I ate lunch today at Panini Panini:  http://www.panini-panini.com/

Not a thorough review, but just some thoughts.

Went around noon, very busy! I was interested to find out that they reserve tables for larger groups, very useful fact. I ordered a pasta dish with beef and cheese and peas. It came very hot, (they serve at your table, but you order at the counter) it was good, not overly flavorful. The beef was more like shaved beef. It came with cantaloupe, bread, and a small salad. I also had an iced tea that had a very unique flavor, more like hot tea on ice and not generic iced tea. It had a little herb-ish taste to it. I tasted a friend's squash soup, it had a little bite of ginger, very different (but good) flavor. It's a quaint place, not a lot of room. They obviously do a business at lunch. There is a lot of pastries that are available for you, I wanted to try the cherry cheesecake, but didn't. It is a bit expensive for soups pastas and sandwiches, but it's a very unique place for Michigan City. It makes up for it. I also discovered they serve beer and wine. So it could be a fun dinner spot as well.

It was on my mind, I decided that I had to mention-
The best thing I've ever had to eat was at the Come Back Inn in Jeffersonville, IN. (Just across the state line, ate there while visiting family in Louisville). 


It was a pasta dish, the: Gorgonzola:  Chicken, pistachio nuts, & mushrooms in a rich gorgonzola cream sauce.

Obviously, this is a matter of personal preference, but wow! SO GOOD. I like creamy, and to say this was creamy would be an understatement. It was very, very rich and creamy but wow. Amazing! 

Shoreline Brewery, April 13th, 2012
Website:  http://www.shorelinebrewery.com



Driving up to restaurant with the windows down we could smell the wonderful aroma of food. The old brick building with flaking peach colored paint is somewhat hidden, in front of the NIPSO plant and behind abandoned Rag Tops Museum. There are two entrances, one to the bar area, and one in the front leading directly to the family area. A small waiting area, a bustling kitchen, and then a sign that says 'please seat yourself'. We sat down and were promptly greeted by our waitress. She gave us our menus and the evening specials menu. For those of you that drink, there is quite a list of beers to choose from, and I believe many are made there. The waitress was back to take our drink orders, and was quick getting them to us. And I mean QUICK. I ordered the macaroni and cheese off the specials menu, it was described as having bacon, onions, and breadcrumbs. My friend ordered their tacos, also on the specials menu. They were described as tacos with lime chicken. We agreed to split the onion ring tower. We observed the room around us; tiny. Maybe around 10 tables, but a few of them were big enough for 10+ people. You could see through the windows into the bar area which was much bigger. The room has character though. The exposed brick walls make you wonder what the building used to be used for. There are numerous beer themed art pieces and pictures. (See posted pic). It creates a good ambiance. I think for families, the room has just the right amount of ambiance. The brown paper table covers attest to the 'family' room. There are advertisements for live music. That would be enjoyable. If you want to go sit in the bar, where it is much darker and busier, I think you would get the right amount of ambiance in there as well. We waited maybe 10 minutes at most for our O-rings. They came with ranch dressing. They tasted hand beer battered, and were very hot. Some of them were soggy, others nice and crunchy. The ranch that came with them went perfectly, it had a nice salty twang to it. After our plate was cleared, we waited another maybe 10 minutes for our food. It came piping hot. My mac and cheese was good, (see pic) but not amazingly flavorful. (When I brought the leftovers home and microwaved them later, that brought out a little more flavor). The dish was a little salty as well. My friend enjoyed her dish as well, although she said that the beans were not very good. I tasted the chicken and the lime added a very unique flavor to it, a zesty unexpected jolt right before you swallowed. Our drinks were constantly refilled. I was drinking ice tea, and it was admittedly a little watery. Our waitress came to ask about checks, we had to ask for the dessert menu. They have carrot cake for two all the time, and all the other desserts are prepared weekly as I understand it. I ordered the white chocolate cheesecake with macadamia nuts, my friend the tiramisu. That was some of the best cheesecake I have ever had! It rivals the Cheesecake Factory's. It was rich and sweet and creamy, the serving was small, but I could only eat half of it! My friend's tiramisu was very good as well, (see pics) it had a strong coffee flavor and was thick and cake-like, not soggy at all. Our checks were brought during desert, we paid and our money was taken before we could even think of attempting to finish the luscious dessert. 

So all in all:
Pros:
Fast service
Good dessert

Cons:
Expensive
Ok entrees

After the end of it all:
I enjoyed my food. It wasn't the best meal of my life. It was nothing unique. It was all hot. It was too expensive. The service was fast. The ambiance was nice. I would go back for live music. Great date spot. Great place to go with a group of friends. 

Would I go back? 
Definitely yes. Mostly for the atmosphere. 

3.5/5 Stars 



--The MC Foodie

Pics below are
1. Tiramisu
2. White chocolate cheesecake
3. Dessert menu
4. Chicken tacos
5. Mac n Cheese
6. Onion Rings
7. Family Area looking into the bar
8. Old Michigan City style light
9. Pic on wall
10. Advertisement on wall  

Here we go! This is the first post! But I don't have a restaurant to review right now. :( I did check Sahara off my list of places to eat, and it was really good, especially the gyro! But I can't give a good review, I didn't know when I ate there that I would be doing this site. I will be trying the next restaurant on my list this week, so until then.....
--The MC Foodie