Wings Etc.
10491 Walnut Creek Dr
Carmel, IN 46032
http://www.wingsetc.net/index.html

Is it just Indy, or are there a ton of wing joints around now?   Wing’s Etc. advertises bigger wings, but otherwise, I am not really sure what there value prop is beyond that.   Both IndianapolisEater and I are proud members of their Wall of Flame eating contest.   My wife loves wings and I really think that it is her favorite food, which if you knew her, you would not think that was the case.   For lunch, wings sounded good and I knew that she would be down.

What I Got:  Wings Etc. has lunch specials for $5.99.  I went with the half pound jumbo wings which are seven wings and chose curly fries as my side.   I tried the Medium sauce on the wings and my wife the Tweener (one step hotter).

I liked the wings quite a bit and found them slightly larger than Buffalo Wild Wings.   They are fried with very little/no breading on them.  My medium sauce was not very spicy at all, and I would say that it is mild.  The Tweener sauce that my wife ordered was both of our favorites.   I actually liked it quite a bit and it stuck to the wings better than the medium did.

The curly fries tasted like any other curly fries that I have had, but these were made to order and there were a ton of them.  It was one of those days where they just hit the spot.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes.  I gave them a No on my first review (different location), but when they have 10+ sauces there are some that I am sure that I won’t like.  This was actually pretty good and afforadable as well.   I walked away pleasantly surprised.

What made me laugh though is that they say, “Upgrade to Boneless for Free!”   Ha.  Boneless is a downgrade in my book.  It is beyond me why boneless wings are so popular.  They are chicken nuggets folks!!

-wibia

Greek Tony’s Pizza and Sub Shop
1732 East 116^th Street
Carmel, IN 46032

For a year, I rented a place near Tony’s and I frequently visited for my ritual Friday night pizza.  Although it does not make my list of top 2-3 pizza places, it is a solid local choice offering a good variety of pizzas that are heavily covered with toppings and a good thin crust.  Although I always carry out, the inside is very casual with a dated décor including checkered table coverings and environment that just does not feel all that clean.  You serve yourself your own drinks and the only service is someone dropping your food off at your table making Tony’s a carry-out destination for me.  On this trip to Tony’s, I decided to try a couple of subs from their large range of choices.

What I Ate:

Tony’s subs can be ordered as a half ranging in price from $4.30-$4.90 or a whole usually around $9.

Stromboli Sub (half):  I am always on the lookout for a good Stromboli and recently had a good one that I reviewed at Lennie’s in Bloomington, Indiana.  The Stromboli at Tony’s was a more traditional Stromboli on a soft white bread that tasted so fresh that it reminded me of bread made in house even though Tony’s does not seem like the kind of place that would make their own.  The Stromboli had a heavy layer of Italian Sausage that had good seasoning and was ground to the texture that I like on a Stromboli.  Although the ingredients listed green peppers and onion, there was so little on the sub that the meat overpowered any taste the vegetables may have given.  The sub had a thin layer of cheese that was sufficient but the sub was very dry with only a small amount of red sauce.  All of this combined with the sub being served lukewarm on a day when they were not busy left me disappointed.

Italian Sub (half):  Although I favor a good cold Italian sub, on this day I decided to try Tony’s toasted version.  Like the Stromboli, this sub was served lukewarm at best.  I tasted the meats individually on this sub in an effort to try and determine what they actually were and what kind of quality they had individually.  I believe the meat on the top in the picture is a Capicola which comes from the shoulder or neck and usually packs nice flavor as a fattier meat.  The quality was low missing most of the flavor that one would enjoy from a good Capicola.  Below that was just a basic pepperoni and my least favorite meat, bologna.  A good quality bologna has potential but this was just some average process bologna you could buy anywhere.

Under the meat was a heavy layer of head lettuce, which for me is always a big turn off.  If that wasn’t bad enough, some of it was turning brown as it was clearly on its last day.  Under all the ingredients was a layer of what must have been 5-6 tablespoons of mayo that shot out from all sides when I took my first bite completely overpowering any other ingredient on the sub making it almost tasteless.  I have had some bad subs over the years but this one ranked among the worst I have ever had and I ended up throwing almost all of it out even after scraping off a good amount of the mayo.  Where were the onions or some vinegar and oil like you find on a good Italian like you might get at Jersey Mike’s?  Dreadful!

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes for pizza, but no for Tony’s subs. When the best part of your meal is the bread, much like the breadsticks at Olive Garden, it is not saying much for the product.  The subs were lukewarm at best when served and either had too much in condiments or too little sauce in the case of the Stromboli, and lack proportional distribution of ingredients as any good sub should have.  If you visit Tony’s, stick with the pizza.

-EatHSE

Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Pizza
Clay Terrace Mall
14402 Clay Terrace Blvd, Ste 150
Carmel, IN
http://www.tonysaccos.com

Florida based Tony Sacco’s is brand new to Indy.  It was on my list to try, but somewhere in the middle.   BigRedEater and I grabbed a weekday lunch to give it a try. If you look at their website, they bring in coal from PA and filter the water separately for the crust.  Overall, it looks like they pay attention to all the details.

What We Ate:  Garlic Rotolis $5, Caesar Salad $7, Pepperoni Pizza $12.00.

The garlic rotolis were highly recommended for our server, so we would give them a try.  Eight Rolls, olive oil, garlic and basil dipping sauce.  The fat part of the rolls was about as big as a squash ball.  As far as the taste….eh.  Nothing to talk about.  There was a lot of oil and it was really too much.  A few of them were stuck together, so that makes me think that they were pre-made and then torn apart?  Now that I am writing the review, I realized that we didn’t receive any of the basil dipping sauce.  They really need a sauce…and about 3 tablespoons less oil.

This is how they were served as well, just tossed in the bowl…

Caesar salad was a base of romaine lettuce with Romano cheese and Caesar dressing and a few crostinis.  What I did like is that the salad was lightly dressed and the dressing was not the heavy thick out of the bottle stuff.  However, not a lot going on here.  It was a good size, but very little flavor.  Fresh pepper was not an option, though it would’ve been nice.  You can add chicken for $3.00 more, no thanks.

A small pizza is 12”.  $10.50 to start for a small, then toppings are $1.50 extra.  Specialty pizzas are $15.95 for a small.  The menu states that the sauce is homemade and the cheese is a mozzarella/romano cheese mix topped with olive oil and basil.  When the pizza arrived, I expected to see the black marks of a coal oven pizza, but that was not the case here.  The slices had a nice fold to them, but I found the pizza to be about a minute under cooked.  The dough was finished, but it just lacked crispiness.

I didn’t love the pizza.  It wasn’t bad, but there was nothing about it that I couldn’t find anywhere else.  They have all the right elements going into the pizza, but it just doesn’t transfer to the final product.

Would I Buy It Again?   No. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t spit out the food, but this meal didn’t leave any memorable moments.  The total bill was around $30 for lunch for two.  I can’t say that the food validated the price tag.  They do not have a lunch menu, so if you want pizza, you are stuck ordering a $13 pizza and assume that the other person wants what you do.  Let me be clear when I say that the business lunch crowd does not want to be roped into buying an entire pizza.

I have to admit, the service was quite good though.  Very attentive and friendly.  Honestly, I am interested to hear other people’s opinions.

-wibia

Bella Pizzeria
3855 E. 96th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
http://www.thebellapizza.com/

I’ve been on a big pizza by the slice kick recently and being that this place was close to my office, I decided to stop by for lunch one Friday.  Bella Pizzeria is a New York-style pizzeria and has a variety of slices, breadsticks, calzones, etc.   In addition to traditional New York-style thin crust, they also have thick crust pizza as well.

Anytime Special

What I Got:  Anytime Special; one slice of pizza with two breadsticks $6.49 ($7.07 with tax)

As you can see above, I elected the sausage, mushroom and pepperoni combination (my favorite pizza combination, by the way).  The toppings on the pizza were plentiful and tasty, although it did seem that the mushrooms were the canned variety which is a negative.  Despite that, this was a decent tasting slice of pizza.  The only issue with the slice was that the crust was not all that pliable, so when I tried to fold it in half like your customary New York-style pizza, it broke in half.  A definite fail there.

The breadsticks I chose were pepperoni stuffed breadsticks (they also had regular and cheese stuffed) and they were very filling.  Tastewise, they were only mediocre as they were overwhelmed with dough and did not have enough pepperoni and cheese stuffing.  The marinara dipping sauce was also very runny, although it did have a very good and sweet taste.  If it had been a little thicker, this would have been one of the best marinara sauces that I had ever had at a pizza joint.

Would I Buy It Again?  I guess so, but only because it was filling, I like New York-style pizza and it is close to my office.  The prices were a little high for my liking, but in terms of getting something like this for lunch, I guess this will do.  That’s not a ringing endorsement, so if you have other alternatives nearby to where you are that would allow you to get New York-style pizza, I would recommend giving those a shot before you try this one.

FYI, they also have locations at Hamilton Town Center and Clay Terrace Mall.

-IndianapolisEater

Pizzology continues to be the next big thing and based on this visit, it may stay that way for a while.  My first visit was on opening night and I loved it.  Take away the honeymoon period and would I still feel the same way?

What I Ate:

Daily Risotto – $8. Broccoli Rabe with Wild Mushroom.

I am sure that I can find a more articulate way to say it (maybe not), but when my wife asked me how it was, my response – “the bomb.”  It was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right.  I thought the portion was pretty generous, we quartered it and you can see my portion.  Question, what stock was used for the risotto because it was a lot darker than the majority of risottos that I have had?

On to the pizza.  IMO, four people = two pizzas here with usually a few slices to take home.  $13 each.

Pizza Bianca:

Lombardy: Prosciutto, Arugula, Smoked Mozzarella, Parmesan Reggiano

I really enjoyed both of these pizzas.   The Lombardy matched a salty prosciutto with the peppery arugula and the smoky cheese and that is a perfect triple play of deep flavors.  It was really good and I thought there were a generous amount of toppings considering the price.

Old Kentucky Rome: Kentucky Cured Prosciutto, Roasted Figs, Taleggio

I have tried four pizzas at Pizzology and the Old Kentucky Rome is now my favorite.  Really, really good.  I am still craving it.  I really dislike figs, but they just worked here.  This is where you need to have a little faith, go with it – and later be glad that you did.

If you are considering a white pizza, lets be clear, it is not alfredo sauce.  Think more of an oil that is recycled from pan drippings from the toppings.  Also, I would recommend that you try one of each,  one red sauce and one white sauce.  Though they are both good separately, I would never order this combo (2 white) again as they were too close in flavors.  Their pastas are hard to pass up as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes. It is cliche to say – believe the hype, but I almost want to say it.  I also don’t want to say that it is the best pizza in the city (because I have yet to try all of them), but I can’t think of any pizza place that I enjoy more.

-wibia

Pizzology Pizzeria & Pub
13190 Hazel Dell Parkway
Carmel, IN 46033

For you out of town readers, Pizzology is Neal Brown’s heavily anticipated pizzeria.  Neal’s last restaurant, L’explorateur was the food equivalent to the scene in Back to the Future where Marty plays Johnny B Goode.  Neal of course playing the part of Marty McFly and Indianapolis diners playing the part of teenagers at the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance.  Okay, I know I am generalizing, but you get the drift, right?

I can ramble for a while, but understand that a crazy talented individual has a new home.  Let’s skip to the food.  Warning…pics are lame; I needed more light!  Also, if you are looking for a Pizzology menu, hours, phone number or website online…well, I can’t find them either.

Salad heavy starters will begin the menu.  I was with family so I had the chance to try a little of this and that.

Starters:

Daily Zuppa $3.  White Bean Stew.

It was described as vegetarian friendly and it tasted like it.   Flavors were clean and well balanced.  The white beans, celery and carrots fit the season well and I enjoyed it.

Chop Salad $4 - Romaine, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola, Tomato, Citronette.

Again, very clean though it was dressed a little light and I missed the acidity.  I didn’t dislike this salad, but would order the Grilled Romaine before I revisited the Chop Salad.

Chop... with about 1/2 of it finished!

Tony’s Fritters $8 - Two Zucchini Fritters with Parmesan Reggiano and Truffle Oil.

 The clear winner out of all the starters.  Crab cake sized fritters that left me wanting more.  I specifically enjoyed the contrast in textures, between the soft and hard cheeses and the meaty zucchini.  It was perfect in a lot of ways and so outside of what I would expect to eat before a pizza…but it just worked.

Pizza:

Simple formula:  $13 for 13″ pizza.  Eight Pizza Rossa and five Pizza Bianca to choose from.   I love a white pizza, but we opted for red sauce.  You could build your own as well.

Homemade Sausage - Fennel, Onion, Fennel Sausage, Roasted Sweet Pepper

Sausage is my favorite pizza topping and this didn’t disappoint.  They have a good command over red sauce, no doubt about it.  The pizza was served with shaved fennel in the middle and it made a pretty striking presentation (for pizza that is).

My only recommendation would be to have bigger pieces of sausage.  There was good coverage on the pizza, but it was difficult to isolate the taste of the sausage.  I would like to try a spicy option with this as well.  Overall, this pizza was top shelf.

Pepperoni –  Pepperoni, Mozzarella

Executing and perfecting basics is so important in my book.  Continued emphasis on quality and freshness.  The sauce was a little sweet, but my wife loved this pizza.  Pepperoni pizza can quickly become a salty/greasy mess, but that was not the case here.

Pasta:

Pappardelle & Bolognese $15.00 (there is a $7.00 portion as well)

Wow!!  Truly one of the best pastas that I have had at a restaurant.  So simple, yet so good.  It was good enough to call the joint Pastaology.  Instead of a ground beef, think pulled pork-esque meat sauce.  My favorite item of the meal.  It was scarfed down before we thought about taking a pic!

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, easily and frequently. Strong emphasis on quality, seasonal, local ingredients and even beer selections leaned towards local brews.  There is a lot to be said with that sentence alone.

I thought the prices were in line with what I received…a lot more value than I would’ve guessed going into a “gourmet” pizza place.  The interior was comfortable and I thought the renovation from prior Goodfellas was very tasteful and it made a lot of sense to open the room.

Long story short, the pizza met expectations and they are as good as the hype.  The Zucchini Fritter reminded me that there are more choices than bread sticks and the pasta came out of nowhere to steal the show.

Done rambling…I have leftovers in the fridge to tend to.

-wibia

Amber Indian Restaurant
12510 N Meridian St.
Carmel, IN 46032
Website

I have been getting into Indian food more. I have cycles where I eat a ton of Italian, Indian, Thai, Chinese, etc. and right now, it is Indian food. Keep in mind, Mexican and pizza never fall out of the rotation

A food friend of mine said that I should try Amber. They have a lunch buffet, so I thought that this would be a perfect time to stop by and try out a few items at once.

The lunch buffet is $7.99 weekdays and $8.99 weekends. You can usually find a $1.00 off coupon at the majority of the Indy coupon sites.

Pretty standard offerings here. Palak paneer, Lamb curry, chicken curry, onion pakora, tandori chicken, butter chicken, nav rattan and about 5 -7 other items. They also have a salad bar that didn’t speak to my appetite.

The butter chicken was pretty good and I had seconds. The garlic naan was also pretty tasty.  Otherwise, I was pretty unimpressed across the board. Lamb curry had a ton of bones in it, you really had to work to get them all out. Onion Pakora wasn’t fresh enough and the tandori chicken lacked flavor.

Would I Buy It Again? No. If someone else wanted to go, I probably would go again and just hack away at the butter chicken. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but I felt as if they didn’t care enough about the food to make it really good. Then again, where should I set the bar at a $7.99 buffet?!   Service was really attentive here, so much so that I couldn’t snap a good pic!

Taj of India has a buffet, so I think that I will try that next.

-WIBIA

Grille 39
11925 N. Meridian Street
Carmel, Indiana

Restaurants at hotels usually are good or really bad, most are bad.  We had a short window to go to dinner so I decided to go to Grille 39 based on a lunch recommendation from a co-worker, proximity to our house and I had a coupon for $20 off.

The meal started with an amuse-buoche of a sliced pork tenderloin on a spoon.  It was an odd presentation and the piece was a little big for one bite.  The pork seemed a little dry and I wasn’t all that impressed.  We should’ve left at that point.

I then ordered the Thai Seared Ahi Tuna.  3 tiny pieces placed on a papaya salad and a sweet chili lime sauce.  The sauce was extremely sweet and it took away the little flavor that the tuna had.  This was not sashimi grade tuna as well, low grade.  $11 was a total rip off.

Since I had a $20 off coupon, I ordered the $30 14 oz. Ribeye.  So far the meal was pretty bad and I am not sure why I thought that ordering the most expensive thing on the menu was a good idea.  Then again, I rarely get up from playing blackjack on a bad table until I run out of cash.

The ribeye was cooked to my spec (rare+ is how I roll), however this once again lacked quality.  If I had to guess the grade, it was low level Choice or even select.  Regardless, definitely not a $30 steak.  You can choose a side with the steak and I went with the parmesan-onion hash brown.  They were okay at best.  The problem is, they sat my steak on top of the crispy potatoes and the juice from my steak made the hash browns soggy.  Sautéed veggies were included, buy they were covered in oil and I decided to pass.

My wife ordered the Rigatoni with Fennel $20 and that was dog shit as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  No. This is the reason I started the blog, to tell everyone about places that suck. The menu sounded great, the hotel is pretty nice and the restaurant is as well.  The person next to us tried to order a bottle of Cab and they were out.   Out of Cab?!?!?  I will admit, our server was attentive and she did a great job.  I would recommend that she looks for a new gig.

-WIBIA