BakerStreet Steaks, Seafoods, and Spirits has been one of my favorite dining spots since moving to Fort Wayne over a year ago. After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease (I cannot digest wheat/gluten) BakerStreet has risen to my number one stop for fine dining.

I dined at BakerStreet shortly after starting a gluten-free diet. In fact, it was my first gluten-free dinner out on the town. I was a party of one so I sat at the bar accompanied by my copy of The Gluten Free Bible by Jax Lowell. The bartender approached and offered me a drink. I ordered a beverage and told him that I am a Celiac and cannot come in contact with wheat or gluten. The gentleman did not flinch or hesitate. He promptly handed me a menu and assured me that my request was not a problem. I opened the menu and happily read the new heading above the appetizer list: “GLUTEN FREE MENU: all items on this menu can be prepared with or without gluten.” Just what the doctor ordered, quite literally.

As I reviewed the menu, the bartender, who was busy, took time to chat, check on me, and offer to place my order at a slower pace since I was enjoying a book. I love that kind of service. Just because I am eating alone does not necessarily mean I want to eat fast. BakerStreet offers an comfortable and friendly yet sophisticated environment. It is perfect for a date, celebration, or business meal. It also works just fine for a quiet dinner for one.

The selection at BakerStreet ranges from vegetarian options to surf and turf and a sixteen ounce New York strip. I started with a spinach salad, followed by a twelve ounce New York strip au poivre with steamed broccoli. The salad arrived and was fresh, crisp, and included ripe sweet strawberries. The aged balsamic vinegar dressing provided the perfect amount of tang to compliment the sweetness of the salad. I enjoyed it very much.

The steak arrived according to the requested timing. The meat was cooked to a lovely medium rare and the peppercorns were ground just right so that the au poivre preparation was not overwhelming. It was a great version of my very favorite steak meal. However, the highlight came next. Dessert.

As a Celiac, desserts can be scary. This dessert, however, was anything but. The offering was a flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. It was beautiful and delicious. It was so good that I saved half for the following day’s breakfast!

I was once again impressed and completely satisfied with my BakerStreet experience. It is lovely for those who enjoy wheat and those, like me, who do not.

BakerStreet is located at 4820 N. Clinton Street just north of Coliseum Boulevard. Fine food is served Monday – Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

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Germany may have Oktoberfest, but Fort Wayne has OktoBEERfest.

This September 5-8, Mad Anthony Brewing Co. invites you to taste more than 100 Indiana beers poured by the brewers who craft them.

Spend the afternoon with over 20 regional craft brewers serving their brews in Fort Wayne’s beautiful Headwaters Park West Pavilion. Brewers include:  Barley Island Brewing Co., Black Swan Brewpub, Bloomington Brewing Co., Bulldog Brewery, Broad Ripple Brewpub, Brugge Brasserie, Crown Brewing Co., Cutters Brewing Co., Figure Eight Brewing, Flat 12 Bierwerks, Fountain Square, Granite City Brewery, Halfmoon Brewery, Lafayette Brewing Co., Mad Anthony Brewing Co., People’s Brewing Co., Rock Bottom College Park (Indy), Rock Bottom Downtown (Indy), ShoreLine Brewery, Sun King Brewery, and Three Pints Brewpub.

The event spans four days, and the schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, Indiana Craft Beers & Hors D’oeurves: Old Crown Coffee Roasters, Fort Wayne
• Thursday, Indiana Craft Beer Dinner w/select Brewers: Hall’s GuestHouse, Fort Wayne
•  Friday Golf Scramble, with BBQ Dinner: Bridgewater Golf Club, Auburn
•  Friday Night, OK! Live Music: Mad Anthony Brewing Company, Fort Wayne
• Saturday Noon-2:00pm Beers & Bikes Pub Tour, starting at Hall’s Gas House and ending at Headwater’s Park
• Saturday: OKTOBEERFEST, 2:00-6:00, in Headwater’s Park

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Waynedale Bakery has breakfast covered, and some board games to top it off.

Grandparents, if you’re looking for fun things to do for the day with your elementary-aged grandchildren, look no further than locations on Fort Wayne’s south side and downtown area.

8-9 am: Waynedale Bakery (2610 Lower Huntington Road, www.waynedalebakery.com) not only sells donuts, but has tables and board games available for people to use while munching.

9-10 am: Visit Allen County Public Library’s children’s section (900 Library Plaza; http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/). Each child could pick a favorite title and Grandma could look for one of her own to read to them (maybe a chapter from Nancy Drew?). The places to sit in this area are comfortable for all ages for a personal story time. Dunkin Donuts at the other end of the main hall offers children’s books for sale at 25 cents. Bargain! Another bargain is free street parking on weekends.

The Firefighter’s Museum is a great place to bring kids close to the world of firefighting.

10-11 am:  Visit the Firefighter’s Museum (226 W Washington Blvd) next door to the library. Kids can get up close and personal with fire trucks on first floor and learn fire prevention tips on the second floor. The iron lung may intrigue older kids to learn more about polio and how firefighters helped polio patients from the past.

11-12 noon: Within a few blocks of the downtown area is a plethora of fast food restaurants. Lincoln Tower Soda Fountain (116 E Berry St) with ice cream treats are sure to delight kiddies. They serve delicious sandwiches. Afterward, step into the Lincoln Tower bank to gaze at the art deco adorning its walls. Gorgeous!

12 noon-1pm: During the week, the Allen County courthouse is open for visitors to stroll through. Remember to leave your cell phone in the car as they are not allowed in the courthouse.

1-2 pm: A quick nap might be in order for kiddies with a blanket on the grass at Freimann Square (200 East Main Street) while Grandma reads a book on a bench.

2-3 pm: Fort Wayne Youtheatre at Arts United Center (303 E Main Street) has afternoon performances beginning in October. The first show of the season is ‘Adventures of Huck Finn’. Sure to be a crowd-pleaser! Ticket office: 260.422.6900 or www.fortwayneyoutheatre.org.

Note: If you need a downtown map, the Visitor Center is open on Saturdays from 9am-4pm through September.

You’re probably all exhausted, but it’s been a fun, memorable day. Be sure to photograph your multi-generational day together and plan for the next one starting now!

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Do you remember as a kid begging your parents to take you to your favorite little ice cream stand? Did your favorite ice cream stand offer more than just ice cream?

For the neighborhood of Waynedale, on the south side of Fort Wayne, their own local favorite ice cream stand is actually called The Stand.

The Stand, off Bluffton Road, is a Waynedale favorite for ice cream and coney dogs.

The Stand is an ice cream staple, but it offers much more than just ice cream. They have refreshing fruit smoothies, fat-free frozen yogurt, great soups, delicious Coney dogs, and much more! There are many different types of Dogs to choose from. There is everything from the original Coney Dog to the Jalapeno Bacon Ranch Dog to the Waynedale Dog (which is an original Coney dog with a special coleslaw sauce). It is a great place to eat on those warm summer afternoons or get dessert on those lazy summer nights.

Besides their delicious ice cream, yogurt and Coney dogs, you can also get nachos and cheese, hotdogs, and the famous Waynedale Dog (top right).

The Stand is located on Bluffton Road next to Bobick’s Golf Headquarters. Ordering and eating all take place outside, but there are tables with umbrellas to offer shade. It is a great place to hang out with friends, family, or a sports team and enjoy some great food and delicious desserts!

The Stand is open Monday through Sunday from 11 am – 10 pm.

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To hear Ron Layton tell it, making the trip to Fort Wayne to dine at his restaurant – Captain Ron’s Corral Bar – is almost like winning the lottery.

“With this economy it seems you can’t get a complete meal at McDonald’s for under $6,” lamented Layton.

A menu card shows the biggest draw to the restaurant: the $5.99 steak dinner.

“We offer an 8-oz. NY strip steak with a salad, baked potato and a piece of garlic bread for only $5.99!  This sets me apart from everyone in town and is a HUGE draw for out-of-towners. The advantage is that customers can have a very affordable dinner and leave all the cooking and cleaning to us.”

Children are allowed to dine until 9 p.m. each day as long as they don’t enter the bar area, said Layton.  After 9 p.m., the place comes alive with music.

“Live entertainment is fall, winter and spring,” said Layton, “and we have live country bands only on Fridays and Saturdays.  I also own a karaoke system where people can sing any night they wish.”

Ron Layton in his restaurant / bar.

Layton works at the restaurant / bar seven days a week, 12-18 hours a day depending on the day, just to make his business succeed. It’s worth noting that the facility is totally accessible with an entranceway ramp, and also offers outdoor dining.  Hours are 4 pm everyday (until football season, then 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays) until 3 a.m., unless no one is here after midnight.

From the bar, one can order $3 wells 7 days a week. There are menu features each day (Friday’s special, for example, is Deep-fried Pollack with real potato chips, $6.99 or with side salad, baked potato and garlic bread, $5.99) and also fun options like satay (chicken or beef) served over rice, pizza, quesadillas (cheese or chicken),  corral burgers, fish, tenderloin or chicken sandwiches and more.

Salads include a house salad or a grilled chicken salad with ranch, bleu cheese, honey mustard and Caesar dressings.

Just in:  new offerings of T-bone ($12), rib eye ($9), ribs ($12), blackened Pollack ($8) and a breaded tenderloin dinner for $9.

So, throw on your spurs and chaps and gallop on over to Captain Ron’s Corral (260-478-0591; 4530 Bluffton Road) and tell him I sent you!  Yeehaw!

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