Bloomington

The Spierers’ lawsuit contradicts some information included in IM’s report from June 2011, printed one year after Lauren went missing.

Lauren Spierer’s parents, Robert and Charlene, recently spoke with People magazine to reveal the stark, harsh reality of living without their daughter. What seems like minutiae to some, small things, will bring back the pain of losing their daughter—so much so that, according to People, Spierer’s boxes from her time at college remain unpacked. Today, January 17, 2013, is significant for them: It marks the day on which Spierer either hopefully celebrates her 22nd birthday—somewhere, somehow—or would have celebrated the occasion.

If you’ve wanted to meet Lil Bub, the famed “perma-kitten” with tens of thousands of followers across social networks, you may be in for a special treat.

Stephanie Topolgus, managing and creative director of the luxurious road-trip–worthy Topo’s 403 (403 N. Walnut St., Bloomington, 812-340-7453) tells us that the restaurant debuted a new winter menu last week. New offerings include chickpea and pumpkin fritters, Gunthorp Farms Greek-style chicken wings, fritto misto, a traditional Moussaka, pan-roasted Red Snapper, and skewered sea scallops. Vegetarians can tuck into a new briama featuring roasted and grilled vegetables.

Sadly, there has been little in the way of breaking news to report about Lauren Spierer since June, when IM last looked into the disappearance of the Indiana University student—namely information on her whereabouts, what happened to her, or publicized leads in the police investigation. 

If you’ve followed Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim closely over the years, you might suspect that he has more than a passing interest in Indiana University basketball.

The menu plays coy at Topo’s 403, Bloomington’s elegant-edgy riff on Mediterranean food. An entree billed as spanakopita rainbow trout arrives not in the expected brick of phyllo but as a piece of iridescent-skinned fish, filleted and stuffed with spinach and cheese. You taste the same strata of crisp, salty flavors—the sweet nuttiness of the fish layered with the savory greens, on a bed of bulgur salad brightened with lemon-caper vinaigrette. But this is the big fat Greek restaurant standard deconstructed. Here, authenticity is overrated.

We were smitten the moment we walked through the door of Bloomington newcomer Topo’s 403 (403 N. Walnut St., 812-676-8676). The grand entry of this restored 1870s townhouse has the kind of amber, Art Deco glow that could put Instagram out of business, for starters. Then there is the high clustered chandelier illuminating deep-blue wallpaper festooned with stylized jellyfish and the whitewashed spindles of the stairway, and the hallway that opens onto high-ceilinged dining rooms with white tablecloths, tall windows, and refurbished fireplace mantels. It’s an elegant entry point for a restaurant that seems to have put just as much meticulous thought into its Mediterranean-inspired dishes. Dave Tallent, of Bloomington’s Restaurant Tallent fame, helped craft the menu, which takes some creative liberties with Greek favorites such as spanakopita (done inside a filleted rainbow trout) and skewered meat (pork souvlaki plated with plump, creamy gigante beans). Even the little gratis dish of house-marinated olives—tender and oily—are herb-flecked gems.

While staying at the helm of his flagship Restaurant Tallent, which celebrates its ninth year this November, Tallent will also act as the consulting executive chef at the new Topo’s 403, developing the menu for the first year and overseeing the day-to-day chef.

When I first meet Lil Bub, as her legions of Internet fans know her, at her owner’s apartment in Bloomington, she’s staring up at me from the living room floor.

Where is the missing IU student?

The building has been in the Topolgus family since 1947 and is part of the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures. David Tallent of Bloomington’s Restaurant Tallent will serve as consulting executive chef and will help develop the menu, hire staff, and oversee the food.