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

Fat Dan’s has been around for a while and this was my first trip, although IndianapolisEater has done a prior review and gave the Italian Beef sandwich a great rating. It was a quiet lunch with my pal from Indianapolis Restaurant Scene, who is on a first name basis with Dan. The place is small, but comfortable om the inside. A Chicago Deli, the walls are filled with Cubs memorable. A born White Sox fan, I was a little out of my element.

What’s I Ate:  Chicago Italian Beef and Fries; $7.50 + $2.75

You can customize your order here to have it wet, dipped or the au jus on the side. The standard is dipped. There is really not a lot to say here about this sandwich, as it was pretty straight forward. What I look for in an Italian Beef is good quality beef and a that doesn’t fall apart right away.  This one delivered at the highest level. It needed a touch of salt, but that was my only compliant. There was a ton of beef here, I was stuffed after this and the fries.

The cheeseburger was really good as well. A fattier grind than the standard 80/20, this would be great after a bender in Broadripple. A really good burger and it makes you never want to get a chain burger again. Except for Culvers of course.

The handcut fries were fried in peanut oil. The fries are all different sizes. Fresh fries and beer, hard to beat. My only compliant is that an order of fries are too big. I would like a smaller size in case I am dining alone.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes, big time. To be honest, one of the better Italain Beefs that I have had. The food was top shelf and I barely scratched the surface of the menu. There are a ton of smoked meats on the menu and I am going that direction next time. Local beer is on tap as well. Fat Dan’s is rumored to be moving soon and I will surely follow wherever he is at. Good stuff here.  My only compliant is that it is a bit pricey and would like a cheaper fry option.  $12 for lunch is a lot, but it is a mighty fine treat.

-wibia

Arby’s
200 Noble Creek Road
Noblesville, IN 46060
www.arbys.com

I sat here racking my brain and seriously can’t remember when the last time was that I went to Arby’s. It had to have been over five years. And in cleaning out my wallet last week I inexplicably had an Arby’s gift card. It ended up having $5 left on it, so why not? I can’t remember exactly why I stopped going, but I never really hated the place or anything. Maybe it was to punish them for those gawdawful “Good Mood Food” jingles I’m subjected to about 5,831 times a day.

What I Got: Ultimate Angus Philly, $4.99 (sandwich only)

From the website: “Close your eyes and take a bite, you’ll feel like you’ve been teleported to the City of Brotherly Love. We’ve taken our juicy, lean premium Angus beef and topped it off with fire-roasted onions and peppers, melted Swiss and tasty aioli spread, all served on a toasted Philly roll.”

I’ll dispute a two things in there.

1. The meat wasn’t juicy. It was dry.

2. The melted Swiss and “tasty” aioli spread aren’t on “top” of the dry angus beef. I was presented with the sandwich open side up, as you can see in the picture. I’d guess it was sitting there prepared for a long time, because the Swiss and aioli had gathered together at the bottom of the bun. Thus, the dryness of the meat at the top couldn’t be masked. I tried to flip it over and get the wet mixture to seep over the beef, but it was just a lost cause. Then again, maybe it wasn’t made ahead of time. It’s entirely possible they slopped in the cheese and sauce before the meat, which could have contributed to its dryness. Whatever it was, it sucked.

Also, I didn’t dig the Swiss/aioli combo at all. It didn’t taste like a Philly I’ve had from many other places. Not that it has to, in fact, I’m sure they were shooting for unique. But it just didn’t do it for me.

Would I Buy It Again? Maybe I should’ve been a little more coy with my assessment above, eh? The anticlimactic conclusion is absolutely not. I don’t know if it will be another five years or more than ten before I hit Arby’s again. What I do know is that next time I go there, I’m not straying from the ol’ standby (for me, at least) Beef N’ Cheddar. They can’t really screw that up, can they? I mean, unless they only put the cheddar on about one-forth of the bun. After the Angus Philly experience, I wouldn’t be surprised. If I do want a sub from the immediate area around my house, I’ll continue to hit up Firehouse.

-Show

Hearthstone Coffee House & Pub
8235 E. 116th St.
Fishers, Indiana 46038
http://www.hearthstonecoffee.com

For months in the Fall of 2011, I drove past the Hearthstone location in Fishers and watched its slow transformation. Opening just after this past Christmas, I have been looking forward to it giving Fishers a new local gathering place a try. Their Facebook page is active and there are constantly new photos posted showing this place to be busy in the evenings with live entertainment multiple nights each week along with trivia nights and open mic nights. For St. Patrick’s Day, Jameson shots will be the special with no minors after 4:00 PM. When the Starbuck’s drive through was packed, I decided to stop by and give Hearthstone a try for breakfast.

What I Drank: Large Tanzanian Peaberry Coffee; $2.50.

I like bold “diesel fuel” coffee with enough caffeine to get any sleep-deprived human rolling in the morning and Sumatra at Starbuck’s is usually my choice. I ask what the strongest coffee they had brewed that morning was and the Tanzania was poured for me. At $2.50, it is slightly more expensive than a Venti at Starbucks. However, I would be more than happy to pay that extra any day with the quality of the travel cup their coffee was served in. The container was firm and there was no flex to the lid making you feel like the lid would pop off at any time like a Venti at Starbuck’s. The coffee was bold but smooth and did not have any of that burnt taste you sometimes get from a Starbuck’s. The Tanzania is one of the best cups of black coffee I have had and I will go back for more.

What I Ate: Flatbread Caprese; $2.99.

The Caprese is a toasted flatbread with melted mozzarella, egg white, fresh basil and fresh tomato slice. I am a meat eater but decided to go with the healthier option since I was on my way to work from the gym. The tomato was ripe and fresh and it was toasted just long enough not to make the tomato mushy but still melting the cheese but not allow the egg to get rubbery. I really enjoyed having something different for breakfast that was somewhat healthy.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes. I enjoyed everything that I ordered and the service was friendly and local. Hearthstone fits a unique niche in Fishers providing quality drinks including some interesting specially cocktails, shoots and a wide range of coffee drinks you would find at any other coffee house while offering a limited food menu and keeping the focus to what they do best. Drinks and entertainment. One addition they could provide to their drink menu would be to add and specialize in serving good Irish Coffee. It is one of my favorite drinks and would make it a destination for many people. I sent an email to their owners to see if they offered them and they were just not on the menu or if they would consider adding Irish coffee to the menu. Their website indicates they want feedback and I think it is disappointing that I have not gotten a response. So yes, I would buy it again but will not give it a full endorsement until Irish Coffee hits their menu.

-EatHSE

Super 46 Sandwich and Brat Contest (renamed)

The winner was announced today and guess what?! It is NOT EVEN A F*CKING SANDWICH!!??

First, a tenderloin should’ve won, even though the selection of tenderloins from the list are some of the worst in the state.

Second, a sandwich should’ve won.

I will admit, I would put that pretzel-brat thingy straight to the face, it doesn’t look half bad.  It is not a sandwich though.

I give up.

-wibia

Arby’s
http://www.arbys.com

I’ll be the first to admit that I am no fan of Arby’s.  It used to be my favorite fast food joint, but when the prices kept increasing and the food quality went down, I stopped going.  I must be a glutton for punishment, because on a recent weekend, I decided to hit Arby’s for the first time in over two years for lunch since I saw that they are now offering a limited time offering sandwich called the “Super Reuben.”  Their advertising campaign boasts their food is “Good Mood Food,” so I was daring enough to see if I would feel that way after I ate.

What I Got:  Super Reuben Combo; $7.99 + tax.

I’m too lazy to type out a physical description of this myself, so because of that, I’ll let Arby’s do it for me:  ”So how do you make a Reuben super? Well, take warm toasty rye bread, pile on thinly sliced corned beef, melted natural Swiss and tangy Sauerkraut with creamy Thousand Island dressing – then add turkey for a double dose of delicious! Now that’s Super.”

Wow, they’ve decided themselves to dub this one as super.  Well, I’m not so sure about that because there was nothing super about this sandwich.  The turkey, while plentifully placed on the sandwich, was nothing special and was just run-of-the-mill.  The corned beef, while also plentiful, was dry and very bland.  The sauerkraut was messy and lacked the tang of a well made sauerkraut and frankly, I’ve had sauerkraut out of a can that was better than this.  As for the “toasty” marble rye bread, well that was a bit of a fabrication too because when you mix in the minimally applied Thousand Island dressing to all the other ingredients, the bread turns soggy and loses all the crunch that you would expect in a nice, toasty Reuben sandwich.  Oh yeah, the cheese…well, it was so unnoticeable that I forgot it was even on there until I just re-read the description.

Would I Buy It Again?  No, absolutely not.  Sandwiches that are failures like this remind me why I stopped going to Arby’s.  It was boring, essentially flavorless and not only that, it was a rip off!  $7.99 for the combo and all I got was this piece of garbage, a drink and some fries.  Ugh.  Oh well, I’m glad I did this though because I’ll now know to not go to Arby’s again for another two years.  What a failure and this is definitely not good mood food.

-IndianpolisEater

Firehouse Subs
http://www.firehousesubs.com/

I have heard a lot of good things about Firehouse Subs from readers on the blog and general buzz around town once it opened.   I hate most chain subs as they mostly have low quality meat and very little of it as well.   I was running short on time and grabbed this one in Atlanta, GA.   IndianapolisEater had the Italian Sub and seemed to like it quite a bit.  I thought that I would be crazy and…try the exact same thing.

What I Ate:  The Italian Sub.  Drinks and chips brought the combo around $8.50.

Geona salami, pepperoni, ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing and seasoning.  I took a look under the hood and I thought that the bread to meat ratio was pretty fair for a chain.  Quality of the ingredients was decent.  For as many salty meats that were on the sub, this wasn’t very salty.   I really didn’t like the Italian Dressing.  I far prefer oil and vinegar.  It tasted cheap, which was a shame.   With 2430mg of sodium, you would think it would taste salty.  Yes, that is more than two Big Macs of salt.  Yikes.

Would I Buy It Again?  No to the Italain.  Firehouse, probably.   I didn’t love this sandwich.  All of you know that I can’t stand Subway and this was surely better than that.   If I had $8 for a sub, I would probably pick Firehouse over Jimmy John’s, but Jason’s Deli would probably get my business for the chain sub market.  Plus, this sandwich is horrible for you packing in 910 calories and 57g of fat.

-wibia

The Local Eatery and Pub
14655 North Gray Road
Westfield, Indiana  46062
http://www.localeateryandpub.com/

Since moving to Westfield earlier this year, The Local Eatery and Pub has at the top of my review wishlist.  The “slow food” concept isn’t a new thing by any means, but there are very few places that can claim to use local ingredients in the chain-heavy northern suburbs.  The Local proudly displays the names of the farms that are currently supplying their kitchen.  The dining room is a welcoming mix of “cheery feminine” meets “vintage industrial.”  The atmosphere is a little bit more upscale than the prices would suggest, but it wasn’t too stuffy for a casual dinner.

What I Got:  The Local “Cheesesteak” with fries; $10.00.

I already knew that I wanted to try The Local’s spin on a cheesesteak even before taking my seat.  Braised beef tongue, fig mostarda, caramelized onions and swiss cheese – sounds fun right?!  Upon entering the restaurant, I was greeted by a former chef colleague of mine (who now works at The Local!) and he highly recommended that I try the beef tongue.  My order was now cast in stone…

I’m not really sure if tongue would be considered “Offal,” but I’m not ashamed to admit that my Midwestern palette is almost entirely unaccustomed to anything veering from the carnivorous norm.  Thankfully, this braised beef tongue tastes surprisingly familiar.  Imagine a really beefy, almost gamey pot roast and you’d be pretty close.  My only gripe, however, is that several of the pieces in my sandwich appeared…well, I’ll use the word “anatomical” for lack of a better descriptor.  Most of the meat was braised and shredded, but a few chunks were very recognizable… tastebuds and all.  At no point did the texture cause a problem; it was always tender.  I just could’ve stood to have the pieces cut up a little more to disguise their source.  The fig mostarda was like a chunky fig compote with a little mustard kick.  The caramelized onions continued the sweet theme, but the swiss leveled everything out.  This was a very unique combination of ingredients for a sandwich that tasted as familiar as any steak sandwich I’ve had before.  I chose fries for my side and could easily rank them as some of the best I’ve had in Indianapolis.

The rest of the meal was great.  I chose an excellent Sun King beer that arrived in a Ball jar.  My wife had the pulled pork sandwich and seemed to really enjoy it.  The slaw was vinegar-based and very crunchy, which provided a nice counterpoint to the tender pork.  Her tater-tots we clearly from a bag, but they seemed better than I remember from my elementary school days.  We rarely partake of dessert when we dine out, but the dessert chalkboard got the best of us.  We tried the goat cheese cheesecake and the flourless chocolate torte.  Both desserts were excellent, but I took a liking to the “farmy tang” present in cheesecake.  The chocolate torte was very cold and probably would’ve been better served closer to room temperature.  It took on the consistency of cold fudge with a crust… I cleared both plates so I can’t really complain.

Would I Buy it Again?  Yes, definitely.  I must admit, I am more likely to overlook imperfections at a place like this.  I love the concept of stressing local produce and seasonal goodness.  I love it so much that I would probably forgive mistakes or minor issues just to avoid eating at a mass-produced chain restaurant.  I was extremely happy with my meal at The Local and I’m willing to bet that you will enjoy it too, but I might also have a bit of a bias.  I’ve officially given you a fair warning.

-Indy Food Geek

Jimmy B’s Eatery & Pub
10598 North College Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46280
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jimmy-Bs-Pub/149395358345?sk=info

I have mad respect for our friend, The Tenderloin Connoisseur.  One of his favorite tenderloins, if not his favorite, is the tenderloin at Jimmy B’s.  So, I had to give it a try for the Tenderloin of the Month segment.  Jimmy B’s is like every other somewhat dive-y strip mall bar.  I stopped by at lunch and it was a little smoky, but it didn’t bother me after the first minute or two.

What I Ate:  Breaded Pork Tenderloin with fries (add $1).  Don’t quote me, but it was around $8. 

It arrived and it surely looked good.  The bun didn’t look as toasted as I like it, but the tenderloin itself looked great.   Well, it didn’t disappoint.   The thickness was perfect, the bread-to-meat ratio was perfect as well.  The breading was not softer, not really crunchy or crispy.  There was no gristle to be found.  Plus, it was flippin huge!  I skipped dinner that night.

My only complaint about the meat is that it could’ve used a little more seasoning (read: salt).  The rest of the sandwich was nothing special, but the tenderloin itself was so good, that it didn’t need to be.  Fries were straight out of the bag, so nothing to talk about there either.  Service was friendly and attentive.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, easily.   One of the better tenderloins in the city.  I would not pick a fight with anyone that told me that this is the best tenderloin that they have had.    I liked it quite a bit and it is a very fine version of the official state sandwich of Indiana. 

-wibia