GUSTO!
7153 Southeastern Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46239
317-356-5113
http://www.Gustoindy.com

When a restaurant moves from Fountain Square to Franklin Township it seems odd.  I had not been to the Gusto! location in Fountain Square but take a look at the photo and you have to wonder how this sad, windowless building in a shady looking strip mall could be thought of as a positive move.  That being said, I’m here to review the chow, not the business acumen of the owner.  Since this is relatively close to my home and provides a new, allegedly tasty dining option for me and my south-side brethren, it’s all good.  Or not.

What I had: With my wife and four year old daughter, we stopped in for dinner on a Friday night.  Only a couple of tables occupied in a room that despite some obviously fresh paint looked as it could have been Mr. Brady’s basement.  Very 1970’s.   We ordered a small cheese pizza (8” $5.99) for my daughter, breadsticks ($4.99) and “The Works” (16” $17.99) for us.  The place started to fill up and the single server was absolutely running her tail off.  Not only taking care of the dining room but also the phone and carry-out orders.  We asked that the cheese pizza arrive with the breadsticks and they did.  It was cheese pizza, whatever.  The breadsticks were the type that is simply pizza crust cut into strips, not the hand- rolled variety noted on the menu.  They were flat out terrible.  So dry they seemed to suck the moisture out of my fingers when I picked them up.  Lots of tasteless herbs and spices scattered on top as well.

Thirty minutes later the server informs us that the oven “Flared-up” and burned our pizza.  A new one has been made and will be out immediately.  For our trouble we are offered a 10% credit to our bill.  I’m not happy but I am still hungry.  Apparently “will be out immediately” means 30 minutes later at Gusto!   By the time our pizza arrived it was very late, we had been at the table for 90 minutes and we had to go.  So I had the pie boxed and carried out.  Once we got home, still hungry of course, the dagger.  This pizza was absolutely raw and doughy in the middle.  Are you friggin’ kidding me?

Would I Buy It Again?  No! In my many years of eating in thousands of places, there is just a handful that I wouldn’t give a second try.  The server at Gusto! is the only reason that I would be tempted but nope, never going back.

To be fair, I called the restaurant and in a calm, polite manner told them exactly what I wrote above.  The server answered the phone (Of course she did!) and she apologized.  Still not going back.

-Smokin DB

Two times this week, I was asked by people that have no clue that I write this blog if I have seen “Food, Inc.”  I have, but what was more interesting was their response.

One person said, “I am not eating meat anymore, I am going to be a vegetarian.”  The other said, “It will totally change what you eat.  I have seen bacon being made and it is not pretty.”  Fair enough.  Slaughtering animals is not pretty, regardless of how humane it is.

My question:  How has this film (or other publications like it) changed the way that you

1. Buy food AND
2. How long has that change lasted?

For me:
I read labels more
I buy more organic items
I am going to plant a garden this spring
I visit farmers markets more
I wonder what is really in my food and where it is from

However, I saw a special that featured Farmer’s Markets and one of the benefits they listed was “cheaper.”  Maybe I am going to the wrong farmer’s markets, but I find them to commonly be 2x-5x more expensive.  Case in point, I was at IWFM and I saw free range/no hormones, etc. chickens.  The thighs were around $5 a lb. There were booths that were cheaper, but work with me here.  At Costco, they are 79 cents a lb.  So I can get 6.3 lbs instead of 1 lb.  That is a big difference…a difference that is difficult to rationalize for a lot of people right now.

Counter point:  farmers markets have many handmade and unique items that you can’t find anywhere else.  I also found plenty of items that were 1x costs.  Lettuce for $3.00, spices, root veggies, etc.  And, you really can’t compare homemade sausages vs. Johnsonville, it is not the same product.  You get the point.  Regardless of the price, I am very supportive of farmer’s markets.

My point:  Watch the movie, read the articles…now what?  The curtain has been lifted, you know who the Wizard of Oz is.  The Alice Walters types say, “Hey, wibia…if you can’t afford farmers market chicken, sell your flat screen tv and buy better chicken.”  Fair enough.   However, at times, it is a ton of work to make the effort.  Menus are difficult to navigate, dining choices are limited, my nearest grocery store that has a respectable organic section is 25 minutes away. Plus, sometimes I need diapers, light bulbs, a birthday card and lettuce and I have a 30 minute window before my kid goes ape sh-t.  So I do what I can.  Am I better, yes… am I perfect (whatever that is) no.

So I am interested to see the results.

-wibia

Gumbo a Go-Go!
1420 West 86th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Open: M-Sa 11-8
317-337-9422

I can only write Gumbo a Go-Go so many times, so from here on out, I am calling it GAGG.

Every reader has a restaurant like this in their city. I never hear any rants/raves and the parking lot is never full. They are under the radar.  Ask most people form Indy about cajun food and they will say Yats! and then…ahh…ummm…

After my Yats! post, a reader sent me an e-mail and said give GAGG a try. It is close to work, so I said why not.  Chalkboard menu with about twelve options consisting of Vodoo Chicken, Bourbon Chicken, three Etouffee’s, Red Beans and Rice, Jumbalaya, Creole Chicken, and four veggie options.   Odd pricing system as it is $6.00 for a regular, $7 for a combo (same size as regular) and $9 for full entree (two choices).

What I Ate: Full Entree, 1/2 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, 1/2 Crawfish Etouffee. $9.00

First bite was the crawfish etouffee. Good, but I wasn’t wowed.  It had very subtle flavors, so I added hot sauce, a little salt and pepper and we were back on track.  I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it either.   I noticed a Chili Cheese Etouffee on the menu and I might try that next time.   However, it is somewhat frustrating to see that on the menu since true cajun cooking uses very little cheese.  Definitely a Midwestern adaptation.

I was unimpressed with my first few bites, so I moved on to the Gumbo.  Awesome.  Really nice flavors and the chicken was plentiful and it just tasted right.  Perfect cold weather dish.  I quickly understood why they called the restaurant Gumbo a Go-Go instead of Etouffee A Go-Go.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, easily.  The $9.00 portion was a lot of food and I could be happy with $6.00 gumbo all day long. They had a very steady lunch crowd and I got to sneak a few looks at the Voodoo Chicken and other entrees and all of it looked good.  The owner was really friendly and pretty funny.  With quick service and honest prices, this is a great combination.  Also, they were playing early Clapton blues until the next CD came on and it was Ottis Redding.  +10 on the music selections.

-wibia

El Taco Torro
79th and Michigan
Indianapolis, IN

My first review/visit was a mixed bag.  I liked the burrito, but some of the tacos were filled with low quality meat.  At the end of the review, I didn’t think that I could give it a wibia-yes or no.  I decided to give it another try thinking that a second visit would help me make up my mind.

The chips and salsa are still pretty bad.  They give you a red salsa and a green salsa and cold chips.  At Mexican restaurants, I commonly eat so many chips that I don’t have room for my entree.  Here, I just push them aside, not worth the calories.

I ordered two chicken tacos, an al pastor taco and a carne asada burrito.   The tacos are served with cheese, lettuce and sour cream…not an authentic preparation of just cilantro and onions.  However, I liked the chicken more than the al pastor and I would say that both meats were of average quality.  They use a full-fat sour cream and it makes the tacos a little too rich for my taste.  With the sour cream and cheese, I tasted more dairy than I did meat.

Mirrored from my last visit, the burrito was slightly above average.  This version had a lot more pinto beans.  The shell was warm and there was a good meat ratio to the beans and rice.  They throw a little lettuce in for crunch.   I wouldn’t say that it is significantly better than surrounding taquerias, but for $4.99, it is a great value.

Would I Buy I Again?  I hate to say it…Yes and No.  Overall, I would give this meal a 6/10…slightly above average.

Yes: A solid burrito alternative (to Chipotle and Qdoba) on the NW Side.  Cheap.

No: All the meats are average.  I prefer neighboring El Pastorcito for tacos (directly across the street).  Chips and salsa are horrible.

I wouldn’t have any reservations visiting El Taco Torro, but at the same time, it is not my go-to taqueria in the area.

-wibia

Dagwood’s Deli & Sub Shop
6336 Guilford Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.dagwoodsandwiches.com/

An institution at the WIBIA staff’s alma mater, Indiana University, Dagwood’s has been in business since 1985.  The original location was in a basement of building on Indiana Avenue in Bloomington, Indiana and was every college kid’s dream.  They’ve finally moved their main location up to street level but they still have good and HUGE submarine sandwiches.  They deliver at all hours of the night, so any late night of…ahem, studying…could be capped off with having a sandwich delivered.  When I was at IU, I ended far too many of my nights that way, but it was worth it.

Anyway, Dagwood’s stayed in Bloomington only for most of their existence, but they opened a third location in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis within the past few years and that’s where I went recently to enjoy one of the treasures of my college career.  I will point out that I usually order the Italian sub, but for the purposes of this blog and introducing the restaurant to the blog, I went with…

What I Got:  Whole Dagwood Supreme (their signature and most popular sandwich) $8.94

Dagwood Supreme

I ordered my sandwich as it would be found on the menu for review purposes (ordinarily I’d play with the vegetables and other toppings), but the menu version is made up of Roast Beef, Ham, Turkey, Provolone and Colby cheeses, along with lettuce, tomato, onions, and Dagwood’s Special Sauce.

Outside of the special sauce, this thing is made up of standard sub sandwich toppings so there is nothing really out of the ordinary there besides the fact that they give you a generous amount of meat.  What really makes this sandwich is the special sauce.  It’s a tangy mayonnaise based sauce that it not as creamy as mayonnaise, but shares a lot of similar properties.  What makes it different than mayo is that it is slightly more runny and not nearly as thick (you can see the sauce in the photo above) and when you contrast this tangy sauce with the coolness of the vegetables, cheese and meat, you have a sandwich that is a sub sandwich lover’s delight.

Would I Buy It Again?  Heck yes. I would buy it again because it is good and also for the nostalgic purposes of taking me back to my college days.  Like I said, I usually order the Italian sub because of personal preference of meat on that sandwich but you can’t go wrong with either sandwich.  Both of them are  just so freaking good and that’s why both of them go into the Hall of Fame.

So, if you are in Bloomington or in Broad Ripple and aren’t afraid of something that is a little bit pricey, give this place a shot and you won’t regret it.

-IndianapolisEater

Papa Roux
8950 E. 10th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46239
317-603-9861
http://www.PapaRouxIndy.com

Just off the corner of 10th and Post Road this east side eatery is tiny with a capital “T.”  The menu is also brief and focused but in what might sound like a contradiction, but offers ton of combinations.  Your Po-Boy can feature Cajun Chicken, Roast Pork, Smoked Ham , Shrimp or Sausage, dressed or not, half or full and even breadless if you are one of those anti-carb freaks.  They even have daily specials to add to your decision making process.  Of course then you have to pick your sides…

What I had: Luckily I knew that I wanted:  Muffaletta.  Muffaletta is both a type of bread and a sandwich.  I’ve had several but never one outside of New Orleans where both were invented.  Typically the bread is round rather than loaf shaped as it was at Papa Roux.  Ham, salami and provolone cheese are stacked on the bread along with olive salad.  The olive salad is what makes this sandwich special.  It’s a combination of both green and black olives, olive oil, garlic, onion and who knows what else.  The olive salad at Papa Roux was a disappointment.  While the salad added the needed moist counter-point to the bread and cheese, it was just sort of bland.   The thing just lacked that huge blast of flavor that I expected.  The bread was spongy and light rather than crunchy and hearty.  There wasn’t enough meat for my liking either, just a couple of thin layers.

The sandwich also came with a choice of side, mine being Vegetable Creole.  It was OK.  Creamy and rich but lacking the real depth of flavor that I expected.  My wife had the red beans and rice.  A taste of that let me know I made the wrong choice.

Would I Buy It Again?  I have to say no.  At nearly $10.00 for my sandwich and drink and still having to leave a tip, I just wasn’t that satisfied with the meal.  I wasn’t hungry but I wasn’t satisfied either.  I’ve read other reviews of this place as well as signs in the restaurant itself that note the lengths to which they go to source good quality, authentic ingredients and I applaud that, but can someone honestly tell me why Cajun food is, in my mind, so expensive?  At its core, Cajun cuisine is peasant food with common ingredients.  I’m missing something.

-Smokin DB

Okay, reaching out to the WIBIA army on this one.  In my opinion, a pizza is defined as: sauce and cheese on a crust.  Someone very close to me (it may or may not be my wife)  thinks that cheese is a topping because when you order a pizza, they will ask what kind of pizza and cheese is an option. Furthermore, it is “on top” of the pizza as well.

My point, cheese is required to call it pizza, otherwise it is just bread and sauce. I understand there are so called pizzas without sauce and some without cheese.  Whatever.

Anytime that I look at a pizza menu, the pricing starts off with cheese pizza and then 1 topping etc, 2 toppings, etc.  It doesn’t start off with bread and sauce!!!!

Before someone asks, cheese is a topping if you order extra cheese.

If you want, list your favorite pizza toppings/combinations in the comments section.  My favorite, sausage and pepperoni.

-WIBIA

What I Got: Portillo’s Italian Beef Sandwich (part of the Portillo’s Party Pack for $23.70)

I’ve shared my love of Italian beef sandwiches and of Portillo’s on this blog before.  Needless to say, I love them both and have been looking endlessly for an acceptable substitute in Indianapolis (see my prior C.R. Heroes review; I may have found one).  But sometimes the planets align and I end up at a party where someone has gone and gotten Portillo’s at their Northwest Indiana location in Merrillville and brought back a party pack for the party that they are hosting and then life is good.  At a Super Bowl party this past year, a friend of mine did just that.

I know that there might be better Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, but since I live in Indianapolis, I don’t have the time or convenience of trying them all out, so Portillo’s serves as my harbinger for everything that is good about this sandwich and I love it.  It’s VERY thinly sliced roast beef cooked and served dripping in au jus juices on Italian style roll and everything about it is delicious.  It has tender meat and the au jus juice is flavorful and peppery without tilting toward being too hot.  If you really want to get frisky, you can get it with either hot (Giardiniera) peppers or with sweet peppers and turn up the heat and/or sweetness of your sandwich just a little bit more.  Also, you can have them serve it dry (no extra au jus), wet (extra au jus dumped on the bread to make it soggy) or even dipped (they take the completed sandwich and dip the entire thing in the au jus; you need a fork to eat this one).

I usually choose wet so that I can somewhat hold the sandwich and allow the flavorful au jus to just run down my arms as I eat it.  I also had both hot and sweet peppers so that I can add even more kick, but if you don’t get any peppers, it’s not a big deal because it is still delicious.  You just have to make sure that you get it either wet or dipped though.  Having this sandwich dry is just not the same and whenever my order gets screwed up and I get it dry, it really makes me sad.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, absolutely, definitiely, no question, etc. I would list out every single word for yes in the English language, but that would take me hours.  This is truly my favorite sandwich in the world (and maybe even my favorite food in the world) and Portillo’s does it the best (remember, that is out of all the options that I have had).  I try to get it every time I go to Chicago or pass by the Merrillville location on Interstate 65 and I would HIGHLY recommend that you do the same.  You will not regret it.

-IndianapolisEater