Category: Eating

Visiting the Blue Box Café

I don’t recall when I first heard about the Blue Box Café (BBC, because that’s a great acronym in context); it seems like it opened ages ago, I kept wanting to go.  With a late Saturday afternoon free, we ended up there for an early dinner recently.  For anyone not familiar with the source material, “Blue Box” refers to Doctor Who’s TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), a machine capable of traveling through time and space that is permanently disguised as a British police box.

Me, a TARDIS door, and some Doctor Who clothing.
Me, a TARDIS door, and some Doctor Who clothing.

There’s nothing particularly fancy on the menu, though some of the items bear Whovian names; what we tried was delightful.  The attention-getters are the decor and merchandise, all Doctor Who-related.  In addition to the usual collectables (K-9 bobblehead!) for sale, there was a book about the show by a Midwest author, and several pieces on the walls were fan creations.  And who can resist taking a photo by the Blue Box mock-up?  As we left, employees were setting up for an evening of live music – be sure to check their event schedule before you go!

I normally chat with my companions at meals, but we were both distracted by an episode of Doctor Who that was playing on the televisions.  We eventually pulled ourselves away mid-episode (we have seen it before), stopping outside to admire the Blue Box bench before heading home.

Hardware is a strange name for a restaurant

That was my first thought when a friend asked if I had tried the place I’d been driving past at least once a week for the last year.  “It’s a farm-to-table restaurant.”  Wait, what?  Really?  I just thought it was a brewpub, which I don’t go out of my way for since I don’t drink beer.  (Yes, I realize brewpubs have other good features.)  So I Googled the restaurant and spent a while ogling their menu.

Last week, I had a chance to go with a friend.  We opted for a high-top table, right next to their greenhouse.  (They grow their own salad greens in the greenhouse, along with hops for their beers, and fruits and nuts in their micro orchard.)  Then the waiter introduced himself and said these magic words: “We have 411 whiskies.”  I could go every day for a year, have a different whiskey each time, and not make it through the entire list!  I won’t go that often, of course, but I did set up a spreadsheet to track which whiskies I’ve tried there.  The Templeton Rye from their Happy Hour menu narrowly beat some of their whiskey flight options for the evening.

Greenhouse, whiskey, wood grilled bread, meat & cheese plate at Hardware
The Greenhouse, Templeton Rye, Wood Grilled Bread, and a selection of meats and cheeses at Hardware in North Aurora

Their food was equally impressive, particularly knowing the greens are grown in sight of our table, and some of the meats are cured or prepared there.  After our Wood Grilled Bread with hummus, olives, cucumber, feta cheese, and arugula, the waiter brought fresh baked rolls and honey butter to the table.  I had almost finished my roll when dinner arrived – homemade ravioli for my companion, and a mixed platter of meat and cheese for me.  The roll came in handy between bites of habanero tequila cheese, and my favorite of the meats was the duck bacon.

I did bring half of my platter home, so we didn’t look at the dessert menu while there.  I did, however, look it up afterwards, and suspect that I’ll be ordering just an appetizer and dessert next time.  And a whiskey, of course.  Only 410 left to try.