If you read my friend’s blog, Indianapolis Restaurant Scene, I am the “very indecisive friend” of this review.  The reality is that Erin usually recommends bullshit places that include fruit as a side and serve crepes at lunch.  I am a man, I eat like a man.

Big Daddy’s is the food equivalent to the Miller High Life commercials.  Very straight forward bar food done really well.  The servers call you “honey” and smell like Aqua Net.  This is about my fifth time to Big Daddy’s and I ventured out of my usual go to of Beef Stew and went for their tenderloin.

What I Ate:  Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich; $7.99.

I have had half a tenderloin from here before, so this was my second time.   This is a really good tenderloin.  My only issue is that this one was pounded a little too thin for my taste and it was a bit dry.  A swipe of mayo would put it back on track.  The odd part about this tenderloin is that they use Corn Flakes as the breading.   It makes the sandwich really crispy and a bit sweetish.

Chips are out of the bag and the bun is nothing to talk about.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, to both Big Daddy’s and the tenderloin.   It is not my favorite tenderloin in the city, but it is in my top five.  I really like Big Daddy’s.  The service is friendly, the food is always good and I wish that I had a reason to go there more.

-wibia

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 

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

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

OAKLEYS bistro
1464 86th Street West
Indianapolis, IN 46260
http://www.oakleysbistro.com

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

Max & Erma’s
http://www.maxandermas.com/

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

Yogi’s Grill & Bar
519 E 10th St
Bloomington, IN 47408
http://www.yogis.com/

As if you haven’t been able to tell from the blog so far, several of us on this blog are graduates of Indiana University.  Since I am a graduate of that fine institution, I spend a lot of time in Bloomington supporting my alma mater by going to see football and basketball games. 

Due to this, I recently visited what I consider to  be one of the many Indiana University institutions (albeit not as old of one) on one of my recent trips there for a basketball game and since I hadn’t had a tenderloin in a while (and the menu is reduced prior to home basketball games), I figured I would give it a shot.

What I Got:  Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich, served with cole slaw and chips (I substituted tater tots for an addtional charge); around $8-$9.

This was your classic Indiana breaded tenderloin sandwich as it was way too big for the bun and if you can get that right, you are off to a good start.  If I had to guess though, I would say that they bring this in from off-site (or at least pre-prepare them and then freeze them) because it didn’t have that “hand-pounded on site” look to it.  If you’ve had as many tenderloins in your life as I have, you can just tell what that “look” is.  The breading was a little soggy too, so I’m guessing that they just defrost a bunch of these at the beginning of the night and throw them in the fryer to heat them up as the orders come in.  That’s too bad, but unfortunately, you are bound to run into that from time to time.

In terms of taste, it wasn’t bad.  Considering that I’m speculating that this was of the frozen variety, I would rate in the “above average” column when all things are considered.  In terms of fresh tenderloins, no way.  In terms of frozen tenderloins, it was not too shabby.  It was helped by the fact that the tenderloin, while slightly on the thin side (again, compared to fresh tenderloins) was juicy and the produce was fairly fresh for the time of year.  The bun was toasted, as I prefer it and while that may seem like a simple part of the sandwich, I’ve been to a lot of places that manage to screw that up.  The tater tots were crunchy too (also of the frozen from the bag variety too, I’m sure), so all in all, it wasn’t a bad meal.

Would I Buy It Again?  Sure.  I wouldn’t go out of the way for it and wouldn’t rate it as a “must have,” but overall, it was not a bad tenderloin and you wouldn’t be filled with regret if you ordered it.  Lord knows that I’ve certainly had worse.

As for Yogi’s in general, I would highly recommend it.  They have a nice restaurant area with a small bar and then they have another large, attached bar area that is filled with televisions.  It really is a great place to watch a game and with over one hundred different flavors of beer available (over forty of them on draft), you certainly aren’t going to go thirsty.  Ha!

-IndianapolisEater

Edwards Drive-In
2126 S. Sherman Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46203
http://www.edwardsdrivein.com

I think this place is sort of a local legend.  What the hell do I know?  I’ve only been here 2.5 years.  But it has that look, it has that feel and its location in a semi-sketchy area that looks like it could have been the hot cruising area forty years ago gives me that impression.  In fact Edwards’ hosts a cruise-in every Saturday night during the summer.  When we walked in, the joint was packed.  Families, old-timers, church groups, just friggin’ packed.  My expectations were high.  There was a sign that said the dude from Man v. Food had been there to eat a tenderloin or something, so it’s got to be good right?

What I Ate:  Big E Burger with a basket of breaded and fried mushrooms and a small cup of Cole slaw. The Burger is $3.49 but you get knocked $0.29 each for lettuce, tomato and cheese. 

Even with those add-ons, less than $4.50 for a 1/3 pound burger is still very reasonable.  The burger was, well, less than memorable.  I can’t name one thing that stands out.  It was okay.  It seemed to be one of those institutional formed beef patties with a smattering of lettuce, a single slice of tasteless tomato and a slice of American cheese.  I drenched the thing in ketchup, ate it and immediately forgot it. 

The Cole Slaw was okay, and again, nothing outstanding.  A food service item scooped out of a five gallon bucket. 

The mushrooms were the saving grace.  While they were not house-made, they were perfectly fried, golden brown and delicious.  I’m a sucker for these things.  The breadcrumb crust was industrial strength and crunchy.  When breached molten lava hot juice erupted and burnt the crap out of my mouth.  Oh yeah, love that.  I dipped these in ketchup too.  Yeah I know I’m a deviant bastard.

Would I Buy It Again?  Nah.  I probably drove by ten places with better burgers on the way to Edwards, which incidentally, is not exactly conveniently located near my home.  This meal was really a physiological transaction; I was hungry and needed food.  Edwards provided the calories and not much else.  Too bad.

-Smokin DB