Golden Wok
8350 East 96th Street
Fishers, Indiana  46037

We’ve been doing a lot of Chinese takeout place reviews here recently and that is a good thing, but I always appreciate knowing about good Chinese food.  That said, have you ever tried to find one that actually delivers?  It seems like it would be an easy task, but when you live in the Castleton area like I do, it’s really not.  On a recent Saturday, I was having auto issues and therefore was kind of tied down to having food delivered because I didn’t feel like cooking.  I didn’t want pizza, chicken wings or any other sort of concoction that a pizza delivery place would offer and I was feeling like Chinese, so I embarked on a quest to find a place that delivered.  After calling five different places, I finally found a place that delivered:  Golden Wok.  I had Golden Wok years ago, so technically this is not a “new” review, but since it has been so long, I would classify this as basically a first time offering (later when I got their menu after the delivery, it said they were under new ownership, so it ends up that this could be classified as a new review).

What I Got:  Roast Pork Lo Mein combination dinner; $6.99.  Includes entree, pork fried rice, egg roll and egg drop soup.

I’ve discussed how I test out a Chinese place on a first time visit before on this blog and using that criteria (“staple” dishes like General’s chicken or Lo Mein), I decided to order one of my basic standby orders, Roast Pork Lo Mein.  As you can see from the picture above, the Roast Pork Lo Mein combination comes with quite a variety of food and frankly, it comes in HUGE portions.  On the size-to-value scale, you definitely are a leg up on the competition here.

Unfortunately, that’s where any legs up ended because this food wasn’t even average.  It wasn’t horrible, but I would classify it as below average.  If a “C” grade is average, then I give this a “C-”.  The Roast Pork Lo Mein itself was bland, dry and the meat was tough.  The pork fried rice faced the same problems and that was not appetizing at all as it was as if I was chewing on crunchy, not fully cooked rice as opposed to soft,  pillowy rice as I would prefer.  The egg roll was also one of the greasiest egg rolls that I’ve ever had in my life and I honestly felt like taking a shower after eating it to get all the grease off of me.  Yuck.  The only thing that I found even remotely appealing about all the options was the egg drop soup and frankly, it was just average at best.  It lacked salt (a recurring theme in ALL the items) and the broth was a thick texture, which was unexpected and sort of odd.  The best compliment I can give the soup was that at least it was hot.

Would I Buy It Again?  No.   Huge portions are a good thing sometimes when they are good, but in this case, all the huge portions did was give me more bland, flavorless food to eat.  I definitely was not excited after this meal and I don’t think anyone else would be either.

The problem here is that it may be the only delivery option in my area and that could be a major problem.  Does anyone else know of Chinese places that deliver in the Castleton area?  I’d be indebted for life if someone could help me out here because I’m sure this won’t be the last time that I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to go get my own Chinese food.

-IndianapolisEater

China Wok
9546 Allisonville Road, Suite 135
Indianapolis, IN 46250

I love Chinese food and especially love it when I find a good Chinese takeout place.  I’ve reviewed Hong Kong Cuisine before, but since it is a slight hike from my house, I don’t go there often.  Recently, I realized that it had been quite a while since I had eaten Chinese food and was craving it, so I decided to get some for dinner.  Sadly, my go-to place near my house had closed since the last time I had ordered takeout (this has been several months), so I was on the lookout for a new place nearby and that led me to China Wok.

We’ve discussed on this blog previously how there are certain Chinese menu items that allow you to guage how good a takeout place is going to be based on how they prepare certain “staples” of any Chinese menu.  Since I was trying out a new place, I stuck to one of those staples and ordered…

What I Got:  General Tso’s Chicken dinner combination; $6.50.  Served with pork fried rice and an egg roll.

One of the perils of writing for a food blog is that sometimes you are so hungry that you forget to take a picture before you tear into your food.  As you can see, this was the case with me this time as I ravenously devoured half of my meal before I realized I had not yet taken a picture.  Fortunately, I was able to salvage one before I ate the entire meal.

In terms of taste, don’t let my speed of eating fool you into thinking this was the best Chinese takeout I’ve ever had, because it wasn’t.  Still, it was tasty.  The General’s Chicken, while not perfectly tender (it was slightly overcooked actually) had that correct mix of spice in the sauce, crunch in the breading and overall flavor that you enjoy in Chinese food and especially General Tso’s chicken.  It wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy, but it had enough of a kick to make you feel it, which is just the way I like it.

As for the rice and egg roll, well, they were just run-of-the-mill types of stuff.  Nothing too outstanding and nothing too awful. 

Would I Buy It Again?  For Chinese takeout and specifically General Tso’s chicken, yes I would.  Like I said, the food was not outstanding or even particularly, but it was very edible and quite economical considering the healthy amount of food that I received.  Heaven knows that I’ve certainly had worse food and paid worse prices.  Next time, I think I’ll order another one of those “staples” (Lo Mein, Szechuan Beef, etc.) and see how they fare in that respect.

-IndianapolisEater

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4790 W 16th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46222

Race season is a special time in Indianapolis.  People around here have different things they like about the race; maybe it’s seeing a loud, angry band at carb day, taking their kids to see the practices on a family day or hobnobbing with celebrities and local politicians.  I get most excited about going to the track purely for seeing the people, drinking beer outside and eating a tenderloin sandwich.  Seriously.  The fast cars and all that is pretty good, but it’s only part of it.  I go with some friends and neighbors and we have a great time, but I’d be hard-pressed to say what my absolute favorite part of the day is.  After digging into our Marsh box lunches (and trying in vain to trade my baked beans for someone else’s chocolate chip cookie), eating some fried chicken, potato chips and maybe a turkey sandwich, I’m almost ready for the main attraction.  Wait, did I mention I’m maybe four or five beers into my day at this point too?  That’s probably a pretty important factor in this review.

What I Had: I got what I get every year:  a plain pork tenderloin sandwich.  There are no choices as to what comes on it, and it’s six dollars even.  It seems like every year there are none available when I go to get one (usually around section 18 of the paddock) and I have to wait anywhere from five to fifteen minutes.  This year it was five minutes, and that only added to the anticipation of what was to come.  I also had to wait about ten minutes for it to cool down before it was edible.  It didn’t help that it was a hot day.

This sandwich is utterly plain.  It’s a big flat piece of pork, breaded, seasoned maybe with pepper, deep fried and put on a plain hamburger bun.  It reminds me of the burger Ron Swanson recently made on Parks and Recreation; nothing but the basics.  There’s a fixings bar where I wouldn’t touch anything (see how many people are standing there just now?), but when I get back to my seat I spread mayonnaise from my box lunch on the top bun.  The bun only covers about half of the pork, which adds to the presentation, but decreases my mayo coverage.

Would I Buy It Again?  Absolutely. Whenever I eat this sandwich, I enjoy it immensely.  What is it that makes it so good?  Is it the pepper?  The batter?  The smell of the racetrack?  The multiple beers leading up to it?  I think it’s a combination of all of these things.  Buying one the first time was a real gamble as you’re hoping it will be good, but you know the odds are that it won’t be.  But that gamble paid off, with dividends I collect every year.  I wonder whether or not I would ever order one of these without the beer, the track and the excitement of race day, but I’d rather not learn the answer to that question.  For now, I will instead look forward to having this sandwich again next spring.

Do you have a favorite track food that you look forward to every year?  I did see a guy walk by with a turkey leg that looked really good…

-BigRedEater

Okay, so I know what you are thinking…how much more are you going to write about OAKLEYS?  Answer:  Plenty more.  It has been a year since my last review, so I figured it was time.

Before I forget, add OAKLEYS on your Facebook.  They list special dinners and all kinds of good info.

What I Ate: Shrimp and Tomato Bisque, $6; Pork Tenderloin, $12.75.  Wife:  Crab Pot Pie, $13.75

The shrimp and tomato bisque was served a little under the temperature that I liked, but it was still warm enough for my wife.  I took a few bites and sent it back.  Instead of heating it up in the microwave, they brought an entirely new bowl of soup that was just right.  This is the type of service touches that sets them apart.  I enjoyed the soup and my wife did as well.  What I like it that they add a garnish of veggies that are a little crunchy.  The soup leaned more towards the shrimp side than the tomato side, which I preferred.

I always try something new when I am there and the pork tenderloin sounded good.  Ratatouille vegetables, pear fennel relish, potato puree, maple gastrique and figs.  When I ordered it, I thought, “this sounds good except for the figs.”  However, I thought they added a nice sweet bite whenever I wanted to balance out everything else.  The pork was cut into three strips.  Not too thin, not too thick and cooked just right.  I have a good feeling they could make a good pork tenderloin sandwich.  Everything else was cooked perfectly and worked together really well.  I liked this dish a lot.

The Crab Pot Pie was also top shelf.  Roasted leeks, Cauliflower, Pearl Onions, Spinach, Artichokes and Lemon Basil Pesto, served with a puff pastry on top.  I really liked the top layer and getting into the warm, creamy goodness that lies beneath.  They used to have a lobster pot pie and I liked that as well, but no longer have it unfortunately.  Really, this is perfect cold weather food.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, very easily. The more that I dine in Indy, the more that I appreciate OAKLEYS.  I can’t think of a restaurant that has it more together than they do.  Great service and consistently awesome food.  What more can you ask for?

-wibia

It has been a long time since I have been to a Max & Erma’s and I didn’t really know what to expect.  I don’t remember seeing a commercial or any promotion for them in the last five years.  I always grouped them with the Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday’s, TGI Friday’s, O’Charley’s of the world and I was interested to see if they had anything that rose above the rest of the pack.

What I Ate: Breaded Pork Tenderloin; around $8 with fries.

What was interesting here is that they had the “Breaded Pork Tenderloin” listed on the menu without a description.  All other sandwiches had a description.  I assume that they only carry this at Indiana locations.  I asked the server if it was hand-cut and homemade and she said “I am not sure, but we make a lot of our items on site and I would be willing to bet that it is.”  My follow up:  “Is it perfectly round?”  Server: “No, that I know for sure.”  So, I rolled the dice.

The tenderloin was served on a toasted sesame seed spilt top bun that held the sandwich well and was an ideal thickness.   The tenderloin itself looks like it was pounded out too thin, but it wasn’t.  The meat had the thickness of about three stacked quarters.  The meat was gristle free, though a touch on the dry side.  The breading didn’t add any flavor, but it was the perfect amount a very nice meat-to-breading ratio.   Produce was as fresh as it could be in the dead of the winter.

The fries were slightly larger than the new fries from Wendy’s, but tasted exactly the same.

Would I Buy It Again?  Only if I was at Max and Erma’s, I would not seek it out. On a rating scale, I would give it a six.  Slightly better than the average, but not good enough to really get me excited.

However, this was a surprisingly nice representation of the Indiana state sandwich.  Surely not the best that I have ever had, but it was better than I thought a chain restaurant could make.

-wibia

Tijuana Flats
7834 East 96th Street
Fishers, Indiana  46038
http://www.tijuanaflats.com/

In my opinion, fast casual Mexican joints kind of run the gamut from being good (Chipotle, Qdoba) to just plain boring (Moe’s).  Tijuana Flats (a much smaller chain) is of that same ilk, is in my neighborhood and I had a coupon, so I figured I would give this one a review. 

What I Got:  Carnitas Quesadilla, $5.99

The Carnitas Quesadilla comes served with the meat filling of your choice (in my case, pork), cheese and is fully loaded with black olives, jalapenos, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream, although I had them take the sour cream out because I am not fan.  You also get a side of tortilla chips and can load up on a variety of salsa flavors at their salsa bar.

As far as taste is concerned, well, let’s just say this was a lot like Moe’s.  It’s not that it was bad, but it was just plain boring.  The cheese was only slightly melted, the pork was not all that flavorful and well, I guess the vegetables were just okay.

Honestly, the only thing the quesadilla did was deliver calories and energy to my body.  Outside of that, nothing about about it was memorable and the taste was just blah.  Well, one thing was memorable:  it was served lukewarm.  Ugh.

Would I Buy It Again?  Definitely not.  Tijuana Flats, while a nice business idea, is not memorable enough for me to go back to, even if I do have a coupon.  If I want fast casual Mexican, I’ll just stick with Qdoba or Chipotle for roughly the same prices.

-IndianapolisEater

I have had a good amount of comments and e-mails telling me to give this place a try.  I took a look at the menu and my interest was piqued  They have a very large menu and I didn’t get the feeling that it was a place that had coupons on the menu.  Upscale/good Chinese is scarce in this town.  If someone was going to go out on a date and liked Asian food, most people still default to P.F. Changs here.  I’m rambling, but know that I was encouraged to have a more refined option for Chinese.

What I Ate: Lunch special – Hot and Sour Soup, Pork with Garlic Chile Sauce, $7.25.

The Hot and Sour soup arrived and it looked pretty good.  However, it the broth was too thick and was over peppered.  It was a small step better than you would get at your normal takeout.

When I ordered the pork dish, the waiter smiled and said, “great choice.”  At first taste, I thought that it was just okay as well.  The sauce was pretty thick and there was too much of it.  The pork was a step up from standard take-out, however the standard stir fry vegetables (+1 green bean) were included.  I was disappointed to see zig-zagged carrots and it reminded me of every other Chinese place in town.  The Crab Rangoon didn’t wow me, but was lighter than the ones that are straight out of the bag.

Would I Buy It Again?  One more try.  I didn’t love anything here and there were some execution problems.  I felt the place was disjointed as the servers were dressed nicely in black and there was art from the local art school on display, however the food was served on plastic plates and there were a few interpretations on the food that was off.  I will give it another try and see if it was just my dish that I didn’t care for.

-wibia

Dick’s Hideaway
6008 N 16th St
Phoenix, AZ 85016
http://www.burningembersphoenix.com

Based on the picture above, I get the “hideaway” part.   The entrance is between those two bushes, there is no signage…  The place smelled great and was really cool inside as it was someplace I could hang out here for a while.

What I Ate:  Rellenos and Eggs. I chose one duck and one pork and had it with green sauce. It was served with two eggs any style, potatoes and pinto beans, for around $11.

I really liked this.  Their green sauce is amongst the best that I have ever had.  My wife had the Huevos Rancheros with red sauce and neither of us liked it. If you go to Dick’s, remember…go green!!

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, though I am not sure it is a must have. The green sauce is great and I really liked this place.  I would feel comfortable recommending this to a friend.

Hotel Valley Ho, Trader Vic’s and Café ZuZu
6850 East Main Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

We stayed at the Hotel Valley Ho for a night as it was soooo cheap and has a retro vibe to it that I thought was cool.  We visited happy hours at both restaurants ( Cafe ZuZu for earlier happy hour and Trader Vic’s for late night menu) that are at the hotel and both were horrible.  It is not worth even going into.

Would I Buy It Again?  No. Horrible food, bad service a train wreck.

Cafe ZuZu:

Trader Vic’s:

Because our food was so bad and the service was horrible, we went to:

Metro Brasserie & Bar
7114 E Stetson Dr #105
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
http://www.metrosouthbridge.com

Because it is 117 degrees and no one is around, there are happy hours everywhere.  At Metro, we had the poutine and a carmelized onion flatbread. The poutine was really really good and the flat bread was tasty as well.  The gravy was thinner on this version, but it was really, really, really good.  Then again, what did I expect out of putting all these awesome ingredients together?

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, easily.  Great food, good service and I would like to go back the next time I am there.  I can’t help but think this place would do lights out in Indy.

Cowboy Ciao
7133 E Stetson Dr
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
http://www.cowboyciao.com

This place is influential in defining modern southwest food.  Their signature dish is a mushroom stir fry for $12.95. They have over six or seven different types of mushrooms in a cream sauce served with polenta.

I really liked this quite a bit.  It was really rich and I couldn’t imagine eating more than a lunch portion, but it was pretty tasty.  My wife had a roasted duck sandwich that we didn’t care for that much.

Would I Buy it Again?  No. I enjoyed the mushroom dish, but the sandwich was a mess.  I just didn’t love the place.  However, if someone really wanted to go, I would give it another try, but it is not making my “must have” list.

Meals without pictures:

Spotted Donkey – A cool little place with upscale Mexican food.  They make a mean margarita (of which I consumed many) and have a great happy hour.  Since it is so close to my in-laws house, I will definitely go again.  The food is ok, but there is something about it that I just like being there.

Would I Buy it Again? Yes, for drinks and chilling out.

A Different Pointe of View – A Four Diamond Award winner that is perched on a mountain top, this is knows to be one of Scottsdale’s best.   However, it wasn’t that night.  The five course tasting menu was a major disappointment.  With wine pairing, the bill was around $240 without the tip.  Again, a major disappointment. However, the service was great and you really can’t beat the view.

Would I Buy It Again? No.

Binkley’s - Another Four Diamond Award winner.  This meal was unlike any other I have had.  Seven amuse bouches throughout the five course tasting menu.  I enjoyed the service and it was just a constant onslaught of food.  Extremely creative food and presentations.  For two people, it was around $215 without the tip, but I thought it was well worth it.  A great meal.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes and I would like to go there the next time I am in Arizona.

I think that is it. Some really good food and we had a great time.  If you have never been, you should go…and I hope this list helps you.

-wibia

Black Diamond Barbecue
6404 Rucker Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46220
http://www.blackdiamondbbqcatering.com

I’ve driven by this place on Binford Boulevard (it’s on a side street right off Binford) about a thousand times over the years and have never stopped.  In all honesty, when it first opened, I figured it would last about three months and then go out of business because it’s not in the greatest location.  Three years later, it’s still chugging along and has even expanded to include outdoor seating.  Good for them.

Ordinarily, I do all my barbecue smoking by myself, but I was feeling lazy one Sunday and didn’t want to spend my entire day waiting for meats to smoke.  So, seeing that this place recently expanded, I figured it must be good and finally gave it a shot (one of the owners was working and gave me a little ribbing by saying, “you know we’ve been here for three years right?”).

What I Got:  Hungry Man’s Special (not listed on the online menu), $19.99.  This includes three meats (I got ribs, brisket and chicken wings) and two sides (I got cole slaw and macaroni and cheese).

First things first, the name of this combo does not lie…this is a TON of food.  Any regular reader of this site knows that I can throw down some food from time to time, but even this was too much for me for one meal.  It was actually enough for two meals because they serve you ample portions of all the meats and all the sides.  As such, let’s address these individually:

Ribs:  I’ve got to say, I was really impressed by these.  You often hear the term “fall off the bone” to describe how ribs should be cooked and these ribs fit that description to the letter of the law.  They were tender and had a strong smoky flavor.  A little greasy, but when you smoke meats as opposed to grilling them, that is to be expected.  Honestly, these were the best ribs I’ve had in a while.

Brisket:  These were served in a separate container because there was so much of it (LOL) and much like the ribs, this was also tender and had a strong smoky flavor.  I prefer my brisket to have juice oozing from it when I cook it and unfortunately, this brisket did not have that.  That said, when compared to other barbecue restaurants in the area, the brisket was exceptional.  The only reason I can complain at all is because of my ego when it comes to making it myself.  Ha!

Chicken Wings:  I’ll admit, I don’t know that I’ve ever had smoked chicken wings before and since I am thinking of doing it on my own smoker, I decided to give these a try in order to see what I was in store for.  My first impression of the wings was that they were HUGE (a good thing) and there were A LOT of them (a recurring theme).  What I found interesting about these wings was that while they were meaty, tender and juicy on the inside, they had a crispy outer skin that provided a nice texture contradiction to the softness of the inside.  As with the ribs and brisket, these also had a strong smoky flavor and I liked them quite a bit.  So much so that I’m anxious to try this myself.

Sides:  Along the lines of the recurring theme, the sides didn’t come in little miniature cups…they came in sizeable containers as you can see in the picture above.  The cole slaw was obviously homemade (big positive in my book) and was more vinegar based as opposed to mayonnaise based, which I prefer.  It was crunchy and fresh, although it could have used a little something extra to give it some kick.  I would rate this as a B/B+ effort.

As for the macaroni and cheese, well, I’ve got some strong thoughts on this one.  I will be the first to admit that I’ve never been a huge macaroni and cheese fan because it is so often botched and lazily made (cheeses are too bland, not enough cheese, etc.) in so many different places.  Because of that, about the only time I will eat macaroni and cheese is when it is out of the Kraft box and yes, I know that is pathetic.  So, in what I thought at the time was an act of stupidity, I decided to give Black Diamond’s macaroni and cheese a try and I am so glad that I did because this was incredible.  It was easily the creamiest and richest macaroni and cheese that I have ever had and I loved it.  They certainly didn’t skimp on the cheese and unlike most places that I’ve eaten macroni and cheese, they actually used a cheese that had a little kick to it and I LOVED that.   Honestly, if you skipped all the meat and just got a huge order of macaroni and cheese, you would be delighted with your order.

Would I Buy It Again?  Absolutely and without hesitation. I can see why that despite an odd location, Black Diamond has managed to stay in business and actually expand in the three years that it has been open.  This is damn fine barbecue and it will always be my FIRST choice on the days that I decide to not make it on my own.  There are not a lot of great barbecue options in this city, so I would strongly advise you to give it a try if you are a barbecue lover.

By the way, Black Diamond caters (one of the owners made sure to let me know that) and also has coupons on my new favorite website, Coupons4Indy.com.

-IndianapolisEater

Saigon Restaurant
3103 Lafayette Rd
Indianapolis, Indiana 46222

Yup, that is me…and my best Perez Hilton imitation.

Saigon is reviewed quite a bit, check out their page on Urbanspoon.  After reading Indianapolis Restaurant Scene’s review, I had to give it a try based on everyone LOVING IT!!!!!!

The interior of the restaurant was refreshingly clean.  The menu is big…Cheesecake Factory big.  I think over 140 dishes on the menu.   It took me about five minutes to get through, though the subliminal message of the sticker on the window led me to Pho.

What I Ate:  Appetizer Sampler $7.50.  #34 BBQ Pork and Seafood PHO.

The appetizer sampler included spring roll, egg roll, crab rangoon, rocket shrimp and fried dumplings.  Honestly, I wasn’t impressed by anything here.  I could squeeze oil out of the fried dumpling, the rocket shrimp were fried with a slice of onion mixed in.  The spring roll wasn’t bad, but not as good as others that I have had in town.   All in all, I was nervous to get my pho.

However, this arrived to quickly restore my faith:

The picture doesn’t do it justice.  The BBQ Pork was tender and excellent.  In fact, some of the best I have ever had. However, the general “seafood” title to the dish included shrimp, salmon,  and scallops.  The seafood was so overcooked that I found myself spitting out a piece giving my mouth a break from chewing.  The difference between the pork and the seafood was the food equivalent of Danny DeVito and Arnold Swarzenegger in “Twins.”

What really hooked me was the broth and the smell.  If I had a cold, I am 99% sure this would cure it.  I found myself just continually eating and drinking this broth…it was really something to talk about.  However, if you are not a fan of pepper, you might want to choose something else.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes.  With 140 menu items, I am going to assume there are a few misfires.  I would get PHO again, but skip the addition of any seafood.

Btw, did I mention how big this bowl was?  I was starving and this is all that I ate.  There were a ton of rice noodles, about a pack and a half of Ramen (couldn’t think of a better comparison.)  See, check it out including an awesome painted on mustache on mini-wibia (he is in disguise to maintain anonymity)  However, he is possibly the best future eater in the land:

-wibia