Fat Dan’s Chicago-Style Deli
815 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana  46220
http://www.fatdansdeli.com/

I’ve had several people recommend this place to me and I’ve seen many positive reviews in the newspaper and other local magazines, so finally I decided to get off my lazy rear end and make my way down to Broad Ripple to try it out.

My first impression of the place when I walked in, or more appropriately as I was walking up to the door (they have a front porch style screen door as their front door…LOL), was “oh my god, this place SMELLS incredible.”  Turns out I was walking in just as they were taking some brisket out of the smoker and it smelled DELICIOUS.

Fat Dan’s also has a very Broad Ripple-y vibe, which really surprised me.  I expected it to be a full-on sports bar but while it did have a sports design to it, it also had that eclectic feel to it that you see everywhere in Broad Ripple.

What I Got:  Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich ($7.50) and Fries ($2.75)

Anyway, onto the Italian Beef.  All I can say about it is “WOW.”  This thing was huge and absolutely delicious.  The meat was cooked perfectly as it was tender, spicy and juicy.  Basically, it’s everything you’d ever want the meat in an Italian beef to be.  The meat was served in a perfect bread roll that was fresh (at least it seemed) and the Giardinera peppers added a nice spicy bite to the sandwich.  I ordered mine “wet” (extra juice poured on) and it was done absolutely perfectly as the sandwich was literally falling apart in my hands.  That’s my preferred way to eat an Italian beef sandwich and this one had everything going for it.  I really cannot say enough about how good this was.

I also got an order of fries and ordinarily I wouldn’t spend a lot of time talking about fries, but these fries were absurdly good.  They were hand-cut, crispy and were covered in a mix of seasonings that gave them a nice kick.  Honestly, these could have been the best fries that I’ve ever had (even better than Rally’s fries) and I would even go there just for the fries alone.  They were that freaking good.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, absolutely, without question. It was a bit pricey for lunch, but I don’t really care.  When you get something that was as good as BOTH the sandwich and fries were, it is worth it.  It is easily the best Italian beef in Indianapolis and I would almost venture so far as to put it up against any Italian beef that I’ve had in Chicago as well.  I may be exaggerating slightly, but not by much.

This meal was so good that I’m just going to go ahead an put this place in the Hall of Fame after one review.  I just cannot say enough good things about this place and now I cannot wait to go back and try the brisket, which according to this review, is the best thing that Fat Dan’s has on the menu.  If it is better than this Italian beef sandwich was, then I could quite possibly be making a trip into food euphoria and I am just drooling with anticipation.  I’m just glad I don’t get down to Broad Ripple often anymore, because if I did, I would go to this place constantly and I’d easily be broke and weigh 400 pounds.

-IndianapolisEater

What I Got: Portillo’s Italian Beef Sandwich (part of the Portillo’s Party Pack for $23.70)

I’ve shared my love of Italian beef sandwiches and of Portillo’s on this blog before.  Needless to say, I love them both and have been looking endlessly for an acceptable substitute in Indianapolis (see my prior C.R. Heroes review; I may have found one).  But sometimes the planets align and I end up at a party where someone has gone and gotten Portillo’s at their Northwest Indiana location in Merrillville and brought back a party pack for the party that they are hosting and then life is good.  At a Super Bowl party this past year, a friend of mine did just that.

I know that there might be better Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, but since I live in Indianapolis, I don’t have the time or convenience of trying them all out, so Portillo’s serves as my harbinger for everything that is good about this sandwich and I love it.  It’s VERY thinly sliced roast beef cooked and served dripping in au jus juices on Italian style roll and everything about it is delicious.  It has tender meat and the au jus juice is flavorful and peppery without tilting toward being too hot.  If you really want to get frisky, you can get it with either hot (Giardiniera) peppers or with sweet peppers and turn up the heat and/or sweetness of your sandwich just a little bit more.  Also, you can have them serve it dry (no extra au jus), wet (extra au jus dumped on the bread to make it soggy) or even dipped (they take the completed sandwich and dip the entire thing in the au jus; you need a fork to eat this one).

I usually choose wet so that I can somewhat hold the sandwich and allow the flavorful au jus to just run down my arms as I eat it.  I also had both hot and sweet peppers so that I can add even more kick, but if you don’t get any peppers, it’s not a big deal because it is still delicious.  You just have to make sure that you get it either wet or dipped though.  Having this sandwich dry is just not the same and whenever my order gets screwed up and I get it dry, it really makes me sad.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, absolutely, definitiely, no question, etc. I would list out every single word for yes in the English language, but that would take me hours.  This is truly my favorite sandwich in the world (and maybe even my favorite food in the world) and Portillo’s does it the best (remember, that is out of all the options that I have had).  I try to get it every time I go to Chicago or pass by the Merrillville location on Interstate 65 and I would HIGHLY recommend that you do the same.  You will not regret it.

-IndianapolisEater

Italian Beef Sandwich

C.R. Heroes Family Pub
10570 E. 96th Street
Fishers, Indiana  46038
Website

I believe that I’ve lamented on this blog before how it is difficult to find a decent Italian beef sandwich in Indianapolis that even compares to anything that you would get in Chicago or at the king of the Italian beef sandwich (my opinion), Portillo’s.  I’ve tried many different local places in the past in my quest for this sandwich and I’ve always come away disappointed.  Like an explorer looking for fountain of youth, my quest is never-ending.  Spurred on by a recent review done by the Tenderloin Connoisseur and the fact that I workout a few doors down from this place and have never been, I decided to give C.R. Heroes a shot.  My visit was around the holidays and I had heard on the radio that Heroes was running a promotion where you got 10% off for every canned good that you brought in up to 50%, so that was not only a reason to get me in there, but also a very nice community-minded thing for a locally owned business to do.

What I Got:  Italian Beef Sandwich with fries $8.99 (I got 50% off due to the aforementioned promotion).

First things first, I always prefer my Italian beef sandwiches served “wet” (the bread soaked in the au jus juices and basically the juices oozing everywhere) and usually when I ask for that around Indianapolis, people have no idea what I’m talking about or do know what I’m talking about it and serve it dry anyway.  When I made this request at Heroes, they knew exactly what I was talking about and served it exactly the way I requested, so we were off to a good start.  Also included on the sandwich was mozzarella cheese and the option for Giardiniera peppers as well.  I asked that the peppers be included, but they neglected to do so.

When I took my first bite in the sandwich, I was immediately impressed.  The meat was very tender and was also plentiful on the sandwich.  The au jus (or “gravy” as they call it at Portillo’s) was also flavorful and as I said, covered the bread and meat.  Frankly, this thing was delightful.  I don’t ordinarily like cheese on my Italian beef sandwiches (I actually think it is communist to have it on there) and I would normally have asked not to include it, but since I made this carry-out order over the phone without a menu in front of me, it was my own fault for it being on there.  In this case though, the melted cheese added even more to the flavor.  That lack of Giardiniera peppers was disappointing, but that was okay because the taste of the sandwich made up for the simple error as they nailed every other key component with the meat and the perfect bread roll.

The fries were quite good too.  In a recent contest for a local radio show, this place was one of the top five finishers for best fries and I can see why.  These fries were large, well-seasoned and had a great taste.  I’ve never understood why it is so hard for restaurants to have a solid tasting fry, but at least Heroes does not have that problem and that’s a big plus for them.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I definitely would and I may have finally found a place in the Indianapolis area where I can go to get a good Italian beef sandwich and that excites me, especially since it is close to my house.  Nothing will ever be as good as Portillo’s in my mind, but this is a fine alternative.  Like I said, I’m not normally a cheese person on an Italian beef sandwich, but the taste of the cheese on this one may slowly turn me into a convert.

I’m also anxious to try some of the other foods there too as I now know that this place has a good tenderloin (from the aforementioned review) and advertises on its website that it has the best ribs in town, which is another gripe of mine since I struggle to find good barbecue in Indianapolis as well.  I can only hope that Heroes will fill that void for me too.

-IndianapolisEater