Editor’s Note:  Sorry for the quick review on such a basic thing/chain, but as we’ve said a couple of times in the comments, the cruel mistress that is real life has taken its toll on the WIBIA staff and we just haven’t had time for many reviews lately.

Firehouse Subs
http://www.firehousesubs.com

For whatever reason, it took the longest time for a Firehouse Subs to open in the Castleton area.  I had been before and enjoyed it, but there were none close to me as the nearest two were by The Pyramids and also up in Noblesville.  While I liked my first Firehouse experience, I wasn’t willing to drive 15+ minutes to get a sub unless it turned out to be the greatest sub I had eaten in my lifetime.  Since some eager franchisee decided to take the plunge and open one in Castleton (FINALLY), I decided it was time to make my return visit to Firehouse and grab another one of their famous steamed subs for a tryout.

What I Got:  Whole Hook & Ladder sub; ~$8.00.

According to the Firehouse website, a Hook & Ladder sub contains “Smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham, and melted Monterey Jack cheese.”  Yeah, I know, not the most adventurous sub for me to choose, but sometimes you just feel like getting something old and reliable, right?

Old and reliable is the perfect way to describe this sub because every one of the ingredients delivered as I would have hoped.  The turkey was moist and flavorful and the Virginia ham had that sweetness that Virginia ham is intended to have.  The cheese was just cheese, but it did add a bit of saltiness to balance out the sweetness of the ham.  I didn’t get it “Fully Involved” as they recommend, but all the veggies did pretty much taste as I would have expected them to, so I’m not going to waste any more time.

One of the things that makes Firehouse stand out from other sandwich shops is that they steam their subs and it has a unique effect on their sandwiches.  It takes what could be ordinarily soft or crunchy bread and turns it moist and doughy.  It’s an acquired taste and not one that I like often (I mostly like my sandwich bread to be toasted and crunchy), but it does make for an interesting and flavorful sandwich.  Another by-product of this steaming is that it makes the meats in the sandwich even more moist and when you are dealing with turkey, that can only help because as well know, turkey tends to dry out from time to time.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yeah, I’d grab the Hook & Ladder again and I’d definitely grab Firehouse again.  It’s flavorful, different and serves everything in huge portions (with the addition of a plethora of hot sauces).  All of those are things that I’m a big fan of, so this one is right up my alley.  I’m glad they’ve finally come to Castleton and I have an option for something a bit different from the typical Subway, Quizno’s or Jimmy John’s because it is much needed.   Plus, Firehouse has that

-IndianapolisEater

Jersey’s Cafe
13710 N. Meridan Street
Carmel, IN 46032
http://www.jerseyscafe.com

Even though I have been to Jersey’s 4-5 times after my first visit, I am finally getting around to blogging about it.  I gave it a yes review the first time, however, there were clearly some problems.   Mostly, the odd ball teddy bear collection, the time that it took to get the sandwich and the length and format of the menu.

The good news is, I can usually make it there and back within an hour at lunch, the teddy bears are gone and the menu is smaller.   The service is always friendly and seems to work their ass off, though food can still be a touch slow at time.  I rather keep it handmade and fresh and wait for a few more minutes though.

What I Ate: The Guido. $10.   Ham, salami, capicola, provolone cheese, roasted red pepper and pepper shooters.

Jersey’s has a great roll, though at times, I peel off a little of the inside of the bun as it can be a little too bun heavy.  I wish they would toast it on all their sandwiches by default, but I imagine they would if you asked.   This was a great sandwich.  They use quality ingredients and it is a classic.  The pepper shooters were stuffed with provolone and prosciutto.   I liked them, but ate them separately from the sandwich.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yeah, no doubt.  I am actually a fan of this place.   I love the famous chicken salad sandwich that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.   They know who they are and rarely try to push that.   Everything that I have had there has been good to really good.   As I write this entry, I am thinking about the next time I can stop by.

Also, follow them on Facebook, they post specials and they usually look pretty tasty.

-wibia

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

Since my first review of Jack in the Box, I have visited my good friend Jack over ten more times. You may be thinking that EatHSE is nothing more than a glutton with a craving for fast food, but in reality, I am just that dedicated to the WIBIA readers. What can I say, I just like Jack. In this review I am going to focus on the heart and soul of what makes Jack popular, and that is its 24 hour a day breakfast. Up front, I will mention that Hardee’s has always been my favorite place for fast food breakfast, which makes Hardee’s my measuring stick for breakfast at the Jack.

What I Got:

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit; $2.29 (above). Rarely does a breakfast sandwich look as appetizing out of the wrapper as a picture of it might look on their website. I was impressed on how well assembled and neat the presentation of this sandwich was on this visit. The golden brown biscuit was made to perfection and the hand grilled egg was soft to perfection. However, the cheese tells the story in this picture. It wasn’t melted and the sandwich was lukewarm at best. The biscuit stacked up to what you get at Hardee’s and the sausage had good flavor. In a second visit ordering this same menu item a week later, my sandwich was warm and the cheese was melted.

Super Breakfast Croissant Combo with Hash Brown Sticks and Coffee; $3.99. Buttery croissant topped with a fried egg, bacon, ham and American cheese. The croissant melted in my mouth and there was sufficient amount of bacon and ham that made this sandwich a real winner. This was my first breakfast combo at Jack and I must say that I did not like the hash brown sticks. You get five sticks and the coating lacks taste. No comparison to the breakfast tots at Hardee’s or even McDonald’s hash brown. I like my coffee super strong and this coffee was mild and made for the masses, not someone with my coffee preferences.

Loaded Breakfast Sandwich; $2.99 (above). This sandwich comes with two fried eggs, ham, bacon, cheese and sausage (under the egg in this picture). Like any breakfast sandwich, you can customize the bun and I got my grilled. For a carnivore like me, this sandwich gives me every kind of meat except chorizo that I like at breakfast and seems like the perfect fit. The sandwich was well executed and I am sure it is enjoyable for most people. However, from some reason, I just do not like the sausage/ ham combination. It seems like there is too much going on and the sandwich is overkill.

Would I Buy It Again? No to the loaded breakfast sandwich because of personal preference and no to the breakfast combos because the hash brown sticks lack flavor and the coffee is lacking enough caffeine. Yes to any of Jack’s croissants and breakfast biscuits that have been top notch on most of my other visits to Jack.

On a side note, I saw some inconsistencies with temperature and balance of the food the first couple weeks at the Fishers location with food often being cold and too much mayo on my first jumbo Jack as noted in my first review a couple of weeks ago. In my more recent visits to Jack, I have found the food to have proportionate toppings and condiments. My second Jumbo Jack looked like it could have been in a Jack commercial and was one of the best burgers I have had in a long time. On my third review of Jack, I will take a look at some of their sides along with the Jack value menu.

-EatHSE

Rock Cola 50s Cafe
5730 Brookville Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46219
http://www.rockcolacafe.com

We’ve certainly spent a fair amount of time maligning the Super 46 Sandwich competition that was put on this year by the state visitor’s bureau.  As you may have read in a magazine or on this blog, a bratwurst won the “sandwich” competition and frankly, we all know that is absurd.  I/we have had a lot of the sandwiches that were in the contest, but I wanted to do a review of a sandwich that I had never had, so that led me to a part of town where I have literally never been and to the Rock Cola 50s Cafe for the second place finisher of the Super 46 contest.  In my mind, this was technically the winner of the contest since it was an actual sandwich.

This is a small joint with a 50s design motif and everything is made on a flat top grill right in front of everyone.  There’s probably only about 8-10 tables along with a counter to sit at and this place could accommodate at most 35 people on a good day.  To continue the 50s design motif, they walls are filled with 50s trinkets and signs everywhere.  My favorites were the nuclear fallout shelter sign, the old Coke machine and the Bic pen distribution machine.  All in all, this was a 50s diner to a “T” (think the Happy Days diner).  My friend and I sat at the counter, so we got to see everything made right in front of us.

What I Got:  Mile High Club Sandwich with fries/drink combo; $5.99 + $2.99 = $8.98.

I hope my superior iPhone photography skills can do this sandwich justice, because it was huge.  I didn’t have my measuring tape out, but from top to bottom, this thing was every bit of at least five inches tall.  The menu says that you need to unhinge your jaw to eat this one and they certainly were not lying.  It was piled high with turkey, honey-baked ham, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, American cheese and hickory smoked bacon.  All of this was stacked on three healthy sized pieces of Texas toast.  Basically, this was everything a Club Sandwich is supposed to be with the added bonus of the fact that it was HUGE.  The funniest/most amusing part about it is that this sandwich, along with all others at Rock Cola, is stabbed through the heart with a huge steak knife in order to hold them together and/or allow you to slice them.

I’ll be the first to admit that when eating a typical Club Sandwich, I’m not really expecting a lot because it’s a hard sandwich to screw up.  It’s meat, veggies, bread and cheese and that’s it.  It’s pretty simple…except that some places screw simple things up.  Happily, Rock Cola 50s Cafe did not do that and this was honestly one of, if not the best, Club Sandwiches that I’ve ever had.  There’s nothing overtly special about the ingredients and they taste as you’d expect them to, but they all mesh together perfectly (keep in mind, I ate this in the middle of February, yet the veggies were still “fresh”) and create what I would classify as a hell of a sandwich.  The best part about this is that while it is huge, I didn’t really feel weighed down or bloated after eating it.  Not sure if that says I have a ridiculous appetite (I do) or that this sandwich is made so perfectly that it takes you to some sort of utopia where you don’t feel sick after eating a monster amount of food, but it’s a utopia that I’d like to visit often.

The fries were just standard, good tasting crinkle cut fries that were deep fried in oil that is probably older than I am.  I’m not making fun of that because that’s how you get “flavor” into oil and it adds even more nostalgic feel to this place.

Would I Buy It Again?  Absolutely, no question about it.  This was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.  To say something like that about something as simple as a Club Sandwich just proves how good it was.   I just wish this place was closer to my house and more convenient for me to get to because as I sat at the counter watching everything get cooked, I saw about five to six different menu items that looked so good that I wanted to eat my hand.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about this place and it’s going on the recommended list because it’s all I’ve been able to think about for the last 24 hours.  It’s a dive and it’s got simple ingredients with a fairly simple menu, but they do it so unbelievably well.  Hopefully with the publicity they have gotten from the contest, this place will be around for a long time to come because this is the kind of small diner that every city should be proud to have and obviously is since it has (at the time of this writing) a 100% approval rating on Urbanspoon.

-IndianapolisEater

Ale Emporium
8617 Allisonville Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46250
http://www.ale-emporium.com/ 

Ale Emporium has become a staple to Castleton dining and rightfully so, because it is really good bar food.  They have been serving up quality food and craft beer since I have been in Indy (2001).  I used to go there to get and Anchor Steam and a slice of pie.  Not much has changed in the last decade.

We have talked about their Hermanaki wings.  I love them, but I can’t figure out why they can’t make them cheaper than $18.50 for a large order.  Their pizza rocks, lets chat…

What I Got:  10″ Pan Pizza ($10.50) and 14″ Pan Pizza ($19.00).   This is a 10” with bacon and ham.

I didn’t in fact order this, my on-again/off-again friend Taco did.  He is married now, so I will assume that this is the last pizza he will get with these toppings.  With a diminishing man card, I have a feeling he will be adding veggies to his pizza.  Time will tell.

They call this pan pizza, but I am more comfortable calling it Chicago Style.  This is nothing like the pan style that you get at Pizza Hut.  Crust, then meat, then cheese (a ton of it) and then sauce.  Perfect.

When you have this amount of meat, the crust can get soggy from the oils and fat, but not here.   Still a knife and fork pizza, but the crust held it’s consistency.  The cheese was stringy enough that you had to cut it with the spatula when served on the plate.

The toppings were quality, the sauce was rich, but not too much because Chicago style is really about the cheese.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes.  To all of their pizzas.   No matter what crust you choose, you will be happy.  Their pizza is outstanding.  It is a cool place to chill and they have a great beer selection.  However, don’t try to order a fancy drink.

And lets do this…

HALL OF FAME.  Yeah, it has been a while.  They have possibly the best wings in the city, a great beer list and one of the best traditional and Chicago style pizzas in the city. Plus, they have bands, and I give props to any bar that supports local music.

-wibia

Jason’s Deli
4130 East 82nd Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46250
http://www.jasonsdeli.com/

Indy Food Geek has done a previous review of Jason’s Deli and I have been there several times for the salad bar, but have never done a review because really, who wants to read a review of a salad bar (it’s a really good one by the way; I guess I just did a review)?  Anyway, I had decided after my last Jason’s salad bar visit that I was going to get something other than the salad bar, but I wasn’t sure what that would be.  Since we all know I watch too many food shows, I recently caught an episode of Unwrapped where they were showing a segment on Jason’s Deli and how they make their signature Muffaletta sandwich.  Intrigued enough by the segment, I finally knew that I had a winner on what to order next and on a recent Saturday, I made the trip.

What I Got:  Whole Ham & Hard Salami Muffaletta; $10.99.  Served with two bags of chips (baked or regular Lay’s) and two pickles.

Seeing that they serve this with two orders of chips and two pickles, this sandwich is obviously large enough that it is intended for two people (the picture above is only half the sandwich).  Not for ol’ IndianapolisEater though…I was going to take down the entire thing.  Yeah, I’m a fool.

Anyway, here’s how Jason’s describes their Muffaletta:  “Jason’s signature sandwich begins with round, crusty New Orleans muffaletta bread we split and layer with ingredients. Topped with our famous family-recipe olive mix and grilled to perfection!“  They offer it in several different options (Ham & Hard Salami, Turkey Breast or Veggaletta) and as I listed above, I chose the Whole (9″ inch diameter roll) Ham & Hard Salami version.

After I received my order, I actually laughed.  I thought that perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew here (pun intended), so I’d at least I’d have some leftover for lunch for the next day.  This was a HEAVY sandwich and was loaded with quite a bit of ham, salami, cheese and olive mix.  The bread was also crustier than I expected (and also topped by sesame seeds, which was completely unexpected).  Still, I was looking forward to diving into this thing because I LOVE olive salad.

I took my first bite and I could tell that I was going to be disappointed.  This thing was bland and the taste was unmemorable.  The deli meats and cheeses were fine and plentiful, but they weren’t all that flavorful.  The olive salad was also there in plentiful amounts, but it really lacked flavor.  You knew it was there visually and you could feel the texture of it in your mouth, but it wasn’t nearly as salty/briny as you’d expect from something made up of so many olives.  Also, the crusty bread was basically unusable because it kept falling apart under the weight of all the toppings.  After eating half of my first portion (they cut the giant sandwich into fourths, so that was one quarter),  I had to get up and go to my refrigerator to get the spicy brown mustard in order to give this one some sort of pleasurable taste.  When you have to doctor a “signature” sandwich, that’s not a good sign.

Would I Buy It Again?  Definitely not.  Bland, boring and a total letdown.  I will go to Jason’s Deli again, but I’ll stick with their outstanding salad bar (hey, there’s another review!).  Other than that, I have no desire to try any of their other stuff unless I hear someone else give it a glowing review.

Oh yeah, since I’m sure you are dying to know…I did finish the entire Muffaletta and the two pickles.  I left the chips for later because I decided that I’d rather finish my meal with a White Chocolate Magnum ice cream bar and also a Peanut Butter Snickers bar instead of two bags of Baked Lays chips.  Hey, I skipped lunch!  LOL.  I may eat too much from time to time…

-IndianapolisEater

Stacked Pickle
12545 Old Meridian Suite 150
Carmel, Indiana  46032
http://www.stackedpickle.com/ 

Stacked Pickle has been around for a few years and is close to my new hangout.   Simple menu of burger, a few entrees, sandwiches, wings, etc…you get the point.  They have good specials, like a $5 burger on Monday night, so check out their website.  They are expanding to Fishers, so watch out.

What I ate:   The Cuban; $6.99.  Pulled pork, ham, pickle, mustard and onions on a hoagie roll.

When I think of a Cuban, I think of pressed bread.   This was the wrong type of bread here.  However, it stated it in the description and I decided to forge ahead anyway.  My bad.  To be honest with you, it was pretty bad.   There was a lot of meat, but all of it lacked flavor.  The mustard punched through everything else.  There was a lot of pulled pork, but very little ham.   Their fries are pretty tasty, nothing fancy, but they always hit the spot.

Would I Buy It Again?   NO to the Cuban, but yes to the Stacked Pickle.   The Cuban is a total miss on a decent menu.  I have been here at least five times and the food has always been average to pleasant and the service is always solid.  It is not going to expand your culinary pallet, but for a neighborhood bar, it is not offensive.  Also, if you are single, this place opens up after nine and on the weekends.

-wibia

Jimmy John’s
http://www.jimmyjohns.com/

This is Jimmy Johns first time on the blog, although I have had it quite bit.   You will hear their ads on the radio that they are really fast, and I would agree with that.  By the time that you are done paying, your sub is ready.  Great for the lunch crowd, but I will admit that I liked the meat sliced in front of me…it just seems fresher to me.  Also, they should learn a lesson from Dominos thirty minute delivery.  It is great that you can do it quickly, but the food has to be good as well.

You can amend your sub how you want, but this is not the Subway format where you walk down the line.   Every JJ’s that I have been in the music is pretty loud…loud enough you can’t hear the person at the table next to you.  Most of the time the soundtrack is pretty solid, so I never mind…they do a good job at this actually.

What I Ate:  The Italian Night Club Combo.  Salami, Capicola, ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato, vinaigrette, and mayo (I had them hold the mayo) around $8.00 for a combo with chips and a drink.

Served on a french baguette, this is a good sized sub.  Everything tasted ok, but my issue is the ratios.   Any given bite will give you about 60% bread, 20% lettuce, and 10% meat and cheese.  I really can’t comment on the taste/quality of the meat, because I didn’t taste a lot of it.  I liked the baguette and I like finely shredded lettuce on a sub, but that is just not enough for me.  I didn’t taste a lot of tomato, so I took a look under the hood:

Ah ha!  Now, I know it is November, but those are some nasty looking tomatoes and they could easily fit two more slices on the sub.

Would I Buy It Again?  This is a trick question.  Yes and No.

No:  It is not that good.  On the menu, JJ’s admits that they are not gourmet sandwiches, just taste a little better.    Well, they taste better than Subway, but that is about it.  It didn’t offend me and I  felt full after the meal.  I didn’t hate it.

Yes:  The only other sub place by my work is Subway, and you know how I feel about them.  It is the best of the worse.

Supermarkets are missing the boat here.  I worked right next to a Publix in Nashville and they had Boars Head subs out of their deli department for around $7.  The subs were awesome and there was a line everyday for them.  Some Kroger’s have a sub option, but they are pretty bad.

Subs are really easy to make…I just wish that someone would get it right.

-wibia

This past weekend, the Indiana Hoosiers took on the #9 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and predictably ended up with a 33-14 loss.  It was a fun game and a great tailgate though.

Our menu for this tailgate included a “roasted” ham, hash brown apple pancakes made by EatHSE (I would recommend this one, it was delicious) and a homemade peanut butter pie.  For pictures of these foods, check out the linked photo album.

Recipes are available at:

• Hash Brown Apple Pancakes
• Peanut Butter Pie

Below is this week’s exciting video.  I will point out that we did have some technical difficulties, so we weren’t able to get to showing the peanut butter pie.  To see photos of the pie and/or recipes for the other stuff we had at the tailgate, check out the photo gallery linked above.

As always, feel free to leave comments below.  Barring any unforeseen technical difficulties, we should be back again in two weeks!

-IndianapolisEater

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z6oIF7AGRE