96^th Street Steakburgers
Indianapolis Airport Location
http://www.96thstreetsteakburgers.com/index.cfm

Let’s face it, a good burger is difficult to beat. There is no greater disparity between two things of the same name than a good burger and a bad burger.   I haven’t talked about 96^th Street Steakburgers since I first reviewed it in April of 2009.   People left a good amount of comments and I discovered you either love it or hate it.

What I Ate:  Double  Steakburger Combo; about $6.50

Toasted bun, awesome pickle, crunchy lettuce, cheese, tomato and secret sauce.  It is a great burger.  Nothing fancy, just consistent and always amazing.  I really enjoyed the pickles and the crispy edges on the burger.  They offer a triple, but I think that the double is the perfect ratio.

I originally ripped the milkshake, but it has grown on me.  I am not sure I would say if it is the best in the city, but if you say it is your favorite, I would not argue with you.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes.  This is easily my favorite burger in the city under $8 and I might go as far as saying that it my favorite in the city regardless of price. I go there about once a month.  Before you start bitching about the fries, I like those too.  My wife has tried the Taco Burger and The Southwest and both of those are phenomenal as well.

I also think that it is a great value.   A $5.00 combo meal from McDonald’s or this?   Not even close my friends.  They had a Crusader Deals Coupon and when Crusader Deals went out of business and they still honored my coupon.  Awesome customer service as well.

I am repeating myself, but I really, really enjoy the burger here.

-wibia

Imperial Palace
5510 Lafayette Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46254
http://www.imperialpalacechinese.com/

Indianapolis has some exceptional ethnic food; however, Chinese food is one of the weaker links.  I am always trying to find a place that elevates beyond the strip mall China Garden #98 type of place that has coupons on the menu.   I check Yelp and Urbanspoon form time to time and the ratings for Imperial Palace were rather high and it was consistent that this is not your average strip mall Chinese restaurant.  Erin form Indianapolis Restaurant Scene joined my wife and me to investigate.

What I Ate:  Hot and Sour Soup, General Tso Chicken, Yum Yum Chicken.  All on the lunch menu at around $6.00.

The lunch menu is somewhat limited.  There are about twelve choices, most of them chicken or veggie dishes.   When looking through the menu, it looked like every other run of the mill Chinese place.  I decided to start off with Hot and Sour Soup (see above).

It is a huge portion of soup and served really hot (temperature).  The soup was too thick for my taste and too peppery.  It wasn’t horrible, but I would never order it again.

Next up was General Tso Chicken. I would usually not order this to judge a Chinese place on, but since I could try two other things, and it sounded good at the time, I figured why not?  Way too much sauce and it reminded me of something that you could get at Panda Express. Next..

My wife tried the Yum Yum chicken.  We asked the owner what it was and he said, “it is very yummy.” Gotcha.  He was actually right.   This is a really good version of what you would get on a toothpick in the Castleton Mall Food Court.   The chicken was lightly fried and reminded me of a Bourbon Chicken.

Would I Buy it Again?   No.  The owner was very charismatic and seemed like a nice little family place. I have had worse, but I have had better.   One a ten point scale, I would give it a six because it is clean and I enjoyed the service (including the Sinatra soundtrack).   It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t the authentic experience that I was looking for.

-wibia

Szechwan Garden
3649 Lafayette Road
Indianapolis, IN 46222

I will admit, part of me wants to move to Lafayette Square because of the food.  I was desperately looking for an authentic experience and my pal Erin at Indianapolis Restaurant Scene mentioned Szechwan Garden.  It was a rainy Tuesday night and there were only about four tables occupied.  This place is huge: they have to be able to seat two hundred easily.  The menu was equally as huge.  There are probably over three hundred items on the menu. Many of the items are pretty adventures: chicken feet, pig intestines, you name it.

What I Got:  Dumplings; $4.00. Salt and Pepper Seafood; $12.00. Beef Chow Fun; $8.00.

The pork dumplings were served in a somewhat spicy, oily sauce.  The flavor was exceptional and the dumplings were cooked perfectly.  There were a lot of sesame seeds in the sauce and I thought that added a bit of texture to the dish.

The Beef Chow Fun was flat and thick rice noodles.   I thought that this dish was a touch bland, but really well done.  I was really impressed with the quality of the beef and would definitely order more beef dishes when I return.

The Salt and Pepper Trio was awesome; fried shrimp, scallops, and squid. There was a thin covering of breading that lived up to the “salt” part of the name. The garnish was red pepper, green onion and bread crumbs.   The seafood was perfectly fried and one of the best single dishes I have had in a while.  Really simple, but really good.

Would I Buy It Again?   Yes, in fact, I can’t wait until I go again. I would hate to give the award of best Chinese in the city after one meal, but will say that this was the best meal I have had in a while.  There are so many new things to try that I can’t imagine that I will get sick of it.   The service was friendly and proud.  Stop reading and go right now.

-wibia

Keystone Sports Review
5602 N. Keystone Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220

This is my second visit to KSR and I surely thought that I wrote about my first visit, but I did not. I had the special that day for lunch, a tenderloin club. Basically, take a club sandwich and replace the ham with a fried pork tenderloin. I wish that I had a picture of it somewhere. It was awesome and one of the better tenderloins that I have ever tasted.

Anyway, we dropped in for dinner on a weeknight and I was really looking forward to my return visit. For a random Thursday night without a key basketball game, it was pretty busy. I was worried about how they were doing as it was notoriously known as a heavy smoking bar, but the smoking ban appears to have very little effect on business.

What I Ate: Half order of breaded mushrooms; $3.49. Their Famous Wings (20 piece bucket); $11. Fish sandwich; $7.00

If someone asked me where the best breaded mushrooms are in town, I would easily say Sahm’s. Now, I have to say Sahm’s and KSR. These mushrooms were perfect. Hand breaded, friend and served with ranch. They were pretty salty and didn’t’ require additional seasoning. The batter-to-mushroom ratio is dead on. Their ranch dressing is good as well and I believe that it is homemade, but I will admit that I prefer the horseradish sauce that Sahm’s serves with their mushrooms. I am sure they would swap out the ranch for any other sauce that they have.

KSR is known for their wings. I love wings, I really do. As much as I have enjoyed some of the finest food on this earth, you just can’t beat good fried chicken, pizza and burritos. KSR offers about eight different sauces with their wings, I decided to go with hot and the dry rub.

Out of the two, I preferred the dry rub, but it was close. Catch me tomorrow and I would prefer the hot wings. To my taste, the dry rub has a good amount of seasoned salt in it, if that is not your thing, then stay away. The sauce on the hot wings were as advertised. Spicy, but didn’t detonate your taste buds. I always think that hot wing sauce either slants to tobacco or Frank’s Red Hot and I think that these slant more towards some of the hot sauces that are Louisiana based. I could be wrong, but just what I was picking up. The wings were some of the meatiest that I have had in a while as well. For the price, you can’t beat this.

The bleu cheese dressing is among the finest in the city. It is the thickest bleu cheese that I have ever run into and it is perfect.

My fiancée tried the fish sandwich. I specifically asked if it was battered in house and it was. Fried fish on a hoagie road with that awesome batter form the mushrooms. It was a great piece of thick and meaty fish. She ordered the fries and we both wish they were a little crispier, but they reminded me of what you would get at Penn Station. However, the fries were hand cut andwe  appreciated that.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes, easily. I will start every meal off at KSR with the mushrooms. I wouldn’t argue with anyone if they said that KSR has the best wings in the city as I think that you would be hard pressed to find a bigger meatier wing at that price point. Use this rule, if it goes in the deep fryer, get it.

The bottom line is, KSR is a hole in the wall bar with homemade food. They could easily take everything out of a frozen bag and half ass it, but they don’t. The service staff is friendly and they take pride in their food. It might not be a place that I would take a first date, but if you want something fried and a cold bucket of Miller High Life, this is your place.

-wibia

Bakersfield Mass Ave
334 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
http://www.bakersfieldmassave.com/

Bakersfield Mass Ave opened in the last month and I had to try it out.  Mostly because if there is any restaurant that mirrors me, it is Bakersfield.   Tacos, whiskey and outlaw music.  The restaurant is in the former Bazbeaux space on Mass Ave.   Saturday night wait was around 25 minutes and it was packed.

During the wait, I went straight to the bar.    After standing there for about 5 minutes without being acknowledged, I decided to try the bar downstairs.   Downstairs, the bartender acknowledged me, but then decided to do other things for the next 5 minutes.   I walked away and sent my fiancée, as I have learned that blondes can get drinks from male bartenders a lot quicker than guys.   We had drinks within two minutes.

What I Ate:

The limited menu is based around food that you can use your hands with.  Chips and dips, tortas and tacos.   We ordered Chips and Queso; $5.00 (picture above).

I though the queso was good and tended to be more authentic than most.  However, it lacked the creamy consistency of the white cheese that you might be familiar with at the El Rodeo/La Hacienda-style restaurants of the world. I really liked it when we added some of the red and green salsa on the table to the queso to bring some smokiness of the red salsa or the fresh cilantro taste of the green salsa.   The chips were strong enough for dipping, but not as stiff as a dancing Carlton.  (Fresh Prince fans got that…)

Time for tacos.  Mole; $4.00, Fish; $4.00, Rajas; $5.00.

The mole taco was my favorite.   White meat chicken, pickled red onions, queso fresco and cilantro.  The chicken had a wonderful smoky flavor.  I would’ve liked this a little bit better with dark meat, but I know that I am probably in the minority.

The fish taco is fried fish, with a crispy slaw.  I liked the flavors of this, but the fish was not crispy as advertised.

The Rajas taco was the least successful.  Poblano, fresno,  and bell peppers, ejotes (green beans), queso fresco, and cilantro.   I am not sure if this was made correctly.  It mentioned cheese, but there was very little on the taco itself.  It was in desperate need of cream or cheese.

The Short Rib Torta ($9.00) was quite good.  Braised short rib, caramelized onion, Chihuahua cheese, arugula, black beans, roasted tomatillo salsa.   I couldn’t taste the black beans at all.  The arugula added pepper to the sandwich.  I really liked the bread and that it was toasted a bit.    It wasn’t uniquely Mexican, but it was a winner.

Would I Buy It Again?   Sure.  I would like a lot more torta options, especially since I thought the short rib torta was by far and away the best dish of the night.  The tacos are not the best or worst that I have had.

Though I didn’t spend a lot of time on drinks, they make a good margarita and have the best variety of bourbons in town.  I appreciated the soundtrack of Allman Brothers, Old Crowe Medicine Show, and liked Calpton’s “Blues Power.”

If you are looking for a place to throw down some whiskey or $2.00 PBR, grab some chips and salsa with a young crowd, welcome home.   If you are looking for an epicurean experience in authentic Mexican street food for your date night, hop along cowboy.

-wibia

Delicia
5215 N. College Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
https://www.facebook.com/DeliciaIndy

With the intent of full disclosure: this was the first night of a soft opening.  This meal happened within the first thirty minutes of the restaurant being open.  I have argued (publicly) with chefs that I can review a place in the first month.   First, because this is America.  Second, because you turned on the  “Open” sign and you want me to pay full price…the expectation is not that you are using my money to figure out what you are doing.  Off my soapbox.

The interior of Delicia is woody chic. The seats are comfortable and you can get away with wearing jeans or a suit.  Most importantly, it is nice enough that you have confidence that they know what they are doing and you should.   Delicia is part of the Usual Suspects, Casba, Northside Social, Northside Kitchenette and Village Cigar Bar empire.

What I Ate:   A ton of tasty Latin food.  To be fair, the meal was comped, but we paid for our own drinks.  I was pretty proud of that bill.  At first glance, it looked to be the same total price as a meal.

Things started off with an amuse buche of Sancoch, which is a traditional soup that had familiar hints of tortilla soup.  I thought it was a bit salty, but that’s how I like soup.   I liked this touch and it left me thinking that we would have big flavors the rest of the night.

Appetizers:

Queso Fundido Con Chorizo; $10.00.  Big flavors again.  This was served with tortillas which should be the way queso fundido should be.  However, some people might expect chips.   I really liked the tomatillo-poblano sauce and thought about how I would like that on a carnitas taco.  My only issue is that the meat-to-cheese ratio favored meat and was a touch runny.   The flavor and spiciness were dead on though.

Sopes De Pato; $8.00.  Smoking Goose Duck brought this to another level.  It is served with a tomato habanero sauce, cilantro lime cream and masa cups.  I loved these.   Loved them.  They were a bit spicy, but the cream cooled that down a little bit.  I will order these every time.

Cured Salmon Ceviche; $11.00.  Salmon, avocado, jalepeno fired capers, lemon-mustard aioli.  I would be tempted to call this a salmon salad instead of an acidic ceviche. I liked it, but I missed a contrast in consistency– soft salmon, soft capers, soft avocado.  This makes sense, as the dish is served with crunchy chips, but that didn’t solve it for me.  I liked the balance in flavors, but there was a little too much mayo for my liking.  Good, but not on my must have list.

Salads:

Harvest Salad; $12.00. This salad was roasted seasonal veggies, carrots, radish, figs and herbed goat cheese.   Twelve dollars is a bit spicy for a salad that will probably proceed and entree, but it is probably among the favorite salads I’ve had.  The Goat Cheese Mousse was insane.  If Subway had this, I might even eat there.  Seriously, get this.

Entrees:

Tapou; $21.00.  My fiance tried the Tapou.   Red snapper in coconut milk stew, white rice and seasonal veggies.  This is one of the best twenty entrees in the city.  I wouldn’t change a thing about it.  The coconut stew reminded me on the consistency of a good curry.  It was perfect. I will make sure that it is on the table every time that I go to Delicia.

Short Rib and Ancho Salsa; $17.00.  I decided to go to a heavier meat because it was freezing outside and I was on my secondnd bourbon.  The Short Rib with Ancho Salsa once again proved that the chef knows what he is doing.  I liked that the yuca mash that was subtlety sweet.  My only issue is that I didn’t love the Ancho Salsa.  I was looking for it to be a little smokier, but it held some of the fruity notes of an ancho pepper.  Otherwise, the beef was cooked perfectly and there was a lot to like.

Dessert:

Platinum Bake; $7.00.  The Plantain Bake proved the kitchen still had some rabbits in its hat.   Vanilla cookies, walnuts, goat cheese caramel, plantains, and ice cream.  What is there not to like?

I would order this again.  It tasted like something I would crave in the fall.

Churrros and chocolate.  Boring right?   Nope.  The churros had a hint of nutmeg and the ancho-chocolate sauce was more tart than I thought it would be, but I liked it quite a bit.  If you paired these with a cup of coffee, you would be happy.  I paired it with a third bourbon and that worked as well.

Would I Buy It Again?    Yes!   Quite simply, this was one of the better meals (in Indy) that I have had in a while.    It is unique and one of the few restaurants that can offer a good meal in the $16-$24 price point.   The service was so good that I forgot that this was the first night of service. Our server, Chris, took great care of us.

I walked away thinking that this is a perfect place for a first date as it will be a good test.   If your date doesn’t get it, then break up with her/him so she can go to Weber Grill or PF Changs with some sucka that doesn’t get it!

Delicia is the real deal. If it was this good on the first night, there is no telling what they are capable of in the future.

-wibia

Pei Wei Asian Diner
6159 N. Keystone Avenue, Suite 100
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.peiwei.com/index.aspx

This is my second visit to Pei Wei, my first was in Nashville, Tennessee in 2004.

When Pei Wei was announced a few years back, I was pretty excited about it.  However, not that excited because it took me a few years to get there.  There is really no reason it took me this long.   I didn’t hate it the first time.   Basically, when I am in Glendale, I usually go to somewhere in Broad Ripple.  Odd location, but I am sure there is a reason.

For the record, I am not a fan of PF Changs.

What I Ate: Dan Dan Noodles and Mongolian Beef; both were around $6-$7.

Mongolian Beef is a go to for me when I am not really sure what I want.  I never had a version that I hated so I played it safe.  Then again, how crazy could you get at Pei Wei?  This dish had a lot of problems.   Primarily, the noodles.  They were way too soft and mushy.  Pretty bad actually.  The scallions were cut as long as my ring finger.   I can’t say that it really helped the presentation, but the problem was trying to eat them because if you didn’t cut them, it was too much scallion.  The meat was okay, although there was not enough of it, but it was fine.

My fiancés Dan Dan Noodles faired better.  The noodle had more texture than mine and I liked the crunchy texture of the bean sprouts and cucumbers.   The chili seared soy sauce had a touch of spice, but not enough to validate the spicy note that was on the menu.   A good combination of flavors and textures.

Would I Buy It Again?  I don’t know.   No to the Mongolian Beef for sure.  This is the Noodles and Company of Chinese food.   For the money, I like it better than Panda Express.  I actually like it better than paying more money for questionably better product at PF Changs.  For the price, it is a buck or two more than a combo meal and you get a ton of food.  Honestly enough to make two meals out of it.

The problem is that one dish was awful and the other was decent.   I am sure that I will give it another try sometime in 2013 and report back.  If so, what should I order?

-wibia

Twenty Tap
5408 N College Avenue
Indianapolis, In 46220
http://www.twentytap.com/

In my opinion, it makes a lot of sense for a local brewer to open a bar.   A great palate knows what people like to drink.  I feel like the conversation of opening a bar is primarily focused on drinks and food just might take 15% of the conversation.   Of that 15%, 10% is based around a deep fryer.   Which in my world, is not always a bad thing.

Twenty Tap has 38 taps now.  I am not sure if you can find a better beer selection in town.   Ale Emporium?   Hmm.  Either way, I feel like the good stuff is hand selected and I have never had a bad beer there.   It is like having a friend that really know a lot about beer saying this is what you should drink.   It is probably comparable to how you feel by reading this blog.  Ha.

What I Ate:  The Wrath Burger; $9.00.

Bacon, Mushrooms, Onion, Lettuce, and Creamy Ale Bleu Cheese Sauce.

I rarely order burgers at restaurants anymore.   Mostly because I find it hard to beat Culvers or 96^th Street Steakburgers.  I rather find something that is more interesting.  However, with all the toppings piled on this monster, it caught my eye.

Lets make this simple.  I really liked the bun.  Perfect size, not too light and not too thick.  The Bleu Cheese Sauce was less Bleu Cheesy than I expected.  I can’t say that it really added anything expect some fat to the burger.   The burger itself was the only part that I didn’t really love.  It was a touch dry.  I just couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong with it.  I would be interested to know if it was frozen of if they used a leaner grind than 80/20.

The battered fires were great.  Loved them and there were a ton.

Would I Buy It Again?   The Wrath burger – No.  Twenty Tap – Yes.  A different burger at Twenty Tap – Yes.  It is not that I hated it, just been there and done that.   I really like Twenty Tap.  It is that neighborhood bar that chain neighborhood bars try to imitate.  At first look at the menu, you will see sandwiches and burger, but once you start to read, you can really see the effort to do what everyone else is doing, but just a step better.  Great service, good food  and the finest hand picked beer selection in town.   I am looking forward to my next visit.

-wibia