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

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

Fat Dan’s Chicago-Style Deli
815 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana  46220
http://www.fatdansdeli.com/

I’ve had several people recommend this place to me and I’ve seen many positive reviews in the newspaper and other local magazines, so finally I decided to get off my lazy rear end and make my way down to Broad Ripple to try it out.

My first impression of the place when I walked in, or more appropriately as I was walking up to the door (they have a front porch style screen door as their front door…LOL), was “oh my god, this place SMELLS incredible.”  Turns out I was walking in just as they were taking some brisket out of the smoker and it smelled DELICIOUS.

Fat Dan’s also has a very Broad Ripple-y vibe, which really surprised me.  I expected it to be a full-on sports bar but while it did have a sports design to it, it also had that eclectic feel to it that you see everywhere in Broad Ripple.

What I Got:  Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich ($7.50) and Fries ($2.75)

Anyway, onto the Italian Beef.  All I can say about it is “WOW.”  This thing was huge and absolutely delicious.  The meat was cooked perfectly as it was tender, spicy and juicy.  Basically, it’s everything you’d ever want the meat in an Italian beef to be.  The meat was served in a perfect bread roll that was fresh (at least it seemed) and the Giardinera peppers added a nice spicy bite to the sandwich.  I ordered mine “wet” (extra juice poured on) and it was done absolutely perfectly as the sandwich was literally falling apart in my hands.  That’s my preferred way to eat an Italian beef sandwich and this one had everything going for it.  I really cannot say enough about how good this was.

I also got an order of fries and ordinarily I wouldn’t spend a lot of time talking about fries, but these fries were absurdly good.  They were hand-cut, crispy and were covered in a mix of seasonings that gave them a nice kick.  Honestly, these could have been the best fries that I’ve ever had (even better than Rally’s fries) and I would even go there just for the fries alone.  They were that freaking good.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, absolutely, without question. It was a bit pricey for lunch, but I don’t really care.  When you get something that was as good as BOTH the sandwich and fries were, it is worth it.  It is easily the best Italian beef in Indianapolis and I would almost venture so far as to put it up against any Italian beef that I’ve had in Chicago as well.  I may be exaggerating slightly, but not by much.

This meal was so good that I’m just going to go ahead an put this place in the Hall of Fame after one review.  I just cannot say enough good things about this place and now I cannot wait to go back and try the brisket, which according to this review, is the best thing that Fat Dan’s has on the menu.  If it is better than this Italian beef sandwich was, then I could quite possibly be making a trip into food euphoria and I am just drooling with anticipation.  I’m just glad I don’t get down to Broad Ripple often anymore, because if I did, I would go to this place constantly and I’d easily be broke and weigh 400 pounds.

-IndianapolisEater

Dagwood’s Deli & Sub Shop
6336 Guilford Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.dagwoodsandwiches.com/

An institution at the WIBIA staff’s alma mater, Indiana University, Dagwood’s has been in business since 1985.  The original location was in a basement of building on Indiana Avenue in Bloomington, Indiana and was every college kid’s dream.  They’ve finally moved their main location up to street level but they still have good and HUGE submarine sandwiches.  They deliver at all hours of the night, so any late night of…ahem, studying…could be capped off with having a sandwich delivered.  When I was at IU, I ended far too many of my nights that way, but it was worth it.

Anyway, Dagwood’s stayed in Bloomington only for most of their existence, but they opened a third location in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis within the past few years and that’s where I went recently to enjoy one of the treasures of my college career.  I will point out that I usually order the Italian sub, but for the purposes of this blog and introducing the restaurant to the blog, I went with…

What I Got:  Whole Dagwood Supreme (their signature and most popular sandwich) $8.94

Dagwood Supreme

I ordered my sandwich as it would be found on the menu for review purposes (ordinarily I’d play with the vegetables and other toppings), but the menu version is made up of Roast Beef, Ham, Turkey, Provolone and Colby cheeses, along with lettuce, tomato, onions, and Dagwood’s Special Sauce.

Outside of the special sauce, this thing is made up of standard sub sandwich toppings so there is nothing really out of the ordinary there besides the fact that they give you a generous amount of meat.  What really makes this sandwich is the special sauce.  It’s a tangy mayonnaise based sauce that it not as creamy as mayonnaise, but shares a lot of similar properties.  What makes it different than mayo is that it is slightly more runny and not nearly as thick (you can see the sauce in the photo above) and when you contrast this tangy sauce with the coolness of the vegetables, cheese and meat, you have a sandwich that is a sub sandwich lover’s delight.

Would I Buy It Again?  Heck yes. I would buy it again because it is good and also for the nostalgic purposes of taking me back to my college days.  Like I said, I usually order the Italian sub because of personal preference of meat on that sandwich but you can’t go wrong with either sandwich.  Both of them are  just so freaking good and that’s why both of them go into the Hall of Fame.

So, if you are in Bloomington or in Broad Ripple and aren’t afraid of something that is a little bit pricey, give this place a shot and you won’t regret it.

-IndianapolisEater

What I Got: Portillo’s Italian Beef Sandwich (part of the Portillo’s Party Pack for $23.70)

I’ve shared my love of Italian beef sandwiches and of Portillo’s on this blog before.  Needless to say, I love them both and have been looking endlessly for an acceptable substitute in Indianapolis (see my prior C.R. Heroes review; I may have found one).  But sometimes the planets align and I end up at a party where someone has gone and gotten Portillo’s at their Northwest Indiana location in Merrillville and brought back a party pack for the party that they are hosting and then life is good.  At a Super Bowl party this past year, a friend of mine did just that.

I know that there might be better Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, but since I live in Indianapolis, I don’t have the time or convenience of trying them all out, so Portillo’s serves as my harbinger for everything that is good about this sandwich and I love it.  It’s VERY thinly sliced roast beef cooked and served dripping in au jus juices on Italian style roll and everything about it is delicious.  It has tender meat and the au jus juice is flavorful and peppery without tilting toward being too hot.  If you really want to get frisky, you can get it with either hot (Giardiniera) peppers or with sweet peppers and turn up the heat and/or sweetness of your sandwich just a little bit more.  Also, you can have them serve it dry (no extra au jus), wet (extra au jus dumped on the bread to make it soggy) or even dipped (they take the completed sandwich and dip the entire thing in the au jus; you need a fork to eat this one).

I usually choose wet so that I can somewhat hold the sandwich and allow the flavorful au jus to just run down my arms as I eat it.  I also had both hot and sweet peppers so that I can add even more kick, but if you don’t get any peppers, it’s not a big deal because it is still delicious.  You just have to make sure that you get it either wet or dipped though.  Having this sandwich dry is just not the same and whenever my order gets screwed up and I get it dry, it really makes me sad.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, absolutely, definitiely, no question, etc. I would list out every single word for yes in the English language, but that would take me hours.  This is truly my favorite sandwich in the world (and maybe even my favorite food in the world) and Portillo’s does it the best (remember, that is out of all the options that I have had).  I try to get it every time I go to Chicago or pass by the Merrillville location on Interstate 65 and I would HIGHLY recommend that you do the same.  You will not regret it.

-IndianapolisEater

Does the name ring a bell?  You may remember when we did our “Get to Know” segment with Chef Stephen Oakley.

I will save you the suspense, but I am a big fan of OAKLEYS.  A welcoming staff, casual/comfortable decor and most importantly, consistently good food.  I had a day off of work and decided to take my six month old to lunch.  Since it was special time with father and son, I wanted to give that boy some culture!

Soup of the day was Lobster Bisque ($6.25) and it is one of my favorites.  Like French Onion, it is extremely easy to make, but there are many horrible versions out there, so I waited with fingers crossed.  The soup arrived with an aroma and heat that cleared up my stuffy nose from the Indiana winter.  The soup was combined with a mirepoix mixture, a little rice and garnish with a little bit of herb oil.  It was a lighter bisque then average and had a hint of saffron in the broth.  I really enjoyed this soup and I liked the interpretation of adding the rice and mirepoix to the soup.  I have had three soups at OAKLEYS and this is my favorite.   It is definitely one of the better lobster bisques you can find in this city.

For the main course, I ordered:
Chicken: $12.75. Potato Puree/Bok Choy/Mushroom Puree/Giardana Vegetables/Pear Relish.
Honestly, everything sounded good except for the pears.  Chicken and pears, pears and mushrooms..not sure about this, but since I have been to OAKLEYS before, so I trust the chef and that is a good place to be in.

The chicken was grilled perfectly and I found the pear relish to be a surprisingly good addition to the plate.  Very balanced spices and I usually find myself reaching for the salt shaker with white meat chicken, but that was not the case here.  I used the mushroom puree as the “gravy” and the pear relish consistently cleansed my palate and added a nice crunch. I really enjoyed this dish.  Probably one of my favorite OAKLEYS meals, second only to a braised beef short rib I had there last winter.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes, and I will add to our Hall of Fame.  First review on WIBIA, but I have been there plenty of times before. OAKLEYS continues to be one of the better choices in Indy.  I like the fact that you can make OAKLEYS a special occasion meal or you could go there in jeans as if you eat there everyday.  I left the lunch with a continued affirmation that we truly have some great restaurants here in Indianapolis.

-WIBIA

Left: Chicken Pesto - Right: BBQ Chicken

Uncle D’s New York Pizza
430 E. Kirkwood
Bloomington, IN
http://www.uncledsnewyorkpizza.com/

Uncle D’s First Review

As you can tell by the first review, I loved Uncle D’s.  I really like New York-style pizza by the slice.  I can always throw down a slice no matter what.  D’s is located between Kilroy’s and Nick’s in Bloomington (Go Hoosiers!)

On my revisit, I tried the Chicken Pesto and Chicken BBQ Pizza.   You get 2 slices and a drink for $6.00, so it was a good deal.   The Chicken Pesto was really good.  I added a little crushed red pepper because that is the way I roll.  There was a ton of cheese and plenty of toppings on this slice. I really thought that the quality of the mushrooms, cheese and chicken is a step above other chains. It was a really good slice of pie.

The BBQ Chicken didn’t have the magic of the pesto.  Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but overshadowed by the pesto.   I could have used a little more BBQ sauce and red onions, but that just might be my preference?

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes…easily.    I am leaving it on my Hall of Fame because I have had 5 slices of pie there and 4 of them were top shelf.  With any pizza place that carries 10+ pizzas, there are going to be ones that you like more than others and D’s is no exception to the rule.  It keeps the honor of the Hall of Fame because every trip I make to Bloomington, I am craving a slice to start or end my weekend with and I can’t explain why…maybe because it is good pizza, I like it better than Pizza Express and Avers. What I like the most is that D’s doesn’t try to be too fancy, but they have a lot of options outside of traditional pizza.  I really enjoy Uncle D’s and if you are in Bloomington, check it out.

-wibia

Yats
Indianapolis, IN

http://www.yatscajuncreole.com/

It is difficult to imagine that this blog has been in existence for about eleven months and we have yet to say one word about Yats!  Most people in Indy will breeze past this review because they know that it rocks, but let’s follow normal protocol here.  Long story short on the history:  Joe owns the place, it has four locations and does quickserve, cheap, tasty cajun/creole food.

I was in the neighborhood and stopped in at the 96th Street location.  First time to Yats?  Get the full flavor and head to the original store in Broad Ripple.  The menu changes daily, but it does have a few standards. You can check online beforehand to see what is up with the menu for that day.

Chili Cheese Etouffe

What I Got:  Chili Cheese Etouffe with Crawfish/White Chicken Chili and extra bread.  About $7.00

IMO, the Chile Cheese Etouffe with Crawfish is their flagship dish.  Creamy and just well balanced with a proper amount of crawfish sprinkled in.  If you bought the Channel 13 Cookbook last year, this recipe was in there.  Really tasty and a must have.  As with most of the items on the menu, this was served over rice.

The white chicken chili was nice as well.  There was a ton of shredded chicken.  I would really like to highlight some of the flavors, but I can’t because I scarfed it down so quickly that it waved at my tongue on the way down.  Yats bread is ridiculously good as well.  Buttered with some cajun seasoning that I would really like to know the mix of spices that they use.  If you know what makes up the mix, hit me up on e-mail or Twitter.  If I have been fooled by Tony Chachere’s, please kill me.

Look, I have never been to New Orleans, though I will probably go in 2010.  I am not sure how authentic it is, but frankly I don’t give a shit because I love their food.  If you are in Indy for a few days, you have to give Yats a try.  It is truly one of my favorite places in Indianapolis to eat.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes and Hall of Fame.

Fun Yats Story:

About four years ago I was in Yats in Broad Ripple at about 2:00.  Joe, the owner, was walking around busing tables and this conversation followed:

Joe:  How was lunch?

wibia:  Great, when are you going to put the white chicken chili on the menu?  It is my girlfriend’s favorite item.

Joe:  Do you have about 10 minutes to spare?

wibia:  Yup

Joe (10 minutes later arriving at my table with a to go order of white chicken chili):  Here you go man, this one is on the house and I hope she enjoys it.

I mean, who has this customer service model anymore?   Not only is the food excellent, every person there seems to be cut from the same cloth, loves the food and loves what this represents.

-WIBIA

IndianapolisEater reviewed Boogie Burger a few months ago and loved it, so I thought that I would give it a try.  Spoiler alert:  I loved it too.

What I Got:  Double Boogie with American Cheese $6.75 and the Garlic Fries for $2.95.

Simple format here as you order at the counter and they will bring it to you.   The Double Boogie comes dressed with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a pickle spear.   The quality of the ingredients were top shelf and that is saying a lot this time of year (especially produce).  I also like the way they have the condiments arranged.   I always like lettuce on the bottom, it soaks up some of the grease from the burger and keeps it off the bun.  They way a burger is arranged makes a bigger difference than you would think, trust me. The angus patties made this burger a force to be reckoned with.  The meat was not chewy at all and just a tasty grind.  It was cooked closer to well done, so next time I am going to ask for it medium/medium well (which you can do).

The fries were excellent as well.  Fresh garlic made a huge difference and I was tasting it for hours after.  Good sized portion, no ketchup or anything else required.

Would I Buy It Again?  Hell yeah! Honestly, one of the best burgers that I have had in a while.  It was really tasty and easily worth close to a $10 price tag for the meal.  The next time I go, I think that I am going to try one of their signature burgers…maybe a Disco Inferno (Serrano peppers and Pepper Jack!).

-WIBIA

It’s the United States’ first fast food restaurant, it invented the paper hat and it has been the subject of movies.  The funny thing is, this place really has a polarizing reputation.  Some people hate it, some people love it and some people are scared to go there because of the reputation.  Since it was late at night and there were not many places open, a couple of friends and I decided to make a trip to White Castle.

What I Got:  White Castle Hamburgers 61¢ each.  I won’t say how many I got out of embarrassment, but let’s just say that it was more than a couple (those aren’t all mine in the picture). 

For those of you that don’t know, you have three main options when you order a White Castle burger (prices escalate as you add more things).  You can get them as a regular hamburger with grilled onion and a pickle as the topping, you can get them as a cheeseburger where they add a slice of cheese to the original hamburger or you can get them as jalapeno cheeseburgers where they add a slice of jalapeno cheese to the original hamburger (extra toppings cost extra; it’s at least a dime, depending on your location).  I go with original hamburger 99 times out of 100 because that’s what I prefer.

What makes White Castle hamburgers unique is that the small burger patties (yes, they are small, so you will be eating more than one) have five holes stamped into them so that the burgers can cook evenly and never have to be flipped while on the flat top grill.  They also grill the burgers on top of a stack of diced onions, which mixed with the holes in the burger, allows each patty to have a unique grilled onion flavored twist to it.  Also, they grill the buns on top of the onions on top of the grill as well, so the buns have that unique flavor as well.  Now, doing all of this together gives every burger a soggy, greasy feeling which can be a bit odd, but that is their claim to fame.

Would I Buy It Again?  Remember how I said White Castle has a polarizing reputation?  Well, consider me at the one end that of the spectrum of people that LOVE this place, so yes, I would definitely buy it again and would recommend it to others.  I always go for the plain hamburgers because I’m cheap and I love the classic, but I have had the others and would definitely recommend them as well.  If you can get over the negative connotation of the restaurant, you really should give this a shot.  I’ve also had their breakfast sandwiches and fries and would give those a recommendation as well.  This place will never be confused with being fancy, but if you want a cheap and tasty snack or meal any time of the day, this is the place to go and if you are feeling really frisky, go for a Crave Case.

-IndianapolisEater

Crave Case