Napolese - The Fashion Mall

We always struggle on the weekends trying to find somewhere to eat lunch near our house that’s local and that won’t be jammed packed. We had not yet tried the Napolese in the Fashion Mall, so we thought we try it and see how crowded it got. Turns out, it was just as packed as most places, and particularly since there were six of us that day, it took even longer (they don’t have a lot of capacity for larger parties when they are crowded). The nice thing is you can wander the mall while you wait for your table and they’ll call you when it’s ready.

First of all, I love the olive mix they serve at Napolese. I’m an olive fanatic and these are fantastic. A nice mix of pitted olives—green, kalamata, and Nicoise. This is the little freebie they give you when you sit down. We then also got a starter of the polenta with Trader’s Point feta and cherry tomatoes ($10) and the tomato/caper/olive dip ($10). Honestly both were really good and a nice combination of things to have together. The polenta is creamy and rich—a slightly sweet corn flavor with the warm gooey feta and the roasted, soft tomatoes giving it just a bit of acid. The tomato dip is full of salt and acid with the tomatoes, salty capers and olives and olive oil and red wine vinegar. My only complaint about this dish was it was very cold—I can only imagine how the flavors would pop if it were served fat room temperature.  The table went back and forth about which we liked better, and like I said, it was nice to have them both together. I felt like the bread that was served alongside both (basically the same—thin version of the pizza crust topped with parmesan) went better with the polenta—it was also served warm with the polenta, which I enjoyed. It’s kind of flabby bread so it’s a bit more difficult to stack the tomato mix on. I also wished I had some toasted baguette or something with the tomato mix to absorb more of the vinaigrette.

My in-laws ordered the BLT, which is one of me and hubby’s standbys, so we took this opportunity to try something new knowing we could probably steal a piece of their pizza. We tried Elliot’s pie ($13), which is a white pie (no red sauce) with pancetta, roasted potatoes and Gorgonzola. I was really craving blue cheese, so this appealed to me. It was good, but that Gorgonzola was so mild, it didn’t have any of funk to satisfy the craving. The potatoes were small new potatoes and were cooked just right—I liked the chunky aspect. The pancetta was tasty giving the pie a salty kick.

I still preferred the slice of the BLT ($13) that we stole from my in-laws. They top this one with red sauce, Smoking Goose jowl bacon, leeks and Taleggio cheese. The strong flavor of this cheese gave me the slight stinkiness I was craving cheese-wise, and I think I have decided that I like Napolese pizza with red sauce the best. You know that jowl bacon is gonna be good too. Both pizzas’ crusts were perfect—crisp with some dark areas, but not so blackened that it tasted bad. The kids split a cheese pizza and may have found their new favorite pizza.

I like the way the Fashion Mall is incorporating smaller local places, and some smaller chains (Cheesecake Factory notwithstanding). It’s nice to have a “nicer” independent place where you can get quality food and even a glass of wine if you want, right in the mall.

Napolese

8702  Keystone Crossing

Indy  46240

317/705-0765

www.napolesepizzeria.com 

Guest Post: Road Trip: Shake Shack — New York City, NY

Sacha here! You might remember me from Erin's review of Tacos 46. I am also known as @zigged.

Our 2014 family road trip took us east to visit my dad in New Jersey + enjoy adventures in Ocean City, MD, and New York City. The itinerary I planned included stops at restaurants that are reported to be culinary gems. This time: Shake Shack's Theater District location.

Many moons before our trip I knew where we'd have dinner in NYC. But a few days before we left I realized that we'd need a place for lunch too. Up until that point I assumed we'd pack it but, let's be real, two teenage girls from Indianapolis were not going to willingly go to Manhattan with sandwiches in their bags. So I asked Anil Dash where to go and of course he suggested this place. #duh

We arrived around 11:45 AM and were ordering by around noon, which is a pleasant departure from some of the stories I've heard. An employee handed us menus when we queued up (AKA "waited on line" to New Yorkers) so we knew what we wanted when it was our turn. My BFF from high school, who I hadn't seen in 10 years, met us there moments before it was our turn to order so BING BANG BOOM everything worked out perfectly. We got a buzzer that lit up when our order was ready a few minutes later and we ate standing at the bar-height counter where we had been waiting. Tables were snatched up before the previous occupants could fully depart.

We each got a ShackBurger® ($4.75) and a drink plus we split two orders of fries, one plain ($2.85) and one cheese ($3.85).

So...cheeesburgers. I mean, yeah, they were good, but they won't change your life. Thin patties cooked medium and served with a tangy secret sauce—I'm not sure why people go so bonkers about them. The fries were standard crinkle cuts*, you know, like at Culver's. The cheese sauce has a Cheez Whiz consistency and unremarkable flavor and wasn't in abundance on our order. I liked the burger, and I would get it again, but I wouldn't go out of my way or wait in a long line for it.

*Apparently some locations serve different fries and that has been controversial. And apparently Shake Shack will be bringing back a new and improved version of the crinkles to all locations by the end of this year. More details here.

This spot features a selection of frozen treats created just for this location. Various items on the menu had the potential to be tempting, including the custard flavor of the day (Devil's Food). The Girls got shakes, vanilla and strawberry, but I didn't try either of them because I was excitedly chatting with my BFF from high school. This may have been different had one of them gotten the flavor of the day.

Shake Shack
691 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10036
646/435-0135
www.shakeshack.com

BONUS: Here's a recipe for making a copycat burger at home, reverse engineered by an enterprising food writer, should you be so inclined.

Miracle Sushi & Modern Asian Cuisine

My friend Suzanne (aka @indyfoodswap) had mentioned to me that she had tried Miracle a couple of times and was intrigued by the menu—but she had only tried a couple of things and wanted to try others. We grabbed the hubbies and made a date night. While the sushi sounded good, and we knew we would order some, the small plates part of the menu is what is so interesting, so we ordered a bunch of things.

They also served us some complimentary amuse bouche (bouches?), because even though they have been open awhile, we ended up there on their grand opening weekend. They gave us a little tofu number with bits of cucumber and hot sauce and an Asian-style devilled egg. It had an interesting flavor with some wasabi but the egg whites were strangely firm. Nice touch though.

We each picked a small plate to share and honestly, they were all good. We all had different favorites. Not surprisingly, mine was probably the tuna tartare ($9). It was interesting, more of a minced tuna than diced, making the texture softer. Loved the perfect, panko-crusted soft-boiled egg on top. It was cooked exactly the way it should be. There was also a bit of spicy mayo on the plate that was nice to liven it up a bit. Another favorite of the group was the sweet chili grilled scallops with the pork belly fried rice and citrus beurre blanc ($15). I have to say, I kind of burned myself out on scallops in the past, and they are so often cooked to death, but these were done just right. Nice crispy caramelized exterior and soft interior. Hubby was a huge fan of the fried rice and I liked that they brought a bit of a citrus component in for balance.

The braised short ribs ($11) were also tasty—they were served in an ultra rich beef broth and had chestnuts, fingerling potatoes, carrots and onions. This is a good hearty and intensely rich dish.  Hubby also loves his little birds, so we tried the crispy roast quail with sweet and spicy noodles ($10).  This one wasn’t bad, and everyone seemed to enjoy the noodles the most—it was just kind of hard to share that one little bird between 4 people. I liked the scrambled egg touch to go with it—an interesting touch. I always love a random egg showing up here and there. A side of frites ($3) filled the starch void—they were flavorful with some ginger and garlic, although I could pass on the ketchup served alongside—I would rather have a spicy mayo or something like that to dip them in.

We also ordered several rolls to share. Overall, I would say while the sushi was good, the small plates were more interesting. I think maybe I liked “The Flaming Dragon” ($15) the best. There was shrimp, avocado, cucumber and spicy soft shell crab inside and avocado, seared tuna, eel sauce, spicy mayo and Sriracha on top.  One of the things I liked about the rolls here is that although there is a lot going on in many of them, they remain in bite-sized pieces. I hate it when you feel like you want to cut it in half. As for this particular roll, the ingredients were good—I could have lived without the Sriracha—seemed unnecessary and dominated all the other flavors a bit.

I liked the acid in “The Miracle” roll ($11). It had spicy tuna and tempura flakes inside and then super white tuna on top and a sweet wasabi sauce. There were also very thin slices of lime on top. I am undecided how I feel about this trend in sushi—if they are truly paper-thin, I enjoy it and the citrus it adds, but if it is just a hair thicker, the skin of the fruit is too chewy. These were on the border. One piece I ate it and the other I picked it off. The wasabi in the sauce was fairly mild, which I appreciated as I often find wasabi overpowers delicate fish.

The final roll was the “Crispy Unagi”($10). This one had shrimp, avocado and lotus root inside and fried eel, eel sauce, and sesame seeds on top. Also a nice size and good flavors—you have to like the slightly sweet/soy flavor of the eel sauce to really enjoy this one. The kitchen did a good job of varying the textures in the rolls giving the right amount of crunch to balance out the rich fish/avocado, etc.

We also shared a couple of desserts—the mandarin orange icebox pie ($6) and the banana spring roll ($6). Unfortunately, both of these were the weakest parts of the dinner and I was a little sad to leave the dinner on a down note. The pie was strangely gelatinous and just didn’t have a lot of flavor. The banana spring roll was kind of dry and filled with mainly what I think was apple instead of banana, because the fruit was pretty firm. Anyhow, I think the strength of this restaurant lies in other areas of the kitchen and I would just skip dessert.

The interior is pretty simply done in shades of gray—may be a bit stark for my taste, but is modern and clean. We had a nice meal and I would certainly go back and try more things. They are certainly making some creative things and most of the staff was extremely friendly and accommodating.

Miracle Sushi & Modern Asian

12505 Old Meridian Street

Carmel, IN 46032

317/324-8110

www.miracleindy.com 

Plow and Anchor - Revisit

Hubby and I wanted to check out Plow and Anchor again now that they’ve been open awhile and settled into their groove. They definitely are—the service was spot on all night, drinks delivered quickly and food paced perfectly. I was also happy to see the place so busy—it was Devour Downtown and I am sure that helped bring people in. I then ended up meeting some girlfriends there a week or two later for lunch—so, bonus, you get two meals in one post.

We started with an order of the salmon tartare ($9)(I’ve been wanting to order this since I have seen it on the menu). It was delicious. Super fresh chopped raw salmon, mixed with lots of capers and dill (hubby isn’t as big a fan of dill, but I loved it). Lots of lemon and some crème fraiche dollops alongside. The salty housemade fingerling chips went great with it, even though you need to eat them like a garnish on your fork because they’re too small and delicate to scoop with. There was a raw quail egg on top as well adding a luscious creamy texture to the whole thing. It was as good, if not better, than I expected and I will be hard pressed not to order it every time it’s on the menu. It’s a little on the smaller side—we shared it, but I could easily eat it on my own.

The fried fish tacos ($5 each) were great as well. We ordered two and we were each glad we got our own. Lightly battered lake trout (I think the fish changes though) was tender and juicy and topped with so much deliciousness—lots of dressed cabbage, guacamole, harissa adobo sauce, as well as crema. There was exactly the right amount of ingredients to make for a perfectly balanced taco, both in textures and juiciness, but also with spice and acid. They served a lime wedge alongside and you didn’t really even need it (and you know that’s saying something coming from me). Another hard to pass up item for me.

For our mains, I had the ricotta gnocchi ($18) and hubby the duck entrée. They were both very good. We argued over which was better. I liked that even though the gnocchi was rich and creamy, there was a fair amount of lemon and other flavors as well. There was arugula, which gave it some pepperiness, the lemon zest as I mentioned, and some mushrooms giving it different texture from the creamy gnocchi and earthy flavors. It was still so rich I couldn’t finish it all, but really tasty. Hubby’s duck dish had a layer of crispy seared fingerling potatoes topped with wonderfully cooked duck (nice and pink) and N’duja sausage, which now may be one of hubby’s favorite things—it’s a softer sausage and added a salty kick to the dish. It was topped with a runny egg and a corn/herby sauce. There was also a saffron aioli underneath that added just the right amount of tanginess. A really well executed dish.  Hubby couldn’t stop talking about it while he was eating it.

I really wanted to try a cheese course for dessert because we hadn’t to date, so we did. Overall, it was a really nice job. There were five different cheeses, in varying flavor profiles and firmness. I liked that there was a couple of blues, because they are some of my favorite kinds to eat at dessert with something sweet—like the preserves they served here. The bread was also good, although maybe a little thinner and more toasted would have been ideal. My only complaint was that as much as I love olives, I don’t feel like they belong on a dessert cheese board. Give me some nuts or dried fruit. Leave the olives for an appetizer cheese board.

A week or so later when I met some girlfriends for lunch, it was all I could do to not order the fish tacos for lunch, but I was able to resist when I saw the lobster roll ($19) on the menu. You know I love a lobster roll. I did not manage to not get the salmon tartare and split that again with one of my friends as an appetizer. As delicious as the first time. I could eat this all day. When I got my lobster roll, I questioned it. The lobster just looked plain, not like I was expecting. However, there was aioli hiding under the lettuce (normally the lobster is tossed in it) and there was a seasoned butter that seemed to be mixed with the lobster meat as well. The wedge of lemon also helped. They dressed it more like a po boy with lettuce, pickles and red onions. Like I said, different from what I was expecting, but still good. As good as the tacos? No, but I’m glad I tried it. 

I also had a bite of a friend’s broccoli bisque ($7) and enjoyed that as well. It was a chunky soup, the way I like it. Hunks of broccoli and Portobello mushrooms. Loved the fried leeks on top. There was also a Serrano ham and melon plate ($8) that was simple and tasty—the melon sweet and the pork salty. There was a bit of balsamic and some pieces of fresh basil. The kind of bites that just taste like summer. A bite of another friend’s BLT ($10) was not as successful—it was one of those sandwiches that were too big and sloppy to eat without getting frustrated. I think they should lose the third piece of bread and try to make a more cohesive sandwich on this one. Great ingredients—Goose bacon, guacamole, egg, tomato, lettuce and aioli—but just a mess to eat.

All in all, I’m psyched to have Plow and Anchor to add to my “favorite restaurants” rotation. It is good to have the list expanding again instead of shrinking.

Plow and Anchor

43 E. 9^th Street

Indy  46219

317/964-0538

http://plowandanchor.com/

Guest Post: La Terrazza Ristorante Italiano — Cherry Hill, NJ

Sacha here! You might remember me from Erin's review of Szechwan Garden. I am also known as @zigged.

Our 2014 family road trip took us east to visit my dad in New Jersey + enjoy adventures in Ocean City, MD, and New York City. My father and his wife took us out to dinner on the last night of our stay as an early celebration of my upcoming birthday. Their choice: La Terrazza Ristorante Italiano.

To start we shared two orders of calamari. We tried to get one order of grilled and one order of fried but the server said they were all out of grilled. (Not sure how that happens...?) In any case, the squid was tender and the breading was light and crunchy, which was just how fried calamari should be. It came with a wedge of lemon and two sauces, a marinara and a roasted red pepper. Don't be fooled by the photo—the plate was full but we swooped in like vultures before I remembered to snap a shot.

Four of us chose entrées that came with house salad, which was spring mix topped with two grape tomatoes and a drizzle of a creamy balsamic dressing. The dressing made the salad palatable—I'm not a big fan of spring mix because I think it feels and tastes like weed leaves—assuming you like dressing that is thick, smooth, and a teensy bit extra tangy. I thought two tiny tomatoes was a little skimpy, though. My dad got Caesar salad and The Kid got no salad, neither of which I have an opinion about.

I got one of the specials: lobster ravioli in a lobster cream sauce with shrimp and lump crab meat. The ravioli were red in color and stuffed full of lobster; I couldn't tell if there was any ricotta in there at all. The sauce was creamy, flavorful, and packed with seafood. I really enjoyed this dish. I imagine it would be good with a little cracked pepper on top but I only thought of that in retrospect. I ate all six ravioli + everything else on the plate besides the 3 or 4 shrimp, which I gave to The Kid.

The Huz got one of the specials: two crab cakes served with a cream sauce and a roasted red pepper sauce (same as with the calamari), with roasted potatoes and asparagus on the side. I did not try the crab cakes but he enjoyed them and the sauces. I heard him tell my father they were full of crab meat. I did try the potatoes and they were roasted to perfection with just the right about of herbs and spices. The asparagus had the right amount of tooth, too, based on the crunch I heard when he ate it.

The Kid got the shrimp Caesar flatbread. This seemed to be baked with the meat and then scattered with a chopped Caesar salad on top. She was disappointed that it had more crab meat than shrimp. (Well, she was surprised it had any crab meat, although I guess that's from not really reading the menu.) She chose it because she didn't want a heavy entrée and I'm not sure if she ate only half because she wasn't hungry or didn't like it. I didn't taste it but it looked appealing.

The Honorary Kid got lasagna. She ate most of it before declaring, "There's a lot of meat in there." I suspect she doesn't know what bolognese sauce is. I tasted it and picked up a pronounced nutmeg flavor, which must come from the béchamel sauce, and was glad I hadn't chosen that as my dish. The lasagna I'm accustomed to eating does not taste like nutmeg.

My dad got one of the specials: pork chop stuffed with broccoli rabe and roasted peppers and served in a marsala sauce, with roasted potatoes and spinach on the side. I didn't taste this because ① he was sitting across the table and ② I don't like broccoli rabe. He enjoyed it, though, and took about half home, which indicates that the portion was extremely generous (AKA my dad likes a large meal and to eat until he's quite full).

My dad's wife got...I'm not sure, really. I think it may have been one of the specials. I remember her choosing the pasta (capellini), and it looked like a frutti di mare-type dish, but I wasn't paying close attention and I forgot to ask.

Overall we really enjoyed this meal. More than one of us had leftovers boxed up and all of us left full and happy. Some of us didn't super duper love it but that's not a reflection on the quality of the food we were served but more on our choices.

My dad and his wife wanted to take us here because they loved La Posata, which recently closed, and they heard the chef had moved here. We found out from the server that the new chef wouldn't be arriving until August; what we ate had been on their standard dinner menu. The new menu will be some of these items, some La Posata items, and some new items. I expect the quality and taste will be at the same high level since both places serve(d) delicious dishes.

La Terrazza Ristorante Italiano [BYOB]
1401 Marlton Pike East
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
856/354-1888
http://www.laterrazzacherryhill.com

Hopcat

Yet another in the line of restaurants with a zillion kinds of beers, this one a small chain out of Michigan. I am not a big beer drinker, but had heard some good things about the food, so we grabbed our favorite beer-loving friends and headed out. First of all, it was PACKED. Every inch of the place. And it was loud—it’s a big place and with all those people, there’s quite a din.

We did manage to get a table without waiting (beware, some of the tables are picnic type seating if you aren’t into that) and our server approached us quickly. I was surprised she thought we would know what we would want to drink that quickly considering there are over 130 beers in the place. We finally figured it out and also placed an order for loaded crack fries ($7.50). A few minutes later we also added some buffalo rolls ($9). The crack fries are so named because they are supposed to be addictive. They were good—but honestly if you’ve ever had seasoned, battered fries (these are beer battered), you can imagine them. I did like the loaded aspect—there was warm beer cheese, jalapenos, onions, and bacon. The fries held up pretty well to the toppings. We actually didn’t get our buffalo rolls until after being served our entrées, but I appreciated that due to the screw up, they just took both appetizers off the bill (I like that kind of proactive service even in the early days of a new place). I would take a pass on the buffalo rolls in the future. They were basically large egg rolls filled with chicken. There is some buffalo sauce drizzled on top and a side of blue cheese dressing for dipping. The rolls were a little dry and didn’t have a lot of flavor without getting a good dunk in the blue cheese. The blue cheese sauce was tasty though—lots of big hunks of cheese in there.

For main dishes, hubby and I shared a couple things recommended by our server. The enormous fried tenderloin sandwich and the chicken tacos ($10). I think the tenderloin might be an Indiana-location only thing, but I’m not sure. Ok, it was huge for sure, but honestly other than that, I wasn’t that impressed. The pork was pounded pretty thin and is coated with pretzel crumbs making what was a dry tenderloin just a touch dryer. And I totally don’t get the English muffin as the bread. I know a bun is often small in relation to tenderloin, but not sure I see the logic in picking something extra small. The fried onions and spicy slaw on top were the best part I think, to help with the dryness. There was also a slice of cheese. We shared it and didn’t even finish half of it. I wouldn’t order this one again.

As for the chicken tacos, I guess I wasn’t paying attention but was surprised by crispy (and brightly colored) taco shells. Been awhile since I saw those. Fairly tender chicken inside, lots of cheese sauce, cilantro lime ranch, and pico de gallo. And more crack fries with beer cheese dipping sauce. Oh and sides of sour cream and salsa. This one certainly had its share of gooeyness. I liked the tacos better than the tenderloin--they were certainly easier to eat. But did they wow me? Not really. And again, battered fries. Not really much different than others. A bite of my friends burger was also not bad, although also really gooey and with a pretty soggy bun.

The interior to me feels like a college bar and like they are trying to jam as many people in as possible rather than make for any type of interesting atmosphere (or conversation for that matter). There are some velvet pictures of various rock stars on the walls. The food is slightly more interesting sounding bar food that I thought was underwhelming as executed. It’s insanely loud and service was choppy (although our server was pleasant). Even though it was early days after opening so maybe the service will balance out a bit. Feels like another typical Broad Ripple restaurant, and probably not one you will find me frequenting often—not that they need me based on the crowd I saw.

Hopcat

6820 North College Ave

Indy  46220

317/565-4326

www.hopcat.com 

Caplinger's Fresh Catch

I was excited when Caplinger’s Fish Market reopened because I used to shop there frequently back when it was at 56^th and Emerson. The new location, at 71^st and Shadeland, is smaller, but very well done. They have a nice seating area for those who want to dine in. I had never eaten the prepared food at the old location, but was intrigued by the menu hanging over the fish counter at the new location.

Hubby and I stopped in on a Friday for lunch and wow, the place was jumping. Nearly every seat was full and people were still coming in. Hubby got the last table inside and I placed our order (you order at the register). We just wanted to try a couple of different things, and at the recommendation of the man behind the register (going to guess he was the owner) we shared the Caplinger’s special fish sandwich ($4.99) and the shrimp po boy ($7.99) with a side of mac and cheese ($1.79) (his mother’s recipe).

The man at the register told me the fish sandwich would be the best one I’ve ever eaten. Not sure if that is true, but it was definitely a tasty sandwich. They use basa fish in the sandwich—now normally I would have gone with one of the other fish choices (they have catfish, local perch, and many other options), but I went with the suggestion. And if they put their name on it, you figure it must be good (and it’s the cheapest of the fish sandwiches as well). We got ours with onions, lettuce and house tartar sauce on the side. The fish was fresh (and was smoking hot) and very crunchy. The tartar sauce was good, but had a hint of sweetness. I liked the remoulade from the po boy better (Next time I would just ask for that on my fish sandwich).

The shrimp po boy was good too—although overall I preferred the fish. The shrimp were small and lightly breaded—they tasted good but the breading kept falling off as we ate them in the sandwich. Hubby was also not impressed with the bread choice for a po boy—he’s very particular about po boys. The bread for all the sandwiches is locally made at Roll With It Bakery in Irvington. It’s a soft, but somewhat dense eggy tasting bread. Worked well with the fish, but wasn’t the right choice for a traditional po boy. They had the classic stuff—tomatoes, lettuce, and onion and like I said, I really enjoyed the remoulade that was drizzled across the sandwich, even if that’s not exactly traditional either. The pickles they serve are sweet pickles, so if you’re not into that taste (as I am not), I’d skip them (as I will in the future).  We shared small side of mac and cheese and it was quite tasty—not the creamy, processed cheese type—a real homemade version that you could tell was made with real cheese. A little salt and pepper and it was great. They have a lot of good sounding sides that I would like to try and the seafood is really fresh (the beauty of also running a fish market). Honestly, I would prefer the fried shrimp dinner to the sandwich—the shrimp was seasoned well and if you ate it with a fork, it would probably stay together better. Plus, you get sides included. I am looking forward to trying those hush puppies. And a friend told me she really enjoyed the lobster roll. 

The food is cooked to order and is not as fast as some places might be, and I am guessing it’s not a huge kitchen, but what they’re putting out is high quality. They have great online ratings—I’ve read very little negative. So who’s been there and what did you have?

Caplinger’s Fresh Catch Seafood Market

7460 North Shadeland, Suite 400

Indy  46250

317/288-7263
www.caplingersfreshcatch.com

Guest Post: Mama Carolla's

by: @whitetimothyd

We embarked on a tour of indianapolis restaurants earlier this year to explore places we had not eaten for each letter of the alphabet. Last week we visited Mama Carolla's in Broad Ripple for our letter M. We had heard that if you want to experience authentic Italian Mama Carolla's was a great restaurant but if you want an innovative new spin on Italian cuisine, look elsewhere.

I'll start with some background:  the restaurant has been open in a renovated house since 1997.  An important note is the reservation protocol which does not allow reservations for parties of less than 6Tuesday to Thursday and does not take reservations of any kind on Friday and Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday). 

The first thing that stood out as we approached the restaurant from the rear parking lot was the beautiful outdoor seating area. We would have loved to sit outside on most any night but it was windy enough we choose to go inside.  It's important to point out that the restaurant is a renovated house that makes for a charming space but a quick updating by removing plastic flowers and cat pitchers on the shelf over our table would make a positive difference. 

The wine list was very approachable and we ordered a Monsanto Chianti Classico that was well priced but perhaps served a bit warm. For starters we ordered the fried mozzarella and garlic cheese bread. The mozzarella was very good topped with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. The bread was a bit more confusing. It was a round loaf that had slits cut in it with the cheese placed on the top. The top of the bread was fairly tasty but this left a large portion of bread beneath with no seasoning, garlic or cheese. 

To accompany out main course I ordered the Italian wedding soup which had great flavor but slightly unconventional thin short noodles. My wife got the Caesar salad which had good flavor but was rather heavy with dressing. 

For the entrees my wife ordered the veal Parmesan with angel hair pasta but I was enticed by the special for the night, blackened pork tenderloin with local corn and tomatoes and Tuscan mashed potatoes.  The interesting part about these entrees was they set the expectations I mentioned earlier on its ear because the traditional Italian veal dish felt heavy and should have been more delicate. The pork was a perfect medium (as ordered) and was the highlight of the entire meal.  So while blackened pork tenderloin feels more Cajun than Italian it was a delicious way to showcase local produce.   Keith our server was great and I have him to thank for steering me towards the special. We'll definitely be back and hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can sit outside.

Please follow the rest of our AtoZ tour of Indy on twitter @whitetimothyd.

Mama Carolla's

1031 E 54th Street

Indianapolis, IN  462/0

(317) 259-9412

mamacarollas.com

Bourbon Street Distillery

Fresh from getting my haircut downtown and starving, I ran next door to Bourbon Street Distillery. I had never been there before but several people have mentioned it whenever I get into an online discussion of where to get a good pork tenderloin sandwich. So naturally, that is what I tried (although tempted by the po boys, anyone had those?).

The sandwich ($8.75) was a good tenderloin for sure. It was a good size but not ridiculous compared to the bun. The menu says they use ½ pound of pork—it is a decent thickness, not the kind that are so thin that they are often dried out. It was fairly tender and the coating was nicely seasoned and crisp. It was fresh and hot. I liked the way that they brought all the toppings on the side to dress as you wish, particularly since I only ate half of it and took the other half home. Not having mayo on the half I took home helped it stay crisp when reheated. I like mine with mayo and onion (and this time I used a bit of the lettuce and the pickle as well, which was nice and added some more crunch). The red onions were perfect—super thinly sliced which is exactly how I like them so the onion doesn’t overpower. Nice pickle spear on the side too.

The sandwich comes with fries or chips and I went with fries. They tasted decent for foodservice fries. The service was very matter of fact, but very efficient for a quick weekday lunch. And even though I was sitting outside, the server checked on me just enough. I only poked my head inside the place, but the bar in there looked a bit nicer than I was imagining and was quite crowded (as was the outdoor area).

All in all, the sandwich hit the spot, and I would feel comfortable recommending it as an example of a good tenderloin in Indy. I’m still wondering about the po boys though. And anything else good there?

Bourbon Street Distillery

361 North Indiana Ave

Indy  46204

317/636-3316

http://bourbonstreetdistillery.com/ 

Road Trip: Cincinnati--Half Day Café

A few weeks back, we went to Cincinnati with friends to see a Reds’ game. We had a great time, an enjoyable dinner before at Nicholson’s Pub (which I reviewed before). They do some tasty mussels.

The next morning, we were had an intense need for a hearty breakfast. The last time hubby and I were in Cincinnati, we tried to go to Half Day Café, but apparently it is closed on Sundays. This was a Saturday, so we drove over. It’s a little drive from downtown, but convenient to the freeway to head back to Indy after.

It’s a bustling place, but we got one of the last tables. We all ordered different things (and some of us maybe ordered two breakfasts) so I got to taste a lot of things.  The best thing on the table was the biscuits and gravy ($9.99).  The biscuits were substantial but still light and fluffy and the gravy had a very distinct sausage flavor. It didn’t have that floury taste that can put me off of gravy sometimes. The most unique thing though, making it even heartier than most B&G, was the fact that there was an entire housemade sausage patty sandwiched in the middle of the biscuits. It was sage sausage and had a nice herby flavor—and I prefer the sage to the fennel flavor a lot of people use in sausage, but which I think can easily overpower the flavor of the meat. Like, I said, it was the star of the table.

I ordered the Egg strata (9.99) based on our server’s recommendation. It was an individual crock filled with an egg casserole—inside there was bread cooked with egg, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onion and a lot of the sage sausage baked on top.  It was extremely rich and hearty, but a little too just heavy for me.  One friend ordered the “Half Day Benedict” ($9.49), which I liked better.  There were two poached eggs layered with Prosciutto all on top of a grilled croissant (love the idea of a buttery croissant on the bottom). Instead of a classic Hollandaise, they used a charred tomato Hollandaise.  I really liked this—it was thinner than some, so didn’t come across too gloopy and had a little of the charred flavor and a fair amount of acidity from the tomato. This would be my second choice based on what we ate.

The men ordered the breakfast burrito ($8.99) and it was universally the least favorite item. It had eggs, peppers, cheese, onions and carnitas (slow roasted pork). It was kinda dry and the sage sausage was better.  The dishes all came with rosemary roasted potatoes, and they had a nice rosemary flavor, but I think I would have liked them crispier. Also, the OJ is fresh squeezed, which is one of my favorite things, and I love it pulpy, but this one was so pulpy it was almost a solid.

Overall I enjoyed this place and would be interested to work my way through the menu—I bet there are some gems. And it’s a nice little locally owned place as well.

Half Day Café 

1 Wyoming Ave

Cincinnati, OH 45215

www.halfdaycafe.org