On the Menu: Vault Pub opens on IU campus, 2 more restaurants coming soon in Bloomington

Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times
·3 min read

The Indiana Memorial Union's new pub-style restaurant, The Vault Pub, opened Sept. 1 on the lobby level. It offers a menu of pub grub appetizers, entrees and desserts and serves beer and wine, with a heavy focus on local offerings, according to the IMU website.

Upland Brewing Company's Hoosier Gameday Lager is the first-ever branded beer for Indiana University Athletics and will be sold beginning Sunday, Aug. 13.
Upland Brewing Company's Hoosier Gameday Lager is the first-ever branded beer for Indiana University Athletics and will be sold beginning Sunday, Aug. 13.

The current beer list has two Upland offerings on draft, including the new Hoosier Gameday Lager, and Bloomington Brewing Co.'s Ruby Bloom Amber. Food includes wings, nachos, onion rings, pork tenderloin sandwiches, burgers, baked mac and cheese and more.

The Vault Pub is open to all ages and can be accessed from the main level of the IMU or through the patio. Hours are 4-10 p.m. Thursdays, 4 p.m.-midnight Fridays and noon to midnight Saturdays.

Clues to the future of what used to be The Bowl

Finally, a clue to what's coming to a restaurant with a rocky history on College Mall Road.
Finally, a clue to what's coming to a restaurant with a rocky history on College Mall Road.

Lots of eastside residents have been keeping a close eye on the restaurant space on Buick Cadillac Drive that used to be The Bowl. Plenty of activity has been going on inside and outside the building and now we know a teensy bit more about what's in the works.

A sign hung over the newly constructed patio announces Vivencia is coming soon and will have a Latin-flavors theme. It also promises to add to the eastside's somewhat lacking breakfast options, as well as serving lunch and dinner.

We'll stop in soon to find out more about this new addition to the local culinary scene. Social posts have said the new restaurant is expected to open later this month.

Phat Daddy's opens soon in Ellettsville

Phat Daddy's BBQ will have a new home in the former Hoosier Pie Hole location at 4747 W. Ind. 46 in Ellettsville. The grand opening is set for 4 p.m. Sept. 27.

Phat Daddy's BBQ is already being served in south-central Indiana and was set up this past weekend at the Paragon Homecoming Festival. The family business is known for its barbecue and serves ribs, pulled pork and brisket. Bruce Parrott is pitmaster, and a member of the Kansas City BBQ Society.

Other customer favorites that will be served at the Ellettsville location include bacon-wrapped jalepeno poppers, a BBQ parfait, barbecue shrimp and quesadillas.

Truffles' "Raining Napa" wine dinner set for Sept. 13

Truffles restaurant will host a "Raining Napa" wine dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Reception for the five-course dinner paired with Nappa Valley wines begins at 6:30 p.m. The dinner costs $125 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 812-330-1111.

The dinner will begin with a glass noodle salad with seared bluefin tuna, pickled radishes and onions, wasabi aioli followed by Wagyu sausage meatballs in a tomato and sweet pepper sauce over angel hair pasta and topped with California jack cheese and fried basil. Vegetable terrine with goat milk cheese mousse, roasted peppers, grilled zucchini, eggplant, fried green tomato and basil pesto will proceed grilled prime New York strip steak served with sage potatoes fondant, wilted spinach covered with Bearnaise sauce.

Dessert will be pistachio cheesecake drizzled with a red wine chocolate sauce. Truffles is at 1131 S. College Mall Road.

Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com, 812-331-4359 or @ckugler on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: On the Menu: Vault Pub opens, with 2 more restaurants opening soon