Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover: on Thanksgiving weekend Anne and I made a short Small Business Saturday jaunt to a number of Indianapolis establishments that we figured could use some love and income in this unending pandemic year. In that same spirit, this past Sunday morning we once again donned our Christmas masks and headed north for a return engagement with a lovely littler establishment we last visited in June 2019, verified per Google Maps in their usual, helpfully creepy fashion.

…we drove to Zionsville, a small town northwest of Indy that’s one of those rare idyllic bastions of carefully cultivated little shops, craftspeople, artisans, independent restaurants, and beauteous walking paths surrounded by foliage and well-kept, narrow streets. It’s a half-hour from our house, but for some reason we’re not there all the time. We’re easily distracted and too willingly busied, I think.

Our destination was a place called Auberge, specializing in “traditional and contemporary French food” on their dinner menu. Their brunch menu varies its cuisine a bit more, but offered quite a few attractive items. The place was mostly deserted, probably because we were there hours before most Zionsville shops would open. We relaxed, we chatted, we enjoyed the scenery, and we spent several minutes staring at our food when it arrived with quickness. The friendly staff made the experience worthwhile, too.

Fast-forward to 2020 and “mostly deserted” is the everyday status of virtually every business outside big-box stores. Fewer viruses for the rest of us to dodge, then. Once again we stuck to our personal guidelines for pandemic dining, which meshed perfectly with the restaurant’s own procedures and processes we saw in full effect. The staff were masked up just like us and just as friendly as they were last time.

Though we were the only customers upon our arrival, six others came and went during our visit — all in pairs, each of them seated comfortably far away from us. At least one couple had also spent the night in the inn that contains the restaurant. I’m a little jealous because the two of us haven’t spent a night away from home since Labor Day Weekend 2019. We’re not quite ready to take the leap of faith required for a COVID-era overnighter. We’d also rather save the eventual grand occasion of Our First Hotel Stay Since the Pandemic for an out-of-state experience, which should easily make our hearts swell considering we haven’t crossed the Indiana border since the Saturday before Thanksgiving 2019. We came close once, but resisted the lure. Fingers crossed for 2021, Lord willing.

Anyway: Sunday brunch. Fantastic food, lovely time, must do yet again and not wait so long till next time. Please enjoy a few more photos!