I don't have a title for this, so I'll just ramble

Years ago, when I first lived in Indianapolis I was introduced to fine dining by my boyfriend of that time.  The place Rick took me required a jacket and tie.  I owned neither.  At the last minute Rick took me shopping.  After many tries at finding a sport coat off the rack, the salesman finally suggested that we head across the aisle.  At 23, I was so skinny they couldn't fit me for a jacket in the men's department.  We left the store with a size 18 jacket from the boy's department.  Now I can't even buy socks in the boy's department.

Later that week I had my first experience at a restaurant that didn't serve food wrapped in paper or delivered on plastic trays.  That was also my first experience with Italian cuisine that didn't have pizza in the name of the place.  At the time it was one of the few places in downtown Indianapolis where you could have a meal after working hours.  There was the Eagle's Nest in Merchants Bank Plaza and Le Tour at the top of the Indiana National Bank Tower.  With the Pacers playing at Market Square Arena and the Colts only recently opening the "Hoosier Dome", there wasn't much yet to define a downtown nightlife.  Not a safe one anyway. 

But this isn't about that restaurant.  It's about another place that Rick took me.   I now live about a mile from the place and just about every time we go by it makes me think about the first time I had chocolate mousse.   About three weeks ago the building was demolished to make way for yet another chain restaurant from Darden Enterprises - the same folks who brought us Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Capital Grill and a few others.  This new one is Seasons 52 where they promise to not have anything over 475 calories on their menu.  (I warned you that I'd be rambling.)  It might be refreshing to have a place to dine out that doesn't pride itself in it's ability to make you wish you had not lifted that last fork of never-ending-garlic-mashed potatoes to your mouth.

The restaurant that just closed was El Torito Grill.  We went a couple of times after moving back to Indianapolis.  There wasn't anything bad about their food, but we never really found anything great enough to justify going back. In fact, it just made us yearn for some authentic Mexican restaurants in Chicago that we frequented while we lived there.

  Before the restaurant was El Torito Grill it was The Keystone Grill.  When the place first opened it was Rosa Corona's (there may have been other restaurants in between, but I wasn't around for them or quite possibly I just don't remember them.)  When it first opened in the early 1980's it was a multi-million dollar building with an interior decor budget to match.  They offered a classic 1980's concept that I experienced for the first time there: Sunday Brunch.  Brunch was something I only experienced in movies and never thought it was offered anywhere other than New York City.  The boyfriend and I met up with a few friends one Sunday for brunch and it was the first time that I had ever seen Chocolate Mousse on a menu.  I. Had. To. Have. It.

Chocolate Mousse... could there be any dessert more rich and decadent?  At the time I didn't think so and Rosa Corona's didn't disappoint.  It was just as rich and sumptuous as I had imagined.  And after all these years, that's about the only thing I can remember about that brunch.  I've had chocolate mousse since then but like most first times, none of them have ever given me the head spinning experience as that first one.  But then again, what else would you expect from behind those gleaming brass doors?

I think I've mentioned a few times that I'm not one for being nostalgic.  This post would seem to contradict that.  What I find really bothersome was not the loss of a place from my past, but the reckless way in which our culture seems to treat architecture.  I'm not advocating saving every single building - I believe that historic preservation can get out of hand.  But I find it incredible that there was no way this building couldn't have been re-purposed to fit the new restaurant concept.   The flip side I suppose is that after thirty-some years in business that the mechanicals in the building were probably worn out.  I've been told that in most cases it's just cheaper to knock everything down and start over.  But when it comes to the finale, is this the best way architecture to meet its end?