I thought about writing a list for the Super Bowl, but Indianapolis Restaurant Scene did a nice job on her site.  Let me add a few things.

First, EAT A PORK TENDERLOIN SANDWICH!  It is our state sandwich.  You have to ask your server if it hand cut or frozen as some restaurants believe that it is acceptable to pass of a frozen pork fritter as the real deal.  If your sandwich is perfectly round and not awesome, you probably got duped.

Second, if you are looking for a few of our favorites in downtown or Broad Ripple, check these out (reviews linked where applicable):

Downtown

*Kilroy’s Bar & Grill (get the Stuffed Breadsticks)

*King David Dogs (this is a review of the airport location, but there is one downtown too)

*Scratch Truck

Broad Ripple

*Zest

*Fat Dan’s Chicago Style-Deli

As a side note, we have some of the worst Italian food in the country.  If you are visiting (especially from New York), there are probably better options for you.

That should take care of you.  All in all, if you are from New York or New England, I think that you will walk away pleasantly surprised.  Our food scene is respectable and our downtown is a lot of fun compared to other Midwestern cities.

Enjoy our city!

-wibia

Through a review done by me and comments by other readers on that post and also in other posts, our love for Black Diamond Barbecue has been shared on this blog many, many times.

So, when I was watching the news this morning and saw that Fox59 is putting together a deal this week starting this Thursday, January 12th, as part of their weekly “Be Our Guest” promotion (think Groupon-like), I knew I had to make mention of it on the site to drive traffic to Black Diamond.

Quite simply, you can buy a $50 gift certificate for Black Diamond for $25 starting at 7:53 a.m. by visiting this link.  The deal includes two $25 gift certificates.  The certificates expire within six months and there’s only 200 of them available, so you’ve got to buy them and use them quick!

So, if you want to grab a deal the best barbecue that I’ve had in the city of Indianapolis, make sure you visit the Fox59 site starting tomorrow and snatch up one of the deals.

-IndianapolisEater

It’s that time again!  Starting this Monday, January 9th and running through January 22nd, Indianapolis’ annual winter celebration of downtown restaurants is returning once again.

If you are unfamiliar with Devour Downtown, several downtown restaurants band together to offer special menu items, special/discounted pricing, etc. in order to attract business to their establishments.  The only catch is that you have to order from that specific Devour Downtown menu (They’ve even added a mobile website this year as well in order to make it easier for you to access info on your phone as well.  Isn’t technology great?!) in order to get that special pricing.  If you don’t, well, it’s just like any other visit to the establishment.  FYI, some of these establishments are offering special lunch menus, so you can check those out as well.

If it seems like it is at a different time this year, well, that’s because it is!  It’s usually held a bit later in the winter, but they are doing it early this year due to the fact that there’s this sort of a big game that’s brings all sorts of festivities with it in the first week of February that is going to clog up downtown.

We’ve reviewed several of the restaurants that are participating, so if you have any questions or are curious about a particular establishment, feel free to check out our Review Archive for a little advance scouting.

Devour Downtown Winterfest ends on January 22nd, so make sure you get there between the 9th and the 22nd if you want the experience.

-IndianapolisEater

Here’s a fun little something that I saw a story about on the news this morning (also in the Indianapolis Star).  Apparently the Indiana Office of Tourism and Indianapolis Monthly have teamed up to create a list of the 46 best sandwiches in Indiana and with this list, they are holding a contest to find the best sandwich in Indiana and has provided a list of 46 sandwiches from which you can cast your vote.  The list and voting form for these sandwiches can be found here.

There are several longtime favorites on there that you would expect such as Shapiro’s Reuben, the double cheeseburger from Workingman’s Friend, the Boogie Monster from Boogie Burger, etc.  Of course, there are options for Indiana’s state sandwich, the breaded tenderloin, on there as well.

In fact, we’ve reviewed one of the sandwiches on the list.  Here’s the review:

*Beef Tongue Cheese Steak | The Local Eatery & Pub (Westfield)

I’ve had a couple of the sandwiches on there from my pre-blog review days (tenderloin from the Nickel Plate, etc.), so I think I have an inkling of what I’ll be voting for.

So, if you want to have some fun, check out the voting and cast your vote for the best sandwich.  There’ll be several rounds of voting before a champion is crowned, so you’ll have to check back frequently to re-cast votes each week.

-IndianapolisEater

Marion County Health Department Website

When talking about food in Indianapolis, this is the most valuable link that you can have. Yes, even more than this site.

I was in Louisville last weekend and they post the grade on the outside window.  Tennessee posts a score right by the entry of the restaurant.  As far as I know, Indiana has nothing.  I looked up a few of my favorite restaurants and I was surprised to see the amount of violations.

I have steadfastly maintained that this website is not a buyer’s guide to the Indy scene, but the Health Department website should be.  In my opinion, any critical violation is unacceptable.  If you have a few too many newspapers in the kitchen, so be it.  Food stored at improper temperature, blood on the bottom of your cooler, not cool.

If you are a restaurant and have zero critical violations, e-mail me at wouldibuyitagain@yahoo.com and I will add you to my Cleanest Restaurants in Indy list.  I will post it occasionally and add a link on my site that anyone can visit.  It will be a self reported list because I am not going to scan the website.

-wibia

Is the subject of a Restaurant: Impossible episode that was done here in Indianapolis closed?  We had a comment on our Snooty Fox post from Ploughman saying this place is closed.  Can anyone else confirm Ploughman’s comment?  I don’t see any news on their website, so I’m curious.

It’s always sad to see a restaurant go, but based on the stubbornness of the owner on the show and also the reports I read of the restaurant’s behavior after the show, I can’t say I’m surprised.

Regardless, if anyone can confirm this information, it would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

-IndianapolisEater

For those readers that are in the Indianapolis area, the annual summer version of Devour Downtown starts tomorrow, August 8th, and runs through August 21st.

Devour Downtown is the bi-annual celebration of downtown restaurants who run specials at a $30 price point.  Most restaurants set themselves up at $30 per diner, but some set deals where it is two diners for $30 (Kilroy’s, Elbow Room, Creation Cafe, etc.).  The only caveat is that you have to order off their special menus which can be viewed at the Devour Downtown website.

As I browsed some of the menus very quickly, I did notice that Fogo de Chao is offering their normal menu at the discounted price of $30, which is considerably less than it is on a normal day, so this one could represent some real savings for all you gluttons/meat lovers out there (not an insult, because I definitely fall in this category).

So, if you are interested in trying some of Indianapolis’ downtown restaurants at a discount price, give it a shot.  I’ve done the St. Elmo menu before (in the winter version) and it caused me to develop a love affair with bread pudding that continues to this day.  I don’t know if I’ll have the opportunity to make it down there this year, but I would certainly encourage you to do so.

-IndianapolisEater

I try to keep a pulse on the local food scene and look at other blogs.  Usually, they come and go pretty quickly. 

That said, here are a few new ones that I like (guys first; bros before…nevermind):

 Random Dude Eats Random Food

http://randomdudeeatsrandomfood.blogspot.com/

 All Your Food Are Belong To Us

http://allyourfoodarebelongtous.blogspot.com/

Indulge in Indy

http://indulgeinindy.com/

City Nom Noms

http://citynomnoms.wordpress.com/

Food Obsessed in the Midwest

http://indyfoodfinds.blogspot.com/2011/04/spring-has-sprung-at-boogie-burger.html

Check them out.  I think you’ll like what you find.  I know I do!

-wibia