Parky’s Smokehouse
2479 N, Lebanon Street
Lebanon, IN 46052
http://www.parkyssmokehouse.com

If you have been north on I-65 lately, you’ve probably have seen an advertisement for Parky’s in Lebanon as it was voted as 25 Meals Worth The Drive by Indianapolis Monthly. I actually tried it twice before reviewing it.

The place was comfortable on the inside and felt like it could’ve been a Denny’s or something that got a bit of a makeover at one point. It had a nice bar area with a few televisions and a family dining area if you have the kiddos with you.

What I Ate: Oink and Onion, $10.69,  and a Two Meat Combo Plate, $10.99. Meals are served with bread and two regular sides. There are some premium sides that are $0.99 more.

The Oink and Onion is tender pork butt smoked for twelve hours and topped with fried onions.   I actually liked this dish a good amount as a few pieces were burnt on the end and it gave you that rich caramelized flavor.  The Mac and Cheese (premium side) didn’t disappoint, but I was not asking the waitress for the recipe either.  The baked beans were quite good and had a combination of different beans.

The sampler didn’t disappoint either.  The ribs were very tender, but could’ve used a little extra seasoning (especially salt).   The pulled pork was pretty run of the mill.   The butter rounds stole the show on this plate.   Crispy, buttery potatoes that reminded me of the type that would soak up a little beef fat when being cooked below a prime rib.   I quickly ate the entire dish.   The sweet potato casserole was just okay.  It was a little too sweet for me and I feel like if I had a blow torch, I could’ve made a Crème Brule out of it.

Would I Buy It Again?   Yes and no.   I really liked the crispy rounds and that it was a local place that seemed to care.  They have a local beer list and a huge menu that would have something for everyone.  However, the core of the business, the barbecue, was just okay.  Do I think that it is worth the drive from downtown Indy?   Ehh…no.

I will admit that while they only have a two star rating on Yelp, they are a lot better than two stars.

-wibia

Mississippi Belle
2170 East 54th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220

It was Sunday and I just felt like pigging out.   I am not sure what it was, a busy week at work and a bunch of bad lunches and I just wanted some comfort food.  Fried chicken sounds good, so I remembered a conversation with Indy Restaurant Scene and her husband about fried chicken in Indy.  They were quite fond of Mississippi Belle.

What I Ate:  Fried Chicken and four sides;  $13.50 (included a beverage).

All day Sunday is family style day at Mississippi Belle.  It is all you can eat for the price above and you are welcome for any refills on anything.  A little spicy for lunch, but I am rich…kidding.  They have about 8-10 different meats ranging from chopped steak to pulled pork and even a vegetarian option.  I’m am not sure why on that one.  During the week, you can get a friend chicken lunch for around $7.00.

The sides were Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans and Dressing.  Corn fritters that are pictured came along with the meal.

The fried chicken was amazing.  The batter was perfect, not too much but just enough.  The chicken is pan fried and I like to think that there are a few cast irons back in the kitchen with a lot of love in them.  The chicken was served at the perfect temperature:   hot, but not lawsuit hot.  I liked adding a little hot sauce at the table to get a little extra spice.  The odd part is that they didn’t serve any wings.  It didn’t bother me, but I would’ve liked to have one.

The sides were hit and miss.  The mac and cheese was amazing.  Straight forward, creamy and the macaroni was cooked perfectly and firm.  So many times it is overcooked.  The green beans were typical cooked in lard that everyone has had a million times.   The mashed potatoes and gravy was solid as well.  The gravy reminded me of the type that my grandmother made.  It took me back for sure.  I didn’t care for the stuffing because it was ground like grits and I didn’t really care for the consistency.

The service was kind and friendly.  It felt like you were stopping by their house.   The amount of pride that they had in their food was extremely obvious.   The bottom line, they know it is awesome as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  Hell yeah.  To be honest, it is towards the top of my fried chicken list in Indy.  I would have no problem if someone said it was their favorite.  The fried chicken at Petite Chou is really good as well, but two very different approaches.

Mississippi Belle is a special place.  They are not trying to be anything more than what they are.  My grandparents would love it here, if you are form the south and miss your meat and 3 combos, you would like this a lot.  Bottom line, they care and it shows through the food and service.

The scene inside….

-wibia

Mac Genie Food Truck
Location Varies
http://www.genietrucks.com

Ahh…Cluster Truck.  It is truly a great event that you can try a little bit of this and that.  However, there is good and bad about that as I spend about $15.00 for lunch trying a bite here and there.

Lets get this out of the way, I am a Mac and Cheese nut.  It is one of my favorite foods.  So plain and simple, but so amazing.  Truth be known, one of our most popular posts was this one about Mac and Cheese.

I stopped by Mac Genie because I saw someone else eating it and it looked amazing.   The Barbecue Mac was kind of odd to me.   The odd part is that it had cranberries in it.  I can see adding it for sweetness, but the texture was off putting and didn’t go with it.  It reminds me of a salmon with any fruit with it.  Sure, it doesn’t taste like garbage, but it doesn’t taste good either.   The barbecue pork was at the crockpot barbecue level.  You would have to have pretty big nerves to call that barbecue south of the Ohio River.  Also, there was a funky piece of toast that was thrown in there.   When I am eating a ton of mac, the last thing that I want is more carbs!   It did nothing for the meal.

The Genie Mac faired better.  The mac was obviously topped with chives and a squeeze of sour cream.  I can’t say that I loved the sour cream drizzled on top.  Take a piece of cheddar cheese and put some sour cream on it…I just don’t get that combo.  I like the bacon and chive on top though, I could dig on just that alone.

Would I Buy It Again?   Maybe.  I like the idea (out of the box Mac – pun intended) and the service was great.   The reason I didn’t give it a no is that I tried it on a 98 degree (not the boy band) day.  On a cold winter’s day, it might hit the spot.  The buffalo mac that was on the menu sounded good, I think that I will try that next time and report back.

-wibia

Scratchtruck
Various Locations
Indianapolis, Indiana
http://scratchtruck.com/

I have been to Scratchtruck a myriad of times over the last six months.  I will post it on Twitter, but a review has never graced the long form blog.  They actually know me on a first name basis.  I usually go when they are at Upland Brewery Tasting Room every Thursday and Saturday night.  It is truly one of the best food and beer combos in the business right now.

What I Ate: 

Visit #1

Scratch Burger (1/3 lb custom ground burger, bacon marmalade, arugula and gorgonzola cheese served on a fresh, toasted soft roll) with fries; $8.00.

I really like this burger.  I am not sure what the grind ratio on it is, but I don’t think that it is 80/20, as it is crazy juicy.  To be honest, they could dial back the grease a little bit, but that it the only flaw.  I like the egg bun that it is on and the arugula gives it a little bit of pepper that I love in a burger.  The gorgonzola adds a level of richness that is a welcomed addition.

Visit #2

Scratch Royal (Pork Shoulder, Tilamook Cheddar, BBQ sauce carmelized onion and Mac and Cheese ) with fries was a special that week; $9.00.

It was amazing and should probably be on the regular menu.  Gotta love Mac on a sandwich.

Visit #3

Scratch Grilled Cheese (Munster & Colby Jack cheese, red wine braised short rib, carmelized onions and arugula, served on toasted honey white bread) with fries; $9.00.

This is my favorite thing on the standard menu.  They have a menu that rotates and one that has new items that change every week.  Check out their website for schedule and menu.  I am not 100% sure this should be called a grilled cheese.  The sandwich does have enough butter on the bread to remind me of my butter loving grandma, but it is really about the braised short rib.  It is a really good sandwich.

Would I Buy It Again?  YES.  Great service and outstanding food.  The fries are some of my favorite in the city.  They have killer poutine fries that are lights out.    I haven’t had a bad meal here and I doubt that I ever will.  My only recommendation would be more towards Upland’s side to where I think that it would be cool if they had suggested beers based on what you ordered on the truck.

Regardless, if it is Thursday night, I am usually trying to find a reason to make it to 49^th and College to partake in this magical combination.  I love the Upland Tasting Room as I think that Upland’s seasonal beers are there best work.  Dragonfly IPA (their most popular beer) is probably my least favorite beer from them, and I am a big IPA fan.

Either way, good honest food the way that it should be.

-wibia

Monon Food Company
6420 N. Cornell
Indianapolis, Indiana  46220
http://www.mononfood.com

Monon Food Company has a prime location in Broad Ripple, a solid following and has made it past the first year.  I have been there a few times as I have a group of friends that are regulars.   They have a taco menu and a regular menu that has everything from sandwiches to entrees.   On my first trip, I tried the fish tacos.   Great in concept, but something was not on point and I couldn’t put my finger on it.  This time, I went for the sandwich side of the menu.

What I Ate:  Pulled Pork Sandwich; $7.69.  Potato salad was $1.50 extra and I scammed some Mac and Cheese from my girlfriend.

Upon arrival, it looked good, smelled good and the produce was fresh.  I thought that it was odd that lettuce and tomato were on a barbecue sandwich, but whatever.   The barbecue sauce was Kansas City-ish style.  Not that hot or sweet and pretty thick.  I wonder if it is made in house.  The sandwich wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t memorable at all.   I surely have had worse, but I have had better as well.  The pork was pretty lean, I barely could find any fat at all. It was a kind reminder that if barbecue is not the core of the business, I should skip it.

The potato salad was fresh, but again…I didn’t love it either. The mac and cheese was worth the price of admission.  The keep it pretty basic as a side.  My only complaint is that it could be cheesier and less oily.  It all depends on what cheeses they are using and they weren’t listed on the menu.

Would I Buy It Again?  It is a toss up.

Here is what I like:  Great location, locally focused, casual, interesting menu, honest pricing, most sides are really good, feels healthier than most places, good service.

What I don’t like:  The food could be a step better.  I have been there three times and liked everything that I have tried (excepts the chips and salsa, which were embarrassing), but nothing is memorable.

The bottom line, it reminds me of so many restaurants here.   Good and trying to do the right thing, but it would be awesome if…

-wibia

10-01 Food & Drink
1001 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.1001fooddrink.com/

I was excited to see 10-01 open and really looking forward to giving it a try.  With a prime footprint in Broad Ripple Village, I was looking forward to actually eating good food that overlooks Broad Ripple Avenue.  I like the idea too, as it is comfort food with a twist.  However, after the meal, I am not sure if I liked the twist.  My brother EatHSE was also along for the party, so let’s get this started.

What I Got:  First up, Mac and Cheese.  Four Cheese blend with Nueske Bacon; $6.

I didn’t like this at all.   As I mentioned, most Mac and Cheese at restaurants is horrible and this was no exception.   This mac was very oily and not very cheesy.   The bacon was fine, but this was messy and just flat out bad.

Next, Flatbread Pizza with Andoullie Sausage in a ancho basil sauce; $8.

Better, but still pretty bad.   This needed onion or something else on it.  One slice of sausage on each piece and the crust was really soft in the middle.  The ancho flavor was heavy and I liked that, but that is about it. 

For my entrée, I tried the Fried Chicken; $14. 

Half Chicken, Bourbon gravy, Fontina Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli.  I have to admit, I actually liked the taste of the fried chicken.  It was half of a chicken, but I will assume that the chicken was about a week old at slaughter because it was pretty small.  I would struggle these days to eat half of a rotisserie chicken, but I polished this off without a problem.   I liked the mashed potatoes and gravy too. White gravy with a little sweetness of the Bourbon.  Everyone else at the table liked my dish as well.  Notice the omission of the buttermilk biscuit.  At this point in the meal, I was so unsatisfied that I didn’t even care about the biscuit. 

Would I Buy It Again?  No.  I usually don’t give a flat out No after my first visit, but there were so many issues here.  My brother’s portabella burger was flat out bad and I had a taste of wild mushroom fettuccini and I didn’t like that either.  Service was akward, ill paced and not really even friendly.  I like the fried chicken, but that is all I can say.  The menu repeats itself a lot and needs to be more seasonal.  It was 97 degrees that night and I didn’t want meatloaf or a meatloaf sandwich. 

Just like their neighbor of La Jolla, I really want to like this place, but the grub is not to the level that it needs to be.  Is it worth a try?  Sure.  I imagine that there are a few items on the menu that fair better than the ones that I ordered. 

-wibia

P.S.  Thanks to Indianpolis Restaurant Scene for the outside picture.

N’awlins Creole Café
1118 N State Road
Avon, IN 46123
http://www.nawlinscreolecafe.com

I enjoy Cajun/Creole food quite a bit and am always looking for a new place to go.  I stopped by N’awlins Creole Café based on the recommendation of a trusted friend and I was really looking forward to this.  It was all-you-can-eat catfish night for $13.99 and I was tempted to give that a try, but I decided to stick to one of the standard menu items.

What I Ate:  Crawfish Etouffee; $9.99.  It is served with a side (I choose mac and cheese) and a salad.

The salad was straight iceberg with cheese and a slice of tomato.  I tried their ranch dressing and to be honest, I could make this at home and I really didn’t see how this fit into the meal.  Nothing special here, so let’s move on.

When I ordered the etoufee, they asked me on a scale of one to ten how spicy I would like it and I said six.  The crawfish etouffee was a sneaky heat on the back end of the bite.  There wasn’t a lot of flavor going on here and the consistency was thinner than I like it.  The etouffee was served over a bed of rice that was under cooked.  A few pieces stuck in my molars.

The Mac and Cheese was better, but still off.  It needed salt and was cooked too long and the noodles did not hold their shape.  My dining partner got the Jambalaya and I found that to be bland as well.  Service was also hit and miss.  It was slow enough to cash out that after about ten minutes, I asked the server to bring my check.  My water was empty most of the time as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  No and it pains me to say it.  This could be a cool place, but between the inattentive service and lackluster meal, the only reason that I would go back is that they are an independent in a city of chains.

-wibia