Another Scottish Rite Night at the Irish Lion

Heh, I just love the irony.

The Valley of Indianapolis wants to promote

fellowship and to introduce the Rite to other Masons.

Thus, these dinners were born.

I have to say that it is nice to see those

who can't always travel up to Indianapolis to the Cathedral.

Looks like the city of Bloomington has decided

to throw a few obstacles in our path.

Hmph, and right before the judging committee

for America in Bloom is supposed to arrive.

We were set to dine in "The Glen,"

an empty space between two buildings

a couple of doors down from the Irish Lion.

Apparently, this space is only available for private dinners.

The honored guests are arriving.







Virginia Creeper covers the brick walls.



I did see at least two poison ivy plants,

and I hope that the owners take notice and get rid of those.




Poison ivy and good eats do not mix.







I heard that some of the early arrivals

immediately grabbed the seats under the tree.


That was smart,

as the temperature can feel up to 10 degrees cooler

under a tree due to the transpiration of water vapor


from the leaves into the atmosphere.









The old brick walls have seen better days.

Once again we were presented with choices.

This time we could pick New York Strip Steak,

Lamb Chops,

Chicken Cordon Bleu,

Fish and Chips,

Mutton Pie

(although at our table we agreed

that it was much too warm for that)

and Corned Beef and Cabbage.

But first I had to get a Guinness.

Wouldn't you?

The foam on top was almost dense enough to be a cream.

Our salads arrive.

Mixed greens, red onion, cucumbers, grape tomatoes

and white button mushrooms.

The dressing was slightly creamy

with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

The dear husband ordered the New York Strip

with a baked potato.

He justified his dinner choice by saying that

many Irish immigrants settled in New York City.

Oh -kay.

Yeah, we'll go with that.

I ordered the fish and chips

as that seemed to be a bit more authentic.

Still,

I missed the Blarney Puffballs (tm Irish Lion).

Do you suppose they heard that both Rosie Hawthorne

and I improved upon the recipe?

The lights accentuate the walls.

Looking to the public opening to The Glen.

This was a nice evening and a great chance to reconnect

with our local fellow Scottish Rite members.

However,

the weather was quickly moving in,

thus shortening our soiree.

Well, I guess we need the rain?

I'm not sure we needed the power outages

or downed trees, though.

The Scottish Rite at the Irish Lion

The Scottish Rite Guild met this evening at a local restaurant in our town. I had been asking my husband to take me to The Irish Lion for several years now, so I was very happy to tag along to yet another Masonic event. In all, 65 people showed up for a nice evening of fellowship and good food.

I chose a seat next to a window in the corner of the room. Obviously I didn't select this seat because of the view to the east outside the window.

Surprisingly, we were offered a choice of five different entrees. I have to say that I have never seen this done at a large dinner.

What to eat, what to eat?

The friendly waitstaff informed us that soft drinks were included with the dinner, but a cash bar was available. Well, of course I had to get a Guinness. I can't go to an Irish Pub (again) and not get a Guinness, can I?

Appetizers were presented. First up was a plate of Irish Soda Bread.

This is a very dense, dry bread. Quite tasty, really.




Fresh apple slices, grapes and grilled brie accompanied the Soda Bread.

Blarney Puffballs, deep-fried potato balls made with a cheese/garlic mixture, were served with sour cream.
My husband told me that I would have to find a recipe for the Blarney Puffballs. I'll get right on that, dear.





Then a salad of lettuce, cucumbers, red onion, mushrooms and grape tomatoes arrived. This is the signature House Salad and came with a tangy, yet creamy dressing.

My husband opted to have the fish and chips.

He liked it, but found that he couldn't finish it all.

I chose the Lamb Chops with mint jelly and Brandon Potatoes.

Tender and quite tasty. The lamb was cooked to medium-rare, though it had crossed over to medium by the time it was served. I can't complain at all, though.

What's this? More food? Well, if you insist.

This is the house-made Irish Apple Walnut Cake. Oh my. Nirvana, I tell you.

They certainly didn't want anyone to leave hungry. Did it work? My husband requested that I roll him down the stairs when we leave. How about we just both walk down the stairs and down the block to the car?

And did you notice the lighting for the beauty shots of the plates? Since this is an old building, the window sill was very deep and served nicely as a shelf for the plates as I took their pictures. And now you know why I chose the window seat with no view.

All in all this was a very nice evening and we got to visit with some very nice people. Good food is never amiss, either.