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One of my favorite Fort Wayne restaurants to visit is Takaoka of Japan, because not only do I always leave with a full stomach, but I also leave with a few new laugh lines added to my face. Situated in downtown Fort Wayne Indiana, Takaoka is a Japanese Steakhouse located on the 2^nd floor of Don Hall’s Gas House. What makes Takaoka unique is that the chefs cook your food at your table with the use of large hibachi grills.  The chefs at Takaoka will not only make you a delicious dinner but will also entertain with jokes and show off with some pretty neat tricks!

You are sure to have a great time at Takaoka of Japan!

When browsing the menu you will see a variety of dinner options from steak to chicken to seafood.  Each dinner comes with their Soup a la Japanese, a wonderful Takaoka Salad with ginger dressing, hibachi vegetables, an appetizer of hibachi shrimp, and steamed white rice. The price of a dinner varies slightly but most dinners are below or around $20 (unless you opt for the lobster).  When I visit Takaoka I always have to get the Japanese Style Yellowfin Tuna Steak because they prepare it perfect every time and I have yet to have a better piece of tuna in Fort Wayne.  Even if you are not big on seafood, it is a dinner that is sure to please!

Most people dining at Takaoka are celebrating a joyous occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary. For birthday celebrations they will play a traditional Japanese birthday song and serve a nice sherbet ice cream to you (it even has fancy sparklers on it)! I am sure you will hear this song several times while you are there, but I feel like it only contributes to the overall experience.

You are sure to have a great time at Takaoka of Japan, between laughing with the chefs and enjoying the delicious food, it is one dinner that will not disappoint.

The tables sit up to 8 people at a time and it is usually a wise decision to make a reservation before going.  For more information regarding hours and location visit them online and happy eating!

Try your hand at the Philharmonic Friends’ Instrument Playground.

As part of the 2011-2012 STAR Family Series, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic will host “Halloween Spooktacular” on Sunday, October 23.  While the name alone is enough to send chills down your back, have no fear, this event is meant to be a fun way to spend a Sunday with the family.  Halloween Spooktacular will be held at IPFW’s Auer Performance Hall located at 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd. in Fort Wayne, and will run from 2-4 pm. Special pre-concert activities include a costume contest for children, and a chance to get acquainted with the instruments of the orchestra during the “Philharmonic Friends’ Instrument Playground.”  These events will all take place starting at 1 pm.

This eerily fun afternoon will include music by Beethoven, Vaughn Williams, Copland and more spooky sounds of the season. Not only will you get to listen to classical masterpieces performed by Frankenstein himself (members of the PHIL will be dressing up as well!), but you get an opportunity to learn more about the workings of a great orchestra like the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

Tickets for this event are $6 for children and $12 for adults.  To enjoy this SPPOKTACULAR event, purchase tickets contact the PHIL at 260-481-0777 or online at www.fwphil.org/tickets.

WIN A FAMILY FOUR PACK TO ATTEND THE HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR! Simply click here and email us with your name for your chance to win four tickets to the Philharmonic’s Halloween Spooktacular. Winners will be chosen October 20.

I was unsure about what to expect when arriving at Chuck and Bird’s restaurant (located at 4301 Fairfield Avenue in Fort Wayne.) I had heard numerous people talking about Chuck and Bird’s and how they specialize organic food provided by local Indiana farmers. This automatically piqued my interest so of course I had to try this place for myself. 

Chuck and Bird’s is not only a restaurant, but also a market and home delivery service (talk about multi-tasking!)  I made reservations (they are not required) for a Thursday night with my mom and boyfriend.  After walking in, a woman was there to greet us and took us to our reserved table that had a cute sign that said “Emily” on it (nice touch!).  The dining room was not large in size but gave a very cozy and relaxed feeling. There were roughly 10 tables in varying sizes including a bar at the front for seating. Each table had a bright green floral tablecloth and a small mason jar with a tea light in it. The menus were on the table as well as a wine and beer list, which was moderate in size but I was excited to see their selection of Mad Anthony Brewing Co. beers, including the one I selected, Oberon, which is a seasonal beer they brew.

My delicious black been quesadillas.

Now it was time to focus on the food. We started with Black Bean Quesadillas. The tortilla was crispy and flaky and filled with great cheeses, vegetables, black beans, and an awesome chipotle-honey sauce. It was definitely large enough to serve as an entree. For the main course I selected the Miller Chicken Paillard, which included three chicken pieces smothered in mushrooms and a great Madeira wine sauce. My mom selected the Willow Lake Farms Burger, which she loved! My boyfriend Cory loves pork, so his choice was the Jerked Pulled Pork which came from Gunthorp Farms and was spiced and served with a side of fries (which were great!).  And for desert we shared the Madeleine’s Bakehouse Brownie and Hartzler Dairy Farm Milk, both were excellent!

Chuck and Bird's is known for their unique, locally produced foods.

One of my favorite parts of Chuck and Bird’s would have to be their small store located on the other side of the restaurant.  Here you can purchase many of the menu items from area farms. I loved that on each table there was homemade mustard and ketchup, and let me tell you what that mustard was amazing from Local Folks Food! The only downside I found to having a great farm fresh restaurant would have to be the issue of quantity. I noticed that the table next to me tried to order the burger, but they had unfortunately run out of the burger meat.

A great touch to the dining room a giant chalkboard where they feature upcoming changes, featured deserts, and different festive nights. I would have to say that overall I really enjoyed Chuck and Bird’s for the unique dining and great atmosphere and will definitely make a return trip. For more information about their current menu, home delivery service and products visit http://www.chuckandbirds.com. Happy eating!

By far one of my favorite things to do in Fort Wayne is to watch the TinCaps play at Parkview Field. The TinCaps are a minor league baseball team who play in a great new downtown stadium. The prices for tickets are very affordable; with lawn seats starting at just $5 and stadium seating for $8-9 (I prefer to spend the extra to have a closer view to the field).  However, no matter where you choose to sit, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

Enjoying my $1 beer at Parkview Field

Since the stadium is situated downtown you not only have a great view of the game but also a picturesque view of the downtown buildings in the background.  Now if you need any more convincing to go and see a game for yourself (which I highly doubt), I suggest going to a game on a Thursday night.  Thursdays are my favorite for one simple reason: dollar beer night. No, that is not a typo; there really is a night dedicated to selling beer at only a dollar (fantastic, right?) Not only do you get to enjoy a great game at a beautiful stadium but you also get to drink beer till the 7^th inning for only a buck.

Even if you aren’t a big beer drinker there are many other great food and drink options, so don’t be hesitant about going to a game on a “Thirsty” Thursday. The TinCaps also have other festive nights including Family Feast Night on Mondays where hot dogs, soda, popcorn, and slices of pizza are only a dollar. There are also KRAFT Singles Tuesdays where if you bring a wrapper of KRAFT Singles you can get a free ticket for admission with the purchase of a regular ticket. Finally, there are weekend nights where they have post-game fireworks, and who doesn’t love that?

As a side note: while you can buy tickets online, that option closes two hours prior to the start of each game. But if you give the ticket office a call at 260- 482-6400′ they will be happy to reserve your seats! For more info on the TinCaps, check out our website.

Don't miss the 14th annual BBQ RibFest. June 16 - 19.

Get ready for the 14^th annual BBQ RibFest, this June 16-19 at Headwaters Park in downtown Fort Wayne, IN!  The festival runs from 11:30 in the afternoon to almost 1 in the morning every day, so there of opportunities to try everything on the menu!

Walking up to Headwaters Park you know you are in the right place for RibFest when you can see smoke billowing up into the sky, and smell the aroma of barbeque wafting through the air.  Now not only can you expect to taste award winning barbeque, (you might even find some Food Channel favorites!) but you can also listen to great blues bands.  Make sure to try and sample as much barbeque your stomach can handle since there will be computerized voting for your favorite rib team!

Nothing beats biting into a rack of award winning BBQ ribs.

On a side note, this festival can really draw in the crowds so if you want to avoid the busiest time of the day go either before 7:30pm or after 9pm.  Admission for the BBQ RibFest is free till 5:30PM, and $6 after to enter.  For more information regarding BBQ RibFest visit www.bbqribfest.com where you can learn more about the specific blues bands and barbeque teams appearing.