Cheeseburger in Paradise
http://www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com/

It was Happy Hour yet again (albeit a miserable, rainy night) and some friends and I popped in to Cheeseburger in Paradise for our weekly meet-up.  Cheeseburger in Paradise is a chain partially owned by Jimmy Buffet and focused primarily on the island feel of his music.  It’s a little goofy when you walk in and see tiki huts and Hawaiian shirts, but whatever.  Seeing that I could get a half sandwich and a bowl of soup for a relatively reasonable price, I decided to mix in a little food with my beer.

What I Got:  Which Way Do I Steer? (1/2 sandwich and either a cup of soup or a house salad) $7.99

After seeing an episode of Throwdown recently where Bobby Flay had a Cuban sandwich challenge, I’ve had a craving for one so I ordered the El Cubano sandwich (Cuban sandwich) and also got a cup of the soup of the day (Chicken Gumbo).

The sandwich was not bad.  There was nothing specacular about it, but it was meaty and for a half sandwich, I was pleasantly surprised.  The bread was crusty and smashed to perfection (at least according to Cuban sandwich specifications).  Again, nothing great about the taste, but it did the trick.

The real winner of the meal though was the Chicken Gumbo soup.  This gumbo had rice, chicken, black beans, sausage and some other assorted vegetables.  It was hearty and had a nice little spice to it.  It wasn’t enough spice to knock you over, but there was enough in there so that you knew you were getting something with a little kick and being the spicy food lover that I am, I really appreciated that. 

Would I Buy It Again?  Yeah, I would.  I’m not going to go out of my way to get this, but if I did end up at Cheeseburger in Paradise again, I would certainly consider this menu option again, especially if the gumbo is the soup of the day.

Cheeseburger in Paradise is family friendly and when the weather is nice, this is a good place to be and always has a wait for a table.  They open the windows (more like garage doors) and let the open air in so that you feel that you really are drinking some beers in the Florida Keys.  The food is not going to knock your socks off (they actually do have some tasty menu items like Mini Cheeseburgers) but you are really going for the environment/experience.  They’ve got a lot of drink specials too, so for a chain restaurant, this place is not too shabby.

-IndianapolisEater

Gumbo a Go-Go!
1420 West 86th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Open: M-Sa 11-8
317-337-9422

I can only write Gumbo a Go-Go so many times, so from here on out, I am calling it GAGG.

Every reader has a restaurant like this in their city. I never hear any rants/raves and the parking lot is never full. They are under the radar.  Ask most people form Indy about cajun food and they will say Yats! and then…ahh…ummm…

After my Yats! post, a reader sent me an e-mail and said give GAGG a try. It is close to work, so I said why not.  Chalkboard menu with about twelve options consisting of Vodoo Chicken, Bourbon Chicken, three Etouffee’s, Red Beans and Rice, Jumbalaya, Creole Chicken, and four veggie options.   Odd pricing system as it is $6.00 for a regular, $7 for a combo (same size as regular) and $9 for full entree (two choices).

What I Ate: Full Entree, 1/2 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, 1/2 Crawfish Etouffee. $9.00

First bite was the crawfish etouffee. Good, but I wasn’t wowed.  It had very subtle flavors, so I added hot sauce, a little salt and pepper and we were back on track.  I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it either.   I noticed a Chili Cheese Etouffee on the menu and I might try that next time.   However, it is somewhat frustrating to see that on the menu since true cajun cooking uses very little cheese.  Definitely a Midwestern adaptation.

I was unimpressed with my first few bites, so I moved on to the Gumbo.  Awesome.  Really nice flavors and the chicken was plentiful and it just tasted right.  Perfect cold weather dish.  I quickly understood why they called the restaurant Gumbo a Go-Go instead of Etouffee A Go-Go.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, easily.  The $9.00 portion was a lot of food and I could be happy with $6.00 gumbo all day long. They had a very steady lunch crowd and I got to sneak a few looks at the Voodoo Chicken and other entrees and all of it looked good.  The owner was really friendly and pretty funny.  With quick service and honest prices, this is a great combination.  Also, they were playing early Clapton blues until the next CD came on and it was Ottis Redding.  +10 on the music selections.

-wibia