Rant: Man v. Food Indianapolis
Author: WIBIA | Filed under: Announcements/News, Location: Indianapolis, INI was excited to hear that Man v. Food was coming to Indy. I have watched every show since the show started and I would easily say that I am a fan. However, they really dropped the ball on Indy…or should I say crashed and burned since they tried to reference the race…at every turn. Let’s take a close look at every segment.
Edwards Drive-In
I have been there pre-blog and there is a reason why I haven’t returned. Let’s reference this post by our dear friend The Tenderloin Connoisseur.
He gave the tenderloin a 3/5 and said that he wouldn’t drive across town for it. Just like every review on his site, I agree 100%. Also, why would they freeze a fresh cut tenderloin? The term “Frozen Pork Fritter” is a dirty word in these parts and it’s almost as bad as “Kelvin Sampson.”
With that being said, WouldIBuyItAgain.com will promise to review or make a segment called “Tenderloin of the Month” from here on out. I would like to restore some confidence back in our state sandwich.
[Editor's Note: We will run our first Tenderloin of the Month review on Monday.]
Grays Brothers Cafeteria
Here is my review.
I understand the story of telling about a down-home-cafeteria-style-middle-America-meal, etc. (good idea). However…MEATLOAF? We are now known for f’ing meatloaf?!?!
Not to mention, if you are going to be on TV mixing meat, wear gloves! The strawberry pie was lame too…strawberries with…a strawberry glaze and homemade whipped cream. One guy on the show said that he drove twenty miles for the pies…really?! So you are telling me that you can’t make that pie?! Trust me, it is easy as…pie!!
Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream
Here is my review.
For two years, I literally lived one hundred yards from Bub’s…and I went there ONLY four times. In one of those times, both IndianapolisEater and I easily conquered The Big Ugly (one burger each). Despite that, I am not going to really rip on this choice. There are very few eating challenges in this city and The Big Ugly is the king. Bub’s gets a good amount of hype and is in the perfect location.
However, I am disappointed in Adam’s effort. The burger patty is 22 ounces pre-cooked, he completed 2.25 burgers. That is three pounds of meat and maybe and extra pound of toppings and bread. LAME!!! This is coming from a guy that has ate a four pound milk shake (in addition to a large sandwich with it) and consistently eats five pounds plus. To me, this is him just not giving a shit and wanting to get out of town. I have never seen him perform so poorly at a challenge.
Therefore, I am starting a challenge to the beloved WIBIA army. Eat more than Adam at Bub’s…and you will get your picture on the blog and a special Hall of Fame section solely for you.
In a weird way, I am disappointed in Man v. Food. It was a poor attempt to showcase this city. Honestly, I think Kendra “Having a Baby” showcased the city better than Man v. food.
Next week, I’ll show you a review of another place that Man v. Food visited that Adam was reallly excited about (Phoenix episode). I have been to five Man v. Food restaurants and I’ve liked only one of them quite a bit (Ike’s Place in San Francisco).
All in all, I know that I am playing arm chair quarterback here (race theme = back seat driver), but there was a better story to tell about the city. How about the Tenderloin at Big Daddy’s (S. Meridian), Shrimp Cocktail at St. Elmo’s (spicy tradition) and then wrap it up with Bub’s?
Rant over.
-wibia
Tags: adam richman, big daddy's, Bub's Burgers, edwards drive-in, Food, Gray Brothers, man v. food, rant, St. Elmo's, Tenderloin, Tenderloin of the Month
Of ALL the great Tenderloins in town, they chose EDWARDS? WTF, people?
Could not agree more. I posted my thoughts in the El Pollo Tapatio post comment section yesterday and tom h brought up a good point…it seemed as if the Bub’s people were trying to freeze Adam out by bringing his food to him slowly. Perhaps Adam got pissed and that is why he ended the challenge early. Also, I heard the Bub’s guys on the radio yesterday and they were complaining about how much space the Man v. Food production crew was taking up when they were there. Could be why they were trying to freeze him out and if they were, that’s truly a BS move as they got a TON of free publicity out of the show and now their business will boom. All in all, it was just a horrible representation of the city’s food culture and that culture will take a hit to its already poor reputation. What people need to understand is that there is a lot of bad food and chain restaurant food in this city, but things are improving. There are a lot of original restaurants and there is a lot of good food and the amounts of those two things are increasing each day. The perception of Indianapolis food is changing, albeit slowly.
I had the same thoughts about Edward’s and Gray’s. I wonder who preps Adam for the visits and shares with him the locations that he should visit.
Just watched it last night and also was disappointed in Adam’s effort with the Big Ugly Challenge. C’mon, has this guy gone through gastric bypass surgery lately?! He used to be able to down tons of food, and threw his hands up in defeat after 2 and a half burgers? C’mon Adam. You can do better than that!!
big +1. I watched it on DVR yesterday. Very disappointing all around. There is so much good food here and those were the choices? Jockamo’s, Papa Roux, St. Elmo, et al. It seriously did look like he wasn’t interested.
I think that show has run its course. Send Diner’s Drive-Ins, and Dives this way. Guy will find the good food!
Prior to the Man v Food episode, if you searched for Indianapolis on the travel channel’s website, you were given 4 results and two of them were just comments on a Samantha Brown blog post.
Today if you search you get 13 results….so I guess we’re moving up as a travel destination.
They have a section on their site that gives you about 100 different destination guides for cities in the US. They have cities like Buffalo, Chattanooga, and Manchester (NH) but no Indianapolis. I’m not a big Indy race fan, but the mere fact that the event draws so many people to the area should be enough to deserve some research into developing a guide.
I think the Travel Channel just has it out for us.
I was also so almost depressed and actually annoyed when I heard Man v. Food was going to Bub’s. But, like you say, there seem to be few food challenges around the city (though this “wrinkle” of upping the challenge by eating multiples of the same item is pretty lame).
Taking a step back and looking at the three choices they made for Indy – they seem to fit a nostalgic, placid, Ward & June Cleaver view of our midwestern city – a drive-in, a homey cafeteria, and family burger joint. There are definitely less flattering ways to represent our city, but it seems like a somewhat easy stereotype to choose – kind of a mail-it-in theme. I mean, come on, even using the race is so typical and dated. I think it has been well over 20 years since this city was really focused on and defined by the race. I’m 40 and by the time I was a senior in high school, the idea of doing a senior skip day for qualifications was getting tired.
I was pretty disappointed in it as well. I don’t feel like it really represented Indianapolis as well as it should. For instance, if he was out at the track, why did he not go to Mug ‘n’ Bun? Why not Workingman’s Friend? Classic west-side restaurants with good food. Plus, on the other side of town, there are two newer eateries whose owners were chomping at the bit to be on the show. I think Papa Roux’s would have been an excellent choice, and they even have a monster po’ boy challenge. Jeff Reutz from Square Rootz Deli in Fountain Square told me he is also working up a monster sandwich for the next time Adam rolls into town, and you better believe it’s gonna be good. In addition, he could have had some challenge with a huge steak or the sinus-shaking shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s. I just don’t think his crew did proper research. I want a rematch!
I haven’t been recently, but isn’t Ralph’s Great Divide known for their tenderloins?
If you haven’t already, you should review the tenderloin from Pat Flynns. It is one of the better ones I have had.
In the comments section alone there have been two places near and dear to my heart named (Ralph’s Great Divide and Workingman’s Friend).
I wasn’t completely pissed about the episode until I came here to read the thoughts of you guys. I’m a sports guy, so watching food episodes is a mere distraction and I felt it was cool to see Indy on there. Of course, even I was taken aback by the Strawberry Pie thing. Ridiculous.
I do wish people would paint a better picture of Indy. Just check out the comment on this thing I wrote:
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/08/14/five-step-drop-another-favre/
Jerkoff.
“I’m here in Morrisville” – IndianapolisEater called it out yesterday, but that made me chuckle when it aired… and really represented the entire episode. Still, I don’t hold man v food to a very high standard – I enjoy the show, but (for me) it is no Diners Drive-ins and Dives.
So far as good tenderloins, I recently had a pretty fine one at the new Chatham Tap off 116th.
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_V_Food/Video/Indys_Broad_Ripple_Village
Thoughts on this video?
They put more work, thought and care into that video than they did the entire episode that aired on television! That video actually portrayed the city in a good light!
I agree that it is a flattering video, but I get so tired of the overuse of some adjectives. The birth of your child is amazing, Broad Ripple is not. To me, BR is great for the frist 5-10 years out of college; the food and the shops are better than decent, but they get inflated reputations due to the area being a magnet for people. The dirth of good bike trails also helps pull in people.
I’ve been associated with the Indianapolis Art Center for several years, and that place is a great BR locale and an asset to the city, as well.
@Indy Grub..I will be careful on when I use amazing… You can bet your ass that I will mean it when I say it!
@Naptown Nosher…I didn’t know about Square Rootz, on my list.
@Phil. I agree. Indy is the 16th largest city but we get dumped on all the time. We don’t even have 4g!!
@Jennifer, never had it…. In fact, I have never been to Ralph’s. I know…
@Todd…I heard that about Pat Flynn’s. Thanks, maybe it will be a tenderloin of the month.
@show, I agree 100%.
@tom h. Agree, I think that DDD gives better recommendations.
WIBIA my wife was a regional manager for a huge food manufacturer and Gray Bros. bought a ton of her food. When we watched the dude making meatloaf with no gloves, no hair net and a ring on his finger she was wretching.
I’m not a Man Vs, Food fan and this episode did nothing to change that.
At least Gertrude in the background didn’t panic and collapse at American Eagle shirt guy dancing about meatloaf – her eyes sure looked like she had no clue what the hell was going on.
I hope that manager just never prepares food and was clueless – bare hands, ring, watch near food – gross! That is my image of Gray’s now
Another place to send a show would be for the Harmanator wings at Ale Emporium. The best I’ve ever had. Other thoughts?
@Big Russ: We’ve actually reviewed those wings here before. Check out the review: http://wouldibuyitagain.com/2010/03/review-ale-emporium/
Most of what I had to say has already been posted. I do believe Bub’s was a worthy visit but whoever did their research on Indianapolis dropped the ball big time. As my wife and I watched last night, her first comment was where are the gloves for the guy making meatloaf at Gray Brothers. Ecen though I believe Eddie Merlot’s is the king of steakhouses in this town, how do you not go to St. Elmo’s? How about eating 50 or 100 shrimp with cocktail sauce from St. Elmo’s? I saw wibia and Indianapoliseater knock down the Big Ugly in no time and Adam simlpy did not bring it. What a disappointment. Would love to see wibia give Adam a tour of the real food to be eaten in Indianapolis. With the monthly tenderloin review coming…who has a suggestion of where I can eat the best tenderloin in Hamilton County? I can tell you one thing, it is not at Nickel Plate in Fishers.
Seriously, what a disappointment. Meatloaf?! Maybe they could have tried harder to stereotype Indiana and the Midwest.
Ok so I just moved to Indy from San Diego about a year ago and I didnt even know that the tenderloin was the “state sandwich” until I recently read it in the Food Network magazine. So naturally I started grilling co-workers to find the best place to try it. An older man suggsted Mug n Bun, saying it was the best in the city. So I did a little research and also found out they have the “Monster Challenge,” triple decker tenderloin, family size fries and a 32oz drink in a half hour. So when my sister came to town a couple weeks ago from SD I convinced her to take the challenge with me. Well they werent kidding, it was pretty daunting. I got down to the the last half of the tenderloin and the last bun and about half the fries. Im going to blame it on the the hottest and most humid afternoon of the year! Anyway, as we were paying for epic failure we chatted with the cashier. She told us that Man vs. Food had contacted them and told them that Adam would be making an apperance at Mug n Bun on Race day, but he never showed. She seemd to think that it might have had something to do with the fact that the street that the drive-in is on is completley shut down on Race day. She also told us not to feel too bad about not completing the challenge because only one person has ever done it AND that my sister and I were the only two women to ever attempt it! By the time we drove back to the NE side my sister had slipped into a tenderloin induced coma not to be awoken till the next day. The first bite was delicious I might add and to my surprise, within the week I was ready to have another regular sized tenderloin. Can’t wait to read the new tenderloin review so that I can figure out where that might be!
P.S. The episode may been dissapointing “food wise” but my family was excited to see the city that I now live in.
P.S.S. I’m going to be wrappin my mouth around that Surfin’ California Burrito from the SD episode of MVF next week, we’ll see how “spot-on” he is in that category.
I was disappointed in the Indy episode as well. I watch every episode of MVF and when I travel I try to go to places he’s been (same with DDD). I’ve done the burger at Bub’s and I agree that was a week effort. He’s eaten 73 oz. of steak in an hour before and he couldn’t do better than that. I don’t know who picks the sports for them to eat. I’m from Baltimore and the place they picked for crab cakes is crap. G&M is the most well known place in town.
I am usually a big fan of man v. food, the episodes at least make me want to travel to some of these places. not the indy one. i mean, really, a cafeteria? i’ve been to Edwards and it was okay. I do like Bub’s, and i would have expected it to be the final challenge, although i do think making someone eat multiple sandwiches is basically weaksauce as far as challenges go. and he was barely even IN indianapolis! mooresville? i’ve lived in indiana for 34 years and i never even heard of the place. seems like they were close to indy for some reason and plotted the show out on the way from chicago or something. shoddy. and when has Adam given up so prematurely. he said he could eat more, but wouldn’t finish so then he just quits? usually the guy is freaking sweating bacon drippings before he gives up. something was off about this episode…
One of my co-workers told me that he was at the Mug-n-bun waiting a couple of hours for Adam to show (he was scheduled to be there) but it was canceled because the local press was there and that’s apparently a big no-no with the Travel Channel. My guess is that Edward’s was a last minute fill-in for a tenderloin.
After watching that episode, I have two thoughts: 1. I now feel like I have to defend the city in which I live from people who saw that show (it’s not really like that, I promise. We have some good stuff here) and 2. I am highly skeptical about all of the other places they feature… I think I am going to stick to the internet “word on the street” for my references in new cities.
OK, 100% disagreeing with you here on the strawberry pie comment. The strawberry pie at Gray’s cannot EVER EVER be duplicated at home. I bake (and I’m pretty damn good at it) every weekend, and wouldn’t challenge myself to a bake-off with the pies at Grays.
PLEASE, do yourself a favor, and make a roadtrip down 67 to Mooresville for the pie. I grew up there, and now that I live in Fishers, I still keep my optometrist in Mooresville just so I have an excuse to grab a strawberry pie once a year. I’ve even taken one as a carry-on when flying to see relatives out of state. It’s just that good. Huge berries, a tame glaze (nothing too sugary), and the flakiest crust I’ve ever had. the rest of the menu is a little hit and miss, but the big stars there (fried chicken and catfish) have earned thier reputation.
Sorry, Samantha, but it is just Strawberries, Strawberry glaze, and homemade whipped cream. It’s not that great of a pie and definitely not something I would say is a Hoosier tradition. Wanna focus on a pie that is decidedly Hoosier? Sugar Cream Pie. Otherwise, they should have done the banana cream pie or something else more decadent. Was very disappointed with this episode.
Edwards? Are you kidding me?
I live less than 4 miles from that place, two things:
1. It is in a horrible location, a run down intersection with a bunch of vacant buildings.
2. It is know for having dirty food. As in, they employ a bunch of kids who love to spit, loogey, blow snot and all manner of nasty ass shit to their food. Growing up I knew people that worked their and they told everyone they know NEVER eat there, they LOVE to mess with people’s food there. Nasty.
My daughter saw Man v food when they were in Indy and wants to go get a hand cute, hand pounded, and hand breaded tenderloin seen on his show. So where is Indys best tenderloin?
Alright, I completely disagree here. I’ve live in mooresville my whole life, like seriously not even a mile down the road from grays. That place is amazing and tons of others agree. Try going there on a holiday like mothers or fathers and good luck waiting in line. I’ve seen that thing reach clear around the building. Their food is soooo yummy. And their pies are incredible. They sound simple but there is just something about them that can’t be duplicated. Yummmm….
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