Bender’s BBQ Pit
7035 East 96th Street, Suite P
Indianapolis, IN 46250
www.bendersbbqpit.com

When I saw the coming soon sign go up for this place a few months ago, I got really excited because I’ve always been disappointed by the lack of locally owned barbecue joints on the northeast side of Indianapolis (Fishers/Castleton area).  There’s always been my mainstay at Black Diamond, but that one is a bit of a hike for me and a bit farther south.  When I saw this was opening on East 96th Street, I was hoping my desires for this type of barbecue joint would be fulfilled.  They opened as a carry-out only joint, but just moved a few doors down in the same strip center within the past week to add a dining room option.

So, armed with a $25 Indianapolis Perks gift certificate, a huge appetite, a free Saturday and a glowing review from Random Dude Eats Random Food, I decided to give Bender’s my first ever visit.

When I first took a look at the menu (they have it available on their website; FYI, it changes weekly so make sure to check the website before going), I noticed that their prices were very affordable.  Since I had a $25 certificate, I knew that I would be able to sample a wide variety of the menu in order to try to find my favorite items and/or their best items.  In order to break this down, I’ll review this menu item by item.

What I Got:  1/2 slab Baby Back Ribs combo (served with two sides; my sides were macaroni and cheese and brisket hash); $14.99.  Add Pulled Pork; $3.  Add 1/4 chicken; $3.  Cole Slaw side item; $1.50.  Baked Beans side item; $1.50.

1/2 Slab of Baby Back Ribs:  When I got these, I was given the option of sweet, mild or spicy barbecue sauce.  I chose their spicy sauce and as far as terms of taste, it wasn’t too spicy, but it was the kind of spice that you didn’t notice initially but were hit by at the back end.  As for the ribs, well, I’ve got to say I was disappointed.  The ribs were tough, gummy and lacked a smoked flavor.  They definitely did not have that “fall off the bone” quality as it took some work to get them off the bone.  Maybe I just got a bad batch, but I would not recommend these.

Macaroni and Cheese:  I’ve lamented on this blog before about how hardly anyone seems to get macaroni and cheese right and so has wibia, so when I ordered this, I didn’t have high expectations.  Well, not only did they surpass my expectations, they hit this one out of the park.  The macaroni and cheese was creamy (but not too creamy) and was tender with a strong, but not overpowering cheese flavor.  Honestly, the only thing that upset me about this was that I wish I had more.  I would definitely recommend this.

Baked Beans:  These were just standard run-of-the-mill baked beans.  They had bacon and onions in them, but nothing about them was memorable.  I’m sure they were homemade, but they still reminded me of something that you would get out of a Bush’s baked beans can.  Too bad, because I really do like baked beans and I would love to recommend good ones, but in this instance, I can’t.

1/4 Smoked Chicken:  I’m sure you can figure out which one in the plate above is the smoked chicken.  That said, the picture is about as dry as this chicken was.  It lacked any sort of smoke flavor and it was really tough and dry as well.  The skin was crispy and kind of flavorful, but the meat was dry and chewy.  If you could just eat the skin, you might be happy, but eating the chicken would ruin it for you.  Not recommended.

Brisket Hash (top of the plate):  This was the one I was most curious about because I’ve never heard of Brisket Hash before.  Bender’s Brisket Hash is made of soft potato chunks, cooked onions and beef brisket and after listening to them talk about it in the restaurant, this is clearly the menu item they have the most pride in and I can see why.  When I took my first bite, I thought to myself that this was weird, but in a good and appealing way.  Soft, chewy and all ingredients perfectly complimented each other.  I’ve never quite tasted anything like this before and I can honestly say that I liked it quite a bit.  Much like the macaroni and cheese, I would definitely recommend this.

Pulled Pork (bottom left of the plate):  I was really excited about this one because of Random Dude Eats Random Food‘s review.  Unfortunately, I was let down.  Maybe I got a bad batch (is this a running theme or is this just the way all of their meat is?), but this was not really all that tender and didn’t have any smoke flavor (another recurring theme).  Actually, it didn’t have much flavor at all.  I had to douse it in my Famous Dave’s Georgia Mustard sauce in order to make it somewhat tasty.  Major disappointment and unfortunately, I can’t recommend this either.

Cole Slaw:  Much like the baked beans, this was pretty run-of-the-mill too.  The cole slaw was crunchy, which was nice, but that was about it in terms of making it memorable.  It had a white watery base, which doesn’t bother me at all, but outside of the crunch, I can’t really recommend this unless you have a craving for cole slaw or are one of the barbecue types that feel cole slaw is the mandatory side item for pulled pork.

Would I Buy It Again?  Most likely not.  I really, really wanted to like this place because of my aforementioned desires, but I just can’t do it.  The prices are great, but the majority of the food is just average at best.  It’s a nice husband and wife team that own Bender’s and I really hope they succeed because it is nice to have locally owned options, but I am seriously doubting that they get my business again.  Please don’t let that stop you from giving it a shot though because maybe you’ll get better batches of food (assuming they don’t run out; they were running out of everything the night that I went) and if you do, you may become a frequent guest.  When you do go though, make sure you order the Brisket Hash and/or Macaroni and Cheese.

That said, I’ll be sticking with my old reliable Black Diamond.  Back to the old drawing board for a Fishers/Castleton barbecue joint.  This stinks.

-IndianapolisEater

Claude & Annie’s
9251 East 141st Street
Fishers, IN 46038
http://www.claudeandanniesfishers.com

Claude & Annie’s is a local bar/eatery (primarily bar now) with several locations throughout the city.  I have been to the Fishers location several times and recently I was there and feeling a craving for fried chicken and since they advertise their fried chicken as “famous” on their menu, I felt a review was in order to test out this claim!

What I Got:  4 Piece Mixed (dark and white) Chicken Meal, served with a vegetable (I chose to substitute cole slaw), choice of potato (fries) and fried biscuits with apple butter; $8.99.

My first response after getting my plate was, “well, I guess I’m going to go into a food coma tonight.”  These were HUGE portions even for a hearty eater like me, and well I finished it, but did eventually lapse into my food coma shortly afterward.

The famous fried chicken itself was delicious.  It was one of the most tender and juiciest fried chicken orders that I’ve ever had and they certainly didn’t short me on the size of the chicken pieces (the pieces were a breast, thigh, leg and wing).  The breading was extremely crispy and well fried as well.  My only complaint, and this is more a personal preference, is that I wish the chicken breading had a bit more of a peppery kick to it (it is sort of bland).  As far as cooking execution of the breading was concerned though (crunchiness, doneness, etc.), this was spot on.

My sides consisted of cole slaw and fries and they were pretty much what you would expect.  They weren’t outstanding, but they weren’t bad either and certainly took nothing away from the meal.  The cole slaw was more of a creamy base instead of a vinegar base (I prefer the latter), but it was still decent.

The one thing that did surprise me was the appearance of fried biscuits (on the left) and apple butter on my plate because I didn’t see them listed on the menu.  I am certainly glad they were there though because I LOVE fried biscuits and apple butter and these certainly did them justice.  Perfectly doughy and chewy and the apple butter was to die for in that it was both sweet and tart.  Frankly, my mouth is salivating as I type this right now (a major drawback to typing out reviews of good meals that you’ve had).

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, without question.  Although, I’ll probably order the two or three piece meal next time unless I really feel the need to take a nap after I’m done eating because like I said, this is A LOT of food and it’s at a pretty outstanding price too.  I’m always a little suspicious of when menus list a particular menu item as “famous” (I think it is unnecessary), but I can see why Claude & Annie’s makes that claim.  They certainly back it up with great flavor.

As for Claude & Annie’s itself, it is not family friendly as of January 1, 2011.  They removed their family area and decided to allow smoking throughout the entire bar, so that’s just a word of warning if that stuff bothers you.  If it doesn’t bother you, I certainly encourage you to visit.  It’s family owned and the staff treats you as a friend/family member once they see your face around a few times and that explains why there are a lot of regulars that frequent the place and help foster the family atmosphere.  If you are looking for a new place to eat and/or hang out, give them a shot!

-IndianapolisEater

Yogi’s Grill & Bar
519 E 10th St
Bloomington, IN 47408
http://www.yogis.com/

As if you haven’t been able to tell from the blog so far, several of us on this blog are graduates of Indiana University.  Since I am a graduate of that fine institution, I spend a lot of time in Bloomington supporting my alma mater by going to see football and basketball games. 

Due to this, I recently visited what I consider to  be one of the many Indiana University institutions (albeit not as old of one) on one of my recent trips there for a basketball game and since I hadn’t had a tenderloin in a while (and the menu is reduced prior to home basketball games), I figured I would give it a shot.

What I Got:  Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich, served with cole slaw and chips (I substituted tater tots for an addtional charge); around $8-$9.

This was your classic Indiana breaded tenderloin sandwich as it was way too big for the bun and if you can get that right, you are off to a good start.  If I had to guess though, I would say that they bring this in from off-site (or at least pre-prepare them and then freeze them) because it didn’t have that “hand-pounded on site” look to it.  If you’ve had as many tenderloins in your life as I have, you can just tell what that “look” is.  The breading was a little soggy too, so I’m guessing that they just defrost a bunch of these at the beginning of the night and throw them in the fryer to heat them up as the orders come in.  That’s too bad, but unfortunately, you are bound to run into that from time to time.

In terms of taste, it wasn’t bad.  Considering that I’m speculating that this was of the frozen variety, I would rate in the “above average” column when all things are considered.  In terms of fresh tenderloins, no way.  In terms of frozen tenderloins, it was not too shabby.  It was helped by the fact that the tenderloin, while slightly on the thin side (again, compared to fresh tenderloins) was juicy and the produce was fairly fresh for the time of year.  The bun was toasted, as I prefer it and while that may seem like a simple part of the sandwich, I’ve been to a lot of places that manage to screw that up.  The tater tots were crunchy too (also of the frozen from the bag variety too, I’m sure), so all in all, it wasn’t a bad meal.

Would I Buy It Again?  Sure.  I wouldn’t go out of the way for it and wouldn’t rate it as a “must have,” but overall, it was not a bad tenderloin and you wouldn’t be filled with regret if you ordered it.  Lord knows that I’ve certainly had worse.

As for Yogi’s in general, I would highly recommend it.  They have a nice restaurant area with a small bar and then they have another large, attached bar area that is filled with televisions.  It really is a great place to watch a game and with over one hundred different flavors of beer available (over forty of them on draft), you certainly aren’t going to go thirsty.  Ha!

-IndianapolisEater

Edwards Drive-In
2126 S. Sherman Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46203
http://www.edwardsdrivein.com

I think this place is sort of a local legend.  What the hell do I know?  I’ve only been here 2.5 years.  But it has that look, it has that feel and its location in a semi-sketchy area that looks like it could have been the hot cruising area forty years ago gives me that impression.  In fact Edwards’ hosts a cruise-in every Saturday night during the summer.  When we walked in, the joint was packed.  Families, old-timers, church groups, just friggin’ packed.  My expectations were high.  There was a sign that said the dude from Man v. Food had been there to eat a tenderloin or something, so it’s got to be good right?

What I Ate:  Big E Burger with a basket of breaded and fried mushrooms and a small cup of Cole slaw. The Burger is $3.49 but you get knocked $0.29 each for lettuce, tomato and cheese. 

Even with those add-ons, less than $4.50 for a 1/3 pound burger is still very reasonable.  The burger was, well, less than memorable.  I can’t name one thing that stands out.  It was okay.  It seemed to be one of those institutional formed beef patties with a smattering of lettuce, a single slice of tasteless tomato and a slice of American cheese.  I drenched the thing in ketchup, ate it and immediately forgot it. 

The Cole Slaw was okay, and again, nothing outstanding.  A food service item scooped out of a five gallon bucket. 

The mushrooms were the saving grace.  While they were not house-made, they were perfectly fried, golden brown and delicious.  I’m a sucker for these things.  The breadcrumb crust was industrial strength and crunchy.  When breached molten lava hot juice erupted and burnt the crap out of my mouth.  Oh yeah, love that.  I dipped these in ketchup too.  Yeah I know I’m a deviant bastard.

Would I Buy It Again?  Nah.  I probably drove by ten places with better burgers on the way to Edwards, which incidentally, is not exactly conveniently located near my home.  This meal was really a physiological transaction; I was hungry and needed food.  Edwards provided the calories and not much else.  Too bad.

-Smokin DB

Binkley’s Kitchen & Bar
5902 N. College Avenue
Indianapolis, IN  46220
http://www.binkleyskitchenandbar.com

Tenderloin of the Month is quickly becoming my favorite segment.  Why?    I get to eat at least one tenderloin a month.   I ate one about every four or five months previously, so I am looking forward to having a fixed menu item in this fun experiment.  Last month, IndianapolisEater tried out the tenderloin at Broad Ripple Tavern.  So, I tried out Binkley’s, which is another LUX restaurant.

Binkley’s is a cool joint.  It was crazy crowded on a Friday night, so I assumed that the food had hope.  The service was slow throughout the meal, a real bummer for sure when you have a 14 month old.  I saw a tenderloin on the menu and realized that we are running out of time for September, so I had to try it.

What I Ate:  Breaded Tenderloin; $8.99.  Served with Cole Slaw.

The good news was that  it was not a breaded pork fritter.  I liked the thickness of the tenderloin as it was not too thin and and not too dry.  It was just right actually.  However, I found it to be a good amount smaller than a lot of its competitors.  The breading was crisp, the pork was juicy and all in all, I thought that it had a nice taste until…(insert cliffhanger music)…the bun was gross.   Flour dusted yuppie bun.  It wasn’t grilled either, just straight out of the bag.  This ruined the sandwich.

Would I Buy It Again?   No.  The tenderloin was a little on the small size, however the bun ruined it.  Notice at their other restaurant, they serve a sesame seed bun.  I really can’t rag on it too much because if they get a new bun, they would be back on track.  I have had much worse.

Btw, the remainder of the food at Binkley’s was pretty bad.  Hummus tasted like a romesco sauce and my wife’s pasta (a special) was pretty awful.  Watery sauce for $16.  First, it was too expensive and second, it was just plain bad.   I am not sure if I would return to Binkley’s, unless it was for a few drinks.

-wibia

Black Diamond Barbecue
6404 Rucker Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46220
http://www.blackdiamondbbqcatering.com

I’ve driven by this place on Binford Boulevard (it’s on a side street right off Binford) about a thousand times over the years and have never stopped.  In all honesty, when it first opened, I figured it would last about three months and then go out of business because it’s not in the greatest location.  Three years later, it’s still chugging along and has even expanded to include outdoor seating.  Good for them.

Ordinarily, I do all my barbecue smoking by myself, but I was feeling lazy one Sunday and didn’t want to spend my entire day waiting for meats to smoke.  So, seeing that this place recently expanded, I figured it must be good and finally gave it a shot (one of the owners was working and gave me a little ribbing by saying, “you know we’ve been here for three years right?”).

What I Got:  Hungry Man’s Special (not listed on the online menu), $19.99.  This includes three meats (I got ribs, brisket and chicken wings) and two sides (I got cole slaw and macaroni and cheese).

First things first, the name of this combo does not lie…this is a TON of food.  Any regular reader of this site knows that I can throw down some food from time to time, but even this was too much for me for one meal.  It was actually enough for two meals because they serve you ample portions of all the meats and all the sides.  As such, let’s address these individually:

Ribs:  I’ve got to say, I was really impressed by these.  You often hear the term “fall off the bone” to describe how ribs should be cooked and these ribs fit that description to the letter of the law.  They were tender and had a strong smoky flavor.  A little greasy, but when you smoke meats as opposed to grilling them, that is to be expected.  Honestly, these were the best ribs I’ve had in a while.

Brisket:  These were served in a separate container because there was so much of it (LOL) and much like the ribs, this was also tender and had a strong smoky flavor.  I prefer my brisket to have juice oozing from it when I cook it and unfortunately, this brisket did not have that.  That said, when compared to other barbecue restaurants in the area, the brisket was exceptional.  The only reason I can complain at all is because of my ego when it comes to making it myself.  Ha!

Chicken Wings:  I’ll admit, I don’t know that I’ve ever had smoked chicken wings before and since I am thinking of doing it on my own smoker, I decided to give these a try in order to see what I was in store for.  My first impression of the wings was that they were HUGE (a good thing) and there were A LOT of them (a recurring theme).  What I found interesting about these wings was that while they were meaty, tender and juicy on the inside, they had a crispy outer skin that provided a nice texture contradiction to the softness of the inside.  As with the ribs and brisket, these also had a strong smoky flavor and I liked them quite a bit.  So much so that I’m anxious to try this myself.

Sides:  Along the lines of the recurring theme, the sides didn’t come in little miniature cups…they came in sizeable containers as you can see in the picture above.  The cole slaw was obviously homemade (big positive in my book) and was more vinegar based as opposed to mayonnaise based, which I prefer.  It was crunchy and fresh, although it could have used a little something extra to give it some kick.  I would rate this as a B/B+ effort.

As for the macaroni and cheese, well, I’ve got some strong thoughts on this one.  I will be the first to admit that I’ve never been a huge macaroni and cheese fan because it is so often botched and lazily made (cheeses are too bland, not enough cheese, etc.) in so many different places.  Because of that, about the only time I will eat macaroni and cheese is when it is out of the Kraft box and yes, I know that is pathetic.  So, in what I thought at the time was an act of stupidity, I decided to give Black Diamond’s macaroni and cheese a try and I am so glad that I did because this was incredible.  It was easily the creamiest and richest macaroni and cheese that I have ever had and I loved it.  They certainly didn’t skimp on the cheese and unlike most places that I’ve eaten macroni and cheese, they actually used a cheese that had a little kick to it and I LOVED that.   Honestly, if you skipped all the meat and just got a huge order of macaroni and cheese, you would be delighted with your order.

Would I Buy It Again?  Absolutely and without hesitation. I can see why that despite an odd location, Black Diamond has managed to stay in business and actually expand in the three years that it has been open.  This is damn fine barbecue and it will always be my FIRST choice on the days that I decide to not make it on my own.  There are not a lot of great barbecue options in this city, so I would strongly advise you to give it a try if you are a barbecue lover.

By the way, Black Diamond caters (one of the owners made sure to let me know that) and also has coupons on my new favorite website, Coupons4Indy.com.

-IndianapolisEater

I have to admit that when I go for fast food chicken, I am a sucker for KFC.   Now, I know after they changed their oil, many people say that it does not stack up against the old version, but it can still be really good at times.

What I Got: 3-piece meal (spicy) with jalapeno poppers, cole slaw and a biscuit.  $5.99

There was drama at the drive thru as I would think that in a 3-piece meal you would get a breast and two dark.  Nope, they gave me all legs.  My favorite piece of chicken is the thigh, but legs are okay as well.  I would’ve been pretty P.O.’ed if I didn’t have a buy one, get one coupon and paid this amount for all legs.  For the record, I think a 10-piece dark was $6.99 (on special).

As far as the taste, I enjoyed the spicy version a lot more than the original version.  Not only was it spicier, but the breading was different as well.   I think that it could’ve been a little spicier, so maybe they should call this zesty chicken.  The pieces were average sized and I didn’t think they were small like KFC Grilled Chicken.

The cole slaw was bad and I think that I tossed it before I took the pic.  You know the story:  water, bland, and barely any recognizable vegetables.

The jalapeno poppers tasted the same as the out-of-the-box frozen kinds.  There was nothing special here, but they added more spicy fried goodness to the meal.

I wouldn’t serve my biscuit to my worst blogging enemy.  If you are wondering, “is he talking about me?”  Probably, probably…

Would I Buy It Again?  Full price, no.  With a BOGO coupon, sure. I haven’t been to Church’s for quite some time and I enjoyed it more than I thought that I would.  However, when I get the itch for fast food chicken, KFC Original Recipe still gets the nod.

-wibia

Uncle Sam’s Barbecue
Hueytown, AL (outside of Birmingham)
http://www.unclesamsbbq.com/

At the start of 2009, I never would’ve thought that I would spend anytime in Alabama, especially Hueytown.  Funny where life take you though!  Okay, maybe not.

Uncle Sams Barbecue is a converted Long John Silver’s.   Walk in and sit where-ya-like type of place.  Service was attentive and friendly, about four waitresses in the dining room and running the cash register.   I found my server to be the definition of down home hospitality as she called me “hun” a few times. I couldn’t help but think there is a light cigarette somewhere behind the counter that she has a few puffs of between tables!

I ordered the Jumbo Pork Sandwich for $3.99   They had a list of sides, so I mentioned that I would take the potato salad.  She corrected me and said that that I get all of the sides!

So, get this, for $3.99 I had a Jumbo Pork Sandwich, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw and French Fries!!  So far, so good and I was loving this place.

$3.99 for this entire plate.... Boo-yeah!

Meal arrived and the jumbo sandwich was a strong serving, no doubt about it!  I found the pork to be tasty, but it lacked a smoky depth that I like in my barbecue.  It was moist and lean, but a little bland for my taste.   The sauce was thinner than Sweet Baby Ray’s and had more kick to it.   As far as a barbecue sandwich, I would give it a 7/10.

Cole slaw was watery and bland.  It was more vinegar than mayo and it is difficult to identify vegetables otherwise than cabbage.   The fries were out of the bag frozen, but politely salted and hot…they really hit the spot.  Baked Beans were pretty solid.  I couldn’t find any bacon in them, but they were pretty good.

Would I Buy It Again?   On value alone, sure!   This place was packed for lunch and it is easy to see why.  How they made a profit with this meal was beyond my comprehension!?  It wasn’t the best barbecue that I have had, but it surely wasn’t the worst.  I have to admit that Uncle Sam’s was a fun find in Hueytown.

Btw, I have to include that Pat Robertson’s TV show was playing in the background.  I always have to make note of when there is religious propaganda with my meal.  I always get an e-mail or so and plenty of shitty comments that I have to admin out!  No comment here, just saying what was on the TV

-WIBIA