Great Steaks And A Fabulous Park. Two Reviews For The Price Of One.
Written: Sep 10 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small Town Atmosphere, with plenty to do.
Cons: It's a two-hour drive from the Chicago area.
The Bottom Line: A great destination for family fun in a laid-back environment.
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| coldsteel7's Full Review: Lafayette |
I took my family on a short road trip to Lafayette, Indiana this past weekend. They have a great steakhouse there, called Logan’s Roadhouse, that I first tried while visiting a friend in Detroit. Following an excellent dinner (at a reasonable price), I took the kids to Columbian Park, where we rounded out a great family day. Because you can only place one article per destination, this article will be a “two-for-one” review of both Logan’s Roadhouse and Columbian Park.
Logan’s Roadhouse
Logan’s Roadhouse is a steakhouse chain based in Tennessee. This chain was bought out by Cracker Barrel in 1996, and has nearly one hundred stores throughout the South and Midwest. The restaurant in Lafayette, Indiana, is located at 3840 E State Road 26 (exit 72 off of I-65). Their telephone number is 765-446-1551. The company has an internet address of www.logansroadhouse.com, which is currently under construction.
First Impressions
Logan’s Roadhouse is a classic steakhouse, in the mold of the long-time Ground Round Chain. The interior of the restaurant is covered in wood, with beer advertisements and murals. The large open rooms have television screens scattered about, with various sporting events being aired. Of course, they have peanut buckets on every table, with the standard “throw the shells on the floor” atmosphere. The grill is located behind a large window near the entrance, where you can watch the cooks preparing steaks. There is also a display case, that our hostess took us to prior to seating us, which provides examples of the various cuts of meat available.
Service
We went to Logan’s Roadhouse at lunchtime on a Sunday afternoon. I thought the place would be packed, and that we would have to wait to be seated. Although we arrived at the same time as several other small groups, our wait was minimal. It took around five minutes to be seated. It appeared that they were well-staffed, and the large dining areas can handle a crowd. Our waiter arrived shortly, took our drink orders, and returned shortly with our drinks and a fresh basket of yeast rolls. After getting our meal orders, he disappeared again, only to return with our salads. By the time we were finished with our salads, our meals arrived, and both the waiter and a manager stopped by to insure that our meals were prepared to our satisfaction. The only mistake that they made was not refilling our drinks in a timely manner. Overall, the service was excellent.
Cleanliness
After arriving at the restaurant, I paid a visit to the men’s room. My grandmother always believed that the restrooms in a restaurant were always an indication of the cleanliness of the Kitchen. I don’t know where she picked up that philosophy, but it has always stuck with me. The restroom was large and impeccable. It even smelled clean. The kitchen area is somewhat visible through the glass window by the grill, and appeared to be well-maintained. Other than the mandatory peanut shells on the floor, the entire restaurant appeared to be inspection ready.
Food
The best reason to go to any restaurant is the food. Logan’s Roadhouse has a nice variety of steaks and seafood. However, let me start with the salad. The salad comes in a large salad bowl, not one of those little dessert dishes. It was stacked full of fresh green lettuce, and topped with chopped tomatoes, red onion slices, fresh bacon bits, and a rich creamy blue cheese dressing. The dressing had large chunks of blue cheese in it, too! I ordered the 9 oz. Sirloin, which is their specialty. (The entire meal runs $9.99!) The Sirloin was tender and well-seasoned. As a side order, I requested the vegetable medley, which was a nice mix of carrots, squash, beans and zucchini. The vegetables were just a tad bit over-cooked. However, the steak was so good, that I paid little attention to my veggies.
My children ordered the steak tips kid’s meal, which runs $2.99. If the total weight of their steak tips was anything under 10 oz., I would be surprised. I got the added bonus of helping my son finish his steak, too! Logan’s also has a variety of combination dinners, like steak and shrimp, which run around $13.99. The hamburger menu runs a little cheaper. The dessert are about $4.00 a piece, which I feel is a little bit too expensive. However, I did not sample any of their desserts.
Overall Value
Logan’s Roadhouse offers an excellent steak dinner, at an affordable price. I have eaten at all the major chains (Ground Round, Lone Star, Outback, Texas Corral, etc.) and can confidently state that Logan’s Roadhouse could go toe-to-toe with any of them in terms of quality. However, the prices are far more reasonable than the major chains. The atmosphere is very family friendly, as is the staff. I would highly recommend a visit to this steakhouse, if you find one near you.
Columbian Park
After dinner, we took the opportunity to visit Columbian Park located on Main Street, just south of Indiana State Road 26, in Lafayette, Indiana. Columbian Park has been around for over a century, and has developed into an excellent family park, with attractions that include amusement rides, a baseball stadium, an island amphitheater, picnic pavilions, several playground areas, a water park, and zoo. The park has a website located at:
www.city.lafayette.in.us/park/Columbian-Park.htm
They also have a business office that can be reached at 765-771-2220.
Amusement Rides
The amusement rides were closed during our Sunday visit, but include several “cheap” carnival style rides. The ticket office was closed during our post-Labor Day visit. They normally operate between Memorial Day through Labor Day. There is a train that runs through most of the park, that costs $1.00 to ride ($1.25 on the weekend). The ferris wheel, helicopters, horse-and-buggies, and boats all run 75 cents during the week and $1.00 on the weekend. The scrambler and turnpike cars run $1.00 during the week, and $1.25 on the weekend. Most of the rides are for children under 4 feet tall.
Loeb Stadium
Loeb Stadium has been hosting baseball since 1940. It seats 3,500 fans, and is the home field for Lafayette Jefferson High School. The stadium also hosts the World Series for baseball’s Pony League, which is a baseball league for 15 and 16 year-old boys. This is an international series played each year in August. The park also hosts IHSAA tournaments and American Legion baseball games.
Memorial Island
Memorial Island is a tribute to the many soldiers of various wars who have served our country. There is an Amphitheater located on the island, which is the focal point of several holiday celebrations (Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veteran’s Day). The island is surrounded by a scenic duck pond, with large fountains. It is a pleasant and serene area to sit and enjoy the park.
Picnic Areas
The picnic areas come complete with shelters, picnic tables, and large grills (big enough for a pig pickin’). The shelters vary in size from seating for 50 to 560. The cost of reserving the shelter areas starts at $25.00 per section, which seats 50. There are 6 sheltered picnic areas within Columbian Park, and several more in the surrounding area. Reservations can be made by calling the park at 765-771-2220.
Playground
There are several playground areas, which are each designed with a certain age group in mind. The largest play area sits atop one of the hills in the park, and has a fun variety of slides, ladders, ropes, etc. The large play area is best suited for children around 3 through about 10. There is a smaller playground for toddlers, and another for kids about 10 and up. The older playground mostly consists of hanging-type apparatus’ and climbing skills. The entire playground area is beautifully landscaped, and has plenty of benches for tired parents to catch their breath.
Columbian Zoo
Columbian Zoo was, by far, the highlight of our trip. The zoo is free, and is home to over 150 animals. They have a variety of monkeys, birds, prairie dogs, a cougar and a lynx. Several of the birds are kept in a walk-through sanctuary, where you sort of get to blend into their environment. The birds will run right across the path in front of you. This exhibit contains flamingos, tortoises and several small birds (egrets and the like). There is also an exhibit on birds of prey (all of which were injured, and could not survive in the wild). This exhibit included a menacing looking bald eagle, a hawk and some owls. The zoo house contains the big cats, reptiles, monkeys and tortoises. For a free park, they have really done a good job at collecting an interesting variety of animals. My kids loved it.
Tropiconoe Cove
Tropiconoe Cove is a small water park, which is also located at Columbian Park. They were closed during our visit as well. There appears to be several slide configurations throughout the park. The admission is reasonable ($4.50 or less, depending upon your age, and day of the week). Parents who want to bring their children to the park, but don’t intend to swim can buy a no-swim pass for $2.50. This park is smaller, but much more reasonably priced than most of the water parks that I have been to.
Overall Impression
If you are looking for a fun way to spend a family day, and you aren’t too far from Lafayette, Indiana, Columbian Park has enough to offer for an entire day of fun. You can feed the ducks, ride the train, enjoy the tennis courts, visit the petting zoo or the main zoo, play at the playground, or catch a ballgame. You can cook burgers on the grill, watch a concert at the amphitheater, or host a family reunion. Family parks that offer this much are hard to come by. This one is rare . I just wish I lived closer, so that I could enjoy it all year long.
Lafayette, Indiana
If you happen to be passing through Lafayette, or decide to take a short road trip (not TOO far from Chicago), there is plenty to do there. They have a wide selection of restaurants, and an excellent park, as well as Big Ten Football. Any time of year, you can find something to do in Lafayette.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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