Restaurants

Fiesta time

Can you stand another post about a Mexican restaurant chain?

Yes, I realize this officially crowns me Ms. Burrito, but reality is, in addition to On the Border, Abuelo’s, and the umpteen thousand authentic independent eateries in Indianapolis, my husband and I also make it a habit to swing by Don Pablo’s Restaurant on a regular basis. He likes the food, period. Being the pickier eater, I have a more difficult time ordering: the burritos, for instance, have too many peppers stuffed in them for my taste, but if you take them out, the remaining ingredients leave you with bland wrapped in a tortilla shell.

Which is how I learned to make a meal out of sopapillas or Iron Skillet Apple Pie. Trust me, the brandy butter sauce is addictive.

But more importantly, I like to stop in to spend an hour in this atmosphere. The chain has set up the dining room as if you are seated on a hacienda patio, complete with props to make it appear as though folks are stepping onto balconies above your head. On a practical side, this gives the hostess plenty of room to scoot tables together for large parties, although you can fit 6 diners in a standard booth, provided two of them are children.

Fascinating fountains

On the purely aesthetic side, it means there’s a running fountain smack in the middle of the action. A fountain that has fascinated my niece and nephew on our Sunday lunches since they were old enough to figure out Aunt Julie would get them out of sitting in the booth if we walked over there. She also manages to find magic pennies in her purse tucked there specifically so little children can chuck them in and make a wish. OK, the Trevi Fountain it’s not. But we like it better.

The amusement, of course, centers around how different our wishes are. As a preschooler, my niece was all about treating the fountain like a glorified Santa Claus, asking for material things he couldn’t stuff in his sleigh, such as a horse, a Barbie mansion (hey, I don’t make up the Santa rules. If Mom says he can’t bring that, that’s the way it is), and a fountain just like this one in her living room. My nephew wanted … uh ….uh ….  more pennies to throw!

Aunt Julie was asking the fountain fairies to please not let the kids fall in with their good church clothes. Technically, I scored a “yes” on that request, although they managed to get sleeves in the water a lot, and I rarely returned them to the table completely dry.

These days, the wishes are a bit more sophisticated. They toss their pennies and tell me they want their dog to stop being wild or the neighborhood kid to stop being mean. My nephew would like it if no wolves attacked his brick house in the subdivision — and he’s not above wanting a quarter for the bubble gum machine.

Me, I always secretly drop a penny in and wish for more moments like these at Don Pablo’s. So far, I’m scoring a win on that one, too.

Don Pablo’s Restaurant

8150 U.S. 31 South

Indianapolis, IN 46227

(317) 888-0363

www.donpablos.com

Photography: Rex Kirby Design, BL Murch