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

La Chinita Poblana
927 East Westfield Boulevard
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.lachinitapoblana.com/

Can there be enough taco places? Honestly, one of my favorite foods, also one of the most basterdized foods out there. In the former footprint of Boogie Burger sits a newish taqueria, La Chinta Poblana. The tag line is that they are an Asian-inspired taqueria. Fair enough. Don’t automatically assume that you can get a General Tso’s Taco (though that could be quite good.)

The interior is bright and missing one important item:  chairs! There is a counter and a few places to stand and stuff your face. In the summertime, you can eat outside at the Monkey’s Tail. They also offer delivery, but with corn tortillias, I want to eat them right away. If I order two-to-three tacos, usually by the third one, I have to grab a fork. Also, I find it odd they have hot and sour soup. Have you ever tried to eat soup standing up? Good luck.

What I Ate: Steak, Chicken, Tilapia and Pork Tacos; $3.00 each. Mole Poblano Fries; $4.50.

The fries were unlike any that I have had before. Sweet potato fries with a mole sauce topped with crema and queso fresco. I have simply come this this conclusion, I do not like sweet potato fries. I probably would’ve like this a lot if it had regular fries. The mole sauce was convincing, but between the cheese and cream, I thought that it was dairy overload. My fiancée liked them quite a bit and she likes sweet potato fries.

The skirt steak was topped with curry, avocado crema diced onions and an herb mixed. I tasted a lot of steak and onion and barely caught a note of the curry. My fiancée’s favorite, and I enjoyed it as well.

The tilapia was yellow curried blackened added with chipotle mayo, pickled napa cabbage and herb mix. I liked everything here except for the fish itself. The pieces were small and I tasted more breading than anything else (my least favorite).

The chicken taco was cumin marinated with chile de arbol salsa topped with onion and herbs. This was my favorite. It was great, no complaints. I like the heat and smokiness from the chile de arbol salsa.

The pork taco was topped with avocado crema, diced onion and herbs. Dairy again!!! Rrrmph. I like the pork, but it was really greasy and made a huge mess. My fiancée’s least favorite.

Would I Buy it Again? Ehh…if I ranked my favorite tacos in the city, I would put them in the top ten. This was my second visit. They have great chips and salsa and the homemade drinks (I had that on my first visit) are good and I appreciate the interesting combinations. However, when I go out to eat, I don’t want to stand at a counter. For lunch, they have great combo options and you can get out of there for $8.00. For dinner, you are pushing $10+ to get the same meal that you would get at lunch.

Though they are branded as a more gourmet taco option in Broad Ripple and the competition is Qdoba, La Bamba and La Piedad. If you are half in the bag, you probably go for quantity and price. However, if it is a nice day and you are looking for lunch outside in Broad Ripple, La Chinita Poblana should be on your list.

-wibia

great pics here. http://www.afareaffair.net/la-chinita-poblana/

Chicago Hot Dog Co.
8320 N. Michigan Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46268
http://www.chdcompany.com/

Having grown up in Northwest Indiana, some of life’s best food treasures and my favorite things to eat come from Chicago. Finding authentic versions of those favorites including Chicago dogs, Italian Beef and deep dish pizza in Indianapolis is not all that easy. You usually pay a premium like my favorite deep dish at Nancy’s Pizza in Fishers. There has been a lot of hype about how authentic the food is at Chicago Hot Dog Co., owned by a Chicago transplant, so I decided to take the family our for lunch to see if they had the “real thing.”

What We Ate:

Chicago Dog; $2.99.

It is not a Chicago Dog if the dog is not a Vienna Beef. Fortunately, CHDC brings them in from Chicago. The Chicago Dog had a properly steamed poppy seed bun, mustard, 2 slices of tomato, pickle slice, peppers and a very good green relish that can either make or break the dog. CHDC got it right and it I felt at home with this favorite.

Maxwell St. Polish Char Grilled; $3.99.

A good Polish is usually a hit with me. The smell of the grilled onions and polish dogs are usually the first thing I go for when attending a White Sox game in Chicago. The Polish I received had excellent flavor but the do was on the small side and could have used three times as many onions that came with this version and that left me disappointed.

Chili Dog with cheese; $4.29.

This dog came with the typical chopped onions and you add 49 cents for the cheese. My wife was satisfied with her choice. I thought the chili had good flavor while not overpowering the taste of the dog. A good chili dog, but for the price, you can get chili dogs that can satisfy just as well for half the price and any number of other places around Indianapolis.

Some people like to get their Italian Beef dipped but I like my juice on the side to dip to keep it from falling apart. To me, a good Italian Beef needs to have a quality French bread that is crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. The roll at CHDC was excellent and the tender beef was loaded into this $5 sandwich making it an excellent value. The juice was loaded with spices and had good flavor. The cup was too small and I had to ask for more. This Italian Beef will satisfy most but is a step below what you can get at Fat Dan’s in Broadripple.

Large French Fries; $1.89.

Typical Crinkle Fries. Nothing special.

Small Chocolate Shake; $2.69.

The small was a good serving side and a large is just a dollar more. My daughter went for the chocolate over the strawberry or vanilla choices. The thickness of the shake was perfect. You had to give it some effort to get it through the straw and it didn’t melt quickly like they do at some places, which is important if you have kids.

CHDC seems to be meeting the niche for good quality authentic Chicago food. The place was packed and CHDC is planning on an expansion this spring. CHDC got the green relish right making the Chicago Dog the highlight for me. It is not Portillo’s, but I walked away satisfied and would certainly stop in next time I am in the area.

-EatHSE

I was recently in Detroit on business and — as usual, when I head out of town for work — I googled to see which restaurants close to where I was staying have been profiled on any Food Network or Travel Channel shows. Low and behold, Detroit’s two rival coney dog spots were within walking distance of my hotel. Considering my love for coney dogs and the fact that I had the chance at my own personal “Food War” (NOTE: The two restaurants locked horns on Travel Channel’s Food Wars and I had seen the episode), I’m kind of embarrassed at how excited I was to go there.

So, yes, I walked there, braving the Sandy-provided wind and rain mix, for about a mile. I was happy to do it. I’m also happy to report I saw zero murders or muggings on my way. There was one clearly-crazy middle-aged woman screaming about her Jimmy John’s sandwich. I don’t know what she was angry about or if she was directing her yelling at the store or the sandwich, but she was not facing the store. She was instead facing the street. I’d love to be able to tell you I walked directly by her, but I would be lying. I crossed the street and had to later cross it back. So she — or rather, me being a wuss — tacked on two blocks to the hike. Small price to pay, in my view. I was in one piece when arriving on Lafayette Avenue. So by the time I walked into Lafayette Coney Island, I was quite pleased. And the enjoyment did not end there.

Lafayette Coney Island
118 W Lafayette Blvd
Detroit, MI 48226

What I Got: Coney; $2.35.

Here’s what I want out of a coney. I’d like to be able to pick it up for a few bites, but then after a few bites, the amount of chili and onions spilling over the side means I need to reverse course and go to the fork and/or become an utter slob, otherwise the mixture would end up all over me. And if I choose to keep picking it up, it does end up all over me and it’s so good it’s worth it. This one delivered on that front. I got two bites and then the chili/mustard/onion mix was too daunting and started to spill out. After a few fork bites I went back to the pick-up and got chili all over my right hand/wrist. Win.

Initial thoughts: Not mind-blowing by any stretch. Decent flavor to the chili with some spice, but not a ton. The hot dog was quality but not outstanding. One thing that stuck out is it had some serious casing. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a hot dog with such a prominent pop. It may have even made a snapping sound on each bite. A fork cut wouldn’t even break the skin, a knife was needed. No time to sit and think, though …

American Coney Island
114 W. Lafayette Blvd
Detroit, MI 48226
http://www.americanconeyisland.com/home.htm

What I Got: Coney and fries; $2.35 + $1.90.

Not shockingly, things were very similar here. The chili was only slightly different. This one had a bit more spicy kick, but the differences were still very mild (see what I did there?). The casing here again was pretty strong with the popping action and I believe it was the exact same number of bites before I had to plate the thing and go to the knife/fork combo to finish the job. This time around I didn’t go back to the well that was trying to get back to picking it up. Not sure why.

Would I Buy It Again: Yes to both, with a caveat…only if I were in the area and a stop was convenient. Considering the price, these are pretty good value options. If I were somehow intoxicated in downtown Detroit — and found a way to live through it — I’d LOVE to get like four coneys from each place. I would not, however, drive far to check these out for a second time or go out of my way to get there. If you’ve never been, I only recommend for purposes of nostalgia. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoyed myself and my meal(s). It’s just that I feel like I could come moderately close to recreating these with a jumbo Hebrew National dog and IndianapolisEater’s chili (but not WIBIA’s).

But, really, that’s not why we’re really posting this, right? The real question is, which establishment would I choose? They’ve been profiled on Food Wars and Food Feuds!

First, let’s set the scene. You’ve read about the food, but I’ll delve into atmosphere.

Lafayette is clearly, CLEARLY, the red-headed step child of the two. It lost the Food Wars and Food Feuds episodes. It’s MUCH smaller (in the above picture, American extends another 100 feet or so the right and has more than double the tables). The workers in American have uniforms and the setup appears much more commercial. Lafayette appears a hole in the wall. When you initially walk in Lafayette, two foreign guys toward the front immediately greeted me with “YES PLEASE!” The tone isn’t so much inviting as it is Soup Nazi-ish — like you better order as fast as possible, dude. To borrow a WIBIA phrase, I wasn’t offended by this. I support immigrants coming to the greatest country on Earth and they meant well. I was also armed and ready to order, so they were just fine in my book and got a roughly 50% tip (I left $5 and skated without getting a bill, as they were tied up). So I’m not bashing, just telling the story.

Speaking of stories…at one point, a group of five people walked toward the door at Lafayette. A mildly attractive woman went to reach for the door, but a male (co-worker?) said something to her, she looked up, and the group proceeded to keep walking as she brought her hand back away from the door. Yep, they meant to go to American and the “hot one” of the group almost royally screwed up, evidently. But that’s not the story. The best part about this was that the two workers toward the front of Lafayette started yelling in a foreign language I didn’t understand (NOTE: I don’t understand Spanish or French, per se, but I can understand that’s the language being spoken, if that makes sense. This language was neither). I don’t know if they were screaming obscenities or begging the potential patrons to come in. I do know it couldn’t have been the more perfect illustration of the rivalry and, probably, the “little brother” complex of the rivalry coming out. Basically, picture two 5’5″ dudes screaming at people walking away from the door in disappointment. It was like seeing Purdue basketball fans going nuts about IU.

Anyway, over to American (pictured above). It was more modernized. It had many more workers. It had actual uniforms on the servers. It has a website (Lafayette doesn’t). And on and on and on. Again, this is the Big Brother.

I wanted so bad to choose Lafayette. And I could be intellectually dishonest and say I liked it better, but I’d be lying. Just like with my cars, I choose American.

Still, it was very, very close. If I went back and there was any sort of a line in American, I wouldn’t think twice about diving into Lafayette. They have a fine establishment, too. Also, I had zero wait for my dog in Lafayette. Maybe 45 seconds while the dude dressed it. At American it took all of five minutes. Nitpick at will.

In all honesty — though it would ruin the storyline here — Lafayette would probably be better off moving. Foot traffic is big in downtown of a huge city, and when you constantly lose to your neighbor, moving to where there’s either inferior or very little competition is the right move (pun intended!).

To reiterate in conclusion, though, I very much liked both places and would never tell anyone to avoid either.

-Show

Jack in the Box
http://www.jackinthebox.com/

This is the third review of a three part series introducing the Jack in the Box menu to the new Indianapolis market (first review and second review). The focus of this review is some of their unique sides and the value menu.

What I Got:  Three piece Stuffed Jalapenos (pictured above); ~$2.79.

Breaded, spicy jalapeños stuffed with a blend of melted cheeses and served with Buttermilk Ranch dipping sauce. I lost my receipt for this order but the three piece comes in at around $2.79. I must say that I liked the firm crunchy outside coating that did not allow for any leakage of melted cheese from the inside. However, at about ninety cents a jalapeno, if you need some melted cheese, go for the bacon cheddar fries instead.

Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger; $1.19  and Jr. Jack (pictured below); $1.00.

Jack has four burgers on its value menu. The Jr. Jack and Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger(pictured below) share the same type of bun, and a very bad one to say the least. It is a typical white enriched flour type of bun where the outside easily breaks apart, is dry, and tastes awful. The Jr. Jack has lettuce tomato and mayo, but as you can see from my picture, the mayo was lacking, the lettuce was soggy and the tomato lacked any taste. You pay an extra $0.19 for the bacon but the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger was just as bad as the Jr. Jack. Stay away from both of these and choose The Big Cheeseburger for children and the Jumbo Jack for the adult appetite. Both come with a Sesame Seed Bun and are juicy in comparison to the other two dry Jr. burgers on the value menu.

Value Fry; $1.00.
I thought the portion was fair for $1.00. Jack’s fries are not great but good enough if you are there for some of their other menu items. A Jumbo Jack with a value fry is the cheapest way to get through Jack at $2.69 plus tax combined if you do not need a drink. Speaking of drinks, thankfully they have Coca-Cola products, but their drinks are nearly twice the price of McDonald’s and just do not seem to taste as good.

Egg Rolls(pictured above); 1 for $1.49 or 3 for $3.49.

Egg Rolls are one of my favorite foods, but considering the focus is fast food burgers, my expectations were low. Jack’s egg rolls are pork, were crispy, and contained the common ingredients you find in any other standard egg roll. The sweet and sour dipping sauce was the disappointment. The top ingredient in the sauce was high fructose corn syrup, which we know is bad for us and quickly disappearing in a lot of our food. The result was an awful overpowering sauce that was all sweet and no sour and inedible in my opinion. I was surprised to see a California based company still using a product that its primary ingredient is high fructose corn syrup and I would not buy them again until they get an improved dipping sauce.

Chicken Nuggets (pictured above); $1.29 for five nuggets.

The nuggets were white meat and had a flavorful crisp coating on the outside. My daughter loved them and so did I. Jack’s nuggets are a winner, especially when comparing them to their competition and one of the better value menu items.

Would I Buy It Again? Of Course. If you have not been to Jack yet, it is time to give it a try. Just like any fast food burger stops, it has its winners and losers. For the price, you can’t beat the Jumbo Jack and it is worth the forty cents to add cheese. Breakfast items are almost all winners and so are their sourdough sandwiches. Jack has a couple of deli sandwiches, some good looking salads and even a chicken teriyaki bowl that I have yet to try giving it some unique menu items and creating niche for itself here in Fast Food City of America (Indianapolis). Although Jack is a nice addition to the Indianapolis market, I still long for the king of west coast fast food, In-N-Out Burger to come here. Its eastern most location is Texas, so I think we will be waiting for a while.

-EatHSE

Bobby’s Burger Palace
2121 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.bobbysburgerpalace.com/

The first post from a recent vacation to Washington, D.C.  I thought about grouping them all together, but it would be a monumental post (pun intended).   It was 4:45 when we arrived, so it was dead as disco.

Bobby’s Burger Palace is brought to you but none other than Iron Chef Bobby Flay.   I don’t care what anyone says, I love Bobby Flay.   Maybe not the man, the chef.  His sauces are excellent and The Mesa Grill Cookbook is nothing short of a masterpiece in southwest cooking. When I saw that he had a burger joint in D.C., I added it to the list of possibilities.

What I Ate:  Santa Fe Burger, $7.75, Napa Valley Burger $7.75, Fries $3.00, Mocha Kahlua Vodka Milkshake.

The Santa Fe Burger has a creamy queso sauce, pickled jalapenos and blue corn chips.  What I liked about this burger the most was the quality of the burger itself and it was cooked perfectly.  A solid pink throughout and the patty was jest the perfect size.   The burger didn’t offer any surprises, it tasted exactly how you would think that it would .   I would’ve prefered this on a different bun than a heavily covered sesame, but that is just my preference.

The Napa Valley Burger was topped with goat cheese, watercress, Meyer lemon honey mustard.  Same deal here.   It was good, but it didn’t make me weep in happiness.  I thought to myself that I can easily make this at home.

The fries were great.   They were served with a fry sauce that was pretty close to what you would get with an Awesome Blossom (a little more mustard-y than ranchy though).

The milkshake was tasty for sure.   It was spiked a bit, but I would be full long before half in the bag.

Would I Buy It Again?   Nah.  I crossed it off my list.  It was a fun place to go, but maybe I was expecting a burger that would be a bit more creative.  Service was great, the prices were honest.  If Bobby built one in Indy (yeah right!!) I might go there from time to time for the hell of it.

-wibia

Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort
Location Varies
http://www.chefdansindy.com

To be fair, I am not sure if Chef Dan’s is really a food truck since it is actually a trailer.  I forgot to snap a pic, but is bright yellow and you can’t miss it.   Southern Comfort can be a lot of different things, but I found their menu to slant a lot more toward New Orleans.  They could easily call it Cajun, but lets not get caught up in semantics.

What I Ate:  Shrimp Po’ Boy and Catfish Po Boy with two sides (Red beans and rice and fries); $8.00 each.

Everything arrived quickly and service was extremely friendly.  The truck was super clean and I wasn’t worried about the stomach monkeys after this meal.

The shrimp po’ boy (above) was okay at best.  I liked the breading, but the shrimp could’ve used another minute in the fryer as they were not that firm.   Yes, I know the difference over overcooked/undercooked, etc.   There were five decent sized shrimp and I was content after the meal, but not stuffed.   They put a drizzle on top that tasted like exactly like honey mustard.  My biggest problem was the bread itself.  It was fresh, but it really needed to be toasted.

The catfish po’ boy suffered similar problems.  I like the breading, but the sauce and lack of toasting was not my style at all.  I have my reservations on if either protein was never frozen.  The fish just didn’t taste fishy enough.

The red beans and rice was bland as can be.   To me, it just tasted simple like red beans and nice and very little seasoning.  I am not exaggerating when I say if there was seasoning on it, they need to triple the amount of what they put on my tasting.  To be honest, everything needed salt except for the fries.  The fries were good, but how hard is that?!

Would I Buy It Again?   No.  I hate to say it too.  The people were so nice, but it was not my thing at all.  We were at Triton and the bartender was very fond of their food.   There were a decent amount of people ordering from there as well.   They have a lot of items that rotate in and out of the menu including Cajun pasta, rip tips and pork chops.   Just like any other review, it is all subjective, so give it a try yourself and support local food truck and restaurants.

-wibia

When traveling, I like to eat, drink and listen to some tunes. In my opinion, there isn’t a better way to understand a city and their culture outside of their food and music. Kansas City is known for jazz and barbecue. Barbecue in Kansas City is about beef brisket and burnt ends. To be honest, I am not a brisket lover. Well, correct that, I wasn’t before this trip. Out of a four day trip, I only had barbecue twice. In hindsight, I should’ve had it every day as there was some above average meals (Spin Pizza and Urban Table), but nothing like the quality of the barbecue.

My first stop was at Oklahoma Joe’s. A barbecue joint that is situated in a Shamrock gas station. At 2:00, the line was out the door, it took us 35 minutes to order. Funny enough, the line also included Frank Haith, the men’s basketball coach at Missouri. It was fun to watch the Mizzou fans taking their picture with them and the KU fans not even giving him the time of day. That rivalry is legit, that is for sure.

Oklahoma Joe’s, started in 1995 from a championship barbecue team. They have a million awards, were on Man v. Food, No Reservations and Bourdain said Oklahoma Joe’s is one of the thirteen places you must eat before you die.

What I Got: Jumbo Smokey Joe; $7.29. Beef and pork on a bun, with fries and beans included.

The sandwich was huge. The meat was saturated with sauce and mixed together. I usually would prefer the meat to be separated and then stacked and the sauce on the side. They delivered it mixed with a good amount of sauce on it. I was disappointed, but then I took a bite and it was awesome. Great smoky flavor with a thick sauce. Basic and boring, but hey, you are not here for the bun, right? The pickles were excellent and served as a reminder that I really don’t eat enough pickles.

1lb of brisket.

A lot of barbecue joints have great meat, but horrible sides. Oklahoma Joe’s has the best barbecue beans that I have ever had. A three bean mix with drippings and some burnt ends in it. Top shelf. Oklahoma Joe’s is worth the hype and worth the wait. Part of me thinks that it is a little overhyped due to it being in a gas station, but it is really good barbecue and a must have on any trip to KC.

My next barbecue adventure brought me to Gates Bar-B-Q. Gates has been around Kansas City since 1946 and after you eat there, you can see why. There was about a twenty minute line for dinner, you order at the counter and go from there. There were a few things that I found annoying, the drink machine was behind the counter, so you had a server. Also, they didn’t have pulled pork, so brisket or ribs are really your only choice. The interior reminded me of an old fast food place. To be honest, it was kind of a dump.

What I Got: Half slab of ribs, Long End. You also can order the Short End, totally your choice. It was around $13.00. We got fries as well. I will not mention them as they reminded me of the type that you would get at a bowling alley.  The beans were a step above canned, not worth talking about as well.

The ribs were excellent. They are not as red in real life as the picture shows them.  My barbecue palate is not refined enough to tell you what they smoke the ribs with, but they were lean, fall of the bone and I smelled the smoky flavor on my hand the next morning. They sauce was thin with a lot more vinegar than Oklahoma Joe’s. However, they were a good match for the ribs. The original sauce was pretty tame, but the spicy had a strange delivery. The heat came about five seconds after you had a bite. I had a bite, thought that I got the mild and then the heat came in. The star of the show at Gates was the Burnt End Sandwich. My girlfriend ordered it and I ate my fair share for sure.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes and Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s is a Kansas City staple and I can’t imagine there is better brisket. Kansas City is known for their brisket and Oklahoma Joe’s is arguably Kansas City’s best. That should say it all. Gates was excellent as well, but for my money, Oklahoma Joe’s wins this throwdown.

The one things that I realized is that if you have barbecue in Kansas City, it is going to be good. There are so many barbecue places that if you are not serving top shelf grub, you are not going to make it. Also, I realized, barbecue in Indianapolis is pretty awful. Squealer’s is good, but good for Indianapolis. All in all, Kansas City is a great city to visit and it is hard to beat a pint of Boulevard and a half slab of ribs.

-wibia