Super 46 Sandwich and Brat Contest (renamed)
The winner was announced today and guess what?! It is NOT EVEN A F*CKING SANDWICH!!??
First, a tenderloin should’ve won, even though the selection of tenderloins from the list are some of the worst in the state.
Second, a sandwich should’ve won.
I will admit, I would put that pretzel-brat thingy straight to the face, it doesn’t look half bad. It is not a sandwich though.
I give up.
-wibia
I thought about writing a list for the Super Bowl, but Indianapolis Restaurant Scene did a nice job on her site. Let me add a few things.
First, EAT A PORK TENDERLOIN SANDWICH! It is our state sandwich. You have to ask your server if it hand cut or frozen as some restaurants believe that it is acceptable to pass of a frozen pork fritter as the real deal. If your sandwich is perfectly round and not awesome, you probably got duped.
Second, if you are looking for a few of our favorites in downtown or Broad Ripple, check these out (reviews linked where applicable):
Downtown
*Kilroy’s Bar & Grill (get the Stuffed Breadsticks)
*King David Dogs (this is a review of the airport location, but there is one downtown too)
*Scratch Truck
Broad Ripple
*Zest
As a side note, we have some of the worst Italian food in the country. If you are visiting (especially from New York), there are probably better options for you.
That should take care of you. All in all, if you are from New York or New England, I think that you will walk away pleasantly surprised. Our food scene is respectable and our downtown is a lot of fun compared to other Midwestern cities.
Enjoy our city!
-wibia
Jason’s Deli
4130 East 82nd Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46250
http://www.jasonsdeli.com
Jason’s is still relatively new to the capital city and I was slow to try it. The menu online was kind of boring, so I decided to wait for a while. I was going to the Nordstrom Rack to find some sweet threads for cheap and I can’t shop for anything on an empty stomach, so I had to make a pit stop. Plus, they have free ice cream. The only thing better than free ice cream is free love. Depending on who’s giving the love, I might even take ice cream.
What I Ate: Half New York Yankee and salad bar. Cost, with a soda was around $9.00
Anytime that I want a salad bar, my body is begging for some greens. The salad bar was pretty decent looking. I didn’t get the all you can eat option, so I loaded it up with the one trip that I had. The bread was horrible and quickly discarded. The produce was relatively fresh, but the ingredients seemed pretty cheap. Bacon and cheese were definitely lacking in quality and I didn’t like the Italian dressing. I didn’t hate it, but I would never come here for the salad bar alone.
I had to get past the idea that the sandwich is called the New York Yankee, as it is named after the most BS baseball team ever. I see my Google stats and I don’t think that I am losing any fans saying that. The New York Yankee is made up of hot corned beef, pastrami, Swiss cheese and mustard or mayonnaise, all served on rye bread. The rye and the meat were the quality that I would expect from a chain. It didn’t offend me, but definitely not the real good stuff. I prefer for the cheese to be a little melty, but that was not the case here. The good news about this sandwich is…huge! This was a half sandwich and I could barely knock it down after my salad.
After my meal, I decided to gorge myself and make a kick ass root beer float with the free ice cream. Well played and it hit the spot.
Would I Buy It Again? Sure, why not? I didn’t love what I had, but I didn’t hate it. Considering that I had a salad, huge sandwich, chips, pickle and a root beer float for under $10, I thought it was a good value. I like to think about what I would compare it to and if you like McAlister’s, Paradise or Panera, you will probably be fond of Jason’s. However, at Paradise, you get an awesome cookie and here you get ice cream. Kind of a toss up.
-wibia
De Cero Taqueria
814 West Randolph Street
Chicago, Illinois 60607
http://decerotaqueria.com/
I was in Chicago on business and I wanted to try something new. As much as I would like to say that the expense account is a blank check for prime steakhouses, I like to fly under the radar a bit and not seem too eccentric.
Eater 38 is usually a dependable list. Sometimes I think that it should be called, If I were a hipster, where would I like to eat. The big names are on the other lists and I always think of it as an insiders guide. I was in a mood where I didn’t want a ton of food (patting myself on the back for that rhyme) and Indianapolis is without a fancy taco place, so I thought that I would give it a try.
What I Ate: Duck Confit, Chipotle Chicken and Tilapia tacos; $3.95 each. Chips and Pico; $2.95.
The duck confit was served with corn salsa and that is it. The duck desperately needed salt and I thought that this was a great idea, but poorly executed. The Chipotle Chicken was grilled chicken, lettuce, crema, cilantro and pinto beans with bacon. I liked this on a lot better, but it had a strange smell to it. It had a smoky smell to it, like you just light a firework. The beans were a non-factor. The tilapia was topped with a Mexican slaw. I love a good fish taco (no jokes please), but this was not one of them. The tilapia was tasted more like smelt fries and it didn’t taste freshly fried.
Chips and pico were the standard adaptation. A little spicy than normal, but again, nothing special.
Would I Buy It Again? No, definitely not. What a wasted dinner in one of our best culinary cities in the US of A. Maybe the bar was set too high. After all, did I really expected tortillas, meat and beans to taste that differently than what I can get in Indy? My bad.
I think that I am done with fancy tacos. I have tried a few different takes on tacos and I am always happiest with the simple ones done well. I’d rather replace duck confit with slightly chewy, cheap carne asada and call it a day.
Long story short, it might be best to leave tacos alone – they are perfect how they are.
-wibia
Portillo’s
http://www.portillos.com
At times, I can admit that I am wrong about food. It is few and far between that I will actually admit it, but it is on the record now. A lot of my friends love Portillo’s and I have always thought of it as average at best. Portillo’s is the food equivalent of being IndianapolisEater’s best friend. He loves it (from IndianapolisEater: not anymore; I am tired of it). I think that he loves it as much as he does because I am not a big fan. Then again, I might be flattering myself (from IndianapolisEater: you are).
Portillo’s is the fast food version of Chicago Style Italian Beef. Italian Beef from Chicago is a staple and it should be. It is so ridiculously simple to make that even my mom can make an edible version. However, most restaurants outside of Chicago do a horrible job at it.
What I Ate: Big Beef with Hot Giadano Peppers and fries; $6.49 + $0.39.
To tell you the truth, the normal size is big enough for lunch. I was just being a fat ass here. I usually like the au jus on the side, but I got it dipped this time. Thinly sliced roast beef in a beef broth and peppers on the bun. Like I said, really simple and not a lot to talk about. The baguette was excellent with a little corn dusting on the bottom. Bread, salt (broth), beef and spicy peppers. It covers most food groups for me.
The fries are crinkle cut and very tasty. If you like fries from Culvers, you should like these.
Would I Buy It Again? Um, sure. It is still not the best beef that I have ever had. There are other chains in Chicago like Al’s Beef that are good as well. You can get this sandwich anywhere in Chicago and I am sure that are better versions. Portillo’s is a good, consistent version of it though.
I can’t say that I will be raving about it like my friends, but a return visit made me realize that no matters if it is from Portillo’s or somewhere else, Chicago Style Italian Beef is an amazing simple and beautiful sandwich.
-wibia
Giordano’s
http://www.giordanos.com/
Food in Chicago is a battle between the million hot dog/gyro/beef joints versus a very progressive food scene with superstar chefs. To be honest, I am glad that both exist and continue to thrive. However, if you ask anyone that has a clue what kind of food Chicago is known for, they will say pizza or Chicago dogs. Both are some of the most awesome things you can cram in your gullet.
In my opinion, Giordano’s is the epitome of Chicago Style pizza. Uno is a chain whore. Gino’s East has a crust that tastes like cornbread to me. Sure there are others in the city and some of them are quite good, but Giordano’s is the king.
What I Ate: Medium stuffed pizza with Sausage and pepperoni; $23.00.
The most awesome part about this review is….this was my lunch order. Yes, I was alone.
For those of you that are not familiar, Chicago style is kind of upside down. From top to bottom: meat, cheese and then sauce. You have to plan accordingly because it takes about 35 minutes for the pizza to bake after you order it. Don’t try to pick it up, this is a fork and knife pizza. In my opinion, it’s the only acceptable fork and knife pizza. If you eat regular pizza with a fork and knife, you are either a grandma or a snooty prep.
When they deliver it to your table, they scoop a piece out and the cheese is dangling from the slice to the plate and they have to cut it on the side of your plate with a spatula. Words cannot explain how much cheese is on this. In all reality, it is really an unacceptable amount. The toppings were of good quality, and I really like their sauce. A sprinkle of oregano and red pepper flakes really bring it to life.
Would I Buy It Again? Yes. It is one of the most awesome foods in the country. So basic, yet so good. I have been going to Giordano’s for a long time while on the way to concerts and Bulls games growing up. At this point, I feel like I would be letting my family down if I was in Chicago and didn’t go to Giordano’s.
I have to admit though, ordering that much food at lunch was asinine. I had a ton of leftovers, therefore ate it in my hotel anytime I thought I was hungry. I think that I gained four pounds from this pizza. However, it was worth the time at the gym.
-wibia
Ale Emporium
8617 Allisonville Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46250
http://www.ale-emporium.com/
Ale Emporium has become a staple to Castleton dining and rightfully so, because it is really good bar food. They have been serving up quality food and craft beer since I have been in Indy (2001). I used to go there to get and Anchor Steam and a slice of pie. Not much has changed in the last decade.
We have talked about their Hermanaki wings. I love them, but I can’t figure out why they can’t make them cheaper than $18.50 for a large order. Their pizza rocks, lets chat…
What I Got: 10″ Pan Pizza ($10.50) and 14″ Pan Pizza ($19.00). This is a 10” with bacon and ham.
I didn’t in fact order this, my on-again/off-again friend Taco did. He is married now, so I will assume that this is the last pizza he will get with these toppings. With a diminishing man card, I have a feeling he will be adding veggies to his pizza. Time will tell.
They call this pan pizza, but I am more comfortable calling it Chicago Style. This is nothing like the pan style that you get at Pizza Hut. Crust, then meat, then cheese (a ton of it) and then sauce. Perfect.
When you have this amount of meat, the crust can get soggy from the oils and fat, but not here. Still a knife and fork pizza, but the crust held it’s consistency. The cheese was stringy enough that you had to cut it with the spatula when served on the plate.
The toppings were quality, the sauce was rich, but not too much because Chicago style is really about the cheese.
Would I Buy It Again? Yes. To all of their pizzas. No matter what crust you choose, you will be happy. Their pizza is outstanding. It is a cool place to chill and they have a great beer selection. However, don’t try to order a fancy drink.
And lets do this…
HALL OF FAME. Yeah, it has been a while. They have possibly the best wings in the city, a great beer list and one of the best traditional and Chicago style pizzas in the city. Plus, they have bands, and I give props to any bar that supports local music.
-wibia
Maria’s Pizza
1106 Prospect Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46203
http://www.mariasoriginalpizza.com
Maria’s Pizza is located in historic Fountain Square. They have been open since 1955, so I figured that they must be doing something right. Pre-show to see The Healing Sixes at Radio Radio, I decided to stop by and give it a try.
It was a Friday night and they had a piano player and a sax player knocking out jazz standards. I was digging that, and it’s a nice touch for a pizza joint. Tables were scattered around and there were a few couches by the fireplace as well. It seemed like there is a better seating arrangement to fit more people in. The place was pretty much full.
What I Ate: Medium Sausage and Pepperoni. I can’t remember the price specifically, but it was around $12-$13 range.
The pizza took 45 minutes to arrive. Plus, Maria’s does not serve alcohol. It is a rare occasion that I am out on a Friday night and there is not a drink in my hand for 45 minutes straight. Tragic. They were apologetic that it took so long and kind about the wait.
Toppings were strategically placed on the pizza. The sausage was tasty and didn’t feel like the normal mass produced chain sausage. The pepperoni was buried between the cheese and dark red sauce. Nothing special there. The crust was thin, but not foldy/bendy like NY Style. It was flaky/buttery and stiff-ish with very little bend. Not my favorite type of crust by any means.
Would I Buy It Again? Probably not. It surely wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t anything that I would travel for. I liked the jazz duo and the place was homey and friendly, I just didn’t love the pizza. Based on the audience and the recommendation from a friend, there are plenty of people that enjoy the pizza here and it is surely worth a try.
-wibia
