Kelly's Bakery and Cafe

This little gem of Bloomington is one of the under-discovered local eateries that I'm amazed some townlies don't know about. The bakery for which they are named is exquisite, with delicious brownies, cookies, and cupcakes that are fresh daily, with options from traditional (e.g., chocolate) to clever concoctions and flavour combinations. Beyond their bakery, they also make great sandwiches that make for a great lunch or dinner. They recently introduced a salad-and-soup on Monday evenings that has demonstrated their ability to do more than some of the Campbell's soup variety foods that saturate the BloNo area.  Their menu remains a bit limited, albeit all options are excellent, and they're still a staple of Midwest dining (with the notable exception of their Twisted Turkey which has some unexpected kick), but for what they do they do it excellently, making Kelly's a real must-do local dining recommendation for anyone in Bloomington or Normal.

What to get: Roasted Tomato Bisque (on Thursdays), Stuffed Tomato (stuffed with chicken salad), side of homemade applesauce (seasonal). Sometimes the tomato is fresh/heirloom/local, other times it's the flavorless store brand. But cover it in chicken salad and who cares? The Twisted Turkey sandwich is also good.

What not to get: Quiche. I'm not a fan of the texture or crust.

Other tips: Monday nights are soup and salad nights. Lots of choices of both, plus great desserts.

Had to try the twisted turkey because of all of the reviews.. It was decent. Will need to go back and find the best. Side of cottage cheese and the peach iced tea finished off a nice lunch break in the summer.