By JD Dotson
The mid-March day was mild in
temperature but gray and drizzling
early. My husband and I wanted to have
a good day together, lunch and time
spent outside, maybe coffee and share
a dessert later, but decided to just
grab a bite as the weather was against
us. Today would definitely be a day of
pleasant surprises.
We started our day with lunch at Sam’s Tavern
at Highlander Point. We’ve been to Sam’s in the
past and have always enjoyed our meals there, but
today I wondered what I could find to eat. Summer
is coming, so I am being careful with my diet, and
I am always looking for a healthy option. Sam’s has
a pretty great lunch menu with $8 and $9 options
as well as the full restaurant menu. Mostly filled
with salads and sandwiches, the lunch menu had
a variety of options to pick from, including fried
fish and clams with French fries and broiled lemon
pepper cod with rice and broccoli. As much as I love
a fried anything, I chose the chopped kale salad
with salmon. My other half went with a light lunch
of pot roast and mashed potatoes with a cup of the
most delicious broccoli cheddar soup I’ve had in
a long time. My salad was really beautiful, and if
I wasn’t writing about it for this story, I would’ve
taken a picture of it anyway. Topped with carrots,
purple cabbage, red onion, edamame, sunflower
seeds, cashews, blueberries and dried cranberries
with kale, I opted for blackened salmon and finished
it off with balsamic vinaigrette. This was a huge
salad with just the right proportion of everything
on it and plenty left over to take home for later.
What a great surprise finding so many healthy
options. Jonny loved his pot roast as well. The
lunch menu is available 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday
through Saturday. We had a great lunch, fantastic
service and noted on the way out that Sam’s has
a pet-friendly front porch. Our pups are coming
along on the next trip.
Sam’s Tavern
702 Highlander Point Drive
Floyds Knobs
812.923.2323
www.samstavern.com
The drizzle had fizzled by the time lunch was
done, so we headed up to the Mount St Francis.
It has been a few years since I had been there,
so I was looking forward to walking the grounds
and paths. I was worried about the gray day and
the lack of color in the woods, just a few weeks
shy of trees blooming, but again was surprised
after getting out of the car and being greeted by
vibrant, yellow Easter lilies and beautiful, dusty
pink Lenten roses. The Cordelier Park Stations of
the Cross and Grotto path right off the parking lot
was sprinkled with the yellow lilies standing out
amongst the gray and brown. Along the path to the
stations of the cross were charming, flat tableau
sculptures done by school children cast in bronze,
and the stations were marked with large wooden
signs, bridges and statues of St Francis of Assisi.
Just off the stations’ path and down in a gulley,
we come across a beautiful sight of a reclining St.
Francis, sandals a few feet away, gazing at a spring.
The bronze statue by Guy Tedesco is surrounded
by lilies and, despite the sound of traffic on the
road across the hill, gives this feeling of quiet and
peace and contemplation. After a few moments
of reflection, we head back toward the parking
lot to take Peggy’s Path. Paved and winding, the
trail leads down to the lake with decks and docks
reaching over the water, a huge fire pit and shelter
house, and rows of canoes. The lake and path
were quiet today, though the water was like glass.
Behind us, the buildings and field looked like a
Wyeth painting, the wind moving the yellow grass
and the buildings off in the distance. We made
our way back toward the main campus, peeked
in the windows of the ceramics studio and Mary
Anderson Center, which offers pottery classes on
Mondays and Wednesdays, and headed to the car.
101 St Anthony Drive
Mt St Francis
812.923.8817
We deserved a bit of a treat after all that walking,
and even though I am trying to watch what I eat, I
like to make deals with myself. I just walked a couple
of hilly miles, and I ate really good at lunch, so if
I share something sweet it doesn’t really count –
right? We found Hob Knob Coffee at the bottom of
the hill and ordered in-house roasted coffees and
a delicious cheese Danish. The place was homey,
and the huge coffee grinder is an impressive piece
of machinery. The owners were super friendly, and
our coffees were perfectly brewed. Both were a
great caffeinated and sugar-high ending to a day
we thought would be a wash. We love surprises
like that!
3700 Paoli Pike #12
Floyds Knobs
812.728.8239
www.hobknobcoffeeco.com
