Pizza Hut/Wing Street
http://www.pizzahut.com

The Super Bowl is approaching (in Indianapolis!) and every year I see a story about how the night of the Super Bowl is the busiest nights of the year for pizza delivery businesses.  Along those lines, there is no better pairing with pizza than chicken wings, so while watching football this past Sunday, I decided to try out one of Pizza Hut’s non-traditional wings offerings from their co-branded Wing Street business.  For those of you lucky enough to have a Pizza Hut that has a Wing Street location in it (not all Pizza Huts do), they have several flavors outside of your normal hot, mild, barbecue, etc., so I went with…

What I Got:  14 piece Garlic Parmesan Crunchy Bone-In Wings; $9.99.

As you can see when opening the box, these wings have breading and are not your normal fried wings in that they are just covered in sauce and that’s it.  If you look a little closer, you can see that these things are sitting in a absurdly deep and disgusting pool of butter, so obviously butter is the chosen method of delivering the garlic and Parmesan flavors into the wings.  They are then dusted with additional garlic and Parmesan seasonings to amp up the flavor even more.

Butter is the primary taste in these wings as well, because that’s the majority of what you taste as you bite into these.  Unfortunately, because there is so much butter, the “crunchy” aspect of the wings ends up being lost and the breading on these wings ends up being just a soggy mess.  The soggy mess carries strong flavors of both garlic and Parmesan, but they are so greasy that you are really taking a bath with each wing that you eat.  Honestly, my mouth felt like I had eaten a stick of butter after I’d eaten these things and that is not a good thing.  I don’t necessarily mind the use of butter, but when it is used in this ridiculous amount, it becomes completely unappetizing.  Outside of the negatives of the mushy breading and the dripping butter, the wings did have one thing go positive for them:  they had decent size.  At a lot of these delivery places, you get shorted on the size of the wings and that really, really gets me angry.  In Pizza Hut/Wing Street’s case, that does not happen, so they do get one positive check mark.

Would I Buy It Again?  No, definitely not.  Next time I want this much butter, which will be never, I’ll just go with the alternative and eat a stick of butter.  It’s sad too, because the Garlic Parmesan flavor itself was decent, but the abundance of butter everywhere just ruined the entire package.  If they could find a way to tone down the butter and allow the wings to maintain their crunchy texture, they may have a winner.  Unfortunately here though, they do not.

-IndianapolisEater

Giordano’s
http://www.giordanos.com/

Food in Chicago is a battle between the million hot dog/gyro/beef joints versus a very progressive food scene with superstar chefs.  To be honest, I am glad that both exist and continue to thrive.   However, if you ask anyone that has a clue what kind of food Chicago is known for, they will say pizza or Chicago dogs.   Both are some of the most awesome things you can cram in your gullet.

In my opinion, Giordano’s is the epitome of Chicago Style pizza.  Uno is a chain whore.  Gino’s East has a crust that tastes like cornbread to me.  Sure there are others in the city and some of them are quite good, but Giordano’s is the king.

What I Ate:   Medium stuffed pizza with Sausage and pepperoni; $23.00.

The most awesome part about this review is….this was my lunch order.  Yes, I was alone.

For those of you that are not familiar, Chicago style is kind of upside down.   From top to bottom:  meat, cheese and then sauce.  You have to plan accordingly because it takes about 35 minutes for the pizza to bake after you order it.  Don’t try to pick it up, this is a fork and knife pizza.  In my opinion, it’s the only acceptable fork and knife pizza.  If you eat regular pizza with a fork and knife, you are either a grandma or a snooty prep.

When they deliver it to your table, they scoop a piece out and the cheese is dangling from the slice to the plate and they have to cut it on the side of your plate with a spatula.  Words cannot explain how much cheese is on this.   In all reality, it is really an unacceptable amount.   The toppings were of good quality, and I really like their sauce.  A sprinkle of oregano and red pepper flakes really bring it to life.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes.  It is one of the most awesome foods in the country.  So basic, yet so good.  I have been going to Giordano’s for a long time while on the way to concerts and Bulls games growing up.  At this point, I feel like I would be letting my family down if I was in Chicago and didn’t go to Giordano’s.

I have to admit though, ordering that much food at lunch was asinine.  I had a ton of leftovers, therefore ate it in my hotel anytime I thought I was hungry.  I think that I gained four pounds from this pizza.  However, it was worth the time at the gym.

-wibia

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

Maria’s Pizza
1106 Prospect Street
Indianapolis, Indiana  46203
http://www.mariasoriginalpizza.com

Maria’s Pizza is located in historic Fountain Square.   They have been open since 1955, so I figured that they must be doing something right.   Pre-show to see The Healing Sixes at Radio Radio, I decided to stop by and give it a try.

It was a Friday night and they had a piano player and a sax player knocking out jazz standards.  I was digging that, and it’s a nice touch for a pizza joint.  Tables were scattered around and there were a few couches by the fireplace as well.  It seemed like there is a better seating arrangement to fit more people in.  The place was pretty much full.

What I Ate:  Medium Sausage and Pepperoni.  I can’t remember the price specifically, but it was around $12-$13 range.

The pizza took 45 minutes to arrive.  Plus, Maria’s does not serve alcohol.  It is a rare occasion that I am out on a Friday night and there is not a drink in my hand for 45 minutes straight.  Tragic.  They were apologetic that it took so long and kind about the wait.

Toppings were strategically placed on the pizza.  The sausage was tasty and didn’t feel like the normal mass produced chain sausage.  The pepperoni was buried between the cheese and dark red sauce.  Nothing special there.  The crust was thin, but not foldy/bendy like NY Style.  It was flaky/buttery and stiff-ish with very little bend.  Not my favorite type of crust by any means.

Would I Buy It Again?  Probably not.  It surely wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t anything that I would travel for.  I liked the jazz duo and the place was homey and friendly, I just didn’t love the pizza.  Based on the audience and the recommendation from a friend, there are plenty of people that enjoy the pizza here and it is surely worth a try.

-wibia

NY Slice Food Truck
Location varies
https://www.facebook.com/TheNySlice

I am always really excited when I see a new food truck.  I spent a good amount of time in Portland, Oregon where there are a ton of food trucks.  My understanding of the mission of a food truck is to have a narrower focus and do that really well.  Sure, there are some that offer a wide variety of items, but it seems like everyone of them has a hook.  NY style pizza is a big enough hook to get me excited.  I am a big fan of NY style pizza and Brozinni’s is the only place in town that does it well.  Let’s see if we can add another one.

What I Ate:  Pepperoni; $3.00.  Sausage and pepperoni; $3.25.  Garlic Knots; $3.50.

The pepperoni slice wasn’t all that bad.  You can get a nice fold out of it, I liked the sauce and I thought that it was an honest size for the price.  Good coverage on the toppings as well.  The slice of sausage and pepperoni was considerably smaller and the amount of toppings on the pizza is embarrassing.  The garlic knots were very doughy and extremely bland.  The cheese sauce was the straight out of the can variety.  I feel like I should be writing more, but it was pretty straight forward pizza.

Would I Buy It Again?  No.  I love the idea, but execution needs a good amount of work.  The pepperoni was good, but if I have $3 in my pocket and I want a slice of pizza, Brozinni’s is still my go to.  It pains me to write this as I fully support the food truck scene, but take the food truck experience out and this pizza is forgettable.

-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.

So Good Blog posted a poll yesterday on the above graphic about whether you agree with the food that your region/state was known for.  A lot of these are obvious and tough to argue with like deep dishpizza for Illinois (predominantly Chicago), thin crust pizza for New York (predominantly New York City), cheese for Wisconsin, pineapples for Hawaii, chiles for New Mexico, etc.

Of course, as they pointed out, some of these foods that the graphic claims states are known for are absurd.  Their best example was Utah.  Who thinks of Jell-O when they think of Utah?  I certainly don’t, but hey, to each their own.  After reading their synopsis of the graphic, I took a look at the state food for Indiana.  Lo and behold, the state food for Indiana was POPCORN?  Huh?!  I know there are a few local popcorn companies that produce this, so we do have some sort of presence (Orville Reddenbacher went to Purdue!), but wouldn’t you consider the food that Indiana is known for to be a Breaded Tenderloin sandwich?  I know I would.

Anyway, I thought that graphic was kind of interesting and was wondering what you guys thought of it and some of the selections.  We’d love to hear your comments and So Good would also love to see you vote in their poll.  If you have time to do one, choose their poll first so that they can get a larger, more statistically significant response.  If you have time to do both, I would love to see your comments here as well.

-IndianapolisEater

Brewster’s Italian Cafe
11 West Merchant Street
New Buffalo, MI 49117
http://www.brewstersitaliancafe.com

Brewster’s is a small Italian Café in New Buffalo, Michigan located just north of the Indiana border a couple of blocks off of Lake Michigan.  Although New Buffalo gets dumped on with lake effect snow all winter long, it is a summer hotspot for summer vacationers and the Chicago crowd escaping the city.  The menu at Brewster’s changes every day for both lunch and dinner making each visit a unique experience.  This local owned café is a small establishment with a small indoor dining room along with tables beside the kitchen so you can watch all of the action.  During the summer, there is a private shaded patio that with the cool Lake Michigan breeze gives visitors an opportunity to dine and enjoy the environment.  The bar has a large beer selection including local brews from Michigan and a wine selection that gives diners plenty of choices.

Along with a la carte choices, which I list the individual prices of each menu item I reviewed below, you can choose the Dinner for Two if you are on a date. Dinner for Two includes smaller portions but provides a salad, pizza, entrée, and desert for $32.99.  Some entree items such as the shrimp my wife and I chose add an additional charge of up to $6 and an additional $1.50 for the specialty pizza making our diner $40.49.  I have copied the Dinner For Two description from their website below:

DINNER FOR TWO     $32.99

You each begin with a House Salad, then you’ll split a pizza, followed by your choice of one of this evening’s Entrees.  Cookies and coffee are included for Dessert  $32.99
(Please add 1 for the Classico,3 for the Chicken and 6 for the Carne or Fruitta Di Mare)

What We Got:

Gazpacho; $3.99:  Gazpacho is a raw tomato-based Spanish/Portuguese soup primarily served during the summer since it is served cold and there is a more abundant variety of seasonal vegetables to choose from.  The Gazpacho is not part of the Dinner For Two but was actually my favorite dish of the whole night.  The soup was acidic and bold, yet refreshing on this hot summer day.  The teaspoon of sour cream added a base to balance the acidity.  I am hoping our readers can point me to some Indianapolis area restaurants that serve a good Gazpacho.

House Salad:  The salad was simple with spinach leaves, a few croutons, shredded cheese (probably parmesan) and a homemade Italian dressing that works well.  The salad is nothing special but gets the job done.

Pizza with Crispy Pancetta, Baby Spinach and Scallions on a Gorgonzola Base; $11.99.

The pizza was very rich and we only ate half of it but enjoyed our choice.  The crust at Brewster’s appears to be made in a wood burning oven giving it that nice crisp finish.  I did not see a wood burning stove in the kitchen but appreciated the effort.  Although I enjoyed this pizza, I would probably save the $1.50 and choose one of their more basic pizzas leaving you with more room for your entrée and dessert.

Tiger Shrimp, Brussels Sprouts, Broccolini and a Carrot & Bacon Sofritto; $23.99:  I always have a high appreciation of Italian cooking that does not include pasta.  This dish was cooked with butter and the addition of a small amount of bacon grease giving it a rich and salty flavor.  Many people hate Brussel Sprouts but I say they just haven’t had them prepared correctly.  The sprouts in this dish were fresh and did not include the water or mushiness of thawed sprouts.  Cooked on the grill, they maintained the firmness but had unbelievable flavor.  Ingredients were proportional but the six shrimp was a disappointment for two people sharing a meal.

Dessert.  Cookie and Coffee:

I had the white macadamia nut and my wife went with the oatmeal raisin.  These might be made in house, but if I remember correctly, I think a local bakery brings them in.  Regardless, they are good cookies to go along with Brewster’s own coffee.  The coffee has a nice kick to it but not overly bold like you find at some coffee houses.  Although it is not on the menu, you can ask to buy a pound of the coffee ground or whole bean for $10 if you ask.

Would I It Again?  Yes, without a doubt.  This was my second visit to Brewster’s in a year and both times I walked away impressed and completely satisfied.  On this visit, I sat next to the kitchen and watched the operation.  The kitchen was spotless and organized.  There was a visible head chef in charge and the kitchen ran smoothly with three chefs under his direction. Yes, the chef uses a clean pan for every dish he makes and at many places, they do not do this and you end up getting food that has flavors from another dish that should not be there.  Service is outstanding in that drinks were constantly full, the table was never empty of food including the in house mad bread and oil and I never felt like anything was pushed on me by the server.  The environment is local with the smallness of the restaurant, and the Bell’s Oberon Ale Kalamazoo, MI that I drank.  If you are ever headed to Northwest Indiana or through that area of Michigan, stop by and get some great authentic Italian food for dinner or even one of their homemade deli sandwiches or frittatas for lunch.

Can a reader recommend a Gazpacho that comes close to matching theirs in the Indianapolis area?

-EatHSE