Friday, August 13, 2010

Illinois Street Food Emporium - Revisit

I really do try to venture out to some different places for sandwiches every now and then, and hubby had not been to Illinois Street Food Emporium yet, so for a quick lunch the other day, that is where we found ourselves. Hubby loves a good Rueben sandwich (any suggestions?) and was happy they had one on the menu. I remembered how much I liked the croissant on which my sandwich came last time, so I knew I wanted a croissant—it was just a matter of what filling.

I decided to go with egg salad because that is something I love (but preferably without celery) and I got it on the croissant. The egg salad had good flavor—sort of like it had some diced pickles mixed in, which I really liked. But it was really dry, almost like it had no mayo in it to hold it together, just mashed up boiled eggs. There was some lettuce and mayo on the bread which helped a bit. The biggest disappointment was the croissant this time though. It wasn’t soft and buttery like I remembered—it was quite hard (a little overbaked maybe?) and if it was the first time I had a croissant from them, I wouldn’t be wanting another one.

Hubby had the Reuben sandwich which as I said, is one of his favorites. He described it as a little unconventional, because instead of sauerkraut, it had a mix that was more like cole slaw (it wasn’t as dry as sauerkraut). He loved the bread and thought it was perfectly cooked (he often complains that many Reubens border on burned). It was a nice size—not ridiculously large. It also came with a side. He chose a salad with blue cheese dressing. It was a nice salad with some shredded cheese, croutons and half a boiled egg. I had a few bites, and as far as a side salad goes, it was pretty good.

I did buy a cookie on my way out—a sugar cookie with sprinkles that was really tasty. Nice and soft but with a crispy outer edge. You can’t really go into this place without buying a sweet—the display of pastries and doughnuts is quite tempting. All in all though, for a quick lunch of sandwiches, it was a little pricey I thought compared to a lot of places around, and the food while fresh and good, just wasn’t that memorable.

Illinois Street Food Emporium
5550 North Illinois Street
Indy 46208
317/253-9513
www.eatincarryout.com

Illinois Street Food Emporium on Urbanspoon

8 comments:

  1. My kids love when owners Ernie and Sue Kobets drive for field trips: cookies from the Emporium on the way back!

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  2. A really good Reuben is at Big Daddy's on S. Meridian right around Raymond. Their tenderloin is one of my favorite in the city....evertime that I go, I choose one or the other.

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  3. My boss and I just went to lunch at WG Grinders in Carmel (on Meridian at 126th, I think) and she really liked their Reuben.

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  4. When I think Reuben, I think Shapiro's - will have to give the Rathskeller's a try though

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  5. I must suggest my friend's Reuben site: Reuben Realm!

    http://www.rowlandweb.com/reuben/

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  6. thanks for all the recommendations on Reubens, hubby is very pleased...and Sarah, wow, a whole site on Reubens is impressive.

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  7. the TieDye Cafe on the East side is known for their reuben

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