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

Napolese
114 East 49th St
Indianapolis, Indiana 46205
http://www.cafepatachou.com

Napolese has been around for a little while and it has been a place that I have always wanted to try.   I love pizza and I really enjoy pizza done well.   Knowing the level of detail and focus that goes into Patachou, I was really looking forward to this.

What I Ate: Side Focaccia ($3), Side Tomato Sauce ($2) and Hamaker Pizza ($14).

Having my two year old with me, I wanted to get him something to nosh on while we wait.  If not, he can turn into a diva at times.  The focaccia was bad.  Strips of what appeared to be pizza dough where some of them were saturated with oil and others with dry as a cracker.   However, I liked the sauce.  Plain, light on seasoning just like I enjoy it.  For $5 total, this was not very good at all.

The Hamaker is sausage, pepperoni and mushroom.  This is my favorite three topping combo, so I had to give it a try.  The pizza looked good when it was delivered, but  that is where the story ends.   I liked that the mushrooms were left whole on the pizza and they had a little bite to them.  The sausage was okay, but I tend to like a fennel-y sausage more than this versions.   What I didn’t like is the pepperoni.   There were two long slices there were difficult to chew and navigate.   The worst part was the crust because I couldn’t eat it with my hands.  I think the amount of meats pushed enough oil to the crust that you couldn’t pick this up.

When I ate my leftovers the next day, I put it in the toaster over to crisp the crust and I thought it was a lot better.   To be honest, I should’ve sent it back, but that wouldn’t have fixed the pepperoni problem.   However, sending back pizza  is difficult to do wait for another when your kid is ready to jet.

Would I Buy It Again?   I really don’t know.  I can only imagine that this was poor execution.  The quality of the ingredients was there, I liked their red sauce and it was a cool place.   And, if I am ever in the mood to trap a Meridian-Kessler Cougar, this place is like shooting fish in the barrel.

I will give it another try and report back.

-wibia

Monical’s Pizza
12501 North Meridan Street
Carmel, Indiana  46032
http://www.monicalspizza.com/

As mentioned before, I would go to Roselli’s Pizza Buffet with a pal of mine about twice a month.  I love it there.  Great food, service and a good place to chill and grab a few slices.  My partner in crime changed jobs and works in a different area now so we are looking for a new pizza buffet home.

What I Ate:  Pizza Buffet; ~$7.00.

Walking into the joint, I thought it was generally nice digs for a pizza place.  It is actually pretty big on the inside.  Taking a look at the buffet, I had my concerns.  It seemed like it was an afterthought because of the way it was built into the wall.  I had my doubts early.  Also, they have servers there for drink service.  To be honest, she was nice, but I thought that it was annoying that looking for a quick cheap lunch that I have to tip someone out.  Put a soda machine by the pizza and problem solved.

Also, the pizza buffet was just pizza.  No salads, pasta, breadsticks…nothing!  All the pizzas were single topping which was annoying as well.  Part of me wanted to take an entire pepperoni pizza just so I can peel off the pepperoni and then put it on my sausage pizza and leave the rest behind just to prove a point.

As far as the taste, it was better than it looked.  The crust was a little hard and cracker for me as I prefer a softer crust.  There was a lot of Italian seasoning on the pizza, which I thought took away from the ingredients on the pie.  However, it needed more flavor than sparsely placed pepperoni, so it was welcomed.  They had a deep dish type pizza (2nd pic on the right) there that I like more than the thin crust.  It barely showed up on the buffet, but it just okay.

Would I Buy It Again?  Nope.  I didn’t enjoy the pizza, I didn’t like that there was only one topping pizzas and I didn’t like the absence of a salad bar.  Maybe I have it wrong, there were a good amount of people there, so someone likes it.

-wibia

Bellacino’s Pizza & Grinders
12590 North Meridian Street
Carmel, IN 46032
http://www.orderbellacinos.com/

Bellacino’s is a small pizza and grinder franchise with several locations throughout the city and also throughout the country.  Along with pizzas and grinders (obviously), they also offer salads, pastas, wings and a few other smaller items.

Spurred on by a recent Eversave (one of the many growing number of clones/competitors for Groupon) offer for the Carmel location, I decided to give it a shot for my first visit ever.

What I Got:  Reuben Grinder Combo (served with 22 ounce drink and cole slaw); $8.34 + tax.

The Bellacino’s Reuben consists of “Tender corned beef piled high, lots of sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and cheese.”  Being the amateur Sherlock Holmes that I am, I can confirm that all those toppings were on the grinder, although  the descriptions of the amount of corned beef and sauerkraut may have been a bit of an exaggeration.  It was definitely on there in a fair amount, but nothing about those amounts could be considered “piled high” or “lots.”  Oh well, I’m splitting hairs.  The sandwich also came with a pickle in addition to the cole slaw that came as my side (not pictured).

As far as taste was concerned, they nailed this one pretty well.  The corned beef was tender and flavorful, the sauerkraut had that wonderful bite to it that good sauerkraut seems to have.  The Thousand Island dressing was just regular dressing out of a bottle, not that I was expecting anything different.  What added an interesting and positive twinge to the sandwich was the fact that Bellacino’s oven bakes their grinders.  The oven baking melted the cheese, added a crispiness to the sauerkraut and made the bread delightfully crunchy.  When you mixed all these things together, you come up with a pretty solid grinder.  The only negative, if you can call it that, was that this sandwich was very messy, so grab some extra napkins.  As more of a personal preference too, the addition of spicy deli mustard would go along way to making this grinder even more of a winner.  Overall, it wasn’t the best Reuben that I’ve had in my life, but it was a very satisfying Reuben and that’s all I was really asking for when I went there. 

The cole slaw was homemade as well and was fresh (they had to make it for me since I was one of the first customers of the day).  It was crunchy and added a nice cool refreshing taste to the tangy taste that was brought on by the sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing of the Reuben.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I would.  Bellacino’s isn’t exactly near my neighborhood, so I don’t think I’ll go there often, but if there is one in  your neighborhood, I would encourage you to visit.  They have an extensive grinder menu and it looks like their variety covers pretty much all bases.  Give it a shot if you are ever looking for a pizza, grinder or both!

-IndianapolisEater

Little Caesar’s Pizza
http://www.littlecaesars.com/

I love this concept.  On the way home from work and need to pick up something to feed hungry bellies that doesn’t cost much, this is a workable choice.   Pizza size is 14″, costs $5.00 and Pepperoni is always an option.  Some stores also have other options like Ultimate Supreme, Hula Hawaiian and 3 Meat Treat, but you’ll have to call your local store for availability.

What I Got:  Hot-N-Ready Pepperoni Pizza; $5.00.

The pizza is really bland.  Sauce, crust and even the pepperoni is pretty bland.  However, sprinkle some Italian Seasoning or Oregano and Red Pepper flakes on it and it turns out to be quite edible.  Outside of that, this is just a typical pizza and there’s nothing remarkable.

Would I Buy It Again?  I am really torn here.   It is a 10+ on the value scale.  It is a lot better than most frozen pizzas and about as much as a combo meal from a fast food joint.  However, on taste alone, it is probably a 5/10.  The most average inoffensive pizza that you could have.   Because of that, it’s a good choice when you need to feed a couple of kids.  

-wibia

Jan’s Village Pizza
108 S. Union St.
Westfield, IN 46074
http://www.jansvillagepizzas.com/

As is often the case when trying someplace new for dinner, I get well into my meal and exclaim, “I should be reviewing this!”  You’ll have to excuse the picture of a half-eaten pie.

After testing out a number of nearby pizza purveyors in our new hometown, we finally got around to trying Jan’s Village Pizza.  One look at Jan’s website will tell you that she thinks pretty highly of her pizza.  She puts particular emphasis on her fresh, hand-made dough and insists that each topping is sourced from the absolute best suppliers in the area.  All of these things are important, but the proof is in the pudding.  You can pile truffles, 24 karat gold leaf, and puppy dog kisses on a pizza and still have it taste like dirt.  There is an art to making pizza and the ingredients don’t always save the pie.

What I Got:  Small with green peppers, mushrooms and Italian sausage, $9.49.  Small buffalo chicken specialty pizza, $8.49.

If you paid attention in fifth grade English, you probably thought I was making use of foreshadowing in that introduction, but alas, Jan knows how to make pizza!  Her beloved crust was obviously hand-stretched and was baked just to my liking.  The crust had a few bubbled up burnt spots like a good Neapolitan pizza should, and the cheese was very creamy, almost buttery tasting.  Indeed the toppings were as fresh and flavorful as advertised.  The real star, for me at least, was the sauce on the traditional pizza.  The website says it’s homemade and it’s really pretty good.  Very smooth, slightly sweet, garlicky, and just the right amount of herb. Overall, this pizza was excellent.

The buffalo chicken pizza was a bit of a disappointment.  My wife and I used to order “The Hot Chick” from HotBox Pizza when we had one nearby and I guess we were expecting something along those lines when we ordered this pizza.  Don’t get me wrong, it was technically good, just not what we were hoping for.  The buffalo ranch sauce was a lot of ranch and not-so-much buffalo.  Coupled with the slightly buttery cheese, the taste started to get a little too rich. The crust was equally good on this pizza, but the overall flavor was a bit of a let-down.

Would I Buy It Again?  Definitely yes to Jan’s and the traditional pizza, but I would probably avoid the buffalo chicken signature pizza next time.  They have a lot of signature pizzas if that’s you’re thing, but they do a classic pizza so well it seems like sacrilege to fuss with it.

-Indy Food Geek