Mississippi Belle
2170 East 54th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220

It was Sunday and I just felt like pigging out.   I am not sure what it was, a busy week at work and a bunch of bad lunches and I just wanted some comfort food.  Fried chicken sounds good, so I remembered a conversation with Indy Restaurant Scene and her husband about fried chicken in Indy.  They were quite fond of Mississippi Belle.

What I Ate:  Fried Chicken and four sides;  $13.50 (included a beverage).

All day Sunday is family style day at Mississippi Belle.  It is all you can eat for the price above and you are welcome for any refills on anything.  A little spicy for lunch, but I am rich…kidding.  They have about 8-10 different meats ranging from chopped steak to pulled pork and even a vegetarian option.  I’m am not sure why on that one.  During the week, you can get a friend chicken lunch for around $7.00.

The sides were Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans and Dressing.  Corn fritters that are pictured came along with the meal.

The fried chicken was amazing.  The batter was perfect, not too much but just enough.  The chicken is pan fried and I like to think that there are a few cast irons back in the kitchen with a lot of love in them.  The chicken was served at the perfect temperature:   hot, but not lawsuit hot.  I liked adding a little hot sauce at the table to get a little extra spice.  The odd part is that they didn’t serve any wings.  It didn’t bother me, but I would’ve liked to have one.

The sides were hit and miss.  The mac and cheese was amazing.  Straight forward, creamy and the macaroni was cooked perfectly and firm.  So many times it is overcooked.  The green beans were typical cooked in lard that everyone has had a million times.   The mashed potatoes and gravy was solid as well.  The gravy reminded me of the type that my grandmother made.  It took me back for sure.  I didn’t care for the stuffing because it was ground like grits and I didn’t really care for the consistency.

The service was kind and friendly.  It felt like you were stopping by their house.   The amount of pride that they had in their food was extremely obvious.   The bottom line, they know it is awesome as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  Hell yeah.  To be honest, it is towards the top of my fried chicken list in Indy.  I would have no problem if someone said it was their favorite.  The fried chicken at Petite Chou is really good as well, but two very different approaches.

Mississippi Belle is a special place.  They are not trying to be anything more than what they are.  My grandparents would love it here, if you are form the south and miss your meat and 3 combos, you would like this a lot.  Bottom line, they care and it shows through the food and service.

The scene inside….

-wibia

10-01 Food & Drink
1001 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.1001fooddrink.com/

I was excited to see 10-01 open and really looking forward to giving it a try.  With a prime footprint in Broad Ripple Village, I was looking forward to actually eating good food that overlooks Broad Ripple Avenue.  I like the idea too, as it is comfort food with a twist.  However, after the meal, I am not sure if I liked the twist.  My brother EatHSE was also along for the party, so let’s get this started.

What I Got:  First up, Mac and Cheese.  Four Cheese blend with Nueske Bacon; $6.

I didn’t like this at all.   As I mentioned, most Mac and Cheese at restaurants is horrible and this was no exception.   This mac was very oily and not very cheesy.   The bacon was fine, but this was messy and just flat out bad.

Next, Flatbread Pizza with Andoullie Sausage in a ancho basil sauce; $8.

Better, but still pretty bad.   This needed onion or something else on it.  One slice of sausage on each piece and the crust was really soft in the middle.  The ancho flavor was heavy and I liked that, but that is about it. 

For my entrée, I tried the Fried Chicken; $14. 

Half Chicken, Bourbon gravy, Fontina Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli.  I have to admit, I actually liked the taste of the fried chicken.  It was half of a chicken, but I will assume that the chicken was about a week old at slaughter because it was pretty small.  I would struggle these days to eat half of a rotisserie chicken, but I polished this off without a problem.   I liked the mashed potatoes and gravy too. White gravy with a little sweetness of the Bourbon.  Everyone else at the table liked my dish as well.  Notice the omission of the buttermilk biscuit.  At this point in the meal, I was so unsatisfied that I didn’t even care about the biscuit. 

Would I Buy It Again?  No.  I usually don’t give a flat out No after my first visit, but there were so many issues here.  My brother’s portabella burger was flat out bad and I had a taste of wild mushroom fettuccini and I didn’t like that either.  Service was akward, ill paced and not really even friendly.  I like the fried chicken, but that is all I can say.  The menu repeats itself a lot and needs to be more seasonal.  It was 97 degrees that night and I didn’t want meatloaf or a meatloaf sandwich. 

Just like their neighbor of La Jolla, I really want to like this place, but the grub is not to the level that it needs to be.  Is it worth a try?  Sure.  I imagine that there are a few items on the menu that fair better than the ones that I ordered. 

-wibia

P.S.  Thanks to Indianpolis Restaurant Scene for the outside picture.

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

MCL Cafeteria

http://www.mclhomemade.com/

It’s not a secret that I am a fan of MCL.  Their food is fresh, simple and just plain good.  It is cafeteria style with a good amount of old folks at lunch that take way too long to decide what they want to eat.  Their online menus are updated daily.  Also, some locations have conference rooms, so if you are looking to host a casual business event, you can do it there.

What I Got:  Fried Chicken, Dark.  Spinach, Macaroni Salad, Sweet Tea.  Around $10.

The spinach didn’t offer any surprises.  A few small pieces of bacon and that is about it.  It was seasoned well, very basic.   The macaroni salad was really creamy with nice vegetable crunch.  My only complaint is that there was too much shredded cheese in it, otherwise, not bad.  If you are a cheese fan, you will love it.

I am a big fan of MCL chicken because the breading is really light.  On a cross section of chicken, I like about an 90:10 chicken to breading ratio.  I got the dark meat chicken, a leg and a thigh.    The chicken tasted great (could’ve been a little warmer), but the pieces were a little smaller then I remembered.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes.  I would look at the macaroni salad to see if there was a lot of cheese in it before I bought it.  I would also pay close attention to the chicken and then point out the pieces that I want.

It wasn’t a bad meal by any stretch of the imagination.  Service was very friendly and when I think of cafeteria food, MCL is still my number one choice (by far actually).

-wibia

Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen
4620 N. 38^th Street
Indianapolis, IN

Finding good fried chicken seems to be a bigger challenge than it should be. For a long time, Popeye’s spicy chicken along with its red beans and rice has been my fast food chicken favorite. However, due to their three not so convenient locations in crime ridden areas of Indianapolis, a recent but rare trip to one of these locations is something I was looking forward to all week.

What I Got: Two 3 piece mixed (1 white & 2 dark piece) combos with red beans and rice, biscuit, and drink $14.14

When I got home and opened the first box and my jaw dropped on how small the pieces of chicken had gotten since my last Popeye’s experience. My one piece of white meat was the smallest wing I have ever gotten (as seen in the picture). Surely for $14, I had a breast in the other combo box. To my surprise, the second combo had the same small wing with a leg and thigh. What does a man have to do to get a chicken breast in a combo for $14?

Trying to put the skimpy portions behind me, I dug into my “spicy” chicken only to find out that there was little to no more spice than what I could get at KFC. The side orders of red beans and rice have also shrunk to where the whole container equaled about 4 tablespoons.

In an attempt to contact Popeye’s quality control, I discovered none of the Indianapolis locations are owned by the corporation and all three are franchised out. Therefore, corporate quality control refused to provide any assistance and said any concern should be brought to the attention of the franchise owner who seems impossible to get in touch with since nobody can provide contact information for this person.

Would I Buy it Again? I may consider giving it one more try at a different location considering my history of positive experiences. However, there are many Church’s Chickens in the same neighborhood, the competition should and will be considered after this negative experience.

-EatHSE

Gray Brothers Cafeteria
555 S. Indiana St.
Mooresville, IN 46158
http://www.graybrotherscatering.com/

Out of 28 reviews on Google, this place has 4.5 stars out of 5.  80% of the people like it on Urban Spoon.  People travel here form across Indiana for their old school cafeteria favorites, fried chicken, swiss steak, meatloaf, etc.  I am usually not the cafeteria type of guy, but I was impressed by MCL, so let’s see how this goes.

On average, lunch and drink will run you close to $10.00.  Every time I am at a cafeteria, I get the same thing, fried chicken, corn and mac and cheese.  Sub mashed potatoes for corn if I am feeling skinny that day!  Ha.

White meat fried chicken was good, but nothing to rave about.  Better than Chester Fried from the gas station, but it is not as good as KFC on a good day.  However, it was an honest portion and cooked well, very juicy, but lacking seasoning.   Corn is corn, nothing more to report there.

Mac and Cheese was another disappointment.  Average at best and I think that I would prefer the Mac from KFC as well.  It basically tasted like elbow noodles and shredded cheddar cheese.  A good Mac is creamy, but this was not a good one as it was a touch dry.

Would I Buy It Again?  No. I left thinking, what the hell was that?! It wasn’t horrible, but it reminded me of a place that was holding on to the glory days of the past.   Once you step away from the fact that your grandparents used to take you there after church, you will probably stop reminiscing and realize that there is better out there.

-WIBIA

Keystone Deli
2344 E 53rd St
Indianapolis, IN 46220

Old school as it gets here.  Beef Manhattans, Liver and Onions, Chopped Steak, you get the drift.  Interior is run down, but clean enough to eat from.  Blue collar lunch crowd, I was in a suit and no one ran me out and I had the “anyone is welcome” feel to it.

It was lunch so we walked up the counter and set up cafeteria style.  Menu is chalk-boarded and most lunches were around $6-$7.50.  I gave my order to the lady and she handed the plate to me and said “here you go honey…”  She was about 105 years old, but I think that she was sweet on me!  She must know about the blog.  Either way, my plate was loaded.

Fried chicken was good.  Very crispy, warm and just the way it should be.  The the pieces were average size.  It could use a little more seasoning, but otherwise, pretty good.

Mac and Cheese was a letdown.  Looking at the place, I thought “I am sure these people know how to make a mean M&C.”  However I think that I set the bar to high and I was disappointed.  Don’t get me wrong,   It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great.

Corn…this is the big problem.  Corn out of a can is easy right?  This was SOAKED in butter.  You can see the butter on the pic between the mac and cheese and the corn.  Within a minute, the butter seeped over to my M&C and my chicken.  It was too much.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes and No, I would give Keystone Deli one more try and get something else.  I like dives like this and I have a good feeling that the biscuits and gravy are killer here.   I can’t say that I was in love with the meal that I had though.

-WIBIA

KFC $5 Fill-Up Box

I really struggle to believe that Subway has such a market presence that they can set the bar on what an acceptable price is for a meal.  $5 Foot-Long Promo has made KFC and Pizza Hut both offer options at $5.00 and I have a bad feeling there is more to come.  We talked about the P’Zone and liked it, now on to KFC.  Before we start and just to confirm, I still dislike Subway.

KFC has 4 Options for their $5 Fill Up Box:
2 Piece (white or dark)
5 Hot Wings
3 Original Recipe Strips
Twister Wrap

You also get a medium soda, choice of side and a biscuit.

I ordered the 2 piece white with mashed potatoes.  I really like KFC mashed potatoes, always have, always will.  Because I ordered mashed potatoes, I didn’t get a kick ass box, I got a normal tray.  I asked for honey and for some reason I got a package of grape jelly.  Odd, because what do they use grape jelly for?!?  Maybe a biscuit.

So is this a good deal?

Off the normal menu – 2 Piece White, 2 Side, biscuit is $5.89 (no drink)
Medium Drink is $1.49
Total: $7.38

Lets drop a side item to equal the contents of the Fill-Up Box
$7.38 – $1.49 (price of a side) = $5.89  (back to original cost of the meal above, just switching a side for a drink).

Yes and no. In someways, it is like having a 89¢ coupon.  Let me ask you this, if they gave you an $.89 coupon, would you go?  Probably not.   However, if you order the dark meat 2 piece 2 side meal, you actually come out a loser.  Your best deal here is getting the normal meal, skipping the soda or take it to go and drink a generic soda for about 20¢ a can and calling it a day.

Would I Buy It Again?  I don’t know! (our first one) This is almost all marketing, but it is smart for KFC to do.  If I wanted a soda and didn’t mind dropping a side, then it makes sense.  If I want water or am taking it to go, I will probably stick to the conventional meals.  However, for $5, I was pretty content.

By the way, the chicken was actually pretty good.  Nice sized pieces, moist and they were really hot as if they were freshly cooked. Original recipe still hits the spot from time to time.  However, KFC may have the worst customer service in the biz.

-wibia

If your order mashed potatoes, they give you a plate. Still a $5 Fill Up.