Restaurant Review: Sweet Grass Opens in Bloomington

Bloomington's newest restaurant is Sweet Grass. Located on the corner of Rogers and Patterson (right next door to Angel B's - A Galleria of Cakes), this new offering to Bloomington's dining scene is causing quite a lot of interest.

The food at Sweet Grass is inspired by Carolina cuisine. The chef/owner spent time in both Charlotte North Carolina and Charleston South Carolina perfecting his skills.

The lunch menu features classic Carolina dishes such as shrimp po boys, pimento cheese sandwiches and fried green tomatoes (excellent!). Daily soup specials are priced at $3 and $5 for a cup or bowl. Sandwiches and salads are generally priced between $6.00 and $10.99. Wines by the glass start off at an incredibly affordable $4.50 for Butterfield Station Chardonnay.

The dinner menu features starters like: Stuffed Portobello with arugula, caramelized onions and melted mozzarella for $8; Pizzas with applewood bacon and shrimp for $7 and of course Fried Green Tomatoes for $7. Entrees are priced from $13 for a Vegetable Ziti to $18 for a Flat Iron Steak. Or you can go for the dinner sandwiches priced from $9.

Additional dinner entrees include: Roast Chicken with a roasted pepper cream sauce; Citrus Glazed Salmon; Brined Roast Pork Tenderloin and the classic southern dish Shrimp and Grits.

Sweet Grass is located at 405 W Patterson and their phone number is 812-333-1043

What does this have to do with real estate? Absolutely nothing. But it's Sunday morning and you don't feel like running down to the coffee shop. Instead you want to 'hunker down' and treat yourself to a quiet morning at home...after church of course. Keeping alive the b-town Report's love for weekend videos, here's a little dose of Paula Deen with a great Sunday morning breakfast recipe (preceded by an out-of-context advertisement for blackberry featuring Bono). http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/hash-brown-casserole/32476.html

Weekend Videos on the b-town Report

As you may know, we love videos here at the b-town Report, especially on weekends. Follow this link for a seemingly endless variety of videos on subjects such as green remodeling, make the most out of your garage sale and more.

http://media.rismedia.com/

Pop some popcorn and open a bottle of Oliver Winery Rose (currently 40% off at the winery) and enjoy!

And Now We Have 4.875%

Finally, for the first time in a few weeks, we have one bank posting an interest rate below 5%. Fifth Third Bank posted 4.875% for a fixed rate conventional 30 year mortgage. You can contact them at www.53.com or by phone at 812-323-3608 and speak with Kevin Cade or Shellie Sparks.

It Might Be Time to Jump on These Great Interest Rates

Finally, after a few weeks of escalating interest rates, they are looking really great again. For anyone considering locking in a rate for a purchase or anyone thinking about refinancing (myself included) you have to wonder how low rates may go...or is this it.

Here's a sample of today's rates from local lenders. And as always on the b-town Report rates are for 30 year fixed rate conventional mortgages and rates are subject to change:

• Fifth Third Bank (http://www.53.com/): 5.00%
• Monroe Bank (http://www.monroebank.com/): 5.00% with .25 points
• Premier Home Mortgage (http://www.premierhomemortgage.com/): 5.00%
• Regions (www.regions.com): 5.375%
• United Commerce Bank (http://www.unitedcommercebank.com/): 5.125%

Active Single Family Homes in Bloomington Right Now!

As of today, the Bloomington real estate market has 592 active listings for single family homes. With the exception of a listing at $7,999,000, most homes are in the mid $200,000's. Keep in mind that the numbers for averages may be skewed due to the above mentioned house. The house pictured is a great home in Hoosier Acres on over an acre with a pond priced at $499,900. Check out the stats:

• More to come on the new highest priced listing at $7,999K
• The least expensive home: $30,000
• The average home list price: $304,368
• The average size of homes on the market: 2508 square feet
• The average days on the market: 109
• The average list price per square foot: $113

Condo Sales in Bloomington for the Month of June

With Indiana University students moving back to Bloomington for the 2009-2010 school year, along with new professors, we'll be seeing condo sales on the rise. for the month of June, which is too early to reflect the incoming IU folks, there were 31 sales. These figures include sales of condos and PUDs (townhouses, paired homes and free standing units in paired home communities).

Here are the numbers for June 2009:

• Average sales price: $116,945
• Highest sales price: $322,000
• Lowest sales price: $51,000
• Average days on the market: 146
• Average finished square feet: 1346
• Average number of beds/baths: 2 bedrooms and 2 baths