa joe and a decadently oversize cupcake, but it’s not called “Designer” for nothing: You’ll be planning for the next special party when you see the fab cakes these folks turn out, with sugar flowers, fondant figurines, 70 cake flavors!

Winter Wanderings!

Walk it off at the Brauer Museum at Valparaiso University. Do not put “stuffy” and “museum” together here. The staff is warm and welcoming, the art exhibits are bright and absorbing, and in summer you can bring the kids, picnic on the lawn, and sneak some culture into their little heads.

In February there’s Valparaiso’s Winter Dazzle – ice carving, restaurants’ heart-healthy foods, and special store promotions.

Congratulations!

Thank the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, celebrating its 100^th year in August 2012, for much of this. The largest chamber in Northwest Indiana, its 750 members and staff of seven keep the town of 36,000 buzzing. In 2009 the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce named it Chamber of the Year, happily reports Valparaiso chamber President Rex Richards. He explains the chamber was a vital component in Valparaiso University’s transition some 80 or so years ago of ownership from the Methodist Church to the Lutheran Church. “Today Valparaiso University is one of the most dynamic universities in the Midwest and a very important economic engine in our community, along with Urschel Laboratories Inc., Emerson Power, and others,” says Richards.

Clothes the Front Door!

Did someone say, “Shop”? Slip into Seasons on the Square, where women’s clothing covers your social excursions with eclectic, casual, and special-occasion wear. Just down the street, trot the youngsters into Piper’s Children’s Boutique. By summer you’ll be ready for the third annual Brewfest of craft beers, live music, and more, but it’s limited to 1,500 souls, so get in line early. No doubt about it – there’s usually a hot time in this old town.

Bon Femme Café
68 Lincolnway
(219) 531-0612
www.valpodining.com

Designer Desserts Bakery
56 Lincolnway
(219) 465-0008
www.designerdessertsbakery.com

Don Quijotes
118 E. Lincolnway
(219) 462-7976
www.donquijotesrestaurantandimports.com

dish Restaurant
3907 Calumet Ave.
(219) 465-9221
www.dishrestaurant.net

Memorial Opera House
104 Indiana Avenue 
(219) 548-9137
www.mohlive.com

Pikk’s Tavern
62 W. Lincolnway
(219) 476-7455
www.pikkstavern.com

Piper’s Children’s Boutique
115 Lincolnway
(219) 464-7473.
www.piperboutique.com

Seasons on the Square
1 Lincolnway
(219) 465-0165 

Strongbow Inn
2305 U.S. 30
(219) 462-5121
www.strongbowinn.com

Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce
(219) 462-1105
www.valparaisochamber.org

Valparaiso Community Festivals and Events
(219) 464-8332 
www.valparaisoevents.com

Julie Dean Kessler is a freelance writer who has received 35 awards in journalism including the Mark Twain Award for Excellence in Editorial Writing from the Associated Press. She also holds a master’s degree in social work, writes poetry, and tends an extensive deck garden.