The following “CHEW THAT!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information.
“CHEW THAT!”
Temptations, is just that and more…
Blaise Doubman
Temptations, located at 2001 South Memorial Drive in New Caste, Indiana, has been a staple to this small community for over 10 years. Owned and operated by Inga Neal, Temptations offers home cooked meals, baked goods such as cakes, pies, cookies and fudge. They also offer a full variety of catering services. Currently they are open Tuesday through Friday, 11am-2pm, which makes this the hot spot for luncheon in the Henry County area. Drive by anytime Temptations is open and there is promised to be a parking lot full of cars and inside packed with happy people.
Temptations offers sit down service as well as to-go services. During the shut down of 2020, it was Inga who propelled Temptations to remain open but with appropriate social distancing in place. Places all over the Henry County area looked to Inga and Temptations to follow their lead on how they should be doing it according to the effective laws and how to be doing it safely. Inga has lead her community in more ways than one. She offers community help and organization and is always one of the first to suggest a fix to a community problem or first to offer to lend a hand.
Inga is one of the lucky ones who has found not only what she loves but her talent and has combined those both into a business where everyday she gets to live her dreams. The community supports her and her endeavors but her family is also there for her with open arms.
Temptations offers anything and everything you might possibly imagine. From meatloaf, beef and noodles, tenderloin sandwiches, BLTs, smoked sausage, chicken pot pies, chicken and noodles, beef manhattans, fried pork chops and sloppy joes. Sides range from corn casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, pea salad, 5 cup salad, grape salad, applesauce, cottage cheese and even a tomato, cucumber and onion salad.
I have eaten at Temptations for years and never had anything bad. Everything is always home made, made on site and made fresh. Aside from the regular meals you can order, Temptations also offers a cooler full of take out items such as salads, chicken salads, egg salads, tuna salads and anything you could possibly want. Also offered is a sweets area full of homemade desserts. Cakes, cookies, pies, fudge and breads are just some of the desserts offered.
For $8.50 you can pick from what you would like, plus 2 sides and a small dessert. In today’s economy that is not bad! You can not find good quality, home cooked food anywhere for that price. While other restaurants are raising their prices just because their neighbors are, Inga has tried her hardest to maintain prices while still offering up the best ingredients and selections.
Temptations catering is also well known across Henry County. Temptations offers catering for any occasion you may think of including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and graduations.
On my recent trip there I ordered their chicken and dressing lunch with broccoli and cauliflower salad and macaroni salad. It was delicious! The chicken was perfectly cooked and had great flavor. The broccoli and cauliflower salt was perfectly balanced with the slight crunch of bacon and the macaroni salad was not bland like a lot tend to be. The noodles were tender and the dressing very flavorful. I also ordered the new BBQ plate which came with boneless pork ribs, deliciously creamy macaroni and cheese, delicate coleslaw and the best cornbread I have ever had. I am not sure what the secret here is with the cornbread but it is moist and not crumbly at all. If I were to guess, I would say the old trick of adding a little instant vanilla pudding to the batter has been used but that is only a guess. All I know for sure is that it was delicious!
I also treated myself to a few desserts. Their chocolate chip cookies were really good. Lots of good flavor, good quality chocolate and super soft and fresh. Their caramel iced chocolate brownies were also delicious! The caramel icing is homemade and reminds me of the carmel icing that I make that was featured and so popular many years ago in Church cookbooks. The chocolate brownies are moist and have a really nice chocolate flavor too. I also had their almond cake with almond icing and it was perhaps one of the best almond cakes I have ever experienced. The cake was super moist and had just the right amount of almond flavor. The icing was whipped, smooth and creamy, not grainy, and perfected the cake with just the right kiss of almond flavoring. It was incredible. Next time I visit, I will be buying multiples of this.
I highly encourage you to check out Temptations, located at 2001 South Memorial Drive in New Castle, Indiana. Call ahead with your order or ask questions at 765-465-4001.
Tell them Blaise sent you through “CHEW THAT!”