Maybe I need to do a better job of reading calendars as these two kind of snuck up on me… 

From September 6th through September 18th, you can take advantage of Northside Nights and Savor the Southside.  These events are similar to Devour Downtown where several restaurants are offering deals at the $30 price point. 

What’s interesting about these two events is that the participants aren’t just clumped together in one small geographic area like the downtown event.  These restaurants consist of establishments scattered across their loosely defined metro areas.  For example, Northside Nights consists of restaurants in Carmel, Castleton, Fishers, Geist, Noblesville and Zionsville. 

For your reference, we have reviewed several of these participating establishments.  Here’s the list:

Northside Nights

Claddagh Irish Pub

Daddy Jack’s #1

Daddy Jack’s #2

Eddie Merlot’s

Mitchell’s Fish Market

OAKLEYS bistro #1

OAKLEYS bistro #2

Peterson’s

Pizzology #1

Pizzology #2

Sahm’s Bar & Grill

Scotty’s Brewhouse #1

Scotty’s Brewhouse #2

Scotty’s Lakehouse

Stone Creek Dining

Savor the Southside

Augustino’s

Fireside Brewhouse

Stone Creek Dining

So, if you are looking to dine with a deal at some quality Northside or Southside establishments, check it out before it ends on the 18th.

-IndianapolisEater

Brozinni Pizzeria
8810 S. Emerson
Greenwood, IN 46237
http://www.Brozinni.net

After a trip to eat the Big Donut, Indianapolis Eater, mini-wibia and I needed to grab some lunch.   Smokin’ DB already reviewed Brozinni and I have heard rave reviews from a lot of people as well.   So, we made the quick jaunt down I-65 on a Sunday afternoon.

If you read the blog, you should know that I love pizza and New York pizza by the slice.  However, I am uber-critical of it and I think that Indy has some of the worst New York pizza that I have ever had.

What I Got:  One slice of sausage, mushroom and pepperoni,  $3.75.

The pizzas are twenty inches across and cut into six slices.  One slice should cure the average appetite, but I would probably down two if I didn’t just eat a twelve inch doughnut.

So how did it taste?  AWESOME!   The crust allowed for a perfect fold and held the ingredients well.   The sauce was very balanced and there was a good amount on it.  You could see full pieces of fennel in the sausage and the pepperoni was cut a little thicker than what you would get at some chains.

My only compliant is that they needed to push the toppings closer to the crust.   Other parts of the pizza looked better, but my slice was a little skimpy towards the edge.  However, it left some real estate for mini wibia to sample some a few small bites of crust and he enjoyed it as well.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes and it makes it on the the Hall of Fame.   This place is legit.  They have pizza by the slice everyday for lunch and you just can’t beat it.  Everything looked great and I am looking forward to going back for more.  It is a solid 45 minute drive for me and I am trying to figure out how to justify another visit.  If I am south of I-70…I am already starting to think about it…  ha…

-wibia

mini wibia loving Brozinni's

Brozinni Pizzeria
8810 S. Emerson
Greenwood, IN 46237
317-865-0911
http://www.Brozinni.net

I have been trying to get WIBIA for months to come on down to the southside and have a slice at Brozinni.  He hasn’t made it quite yet.  I wanted him to review the place because he has eaten a ton more pizza in Indy than I have, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to declare this the BEST Pizza in Indianapolis!  Think you have a better place?  I doubt it.  I know my sample size is relatively small, but I don’t think there could possibly be better New York-style pie in town.

Since I am from South Bend, the pizza that I grew up on was influenced by Chicago style; lots of big buttery crust and loads of toppings.  Or the hybrid hand-tossed crust of the legendary Bruno’s.  I didn’t’ become a fan of the thin crust New York style until just the past ten years or so when work obligations took me to NYC and I sampled the real stuff.

Brozinni isn’t just the real deal, it’s better than a lot of pizza that you will get in NYC thanks to the attention to detail.

What I had:  A slice of the “Canal Street” which is sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, onion and green peppers.  The menu doesn’t mention the eye of newt and fairy dust but I’m sure it’s on there because this pizza is magical.  A huge slice of crispy thin crust just begging to be folded over and devoured.  Yep, that’s a bite mission in the photo.  I couldn’t control myself.  More about that crust:  under a think carpet of toppings it has wonderful flavor with just the right amount of tangy tomato sauce.  No need to stuff the crust with cheese or smoother it in butter in order to make it edible.  This is crust so good it won’t be sitting abandoned on the plate while you grab the next slice as is the case with most pizza.

A word about toppings.  At Brozinni the vegetable toppings are all prepared in a small dice so that when they hit the pizza they seem to be more uniformly spread about the crust.  Even the pepperoni and sausage are on the smaller bite-size.  I like this.  A lot.  You’re going to get a blast of flavor from all of the elements of the pizza when you take a bite. 

Would I Buy It Again?  Everyday, all day. 

Two “Canal Street” slices, a cheese slice and two drinks for less than $15.00 and my wife, daughter and I walked out stuffed.  Truly excellent pizza and a great deal.

If you have a real hunger, I highly recommend the “Knuckles” appetizer.  Essentially they take a small rope of that wonderful pizza dough, tie it into a knot, bake ‘em and then smoother them in garlic butter.  What’s not to like?  I do try to limit myself on these since the term “Heart Attack on a Plate” comes to mind with every bite.

A couple of things to consider:  One, in general I think NY Style pizza doesn’t lend itself well to carry-out.  To me the thin crust is really susceptible to moisture and gets soggy during travel.  So I always eat in or better yet, hit Brozinni at lunch when I can order just a slice and get it hot and crispy.

Which leads me to my second point; this place is small.  They do have a guy at lunch bussing tables like a mad-man and he is really cool, but you may have to wait a few minutes particularly at lunch for table.  I do notice that Brozinni now has a location just two doors away from the eat-in joint that is carry-out only.  So they must be doing a good carry-out trade.

-Smokin DB

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
1231 US 31 North
Greenwood, IN 46142
317-881-3500
http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/

Actually attached to Greenwood Park Mall this chain outfit started out in SoCal as a Chicago style pizza joint presumably to satisfy the cravings of ex-pat Midwesterners.  It has now morphed into much more.  The pizza is still on the menu but so are a host of other dishes.  The menu is not as complex as Cheesecake Factory, but it is still pretty thick.  As an added bonus, they have some really good beer.  Although not brewed on-site, there is a great list of craft beers from Blondes to Reds, Porters and Stouts.  There are eight beers that are always available along with a couple of seasonal additions.  The staff explained to me that this particular location simply did not have room for the brew equipment.  So, the BJ’s branded brew is shipped in from another location.

What I Got: With a menu that looks like the phone book for a small town, making a selection can be tough.  For whatever reason, I was hooked by the Fish and Chips.  I guess it was Ash Wednesday so that had something to do with my selection.

Big planks of Pacific Cod breaded and deep fried utilizing BJ’s Blonde in the batter along with thinly cut French Fries.  Yes, this might sound like a bit of grease overload, but honestly, this was awesome stuff.  Neither the fish nor the fries were the least bit greasy.  Fried foods don’t necessarily have to be greasy.  Proper oil temperature and good batter results in good food.   The batter was crunchy and had the slightest hint of beer flavor, which is always a good thing in my book.  With a splash of Malt Vinegar the perfectly cooked large flakes of Cod were shoveled down in no time.  The fries were good too but really the fish was the star of this show, ah, I mean plate.

Would I Buy It Again?  You bet! This wasn’t cheap.  It was $11.25 for the fish in chips plus the beers and app and my bill was over $20.00 per person.   But, this wasn’t the fish and chips that your average Knights of Columbus is frying up on Fridays this time of year.

-Smokin DB

Roscoe’s Tacos
642 S. Madison Ave
Greenwood, IN 46142

So you are probably seeing a trend. Tacos, pizza, burgers and some nice restaurants in between. No matter how full I am, I always have room for a slice of pie or a taco.

What I Ate: 2 Paul Bunyons and a drink $4.99 Instead of saying small or large tacos, Butch Cassidy is a small, Paul Bunyon is a large. Go figure?

I had to get the ground beef because it was a special. Shredded chicken was my other choice of protein. Ground beef was basically sautéed beef in a mild chili sauce. I didn’t taste notes of cumin, chili powder like I normally would expect. It was very plain. The taco had sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and onions. No black olives for me, nasty.

By the pickup counter, there is a selection of 6 sauces in squirt bottles, this was a nice touch. I tried mild, Too Darn Hot and Smokin’. I like Smokin’ the best as it was a nice balance of flavor and heat. No green sauce to be found.

Would I Buy It Again? No. I rank it high on a value factor, but was average on taste. It lacked authenticity and originality. They are the tacos that I grew up, the kind a mom used to make, but I have moved on.

Instead: Brush up on your Espanol and head to Taqueria Guanajuato on 31st and Shadeland. Loud music, fresh food and bold flavors that will take you right to the border. Indy is full of great Taqueria’s, feel free to list your favorite

Pictured Above:  A Paul Bunyon

-WIBIA