At its essence, a hot dog is just a mild sausage in a bun. Nothing terribly complicated about that, until geographic preferences are considered, some so strong that they might bring dissenters to blows.
Two longtime downtown foodie fixtures are calling it quits after a combined 68 years of service.
Café 7, the cafeteria on the seventh floor of the Anthony Wayne Bank Building (203 E. Berry St.), is closing Friday. Loaf N Ladle, on South Calhoun Street, closed this weekend.
The bank building is being remade into condos, Café 7 owner Rahim Pirani says. He has no current plans to reopen the eatery, which has been in the building for 40 years, in another location, Pirani says. He and his wife have owned the eatery for 16 years.
Sunday, Loaf N Ladle announced on its Facebook page that it was closing: “After 28 years of service it is with a heavy heart we regret to inform you the Loaf N Ladle is closed for business. We would like to thank you for your many years of loyal patronage. This is not the end of the book just the beginning of a new chapter.”
Loaf N Ladle (817 S. Calhoun St.) was open as recently as Friday. A phone call made to the business Tuesday morning went unanswered, and no voice mail picked up. The website was also unavailable.
Free birthday treats
One of the greatest things about celebrating a birthday is the free stuff you can get from restaurants. Honestly, how better to acknowledge the day you came squalling into this world with a free dessert or dinner on the house?
Social media and restaurant websites make it especially easy to get a heads-up if a favorite restaurant wants to treat you. Most deals take a few days to kick in, so a month or so before your birthday, make sure you do a Facebook or Google search for that awesome Mexican restaurant or delicious burger joint to see if it’ll offer any freebies.
I’ve done some of the work for you:
•Zianos Italian Eatery (three Fort Wayne locations, on Covington, East Dupont and Maysville roads) gives free birthday chocolate chip cookies.
•Dicky’s Wild Hare (2910 Maplecrest Road; 486-0590) offers free birthday meals up to $10 with proper ID.
•West End Restaurant (702 W. Monroe St., Decatur; 724-2938) will buy your birthday meal up to $8 after 4 p.m.
•If you pick up a free Red Royalty card the next time you’re in Red Robin (4201 Coldwater Road; 484-9888), part of your perks include a free burger during your birthday month.
•If you register for a Starbucks (18 locations in northeast Indiana) rewards card, the chain will send you a postcard for a free birthday drink.
•Flat Top Grill (4150 W. Jefferson Blvd.; 432-4100) will e-mail birthday girls and boys a free stir-fry meal good for one month.
•Dunkin Donuts (four in Fort Wayne, one in Columbia City) will send you a coupon for a free medium coffee, latte, tea, Coolatta or hot chocolate. Make mine an iced tea, black, unsweetened, s’il vous plaît.
•Myriad chain restaurants offer some form of birthday freebie if you sign up for their online newsletters: dessert at Applebee’s, a Nutter Butter Fudgeslide at Logan’s Roadhouse, $5 off a birthday meal at McAllister’s Deli, dessert at Fazoli’s.
Taste of Auburn
The Olive Twist (115 N. Main St., Auburn) is a small specialty store that offers a variety of olive oils, as well as a vinegar bar and a smattering of specialty foods and products.
There is also a Fort Wayne location (6410 W. Jefferson Blvd.).
From noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, The Olive Twist’s Auburn location will pair with Auburn chefs and restaurants for A Taste of Auburn.
Chefs will be handing out samples of their foods, all prepared with extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar from The Olive Twist.
Attendees will be asked to pay a penny to vote for their favorite dishes, and the winning dish will be given the People’s Choice award.
All money raised will go toward a scholarship fund given to a DeKalb County student who wants to be a chef.
A Toast to Downtown
Club Soda (235 E. Superior St.) is hosting A Toast to Downtown, a wine tasting event to raise money for the Fort Wayne Ballet, on Sunday. At 4:30 p.m., doors will open for VIP guests. They will have five to six wines to sample, including higher end wines, says Genevieve Rodgers, development officer for the Fort Wayne Ballet. Club Soda will also provide a variety of appetizers.
General admission will start at 5:30 p.m. with four wines and fewer appetizers, Rodgers says.
The event will also feature a variety of silent auction items, featuring downtown businesses and restaurants.
VIP tickets are $100 a person (spots limited) and general admission is $75. To buy tickets, call the ballet at 484-9646 before Thursday.
