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Sometimes you are just disappointed. While our lunch at a staple Martinsville restaurant wasn’t particularly bad, it certainly wasn’t one I’d recommend you try and recreate anytime soon.
At this particular lunch I was joined by James Bell of Bingham Greenebaum Doll. Jenny had a conflicting obligation so she wasn’t a part of this affair. There is a common witness in a couple of cases James, Jenny and I share, and on this date, James and I traveled to Martinsville to depose him. Considering the witness is a forensic pathologist, I hope we made a lively impression upon him.
The day before our visit we, of course, discussed lunch options. James heard of a place called Forkey’s that he wanted to try and, as I hadn’t heard of it, I was game. At the conclusion of our deposition we asked the doctor, a Martinsville resident, about a good lunch spot. He suggested Forkey’s so it seemed like that was the place to go. Well, considering what this doctor does for a living, I guess anything seems appetizing sometimes.
Maybe that was the problem. James and I (more James than me) just spent our entire morning examining the good doctor over some rather grisly autopsy photos. I’m not ashamed to admit though, and I think James would concur, we still managed to work up quite an appetite despite the subject matter of our morning. Whether the topic subconsciously affected the perception of this meal, I really don’t know. I suppose anything is possible, but I seriously doubt it in this case.
The place is a basic, reasonably priced restaurant. From the décor, it’s been there for years. The paneling reminded me of someone’s basement I visited as a child growing up in the ’60s and ’70s. According to their website, however, the place first opened in 1985. Breakfast options abound but we each ordered lunch. While tempted by a meatloaf sandwich, I decided upon the smothered chicken breast, comprised of a grilled chicken breast topped with assorted grilled vegetables. I opted for onion rings as a side, something I rarely order but they seemed a like a nice complement on this date.
James ordered a BLT with no mayo. It arrived with mayo, but James managed to eat it anyway and survive. He described the sandwich as “spot on,” but from my casual observation of his plate it didn’t appear as anything but a common BLT. Our lunch was cut short, at least James’ portion (I stayed to finish mine!), as he received a phone call about his daughter going to the ER with a hurt finger. I checked with James and she is now, thankfully, fine.
The meals were ok. Nothing particularly bad about them but nothing particularly good either. The onion rings weren’t too bad but those are like pizza, cake and sex. Even when they’re bad, they’re still pretty good. The best way to sum these meals up is that they were both easily forgettable and that’s an impression you don’t want to make when running a restaurant. As far as Martinsville lunch options go, my recommendation is to choose elsewhere.•
Forkey’s Restaurant, 539 East Morgan St., Martinsville, IN 46151. 765-342-3033. www.forkeys.com.
• Fred Vaiana and Jennifer M. Lukemeyer practice at Voyles Zahn & Paul in Indianapolis, focusing in criminal defense. Vaiana is a 1992 graduate of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Lukemeyer earned her J.D. from Southern Methodist University in 1994 and is active in the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indianapolis Inn of Courts and the Teen Court Program. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the authors.
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