B's Po Boy--Revisit

I know I’ve written about this place a ton before but B’s Po Boy really is one of our go-to family faves. We’d been wanting to go and the last time we tried we couldn’t get a table for 40 minutes, so we went to Bluebeard instead (such a sacrifice). We also wanted to gorge ourselves on American Food before our big European trip we had coming up (and hubby wanted Cajun food).  

We took a seat on the packed patio, looked at the menu and were very surprised. They had new items—this was exciting! We ordered the fried green tomatoes to start. It was actually a lot more than just fried green tomatoes—it was like a fancy salad with goat cheese, balsamic, fennel, lettuce and some fresh tomatoes. They were breaded with a cornmeal type batter similar to the shrimp on the po boys. They were tasty.

I’ve finally managed to get the whole family on the shrimp po boy bandwagon. After trying almost everything on the menu my daughter finally realized that the shrimp po boy is the best (we’ve been telling her this all along). So all four of us got shrimp po boys ($ market) and we all got extra shrimp. We always get extra shrimp. The shrimp were even more plentiful this time—maybe you don’t need the extra ones? It also seemed like they had amped up the flavor and spices on the breading. It was great! Of course this immediately made my son like them less (change is hard sometimes). They still import their bread from NOLA and I liked mine fully dressed with the lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. And mayo. Oh, and I always get a side of remoulade to add too. (I like saucy sandwiches). The kids eat theirs plain.

We rounded off our meal with our usual order of beignets and chocolate sauce ($5.50). As with the rest of our meal B’s had made some changes. The beignets were a little denser and more like the beignets we’ve had in New Orleans. Hubby even declared them better than any he’d ever had in his four years of living in NOLA. I’m not totally sure I agree, but they are darn good beignets.

All in all, it was exciting to see some additions and changes at B’s, while they still maintain the level of quality that we have always enjoyed. Combine this with their bocce courts, life-size Jenga games, and corn hole and you have yourself a family favorite.

B’s Po Boy

1261 South Shelby Street

Indy  46203

317/916-5555

www.bpoboy.com 

B's Po Boy -- Revisit

In the tradition of always reminding you about my favorite places, I am reposting about B’s Po Boy. This is a favorite for me and hubby, and the kids like it as well. I know I have mentioned it before, but hubby went to school in New Orleans, and is particular about his po boys. He loves the po boys at B’s and finds them very authentic.

We pretty well have our order down to a science, except every once in a while when hubby gets the fried oyster po boy or I get a soft shell crab po boy when they are running them as a special. But on a usual summer evening, our favorite time to go, we sit outside and have fried shrimp po boys. Hubby gets a whole one plus extra shrimp ($12 + $9 for extra shrimp)(hold the pickles), and I get a half one with extra shrimp ($8.50 + $5 for extra shrimp) fully dressed (mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickles). They ship the bread in from New Orleans and it tastes like just the right kind that you want for a po boy, soft, but with a bit of firmness on the outside. When you get extra shrimp, they are literally just falling out of the sandwich all over the place, which is a good way to be. My daughter tried a half of the blackened catfish po boy this time ($9, even though both kids usually tend to get the fried shrimp po boys too.

catfish

The shrimp is small and has s nice seasoned crispy coating. It sometimes falls off a bit—it’s a messy sandwich for sure, but oh so tasty. They don’t cook them to death—they’re nice and tender. I also like to get a side of their remoulade ($.75) to drizzle on my sandwich. Hubby just shakes some hot sauce on his, which he claims is what you’re “supposed” to do. The catfish was nice and tender, but a little too spicy for my daughter—I thought it was nice but it certainly had a spicy kick with the blackening seasoning.

My daughter’s favorite things at B’s are the beignets ($5.50) though, and they are tasty. We always get the chocolate dipping sauce, and it’s nice and rich and warm. They beignets and pretty airy inside, but the dough is somewhat dense as well. Like large, slightly denser doughnuts. On this trip my son realized they also have root beer floats ($5) on the menu, and was thrilled to get this as well. They gave him two nice scoops of ice cream and a bottle of Abita root beer. He was thrilled with it.

We sat outside—the kids played bocce right next to where we were sitting, and we all enjoyed a lovely evening. I like that they have added extensive sails over the top of the seating area to limit as many people as possible from having to sit in the sun. It’s one of our favorites for an easy, casual, dependable meal. And it’s perfect for outdoor dining on a nice night.

B’s Po Boy

1261 South Shelby Street

Indy  46203

317/916-5555

www.bpoboy.com 

B's Po Boy - Revisit

I realize it hasn’t been that long since I posted on B’s Po Boy, but there were a couple of new things that inspired me to do it anyway.  Plus, I have been to New Orleans and had some po boys there and feel like I have a better frame of reference now.

Bottom line, hubby and I really like B’s. We split a fried shrimp po boy with extra shrimp ($9 for sandwich plus $6 for full order of extra shrimp). It is just as good, if not better, than many of the po boys I had in New Orleans. They know what they are doing and are doing it well. As I wrote in my first post about B’s, the thing that makes the sandwich so authentic is the bread. They ship it in from New Orleans and it is perfectly light and crisp on the top. The shrimp, which was completely overflowing out of the sandwich (yay!) is fresh, tender and has just the right breading. They served them “dressed” with lettuce, mayo, pickles and tomato unless you ask otherwise. I also love getting the side of remoulade sauce (.50) and drizzling it on my sandwich instead of hot sauce. That remoulade is a great addition to their menu. AND! They also now have Crystal hot sauce on the tables instead of just Sriracha which makes hubby very happy (he’s a purist, just likes hot sauce on his sandwich).

As a special they were also offering house made beer battered onion rings (made with Abita Turbodog beer) ($4.50), so naturally we had to get some, even though supposedly we were eating “light” by splitting a sandwich.  I really liked the flavor of the beer batter- you could really taste the beer, which is a dark rich tasting beer. And they were cooked nice and crisp. My only complaint would be the onions were a little too fat and still a little raw tasting. Cut them a little thinner and those things could be spectacular. I really appreciate a place making them fresh though, so few places seem to anymore.

Ok, ok, so maybe we didn’t really eat light because then we had to try the beignets ($3.50) again as well (again we got them with the chocolate sauce for dipping). I had been told they have changed the recipe a bit since our first visit to make them lighter. It was true. I liked them much better this time.  The insides had big air pockets which made them less dense and fluffier. They are still pretty heavy though—I could only eat about 2 of them without feeling ridiculously stuffed (ok, the fried shrimp and onion rings might have had something to do with it too, but whatever).

I’m pretty sure we have a perfect po boy place in Indy now if you want a truly authentic New Orleans fried shrimp (or oyster) po boy. I feel like I can say that now with slightly more authority since I have eaten several in New Orleans.  The other thing I like about B’s? They obviously listen to suggestions and are working to constantly improve, and are doing a great job. (P.S. B’s, if you’re listening, hubby would love some Zapp’s potato chips with his sandwich.)

Good thing this place isn’t closer to my house or I would eat there way too much.

B’s Po Boy

1261 South Shelby Street

Indy  46203

317/916-5555

www.bpoboy.com

B's Po Boy

I normally write my posts in order of when I eat at a place, but hubby and I had such an enjoyable lunch, that I decided to bump this one up and let a few of the others linger a bit more in the back of my head.  Hubby has been mumbling about this place since he first heard about it because, as I have said before, he lived in New Orleans for 4 years in college and loves a good po boy.  We have found a few around town that we enjoy, but had not one found one as authentic (according to him) as B’s.

The far and away best thing about the sandwich is the bread.  Hubby was very happy and declared it “perfect.”  It is a very light, soft French bread with a crispy crust, but is in no way overly chewy or hard. Super soft and super easy to eat.  Apparently, they order their bread from Leidenheimer bread in New Orleans for the real deal.  And according to hubby, they are nailing it.

We ordered a half fried shrimp po boy (all half po boys are $6) and a half fried oyster po boy and a side of fries ($2) and a side of red beans and rice ($3.50).  They all come “dressed” with mayo, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced tomato and pickles (unless you ask otherwise).  Right away we both liked what we ordered—the oysters were super juicy (apparently also from the Louisiana Gulf coast) and had the perfect crispy fry. There were three oysters on a half sandwich which was fine, although one more would have been awesome.

The shrimp po boy was really good too—the shrimp perfectly tender and not chewy with a freshly house made breading. Our only complaint was that the breading was sort of falling off—but it wasn’t a big deal because it just sort of blended in with the sandwich, so either way you were still eating the shrimp and the breading together.  The main improvement we both thought the sandwich needed was more shrimp though.  There wasn’t quite enough to get shrimp in every bite.  Hubby’s fond memory is of shrimp spilling out of a po boy with every bite.  Since we weren’t totally full when we ate what we had (we were hungry!) and we ordered a second half fried shrimp po boy and asked for extra shrimp on it (there is a $3 dollar charge for this).  Obviously, we weren’t the first to ask.  Once we had the extra shrimp, and added some hot sauce, this was an awesome sandwich.  Honestly, they should just add the “extra shrimp” option to the menu (and maybe “extra oyster” too?) because I bet people would go for it if they saw it as an option (also, since you are reading this, take my advice and just ask for it the first time). Ok, one other small thing hubby wanted me to mention—mainly they offered Sriracha as their hot sauce option, and a few other random ones.  Curious why they don’t use Louisiana Hot or Crystal to be a little more New Orleans-ish?  The Sriracha tasted fine, but was just a little surprising. Anyway, our perfect order next time:  A whole shrimp po boy with extra shrimp. And we’ll split it.  OK, maybe a half an oyster one too.  

extra shrimp

We also had the fries and the red beans and rice.  Both were good but neither blew me away.  The beans and rice were a little bland for me, although admittedly, I am not a huge red beans and rice fan.  The fries were nice and crisp and salty and enjoyable alongside.  Not sure I would waste the calories next time though—when I could potentially eat more sandwich. And more of that bread. 

There are a lot of other things I like about this place besides the food too.  First, we were there on a beautiful day, sat outside with a nice breeze.  They have a lovely, very clean but casual deck with tables all with umbrellas.  It has a very vacation feel too it even though you are right in the heart of Fountain Square.  They have a couple of bocce ball lanes (lanes? Is that the right word?) and it looked like fun. I also thought the service was great. Exceptionally friendly and efficient—any server would bring you things, they were certainly working as a team here.  Finally, I love the simplicity of the menu and the way it is laid out.  They are focusing on just a couple of things and doing a good job.  There are po boys (ranging in flavors from the fried seafood to pulled pork), sides, and salads. That’s it.

Once we doctored it up with extra shrimp, hubby declared it to be the best po boy he has had outside of New Orleans and that it is a place that needs to go into “the rotation.”  That is one of his highest compliments.  So there you go.

B’s Po Boys

1261 South Shelby Street

Indy  46203

317/916-5555

www.bpoboy.com

8/1/2012 Update: I rarely do this, but I wanted to update my post with some new information about B's.  First of all, I am happy to report they have updated their menu with the additional shrimp (1/2 order= $3, full order = $5) and oyster option (each additional oyster is $1.50). Hubby and I just went back and got a full fried shrimp po boy with extra shrimp and it was outstanding.  They breading stayed on the shrimp better and all the extra shrimp made the sandwich really, really good.  They have also added a side of remoulade sauce ($.50) as an option.  I can now forgive the hot sauce issue (which they have not changed) and just put the remoulade on the sandwich.  It is nice and spicy, but also adds even more creaminess. We also had a half oyster po boy with an extra oyster and it was really, really good as well.  This may very well be hubby's new favorite lunch spot.  They have also added beignets as a dessert, although I was disappointed with these.  While the outside crust is tasty, they were just too dense for us.  (Hubby says real beignets should be practically hollow inside).  But all around, B's was really good to start with, and has just gotten better!

P.S. Who has gone since reading my post? Would love to hear your thoughts!