The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
If you’re looking for a place to grind out some work this midterm season, look no further than Poindexter! Just a short walk from Sample Gates, Poindexter, located in the lobby of The Graduate, is a cute study spot that houses delicious food. We went to taste some of the most popular dishes and fall menu drinks and these were some of our favorites. Here’s a list of our favorites.
Favorite Food Items
Chicken Bacon Ranch: 9/10
If you can’t tell from the look of it, this was the ultimate chicken bacon ranch sandwich. This CBR stands out not only for its whopping portion size but also for the chicken which was perfectly crispy on the outside with a tender and juicy chicken on the inside. The ranch and breading were salty and peppery and absolutely could take on any other fried chicken sandwich in Bloomington.
Breakfast Burrito: 9.5/10
I know what you are thinking, you could easily make a breakfast burrito at home. But once you try this one, you will understand why you should buy one from Poindexter instead. It contained beautifully scrambled eggs, hash browns, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onion encased in a flour tortilla. With the green onions providing a fresh palette cleanser to balance out the smokiness of the bacon, this definitely takes the cake for the best Bloomington breakfast burrito. We gave it a ranking of 9.5/10.
Maple Pancakes: 10/10
The maple pancakes took the prize for being our favorite fall treat! They weren’t too sweet, even with the maple syrup, and had a wonderful gooey inside with notes of maple and cinnamon. The texture was impeccable, not too cakey or dry.
Smoked Brisket Sandwich: 10/10
By far the best sandwich on this new fall menu, the smoked brisket sandwich provides a twist on your traditional, homemade brisket. With smoked brisket, bacon, sauerkraut, onions, pickles, and truffle baconnaise on top of marbled rye bread, we recommend you try this sandwich! The addition of truffle baconnaise off-set the sourness of the sauerkraut to give it a smokey and earthy taste.
Favorite Beverage Items
Bottle Rocket Fizz: 9/10
One of the quirkier drinks we tried at this tasting. The Bottle Rocket Fizz had old-fashioned Italian cream soda mixed with vanilla syrup and cookie butter. This was the sweetest drink we tried, but the creaminess and fizziness created an amazing texture! If you’re adventurous, we would recommend this drink.
Rushmore Refresher: 9/10
One of our other favorite non-coffee beverages was the Rushmore Refresher. This iced tea and lemonade drink with blackberry and pomegranate syrup is by far the prettiest drink on the menu. The sunset-like colors of the blackberry and pomegranate syrups complement this refreshing and hydrating drink, making me miss the summer months by the pool!
Grand Brew-Dapest Hotel: 9.5/10
This was the best coffee item on the menu. The Grand Brew-Dapest Hotel, a latte with salted caramel and praline. This had the strongest coffee flavor out of the coffee-related drinks, but it brought out the sweetness of the caramel and praline. If you like a traditional latte and want a hint of sweetness, this is your drink!
Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar & Spice: 10/10
This is not your average Starbucks chai latte. This creatively named chai latte included pumpkin pie syrup and was topped with cinnamon. As someone who has never had a good chai experience or liked pumpkin in my coffee, it was incredibly delicious! It was perfectly creamy and had a perfect balance of pumpkin, caramel, and cinnamon flavor from the pumpkin pie syrup.
Note to readers: The menu items reviewed in this article are from Poindexter’s fall menu and therefore some of the seasonal offerings have since been updated.