Doughnuts and Dragons

The other day I was out running errands early on a Sunday morning—my teenagers were still asleep. I was thinking I would surprise them with doughnuts, but our go-to Taylor’s isn’t open on Sundays. And I didn’t want to drive a bunch. I literally glanced around and saw Doughnuts and Dragons, which is just down the street from my house.

Honestly, I don’t know a lot about it, but it looked open and it has doughnuts in the name right? So I headed over to check it out. So I chatted with the two ladies behind the counter and they told me that they had opened just a few months before the pandemic and had built a pretty good business with the large space that serves doughnuts, craft beer and lots of board games and space to play all your games like D & D etc. They were hurt by the pandemic, and had to close down for a bit, but were back and trying to slowly build their business back up.

Anyhow, I ran in and was impressed by the looks of the doughnuts! Some interesting flavors and some decadent looking options, as well as some of your standard classics. Luckily, like I said, I had teenagers at home who will (and can) eat doughnuts all day with no ill effects, so I bought a bunch to try. I got the s’mores ($2.25 each), the chocolate iced with sprinkles ($1.75). plain glazed ($1.50) and a cinnamon sugar braid ($2.00). I got a 10% discount for ordering more than 6 as well (it’s even higher if you buy more than 12). 

I think the favorite among everyone who tried them was the s’mores. We are also a family who loves s’mores things and this one was done well—sometimes marshmallows turn too hard or chewy but these were just lightly singed but still soft. The chocolate on this one as well as the chocolate iced was soft and rich and tasted freshly made—speaking of which, they do make them all fresh in house. The chocolate icing is very fudgy, not as much like a hard icing you might get other places. The more basic glazed and cinnamon sugar ones were also solid. If this is your favorite doughnut, I don’t think you would be disappointed. All in all, I felt like it was a nice discovery for me—especially since like I said, Sunday doughnuts are a necessity. And my daughter, who has started playing D&D since the pandemic started (something you can do online) thought it would be cool to have her friends meet there once it is safe. They also have a very large selection of craft beers if that’s your thing as well. 

We went back a second time because my kids are sort of hooked, and hubby wasn’t home the first time we ate them. This time we got some repeats, and also ordered a butterbeer, more glazed (one of hubby’s faves), the banana nut muffin, and the cookies and cream. Honestly, hubby really liked the glazed and was very pleased. The banana nut, the butterbeer (which is like a butterscotch glazed) and the cookies and cream are actually a cake-style doughnut and had that denser consistency—they were fried so they had a little crispy crunch to them. The cookies and cream had vanilla filling in it too. Somehow, we didn’t get any cake style the first time so I was really glad to try these this time. They were all really very good. Loved the way the banana nut had the flavor of a fried banana nut muffin with icing. And a lot of nuts.

I am so happy that we discovered this place and my teenagers are gonna be there a lot I think. If you want a fancy doughnut, and maybe a beer on the side, this is your place (or even if you just want a doughnut to go). I feel for them opening in such a difficult time and they are worth a try for sure. A high-quality product. If you have been or decide to check it out, let me know what you think and your favorite flavors!

Doughnuts & Dragons

3838 E. 82nd St.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46240

317-288-0554

https://www.facebook.com/DoughnutsAndDragons

Daredevil Hall - Revisit

Recently we were stuck without a reservation on a Saturday evening due to the uncertainty that comes from tennis tournaments and we thought we could maybe get into Daredevil and we were right. There was a pleasant crowd but there was still space, and although there were a number of us, we got one of the tables with chairs and not the benches, so all was good. 

We started with some pork rinds ($5) and hot pretzels ($7).  We were actually very pleased with both. The pork rind platter was quite generous and we were glad to have 5 people eating form it, and we still didn’t eat them all. They are fried pork skins, and they drizzle them with a molasses sauce, which is a bit sweet. I was undecided how I felt about this sweetness, but decided it was pretty good. I might have preferred something more savory, but I appreciate the creativity. They were just the right amount of light and crunchy.

The pretzels were also good—they are covered with brown butter and lemon and sea salt and served with hot beer cheese. They were a little more unusual than your average soft restaurant pretzel, and they were good with the beer cheese—which I only wish was a little sharper. Hubby enjoyed dipping the pork rinds into the beer cheese.  Overall, everyone really liked both apps.

Several of us went with the smash burgers—I had the single hall burger ($10.50). Several others had them as doubles ($12.50) or singles. I like the smash-style patty even though it’s not super thin—but it is a tasty burger. If you get it the way it comes, it has lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, remoulade and American cheese. That’s how I got mine. Other than the tomato, the toppings were good. I like the remoulade on it—I like burgers with a special sauce. It is cooked just right and was excellent. Everyone with a burger was very happy. It’s one of the better burgers in town. I had mine with a side salad, which was fine. The fries here are the only thing I find a little disappointing because I just want them to be hotter, saltier, and crispier. 

My mother-in-law had the midwest fish fry ($18) which is beer battered cod (12 ounces of cod—it’s a good size) served with fries. Usually it comes with tartar sauce, but she subbed it out for remoulade. This fish is very, very good. It was a favorite at the table. I think hubby ate almost as much of it as she did. The fish was tender and juicy and the breading light and crisp.

Hubby had the special sandwich of the month, which looks like it is on the regular menu now—the Cuban ($13). It was a tasty sandwich, but not quite as good as everything else. It is smoked pork loin and ham topped with Swiss cheese, picked and mustard on a pressed hoagie roll. Maybe because the pickles have a lighter pickle to them, they don’t stand out on the sandwich as much as I like them to with a Cuban? I am not sure. It was definitely a good sandwich, just not quite as good as the burgers and fish.

Oh, and I didn’t know that they even had dessert but one of the choices was little fried balls of bread pudding with caramel and chocolate dipping sauce. These were so dang good for some reason. Seriously, do yourself a favor and give them a try. Soft inside, but crunchy outside. Strangely addictive. 

Anyhow, from top to bottom, this meal was great. The service was on, the room was the right temperature and we could hear each other talking (the live music they have sometimes can be a little overpowering in the room). And the food was very tasty. A good standby in our neighborhood and I am glad to see the menu get mixed up and improved as they figure it out. 

Daredevil Hall

2721 East 86^th Street

Indy  46240

317/757-2888

http://daredevilbeer.com/thehall/ 

Offshore at Sun King Brewery

The family and I went in to try the newest Sun King restaurant in the old Three Wiseman spot in Broad Ripple. They have a relationship with Pier 48, which has recently opened a restaurant downtown. This one is called “Offshore.” So you can get a pint of beer and some seafood—they explained it is all flown in daily and is very fresh. There are several non-seafood items as well. 

I was torn about what to order because several things looked good, but I ended up settling on the “Rachel Marie” lobster salad ($14.50). Hubby had the “Midnight” Cuban sandwich ($12.50), my son had a bowl of clam chowder ($8) and my daughter and boyfriend the Italian flatbread ($12).

I really liked that lobster salad—it was really unique and interesting. The lobster was super fresh and tossed in a crème fraiche-based dressing with a ring of seasoned dressing around—sort of like a Louie dressing or a remoulade. Then, on top of the pile of lobster was a fried poached egg with all kinds of little fingers of the fried batter making a beautiful presentation. When you cut into the egg it was yolky and delicious. And all the crunchy bits gave great texture. The only thing I would add is a squeeze of lemon (serve it with a grilled lemon would be perfection). This was not a super filling dish, but it was extremely good and extremely well-executed. I would get this again for sure. 

Hubby enjoyed their version of the Cuban sandwich. It is made with cider brined pulled pork, bacon, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard and it’s all stacked on Leidenheimer bread, which is the classic po boy bread made in New Orleans. It wasn’t your classic flat smashed Cuban sandwich, but it was a really good sandwich. And that bread is delicious, even if not a po boy—light inside with just the right amount of crunch on the outside. I kept sneaking more and more bites. It really grew on me.

My son had a bowl of clam chowder which comes with cornbread. It’s a full on cream-based soup, but with nice flavor and nice pieces of clam that weren’t all chewy. The cornbread was just ok—maybe would have been more interesting with a nice dollop of soft honey butter or even just some nicely salted soft butter. 

My daughter and boyfriend enjoyed the Italian flatbread which had pepperoni, capicola, salami, mozzarella, smoked provolone, and lemon ricotta. An interesting variation on a classic combo of flavors. They liked the soft crust. I am guessing there are still pizza ovens in there from 3 Wiseman, and it is a good use of the equipment. Regardless, they did well with it. Flatbreads always make me wary, but this was good and they have some interesting toppings. They also had some fruity non-alcoholic drinks that they really enjoyed. 

We also shared an order of whoopie pies ($5). They were simple, but I liked the marshmallow butter cream. The sandwich part was nice and soft as well. 

All in all, I find this menu interesting and the ingredients are all high quality and they clearly know how to not screw up seafood. Would love to try the fish and chips as well as the lobster roll. It’s not cheap, and I wish there were a few more wine choices (not much of a beer drinker), but I will take it. I am looking forward to a second trip. What do you guys think?

Offshore Broad Ripple 

(in Sun King Brewery)

1021 Broad Ripple Ave

Indy 46220

https://www.facebook.com/eatoffshore/

Four Day Ray Brewing

Recently we went to a concert a Ruoff/Klipsch/Deer Creek and I wanted to try something different. And hubby was traying to maximize the side of the park we came into for parking. I asked around on twitter and we settled on Four Day Ray in Fishers. It’s a brewery and restaurant—the menu looks like an elevated pub menu, and that was intriguing to me.

We met some friends there and started with the loaded fries—they were a big pile of fries with cheese sauce and chopped up bacon and chives. These were a tasty snack, especially right when they came out and were really hot (and they came out fast!). The fries were crisp but quickly became a little soft after sitting under the cheese sauce for a bit. Still tasted good, just needed to be eaten with a fork. Intrigued by the loaded tots though.

We all got some different things for mains and shared bites with everyone. We had some tacos, and a couple of sandwiches. The top picks were probably the burger ($11) and the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich ($12). The burger is 2 beef patties with two slices of cheese (as it should be), Bomba sauce (which I am thinking was just like a classic burger sauce with some combo of ketchup and mayo as well as some other seasoning) on a brioche bun. This was a tasty burger—not exactly smash burger type patties, but thin-ish and very juicy. It was really good. Hubby chose chips with the burger and they were good too although I am usually a fry person.

The Nashville chicken sandwich was also really good. The chicken breast is brined with cayenne and pepper and then it is fried and topped with spicy hot sauce, shredded romaine lettuce and buttermilk chive dressing. The chicken was very tender and the coating on the chicken, even with the sauce,  stayed crisp. I liked the cool lettuce and dressing to balance out the spicy chicken. Also a really good sandwich. The onion rings were decent too. Battered and maybe a little overdone, but a good flavor. 

The tacos were a bit more mixed for me. I like the random flavor varieties they have, and they were very interesting and unexpected. I liked the poke taco ($5), which had a hard shell filled with marinated tuna, Asian snap slaw, and pickled ginger aioli. The taco had a distinctive flavor that maybe included sesame oil and the ginger aioli on top was really nice with it. This one was my favorite. Next of the ones we tried, I liked the Cubano ($4), which was a vegetarian option that includes fried plantain, black beans, mango salsa and guacamole. It had a slightly sweet taste from the plantain, but still a good savory mix as well. An interesting flavor profile. Not totally sure I would order it again, but it was interesting. The one I was kind of mixed on was the special taco ($5), which was stuffed with smoked chicken thigh, a chipotle sauce (I think) and fried onion straws. It was like BBQ in a tortilla which threw me off a bit. Nothing wrong with any component, bit not my favorite.

Overall though, the sandwiches were the stars. And I bet their tenderloin is good too based on the fried chicken. Oh! And what a cool beer selection. I am not typically a beer drinker, but I really like the refreshing taste of the blood orange blonde. Like beer, but with a little tart kick. It was great on the hot day with the food that had all kinds of different flavors. I also really enjoyed the “Hot Pink” which is a strawberry rhubarb jalapeno blonde. It had a distinct taste of the strawberry rhubarb (which I love) and then just a tiny heat in the back of your throat after you had a sip. Our waiter described it to us perfectly and I would be hard pressed to say which I liked better. Hubby also liked the La Playa Mexican lager—his favorites are almost always the Mexican style lagers wherever he goes. 

Anyhow, I thought this was a really good pub type experience. It’s new though,  therefore packed, so be prepared to wait (although they told us much longer than our wait ended up being). The food is tasty and our service was on point. Let me know what else you have had and enjoyed. 

Four Day Ray Brewing

11671 Lantern Road

Fishers, IN 46038

317/343-0220

www.fourdayray.com 

Ale Emporium - Revisit

It had been awhile since we’d been Ale Emporium, and recently I bid on a gift certificate at a fundraiser and won, so it was a good time. Our gift card was for a large pizza and large wings, so we grabbed some friends and went. They have so many flavors of wings, but we decided to just stick with the classic buffalo version. I like that they give you a good mix of drumsticks and flats, because hubby and I really like the flats. I can’t say there was anything particularly exceptional about them, but they were solid wings. I sort of wished for a bit more buffalo sauce—it was mainly on the bottom of the bowl and they weren’t tossed too much. The blue cheese dressing  was really tasty. We also had some ranch, but I stuck with the blue cheese. (Wings are $8 for 1 pound, $15 for 2 pounds and $26 for 4 pounds).

The pizza was more of a fan favorite—hubby really liked it. We got the thin crust, but it was still pretty deep with toppings…not really what you think of as “thin.” On half we had mushrooms and red onions (my choice) and the other side we had mushroom, red onions, pepperoni and sausage. It is really, really cheesy—they put a ton of cheese on their pizza. So this is kind of a preference thing. Hubby and one of our friends really liked it. It had a great taste, but almost a little too much cheese for me (I know, that sounds crazy). I just feel like the cheese gets a little gloppy, especially after it has cooled a bit. Hubby on the other hand, was talking about that pizza all night. He also really liked the sausage—he said it had a lot of flavor and was just the right size pieces. I did like the flavor of the sauce for sure. The whole thing reminds me of a more old school pizza flavor if that makes any sense. I couldn’t really eat more than a couple of pieces though with all that cheese—like I said, it is almost a deep-dish version of a thin crust pizza.

Service was fast too. The place was completely jammed, and we were on a deadline for an event afterwards and it all came out with more than enough time to spare. Our server was super friendly, and we got drink refills quickly. And if you like your beer nice and cold, this is the place for it.  No kids allowed in the Castleton location jut FYI.

Clearly, they are no hurting for business based on how huge it is and how busy it was. Nice to see an old school independent place still doing so well. But what are your favorite items here? I am not sure I am sold on eating the pizza or wings a lot. 

Ale Emporium

8617 Allisonville Road

Indy.  46250

317/842-1333

www.ale-emporium.com 

Daredevil Hall

Continuing with the new brewery/restaurant theme, we recently tried the new Daredevil Hall, which just opened in the Ironworks building, which, yay, is right by my house. Apparently Neal Brown is in charge of the kitchen, so that is always intriguing,

It’s a pretty classic brew pub type menu with a nod toward things German—spaetzle, sausages, etc. But I was lured in by the Instagram photo of one of the burgers on the menu, so I decided to get a burger. The picture depicted two patties that were smashed and thin….and you know I like thin burgers.  I had the brewery cheese burger ($12) with two thin patties, remoulade sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickle. This was a very good burger. The patties were nice and flat as promised and I liked that the bun didn’t overwhelm it and kind of smoshed down into the burger. The sauce was good, but kind of thin—I used the garlic aioli that I asked for with my fries and smeared a little of that on there too. That burger was really good though—really juicy and just the right proportions. Actually, I think because the bun is nice and soft I might be able to do a single and still enjoy it as much. I look forward to trying the other burger on the menu though, with a big hunk of beer cheese in between the patties. The fries have potential for sure but were cold when they came out. I think if they were cooked just a little longer and were hot, they would be outstanding. It’s early days, so hopefully the kitchen is still figuring it out.

My son is a poutine hound and enjoyed their version ($10) with fries, cheese curds, and lots of gravy. He thought the gravy was a little bland though, and while he ate it, there are others in town he prefers (amazing the variety of poutine we have in Indy now). The biggest disappointment was hubby’s spaetzle dish ($10). It was fired spaetzle noodles with cheese curds and mushrooms. He liked the roasted mushrooms, but the spaetzle was dry and the cheese not very melted (it came off in your fork in one big glob). And overall, it was a pretty bland dish—not a lot of flavors going on here. Hubby really enjoyed his beer though, and part of my burger.

All in all, like I said, I see potential here. I think the kitchen is likely still finding its groove. But I highly recommend the burger, and I am sure we will be back to get more of them soon. They have a couple of good brunch items on the weekend that I would like to try as well. 

They were doing a nice business and our service was pretty good. I suspect this place will do well—it’s a nice add to Ironworks for sure and I appreciate that its family friendly. What else has everyone tried? I would love to hear feedback on other menu items.

Daredevil Hall

2721 East 86^th Street

Indy  46240

317/757-2888

http://daredevilbeer.com/thehall/ 

Bent Rail Brewery- Revisit: Brunch

I had heard some people talk about brunch at Bent Rail—and I am always on a quest to find a good brunch place. We also enjoyed a lot of what we had the first time we went, so I rounded up my family, including my parents and my sister and her husband, and we met over there one Saturday.

Ok, first a little complaint right out of the gate. I had checked their brunch menu out online, which was quite extensive and listed its availability as Saturday and Sunday. When we got to the restaurant, there were much fewer options for brunch (probably less than ½ what’s shown online) and it says it’s only available on Sundays. They did tell us we could feel free to order from it though (and it was Saturday). I was a little disappointed—I think maybe they should update the website—it’s a bit misleading.

The kids were insisting on pretzels to start, because that was their favorite thing last time we came. They have changed them from the first time to pretzel bites, but I have absolutely no problem with that as it makes them easier to share. We had two orders and they disappeared quickly between the eight of us. I like the beer cheese and grainy mustard they serve with them—I’ll admit, I’m eating a lot more of the beer cheese than I am the mustard, but a little of both is kind of nice. The pretzel bites are good. Soft and salty. The kids were happy.

Anyway, I did order from the brunch menu. I had “Andy’s breakfast sandwich” ($10.50)(and somehow I managed to take a picture of everything but my own sandwich). It sounded like an interesting combination. It was an English muffin topped with a patty of duck sausage, pimento cheese, a fried egg and buffalo sauce. Sounds kind of unique yes? And it was, but there were some big flaws for me. First of all the egg wasn’t really runny. Now, maybe I should have specifically asked, because in my mind the only way to eat an egg is runny, but maybe not everyone agrees. Next, while the sausage had a nice flavor and went well in that way with the egg and pimento cheese, the patty was at most, a third of the size of the muffin. It was almost more like a meatball. I ended up taking it off and chopping it into little bits to scatter across the sandwich so I could get some with each bite (what? I have a proportion problem). I liked the pimento cheese and the buffalo sauce though, it made for a little of a spicy kick, which is a nice change of pace. Not sure I would order this one again though.

Probably my favorite of the brunch dishes was my son’s biscuits and gravy ($8). You get biscuits, you get gravy with Eli Creek pork breakfast sausage mixed into it, and you get two scrambled eggs (they came about 5 minutes after the biscuits and gravy came for some reason). The biscuits were very different from most, cut into squares and very dense, but they had a great flavor—really flaky too. The eggs were also scrambled really well—not overdone or anything. A bite of everything together was great.

Cuban

Hubby refused to venture out of the thing he liked the first time he went, so he got the Cuban again ($10). This is a pretty classic Cuban—roasted pork, ham, garlic dill pickles, yellow mustard and Swiss cheese. It’s all pressed flat on a torta style bun. It’s got just the right amount of everything, including the mustard and pickles, which are key in a Cuban. A very good sandwich.

Korean BBQ

My  daughter didn’t want a sandwich and just ordered the baked goat cheese appetizer for her lunch ($10.50). I liked the way they change this up—usually baked goat cheese apps come in a big pool of marinara, which is fine, but kind of boring because it is so common. This one comes with roasted garlic olive oil and thyme. I liked the way there were big cloves of roasted garlic as well. It was a tasty bite with some of the cheese and a smear of the roasted garlic. It comes with slices of toasted bread to spread it on. It was good, but can’t say I would order it for my meal.

There were several other sandwiches floating around the table, but the only other one I tried was the Korean roasted BBQ sandwich ($12). It is barbequed pork, kimchi and a fried egg. Quite intriguing sounding, but for me, the execution was a bit lacking. The only moisture came from the egg, and again, it was not very runny and therefore, the whole sandwich was a bit dry. I also expected it to be a bit spicier. I would pass on this one in the future.

So overall, there were some ups and downs food-wise and I can’t say there was anything that really blew my mind, even though there were some tasty items. I hope they fix the brunch menu issue though. Also, the atmosphere at this place is a little stark, particularly since when I have been there, it has been pretty empty. Finally, I thought it somewhat surprising that they are still not brewing their own beer. I wonder if they have just decided not to do it.

Bent Rail Brewery

5301 Winthrop Ave

Indy  46220

317/737-2698

www.bentrailbrwery.com 

Brugge Brasserie- Revisit (the crepe edition)

One of our good family friends recently moved away—one of those families you meet (we got to know them because our sons were friends starting in kindergarten) and the stars align because everyone likes everyone. Husbands, wives, kids etc. Plus they were neighbors. Anyway, we’ve all been a little sad because they recently moved to Texas—but before they did, I took my friend out for lunch—actually she took me out to lunch. But I asked her to choose a place she’ll miss when she leaves and she wanted Brugge. Naturally, I had no problem with that.

The thing she likes there and always orders (we have gone many times as families together) is one of the crepes. I almost always split mussels, but since I didn’t have anyone to split them with, I decided to go with a crepe as well. I don’t think I have ever had one that I can remember except for a dessert crepe (I LOVE the sugar and butter crepe). I ordered the scrambled egg crepe ($11). It is a large crepe folded over and stuffed with scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes, beer-braised caramelized onions and Swiss cheese.

I really enjoyed it a lot. I love their scrambled eggs—I always steal bites from my son’s steak and eggs when we go there with the kids (he gets his eggs scrambled), They’re seasoned really well—and the tomatoes were just the right kick of acid, but were also soft and melty along with the cheese and onions. The crepe itself is very very thin and light and not totally overstuffed, which is how I like it. I thought it was interesting that my friend’s crepe came open in a bowl with all the stuff inside. Makes me wonder if every crepe is served differently. Mine came with a little bit of dressed greens on the side. If we didn’t get this next part, it would be a pretty healthy lunch I think.

But naturally we had to get some fries too, because well, it’s Brugge. And they have the best fries in Indy. For real. (Seriously, you need to tell me if you think there are better fries out there, because I need to know about them). The fries are just so damn good. A medium thick cut and fried til they’re just starting to get a teeny bit dark. And so many sauces (we had aioli and blue cheese).

Honestly, as much as I love the mussels at Brugge (and have you ever tried the fish and chips or the chicken fingers from the kids menu? Delish also), I think I might start craving this crepe as well (and maybe others on the menu, although I really liked this combo of flavors). It made for a very tasty lunch for sure. Even under the sad circumstances.

Brugge Brasserie

1011 A East Westfield Blvd.

Indy 46220

317-255-0978

www.bruggebrasserie.com 

Big Lug Canteen

The other day my twitter lit up with people telling me about how much they were liking Big Lug Canteen, so I quickly added it to my list of places to try. I was having a subcommittee meeting with some other moms from school regarding a school fundraising night, so I made the suggestion that we try it. They were game.

This is the newest creation from Ed Sahm and Scott Ellis.  It’s a 21 and over place and they are making beer in there. I like the way the menu is set up, and you have to appreciate their humor about it—“We Make Some Decent Food For You.”

And they’re right. It’s not totally different from what you might get at Sahm’s, but everything is elevated just a bit. I had a “slider” under the “knots” section of the menu. I chose the chicken B.L.A.T. The knots refer to the buns which have a knot shape swirled into them. The buns are really good. A little bit denser than a typical burger bun, but still soft. The chicken breast was seasoned and grilled. It was topped with lettuce, tomato, bacon, herb mayo and avocado. The chicken was good—not too tough. The name “slider” is a bit of a misnomer though—these are sandwiches and one is enough for a meal (especially since they come with a side), at least for me. I was kinda sad because I wanted to try more things, but I enjoyed my slider. For my side I had a salad with blue cheese dressing—the dressing was very good, I liked dipping my sandwich in it as well as my salad. On the salad itself, there were some big hunks of cucumber, which I would skip next time (I am not a fan of cucumber) and the greens were maybe a little heavy on the iceberg, but the dressing and the sandwich were very good.

I was intrigued to try the Nashville fried chicken (they have mild and hot) but after reading the warnings on the menu and hearing it again from the server, I was worried they would be too hot—I don’t like it when you can’t even taste food because it’s too spicy. One of my friends said she loved spicy things though and went for it. She got the  “Willie’s Special” salad with the Nashville fried chicken—she even went with the hot version. It also came with mixed greens, black bean corn salsa, mozzarella, avocado and Fritos salt ($10 for a full, $6 for a half). She was kind enough to let me try a bit of the chicken and it was really tasty—it was spicy, but honestly even I could handle it—it feels like most of the heat is coming from cayenne. I would totally order it (I would get the mild though). The chicken was nice and tender. I would really like to try the Nashville chicken slider—it comes with the same bun as my sandwich and also pickles, chopped romaine and green goddess dressing. It sounds like it would be excellent and based on my little bite, I think it would be. That is on my list for next time.

I didn’t try the beer, because you know me, I’m a wine girl (they do have a few wine selections). Remember this place is 21 and over though, which is sort of too bad, it would be a good place to take the kids and it is pretty darn close to my house. I look forward to going back though, and it’s a nice addition to Nora.

Big Lug Canteen

1435 East 86^th Street

Indy  46240

317/672-3503

www.biglugcanteen.com 

Blind Owl Brewery

We have been watching Blind Owl Brewery come together over the last few months and have been excited. It looked like a family-friendly place and it is not a chain, and it is close to our house. We are itching to have a good locally owned family-type place near us. I can’t say we have found any that we all agree on so far.

Blind Owl is a pretty big place—the décor is minimal—a kind of industrial feel-- much like most brewery places these days I think. The main features are the tanks they are brewing beer in. Apparently they have a great big outdoor area with bocce and cornhole and such, but we couldn’t get out there the night we went, so we ate inside. The server was nice enough, but service was pretty spotty overall—and when I went to the bathroom, most of them were standing around chatting near the kitchen so I’m not overly surprised.

The menu is pretty basic. Nothing particularly unique or adventurous. That doesn’t bother me as long as it’s good, but I think you need to do something to make the food stand out a bit. My kids wanted to order the homemade pretzels ($7.99) from the appetizer menu, but they were already out of them for the night (it was around 6:00). We were kind of in a rush, so we just skipped an appetizer and went on to entrees. I had the patty melt ($9.99), which was supposed to have caramelized onions, cheddar and Swiss, and Thousand Island dressing all on marble rye. I don’t know—this just didn’t really do it for me. When I think of patty melts, I think of a slightly thinner type of burger. This was a huge patty that was cooked more than I asked, and was very light on the toppings. Or maybe the patty was just so big, they got lost in there. The fries are pretty tasty though.

Hubby went with one of their “signature” dishes—the pork tenderloin sandwich ($9.99). This was a pretty thin one, and was pretty dry. Honestly, it was almost like a premade fritter. I am surprised it was on the “signature” area. He had the usual toppings—mayo, lettuce and onions. It was just an ok fried tenderloin sandwich. Below average, even. He ordered the house made potato chips with his. They were on the whole good, except when you got one that was not fully cooked and soggy. Yuck.

My daughter had “The Coop” ($9.99), and I can’t really get excited about anything about it either. It was one of those big chunks of chicken breast that get tough and are hard to bite into. And actually, the smoked gouda and apple slices on top weren’t doing it for me either. I am not a huge fan of really smoky flavored cheese, so I wasn’t a really big fan of this sandwich. And the apple slices didn’t help matters.

Overall, sadly, everyone in the family thought this place was pretty average. And I would say that’s being generous. There was nothing that made anything shine here. I’m a little surprised that it’s not better to be honest. They are owned by Lux group, which owns several local places—one is Meridian. They make a mean burger. The one here was very sad in comparison. Maybe those pretzels are really good, but we didn’t get to find out. Has anyone else had them?

Blind Owl Brewery

5014 E 62^nd Street

Indy 46220

317/924-1000

www.blindowlbrewery.com

Road Trip: Taxman Brewery--Bargersville, IN

We were on a road trip the other day and based on a friend’s recommendation, decided to hit Taxman Brewery on the way home for lunch. Well, it was brunch actually—that’s what they serve on Sundays, and I have to say, if there was a place like this in Indy, I think it would make a killing. Brewery plus brunch would be a popular idea (hint hint).

Anyhow, it’s a good-looking menu and was hard to choose what to get. There were 6 of us, so we started with their breakfast frites ($10) to share. It’s a large portion of frites that are thick cut but I am guessing they’re made in house. They are topped with two eggs (they were scrambled, I probably would ask for them runny), sausage, bacon and pimento cheese. Really, this is kind of a genius idea, putting breakfast on fries and then melting pimento cheese on them. Hubby really liked the sausage they used—it was in pretty big hunks. And even though I would have enjoyed the runny yolk mixed in too, it was nice to get a little bit of egg in just about every bite. It’s a good thing to share with several people though, because it would be a bit much to eat on your own.

For my main, I went with the biscuit BLT ($9)—they make their own chive biscuits, which are little, but tasty—they put two next to each other and then top them with 2 eggs (mine were over easy of course), bacon, big pieces of iceberg lettuce and tomato jam. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the iceberg at first, but it gave a nice crunch and presentation-wise, it made it look like a massive sandwich. I cut it down the middle to eat one biscuit at a time. I really enjoyed it. I liked that the egg and bacon was cooked just right and that the tomato jam wasn’t ridiculously sweet (always my worry when I see “jam” on a savory dish). I think it may have been my favorite thing of everything I tried at the table.

Hubby had the moules frites ($10). They do a daily preparation of their mussels—this was a buffalo style version. I don’t think I have ever had buffalo mussels before—they were good. The sauce was quite spicy and had a lot of hot sauce flavor. I like buffalo-flavored things, so I enjoyed these as well even though it was quite strong. I liked the chunks of blue cheese on top as well. There weren’t a lot of frites with them, but the frites, as mentioned above are good. Luckily, my daughter ordered a side of them so we pilfered a few of hers.

My in-laws shared the chicken in a biscuit ($10). This was good as well, although there was a lot of stuff going on here. There were more of the chive biscuits topped with pieces of chicken that was stuffed with spinach and bacon and then fried and topped with gravy. I liked the chicken-it had good flavor but I wasn’t a huge fan of just how much gravy was on it. 

Speaking of, my son had biscuits and gravy ($9). I think this may have been my least favorite. They were the same biscuits, which are good, but the gravy was just ok—just didn’t have a ton of richness to it. There was sausage in it, but not a lot of it. It also didn’t help that it wasn’t very hot. But then again, biscuits and gravy have to be really good to make them really stand out to me.

They have done a nice job with the interior (and exterior) of this place—it’s kind of one of those places you feel like is in the middle of nowhere, but even on a Sunday at around 2:00, they were doing a pretty big business—maybe too big as the service started to suffer after a large party came in from the Indy Brew Bus. They do have lots of beer to try, and hubby really enjoyed Taxman’s triple. I had a glass of wine, what can I say? They are using lots of local ingredients in the food as well. Again, it’s a nice place, with an interesting brunch menu, with a lot of beer choices (both their own and from other breweries). I think it’s a great idea for places like this to offer a special brunch menu and I wish more places in Indy would do it.

Taxman Brewery

13 South Baldwin Street

Bargersville, IN  46106

317/458-0210

www.taxmanbrewing.com