Hardee’s
http://www.hardees.com 

I rarely order chicken fingers because I always think that they are something that kids or really bad dates eat.   However, I got a sheet of Hardee’s coupons and noticed that they have Buffalo Chicken fingers featuring Frank’s Red Hot sauce.   I am a big fan of Frank’s Red Hot sauce.  I like a few dashes in my mac and cheese, eggs, you name it.

What I Ate:  Hand Breaded Buffalo Chicken fingers; small combo was $5.60 ($3.99 with coupon)

Upon opening the box, they were not messing around with the sauce.  The fingers were doused in it.  On a “Grubbing on the Go” scale (via Grub Grade) I would give these a zero.  They are actually served with a fork and knife.  I really thought highly on the quality of the tender though as the meat looked exactly how it should and not very processed.   As a comparison, the breading was thinner than the Prime Cut tender at Arby’s.  However, the problem is that the sauce didn’t allow any crunch from the breading to carry through as the breading was soft.    As a quick note, the tenders were served with standard ranch.

Would I Buy It Again?  I would try them again, but they need to have crunchy breading for this to work.  For a fast food chicken finger, I thought the quality was on point.  If I was to get anything Buffalo from Hardee’s, I would probably go with a sandwich instead.  I didn’t love them, but I also didn’t hate them.  However, if I need a Frank’s Red Hot fix, this would work.

-wibia

Nickel Plate Bar & Grill
8654 East 116th Street
Fishers, Indiana 46038
http://www.nickelplatebarandgrill.com/

When people talk about the Nickel Plate Bar & Grill, they usually mention the breaded tenderloin sandwich because that is what they are known for.  I’ve personally had it several times in the pre-blog and have enjoyed it each time that I’ve had it, but I’ve talked to and read posts by several people that did not enjoy their experience with the sandwich.  Based on the fact that the breaded tenderloin was in the Super 46 Sandwich Contest, I ventured to the restaurant with my mom and her husband recently with every intention of having one and reviewing it for the blog. Sometimes our best intentions get foiled though and that was the case in this visit.  My mom, as per usual since she thinks she’s figured out the restaurant “game”, immediately asked the server what menu items were best.  The server recommended the several things, including the Buffalo Chicken wrap, and while I had every intention of getting a tenderloin, my eyes kept gravitating toward the wrap on the menu and I finally pulled the trigger.  I know I’m a weak-minded dope for doing that, but it’s my problem, I suppose.

What I Got:  Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Fries; $7.99 + $2.99 = $10.98

If I had any sort of intelligence (my waffling on menu choices has already proven that I don’t), I would have done the smart thing and gotten a picture that shows the interior ingredients of the wrap.  Since I lack several brain cells, I’ll just use Nickel Plate’s description from their menu:  “Breaded strips of chicken dipped in buffalo sauce and diced with salad greens, cheese, red onion and tomato, wrapped in a flour tortilla shell.”  I can confirm all of that was in there and it was in good size proportions and I didn’t feel shorted on anything.

In terms of the taste, this one was actually pretty good.  There was nothing surprising and the vegetation was fairly fresh, especially for February, so all in all, this was a good combination.  The buffalo chicken tenders were moist and perfectly cooked and the heat level was spicy, but not particularly overwhelming.  If you ate this alone with out any sort of dipping sauce, the heat might affect you a bit, but if you use some Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing (I used Blue Cheese), the coolness of those dressings is going to perfectly offset that spice that the Buffalo sauce brings to the table.  The whole wrap was a fairly large size as well, so you certainly are getting an ample meal with this, especially when you add the serving of fries (they were standard, salty stuff like you’d expect fries to be).  All in all, I have to credit our server because her recommendation was fairly dead on.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I would get this wrap again, although next time I go to the Nickel Plate, I hope I am mentally strong enough to get the breaded tenderloin and do a review for the site, because it seems like one of the real gaping review holes that we have on this site.  Of course, if I’m mentally weak again, as I often am, I wouldn’t feel one bit bad about drifting back to this wrap because it was a thoroughly enjoyable meal.

-IndianapolisEater

Asia Bistro
7426 Fishers Station Drive
Fishers, Indiana 46038
http://www.asiabistrofishers.com

In what is becoming almost a monthly Sunday night tradition, it was time for me to venture out again for some Chinese takeout and since I was spending some time with my mom and her husband at their house, we decided to try out one of the relatively new takeout places in her area, Asia Bistro.  Since it was my first time trying the place, I decided to go with one of my “testing” Chinese dishes and got…

What I Got:  Quart of General Tso’s Chicken (comes with white rice); $8.95.

As you can see from my very “arty” photo, the dish comes with a quart of General Tso’s chicken mixed with broccoli and then a smaller pint sized container of white rice.  Visually, there’s not a whole lot there.  The chicken bits were covered in a sticky sauce and there were noticeable red pepper flakes in the sauce on the chicken (you can also see them on the broccoli in the picture above).  One thing I did notice that the chicken was particularly soft and the breading of the chicken was also soft as well.  I’m all for tender chicken, but not for mushy breading, so I was little worried as I got ready to eat this one.

My worry subsided a bit, but I can honestly say I was not particularly impressed with this version of General Tso’s chicken.  It’s not that it was overwhelmingly bad, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly good either…it was just edible.  The thick sauce was neither overly spicy, nor overly sweet, but instead somewhere in the middle.  When you order something like General’s chicken, you’d like the sauce to be one of those things (I prefer the spicier version), but this one was neither and that was a big disappointment.  As suspected, the chicken was tender and that was nice, but the breading was soft and doughy and since I like a bit of crunch in my General’s chicken, I really missed that.  All in all, this was just boring.

Would I Buy It Again?  No to the General’s Chicken and probably not to Asia Bistro.  Just too boring and not really worth a purchase.  If I want Chinese food, I don’t want to be bored by it and Asia Bistro gave me that sensation.  The name of this place is deceiving, because this is not what you think of when you think of “bistro quality” food.

As an aside on some of the other menu items, my mom and her husband got different dishes and my mom’s response to her Shrimp with Lobster Sauce was “I’ve been eating this for forty years and this is the worst I’ve ever had” and her husband’s response to his Roast Pork Lo Mein was virtually the same as my review of my food as he said his was “bland.”  Not exactly a ringing endorsement of a place, eh?

-IndianapolisEater

Kentucky Fried Chicken
6265 E 500 S
Gas City, IN 46933
http://www.kfc.com/default.asp

I recently dumped off the kids for a weekend with my mother, and she lives in Fort Wayne, so we met halfway for both the drop-off/pick-up. It happened to be at the Gas City exit off I-69. I arrived about a half hour early Sunday for the pick-up in hopes of getting some Cracker Barrel (our meeting spot). Instead, there was a 20-minute wait, so I hopped over to the KFC/Taco Bell combo. And, yes, I realize I didn’t give myself near enough time for Cracker Barrel, but I figured it was worth a shot — and you can’t expect me to not sleep in with the kids away. Anyway, lots of things on the menu seemed appealing at the time, but I love chicken wings. Considering that I love spicy food but I’m also burnt out (yes, pun intended) on buffalo sauce, there seemed to be a great option …

What I Got: KFC Sauceless Hot Wings; 50 cents apiece (I got 10 for $5).

On the box, it said “spicy” and “crunchy.” It was half-correct. The breading had a great crunch and the chicken was cooked to perfection. That’s where the positives stopped.

First of all, they need to clarify. Does “hot” mean that the chicken’s temperature is hot? If so, OK, they aren’t lying — but I’m obviously being sarcastic. The wings are billed as spicy and it’s like they forgot the spice. Considering the wings are sauceless, the spices are supposed to be inside the breading already. I was actually excited — which, in and of itself is sad, I realize — to try these because they would be hot and crunchy. Swing and miss somewhere during the process, though, because these were basically just plain, sauceless wings. No exaggeration, I got zero kick. I actually checked my receipt to make sure there wasn’t a communication breakdown in the ordering process. There wasn’t. It still says “hot” on my receipt.

Secondly, where is the meat? These things were tiny and oddly shaped. Look at the picture where I’m holding that one sideways. That’s a drumstick and it’s flat. How does that even happen? It’s just weird. [Note: Yes, I took the picture on top of a laid out napkin in my car, in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. I'm awesome.]

Would I Buy It Again? No chance. I still love KFC if you want fast-food-type chicken, but I will never waste my time on these things again. I felt like I only had about three plain wings. The concept of sauceless hot wings with the spices baked into the breading still very much appeals to me, but I can’t take the chance on a wasted meal at KFC again. I guess at 50 cents a pop you truly do get what you pay for.

-Show

Mexico City Grill
11653 Fishers Station Drive
Fishers, IN 46038
http://www.mexicocitygrill.com

Saturday night brought me to a restaurant location that EatHSE has reviewed on this blog before, Mexico City Grill.  I have been to this restaurant several times before and always ordered the same thing, so I figured I would mix it up a bit this time and order something different and do a review.  I reiterate the chips and salsa part of his review, so I’ll just stick to what I got as my entree and here we go…

What I Got:  Pollo Loco; ~$9.50 (can’t remember the exact price and the menu is not posted online for me to verify).

My outstanding three years of Spanish in high school tells me that Pollo Loco loosely translates in English to “crazy chicken” so I was handed a seasoned and grilled chicken breast served with Mexican rice, lettuce, two avocado slices and pico de gallo.  Served on the side were three warm flour tortillas (not in the photo).  If you can’t tell in the picture, this chicken breast was pounded thin and when I say thin, I mean extremely thin.  Frankly, it was so thin that it was borderline comical and I’ve got to say that I was disappointed in how absurd it was.  I guess the thinness of this chicken breast was the loco part because no one in their right mind should pound a chicken breast that thin unless they are telling a joke.

I was disappointed in the flavor as well because while the seasoning was nice, the chicken breast was pounded so thin that it probably took about 7.3 seconds to grill and that was about 2.5 seconds too long because they dried this one out quickly.  When I was able to mix the chicken with the rest of the plate in a flour tortilla it was palatable, but once I ran out of tortillas and had to start eating just the chicken breast, I was pretty disappointed because not only was it dry, but it was also tough.  What a major, hardcore disappointment.

The remainder of the dish was pretty much standard stuff.  The avocado slices were nice and I always appreciate that and the rice, while fluffy did taste as if it was made in a big batch and then kept in a warmer tray for a long period of time.  Thankfully, it hadn’t dried out yet and was still flavorful with a bit of spice too it, but it was nothing to write home about.  The pico de gallo had a slight tang, but again, nothing to write home about.  All of this stuff wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad either.  It just existed.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes to Mexico City Grill, but no specifically to the Pollo Loco dish.  I have had good meals at Mexico City Grill (the dish with seasoned pork chunks is my go-to dish, but I can’t remember the name and the lack of menu stops me from looking it up), so I’ll just stick to the stuff that I know well and like and not venture out again next time.  I know that there is a large seafood tortilla that my mom and her husband swear by too, so they do have good dishes here.  Unfortunately, I chose one of the dishes that is not one of those good ones.  Oh well, you live and learn.

-IndianapolisEater

Pizza Hut/Wing Street
http://www.pizzahut.com

The Super Bowl is approaching (in Indianapolis!) and every year I see a story about how the night of the Super Bowl is the busiest nights of the year for pizza delivery businesses.  Along those lines, there is no better pairing with pizza than chicken wings, so while watching football this past Sunday, I decided to try out one of Pizza Hut’s non-traditional wings offerings from their co-branded Wing Street business.  For those of you lucky enough to have a Pizza Hut that has a Wing Street location in it (not all Pizza Huts do), they have several flavors outside of your normal hot, mild, barbecue, etc., so I went with…

What I Got:  14 piece Garlic Parmesan Crunchy Bone-In Wings; $9.99.

As you can see when opening the box, these wings have breading and are not your normal fried wings in that they are just covered in sauce and that’s it.  If you look a little closer, you can see that these things are sitting in a absurdly deep and disgusting pool of butter, so obviously butter is the chosen method of delivering the garlic and Parmesan flavors into the wings.  They are then dusted with additional garlic and Parmesan seasonings to amp up the flavor even more.

Butter is the primary taste in these wings as well, because that’s the majority of what you taste as you bite into these.  Unfortunately, because there is so much butter, the “crunchy” aspect of the wings ends up being lost and the breading on these wings ends up being just a soggy mess.  The soggy mess carries strong flavors of both garlic and Parmesan, but they are so greasy that you are really taking a bath with each wing that you eat.  Honestly, my mouth felt like I had eaten a stick of butter after I’d eaten these things and that is not a good thing.  I don’t necessarily mind the use of butter, but when it is used in this ridiculous amount, it becomes completely unappetizing.  Outside of the negatives of the mushy breading and the dripping butter, the wings did have one thing go positive for them:  they had decent size.  At a lot of these delivery places, you get shorted on the size of the wings and that really, really gets me angry.  In Pizza Hut/Wing Street’s case, that does not happen, so they do get one positive check mark.

Would I Buy It Again?  No, definitely not.  Next time I want this much butter, which will be never, I’ll just go with the alternative and eat a stick of butter.  It’s sad too, because the Garlic Parmesan flavor itself was decent, but the abundance of butter everywhere just ruined the entire package.  If they could find a way to tone down the butter and allow the wings to maintain their crunchy texture, they may have a winner.  Unfortunately here though, they do not.

-IndianapolisEater

Through a review done by me and comments by other readers on that post and also in other posts, our love for Black Diamond Barbecue has been shared on this blog many, many times.

So, when I was watching the news this morning and saw that Fox59 is putting together a deal this week starting this Thursday, January 12th, as part of their weekly “Be Our Guest” promotion (think Groupon-like), I knew I had to make mention of it on the site to drive traffic to Black Diamond.

Quite simply, you can buy a $50 gift certificate for Black Diamond for $25 starting at 7:53 a.m. by visiting this link.  The deal includes two $25 gift certificates.  The certificates expire within six months and there’s only 200 of them available, so you’ve got to buy them and use them quick!

So, if you want to grab a deal the best barbecue that I’ve had in the city of Indianapolis, make sure you visit the Fox59 site starting tomorrow and snatch up one of the deals.

-IndianapolisEater

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