Indiana Hidden Gem Serves Up Amazing Food, Local Flavor, and a Real Family Atmosphere

I'm not sure how many miles we've put in traveling the tri-state to fill up your Tri-State Bucket List and mine, but we've never been disappointed. And our latest excursion exemplifies why I love these visits so much.

Atmosphere is such an important part of a dining experience, and a FAMILY atmosphere is always a big winner. Now when I say "family atmosphere" in reference to Fleig's Cafe in Ferdinand IN, I'm talking about how the entire eating space is like one great big dining room.

They'll come out of the kitchen with an order, and before getting to the table, they'll holler something like, "You want a piece of bread with that, Ricky?" That's a sample name, but you know what I mean.

As it is on the classic sitcom Cheers, Fleig's is a place "where everybody knows your name." I have to admit that it's hard to convey the specific type of homey vibe you get at Fleig's, but it's so warm and friendly.

Plus--and this is one of my favorite aspects of Fleig's--the German influence is all over the menu, even when it isn't obvious. The brats and the bologna are obvious examples, but even the baked beans--with a very, ahem, special name--display the evidence. And that evidence, very simply, is sugar. My mother had a German housekeeper when she was a child and remembers that everything Miss Em cooked had a hint of sweetness.

Okay, enough from me...join us for a delicious lunch at Fleig's Cafe: