"[Story Inn] . . . The quaintness quotient is off the charts. At the restaurant, the wooden floors are charmingly scuffed, the tables are lit with oil lamps and the shelves are still filled with ancient general store whatnot. A warm vibe dominates, thanks to kind and attentive service, and the waitstaff's no-b.s., coffee-pots-in-hand approach belies an ability to riff on the well-appointed wine list or the tenderloin's au poivre sauce. The Story Inn menu reaches ambitiously toward high cuisine, with a lineup including pan-seared duck, frenched veal chops, pecan-encrusted lamb. Tiny loaves of housemade wheat bread with basil butter appear before dinner-in fact, everything on the menu's from scratch." 
Midwest Living visits the mysterious, and widely-believed haunted, Story Inn of rural Brown County, Ind., where cell phones suddenly stop working and the inn's reputed ghost frequents its namesake Blue Lady Room. A "Room with a Boo."
One-tank trip: Story, Ind.
Meander through Brown County, Indiana, for a quaint Story
BY JANE AMMESON
Times Correspondent
"You'll like ...
Dining at the inn. The Hofstetters use as much locally produced food as possible including bison, elk, poultry and lamb. They have their own gardens where they grow vegetables and herbs and also have a vineyard. Besides that, they use Brown County produced maple syrup, butter and eggs.
"We don't use anything that is frozen," Hofstetter says. "When you get a salad here in the summer, the greens were picked that day."
Dinner menu entrées include: Dijon and brown sugar-encrusted prime rib with syrah and currant rosemary jus and rainbow trout with cornbread and sausage stuffing, shiitake beurre rouge, haricots verts and mashed sweet potatoes."
Boots 'n All Travel Review
"What the heck did we just get ourselves into?" I couldn't help but wonder aloud as my wife, Christine, and I arrived at the Inn. We stopped dead in our tracks just to get a good look at the building. We never would have thought this was a country inn. Two well-preserved Standard Oil Crown gas pumps stand in front of the store, still waiting for a Tin-Lizzy to pull up for fuel. The front of the building looks weathered and tired. The tin roof has streaked rust down the top of the primer colored outside walls. And if you look close, you can see the words "General Store" faded on the front of the building. It wasn't until we entered the general store to check in that we were convinced this was really an inn.
What a contrast. While the outside appeared neglected, the inside reflected meticulous thought and care. We began to appreciate the beautiful job done in balancing the opposing objectives of preservation and renovation. Both were equally needed to create the charm of this remarkable inn. And the Story Inn is proof that one doesn't have to come at the expense of the other.
The first floor of the general store has been converted into a gourmet restaurant. Because the original structure remains, it has an authentic turn-of-the-century feel, complete with creaking wooden floors. Although the ambience is incredible, the restaurant has built its reputation on its first class food. People come from as far as Louisville, Kentucky, for dinner. The food is that good.
The cellar has been converted into "The Story Still," a tavern adorned with Story memorabilia. A rickety wooden staircase leads to the second floor where there are four unique guest rooms. Each room is modern enough to have a private bath and air conditioning, yet in remaining loyal to its 19th century charm, there are no televisions, phones or clocks."
Story Inn was featured on the PBS travel show, "What a Weekend" which aired during the week of September 30, 2005.
Visiting History Louisville Courier-Journal, July 23, 2006
Louisville Magazine (Julie Ball Hambrick)
"On weekends, the inn's parking lot is crammed with cars sporting license plates from all over the country. The rough-worn tables in the dining room are dressed with elegant glassware and fine vintage china and silver. Instead of country-fried everything, which I expected, we had our pick of fine-dining choices that included a Pacific salmon appetizer, smoked on-site in the Story Inn kitchen, and fork-tender "barbecued" duck breast, served with a light plum glaze. Our next morning's breakfast was a champion belly-buster: sweet, fluffy banana-walnut pancakes smothered in maple syrup."
Reid Duffy, food critic:
"[Story's] transformation from a ghost town to modern day gourmet restaurant/bed & breakfast destination represents one of Indiana's most remarkable historic reclamation projects."
HOME AND AWAY (AAA Hoosier Motor Club):
"Guests come for the park, for gourmet meals served in the antique filled old general store or for relaxing with a good book while staying cozy under a tin roof pitter pattered by rain."
The New York Times:
"...Story Inn...the inn and the town are the same...the innkeepers have acquired all the houses in the tiny country hamlet and converted four of them into duplex cottage suites, the old general store is now a homey and excellent restaurant."
MIDWEST LIVING
"...a weathered tin-sided two story - once the general store - has become a country retreat for city - weary guests...to relax in the rural setting and to dine on luscious dishes..."
DAYTON DAILY NEWS:
"A story in itself, Story is just a dot on the Indiana map where an 1850's general store has been transformed into an inn and gourmet restaurant that has gained attention of big - town newspapers and magazines."
QUICK ESCAPES FROM CHICAGO:
"The best place to satisfy the sophisticated palate, this turn of the century general store has carved out a reputation throughout Indiana. ...the kitchen does it all, from fettuccine to rack of lamb. It is also considered a first rate place to stay."
INDIANA WINE:
""...the restaurant draws big - city diners who actually enjoy the drive down Indiana 135 and don't mind pounding down seafood lasagna, pork curry or vegetable strudel with garlic almond sauce either."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES:
"Story Inn, Story, Indiana. This tin sided general store looks more Beverly Hillbillies than Wolfgang Puck. Once inside, however, you'll find a country dining room with a menu that reads like a gourmet's wish list. The fare ranges from poulet printemps (chicken breast breaded in pecan meal, sautéed and finished in rhubarb, rose wine and savory sauce) to medallions of baked pork stuffed with apricots, currants, pine nuts, herbed bread crumbs and marinated mustard seed, glazed with maple syrup and honey mustard, and topped with orange sauce. The wine list is top shelf. And don't please pass up the turtle cheesecake, tinged with coffee liquor and topped with toffee, crushed pecans and chocolates."
Tripadvisor ranks the Story Inn first in Nashville, IN
A Global Trekkers "Inn of the Month"
Here are some additional articles & web pages regarding Story. |
