Caffe Buondi

Trying to get back into the swing of things and try some of these new places that are popping up, I met my friend Suzanne at Caffe Buondi the other day for lunch to catch up with her as well as try something new. Caffe Buondi is owned by the same folks that brought you Convivio next door. 

The menu here is quite large—maybe a bit too large it you ask me—a little overwhelming. But as soon as I saw it, I knew I was ordering the “Ickx” ($11.95). Apparently, this section of the menu is named after Italian race car drivers. There’s another section named after actresses and another named for soccer players. You can order breakfast all day or lunch—they have several sandwiches and salads as well. 

So the Ickx is a buckwheat crepe filled with ham, swiss and a sunny side up egg. This is one of my favorite dishes of all time and pretty much anywhere I see it on a menu, I will be ordering it. In fact, I searched out a crepe restaurant that specialized in buckwheat crepes in Paris because I love them so much (more on that in a future post). This was a very solid version. The crepe was thin and somewhat crisp, and the egg was exactly perfect—firm white, totally runny yolk. The cheese had a since salty distinct flavor and the ham was good quality. If I had any complaints about the crepe, it would be that maybe there was just a little too much ham and it overpowered some of the bites because you couldn’t get a little bit of everything in every bite. However, that being said, I will likely order it again if I return. I chose the little arugula and almond side salad for my side (there are a couple of options). It was disappointing because there seemed to be no dressing on it at all. I am not sure if this is purposeful or not, but a little acidic vinaigrette would be a perfect accompaniment to the salad and the crepe. Next time, I would ask if it comes dressed and ask for some extra on the side. Or get something different.

Suzanne had the Crespelle ($13.95), which is on the lunch section of the menu. It is two savory crepes (but not buckwheat) that are stuffed with chicken, spinach and ricotta and topped with parmesan cream sauce. These are almost like enchiladas or burritos Italian style. I liked the flavor of the spinach in there, but they were maybe a little too rich for me.

Overall, I liked this place—ok, mainly because I LOVE a buckwheat crepe cooked thin and with an egg in it, but I thought the quality was good and the menu is interesting. Even if it didn’t blow my mind or anything.

If you have been here and really loved something, let me know. Maybe I will get hubby or the kids to order it. Since I’ll be getting my crepe.  Oh, and let me know what sides are good. 

Caffe Buondi

11529 Spring Mill Road

Carmel, IN 46032

317/564-8092

www.caffebuondi.com 

Milktooth- Revisit

Hubby and I had a free weekday lunch the other day and decided to head to Milktooth. I have not been in quite a while and it was still as busy as I remember—we had to wait quite a bit for a table. Eventually we got the end of one of the community tables.

We were lured back in by the fact they had returned the Korean BBQ wings to the menu, which were always a favorite. For a long time they replaced them with hot wings that had a warning that came on the menu saying they were so hot and that they wouldn’t offer a refund if you thought they were too hot. I hate food that eats away your taste buds, and I hate the fact that they billed something like this—a total turnoff to me. But when I saw the BBQ wings, I was excited.

However, once we got there, we decided we should try something new to go with the burger that we absolutely had to get (it is one of the best in town if you ask me no matter how they make it). So we ordered the burger, and we went with the everything spice fried new potatoes with a sunny side egg, cream cheese chive aioli, shallot, caper and dill pickle ($12). This was a great dish and we were very happy we ventured out with something new (even though I still want those wings). It’s sort of like all the flavors of bagel and lox without the salmon, if that makes sense. And I loved, loved the pickles and capers with it. And the creamy aioli—but with tons of texture from all the seeds. 

Like I said, the burger ($12) is always good. Always. Sometimes they mix up the meat, sometimes the toppings. This one was a double--sometimes they are singles. Since the first time I have gotten it, I nearly always have repeated it. The meat is tender, the sauces add just the right amount of flavor and interest. And the bun is just the right softness. It’s one of our best Indy burgers, let’s face it.

All in all, while it may not be the hot place, and while I may not be able to go as often as I used to, it is still a great place. I am glad to see that they are continuing to mix up the menu on occasion, as it seemed like it got a little stagnant for a while.  If you haven’t tried it yet, now is the time. 

Milktooth

540 Virginia Ave

Indy  46203

317/292-2280

www.milktoothindy.com

Pots and Pans Pie Company

A neighbor recently brought a Pots and Pans pie to my house, and then another friend mentioned it again, and I realized I needed to check it out more fully when I heard about all the savory options they have. I will admit, there are only a few sweet pies that really wow me, so I was a bit slow until I heard about the savory options.  Each day they offer a fresh hot selections (one pot pie and one gallette) and then you can order frozen versions to cook at home as well.

One Sunday hubby, my daughter, and I headed over to have brunch there. It’s a tiny little place to eat in, but they do have a few tables. And they only have a few hot options each day, but on this day, it was biscuits and gravy individual pie ($8) and the goat cheese and caramelized onion gallette ($6). The thing about these pies is the crust. Man oh man—it is so light and flakey, but yet rich and buttery all at the same time. The crust alone is worth eating the pie. Then when you throw sausage and sausage gravy inside it, you have the makings of something truly delicious. Hubby was over the moon and it was hard to get him to share at all, but he did. 

The gallette was also very good- not quite as filling as the pie because there is less crust, but because of the richness of the toppings—there was a layer of goat cheese in the bottom crust and then caramelized onions on top—it was still extremely rich and satisfying. It was a little more unusual I guess, but honestly, I can’t even say that because I had never had biscuits and gravy pie either. Both were very good. You can feel that every bit of these pies is homemade, and fresh. I would eat that biscuit and gravy pie any day.

So I decided to order some sweet pies for an upcoming event I was hosting, and went with the chocolate tahini, “Bruce’s lemon pie,” and the apple crumble (full sized pies are $25). Again, the crust is so, so good. My favorite was probably the chocolate tahini, because I liked the nutty flavor from the tahini, but without having nuts in it, which my son with the nut allergy appreciated. It had that little bit of umami that I love in a sweet dessert. The lemon pie was also very tasty, it had a nice tanginess to it that I appreciated. The apple was good too, but apple tends to not be my favorite pie overall and this was less exciting. And overall, I definitely preferred the savory pies, but as I mentioned already, that’s to be expected from me. I think hey are just more interesting all around. 

With all that said though, we ordered a full-size frozen “taco truck” pie to take home and cook at a later date for dinner. Based on everything I had eaten, I was really excited about this and served it for family dinner one night. However, this was not a big hit. Again, the crust, as always, was delicious, and heated up nicely from frozen (except for a few edges that were broken straight out of the box). However, the filling for this pie probably should have been called something like “Asian taco truck” or something, because it was very different from what we expected. It was filled with pork shoulder, and lots of Asian veggies—bok choy, cabbage and had a much more Asian flair to it than we were expecting. It was much more veggie centered than we expected as well. I was sort of expecting more of a Mexican/Latin flavor and none of us particularly cared for it. Oh well, you win some, lose some. But I would try a different one in the future. And I appreciate the crust to filling ratio of the individual pot pies better as well over the larger versions.

All in all, a nice little addition to our local food scene—something different. Honestly, I would love to just try the straightforward chicken pot pie as well. And there’s a bacon and egg gallette that’s calling my name. 

So who else has been and what have you enjoyed? I need details.

Pots and Pans Pie Company

4915 North College Ave

Indy 46205

317/600-3475

www.potsandpansindy.com  

Rize -- Revisit

I have been to Rize a couple of times, but I always seem to forget about it---and hubby had not yet been, so one day when we had some time for lunch together, I actually remembered it and off we went. It was a really nice day (and yet, it was freezing in the restaurant), so we chose to eat outside. They have a nice little patio that’s not on such a busy road (it faces the parking lot).

Anyway, I find this menu very appealing, and so did hubby. It was closer to lunch time than breakfast, but we decided to get a little of both types of dishes and share. We ordered the egg tart ($11), the ham sandwich ($13), and the crispy potatoes ($5). I have had the tart before and it is pretty tasty. The custard comes in a tart shell, and then is topped with all kinds of veggies—there’s broccoli rabe, mushrooms, squash and spinach I believe. And pickled onions on top as well as some micro greens. There’s this hibiscus mustard on the plate that makes the dish. With all those veggies, I would have loved a little more. To be honest, the egg part actually kind of gets lost in all those veggies. I think if I ordered it again and it came so veggie heavy, I might just remove half of them right away to make the proportions a little more balanced. I feel like there were more of them than the first time I went. 

The ham sandwich sounds simple., but they use a croissant, scrambled eggs, prosciutto, high quality cheddar and then hollandaise. We asked for the hollandaise sauce on the side (on the recommendation of our server), which I think was a good plan. This sandwich was so good—and so was the hollandaise. But it was nice to use as much as you want and not have your croissant go all soft and gooey. They do the eggs really well, they are light and fluffy. The ham was very tasty and in just the right amount. There was also a nice little side salad that was maybe slightly underdressed, but still good. 

Finally we had the crispy potato side dish. Hubby was in love with this dish, and they were very good. Imagine like a giant tater tot—it was round and made of shredded potatoes and was very nice and crispy. It sat on top of a creamy mornay sauce (cheesy cream sauce), but I will say, I had a few yummy bites dipped in the hollandaise. These are completely worth ordering and I know they will always be ordered when I am with hubby.

After trying this sandwich, it makes me want to try the other sandwiches as well. They have some nice combinations and it seems they try hard to come up with something more interesting than the standards. Even the grilled cheese seems interesting. I hope this place stays around, as I find it so much more interesting than the other breakfast place at Ironworks. Now, if we can just fill the B Spot space with something good, we’ll be all set. What do you guys think should go in there?

Rize

2721 East 86^th Street

Indy 46240

317/843-6101

www.rize-restaurant.com 

Road Trip: Bread Basket- Danville (Revisit)

We went back out to Danville for a return visit to Bread Basket. My sister and her family really love this place and I looked forward to trying it again as well. So it is kind of a hike from Indy, but if you’re up for an adventure, or if you live on the west side, check it out.

On this visit, I tried the veggie quiche of the day with a side of bacon (+3.29). This was a very tasty quiche. It had mushrooms and spinach in it as well as Swiss cheese. The inside was light and moist and the crust was flakey and tasty. That makes sense since they are known for their pies. The bacon here is also very good. Just the right amount of crispiness and nice and salty.

Hubby went with biscuits and gravy ($4.99 for half, $7.40 for full) topped with eggs (+$2.99). He was very happy with his choice. They do a really nice job with their gravy--it is thick and well seasoned and they certainly know how to cook eggs. He kept saying he was going to stop eating it but ended up eating pretty much all of it (I had some bites obviously). They are quality B&G.

Ok, this place is known for the cinnamon rolls, and seriously, they are some of the best I have had. But, even better, they take the day old rolls and make them into French toast ($11.49). This is what my dad had, and what he usually has (my parents are big fans of this place). It is truly decadent, and even for me, who rarely eats sweets for breakfast, I just kept going in for more bites. It is crazy, the rolls are sweet, the cream cheese frosting is sweet, there’s powdered sugar and butter, and then you can drizzle it with syrup. But, wow, this is addictive. I did take just a regular cinnamon roll home that we ate for dessert for a couple nights (they are huge). These are seriously good. 

My mom just had a standard breakfast with eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast ($7.49). They do a nice job with this as well. And the toast here is really, really good. They make their own bread (you can buy loaves as well) and it makes the toast shine. It may be one of my favorite parts (it came with my quiche as well). My sister had a half a breakfast sandwich and potatoes ($7.49), which is just as delicious partly because of that same toast.

Anyhow, they do breakfast really well—the baked goods are great and any dish that includes them is going to be a winner. Let me know if you have been.

Bread Basket

46 S. Tennessee Street

Danville, IN  46122

317/718-4800

www.breadbasketcafe.com 

Love Handle - Revisit

I met up with my friend Suzanne and went to Love Handle recently—she had really good things to say, and my last meal at the old location was good. They have really expanded into a pretty large storefront on the east end of Mass Ave. It’s a casual, cute space with bright green and yellow vinyl upholstery and kitschy décor. A big chalkboard announces the menu, and they have kept up their love of all things hearty and including many parts of animals that aren’t always highlighted on local menus—tongue, gizzards, sweetbreads, etc. Lots of pork belly on there as well (and more approachable items too). They have a breakfast and lunch menu (and you can order from either at lunchtime) and they have added some dinner selections as well. I am particularly intrigued by fish fry Friday. Going to have to go check it out.

Anyhow, we decided to get a couple of things and share, as we usually do. When I saw chicken schnitzel and waffle ($12), I knew I would have to try it, and man is it delicious. It is one of those dishes that as soon as you start eating it, you know it’s going to be something you crave. It’s a thinner waffle than many, but I like the size of it---it compliments the chicken rather than overpowering it. And even though I don’t typically like sweet things for my meal, this was the perfect flavor combination. The chicken was very heavily seasoned and just so savory that the sweet butter and waffle was a perfect match. The chicken was really thin, but so darn good. Seriously, this is an item I keep thinking about. I hope it’s on the menu next time I go.

I was intrigued by the “Jen” sandwich ($14 I think?) because it had pork belly with jam, but also blue cheese and pickled daikon. Normally, again, I don’t go for something sweet on a sandwich, but seems to be common here, and I do like blue cheese with jam. However, this sandwich just didn’t wow me as much. The thing about pork belly is some pieces are really good and some are just too fatty for me. And I really wanted more blue cheese to balance everything out.  Also, it seems like back at the other location they gave you some popcorn with your sandwich, but now it’s a side you have to pay extra for, which is sort of a bummer. But they are certainly doing interesting things here. I think maybe I like the breakfast items the best, but that’s not really surprising given how much I like eggs. And breakfast.

You should go check this place out though and see what you think. And let me know what your favorite items are.

Love Handle

877 Massachusetts Ave

Indy 46204

317/384-1102

https://www.facebook.com/LoveHandleIndy/

A2Z Cafe - Revist

It has been awhile since we went to A2Z and my daughter always nags me about going because she really likes it. Also, hubby had never been, and it is very convenient to my parent’s house, where we were dropping off my dog for some dog sitting, so it worked perfectly. 

We started with an order of the fried biscuits ($7 for 10 or $4 for 5). These are good little morsels—they are sugared on the outside, so they really come across more like doughnuts. They do serve them with apple butter for sweetening them up even more. They are tasty little nuggets for sure if you like to start your breakfast off with a little sweet appetizer.

I wanted to get something different, so I tried the eggs and feta ($7), which was listed as a house specialty. It is scrambled eggs, spinach, mushrooms and feta and served with a side of toast. They do a nice job with the scrambled eggs—not drying them out too much. And I liked the salty edge from them feta. The spinach was a little chewy--like the pieces were too big. They were kind of hard to cut or chew through. Their toast is quite delicious. The bread itself is really good and they toast is just the right amount. I also ordered a side of bacon. Yeah, I could’ve kept it vegetarian, but nah. The bacon was really tasty. And I liked that they asked me how crispy I wanted it (duh, always super crispy!).

Hubby loved his dish. He went with the tater tot scramble ($8.50). So they take tater tots, scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, and shredded cheese and they scramble it all together and top the whole thing with sausage gravy. Seriously, this dish made him so happy. And even though sometimes I worry that mixing so many things up in a dish can just taste like a mess, this didn’t. The bites I had were quite tasty. And he cleaned his plate. It also comes with a side of toast, again, very tasty toast.

My son had the steak and eggs ($12), which includes 2 eggs your way (he ordered them scrambled) and a skewer of beef tenderloin. And there were potatoes and toast. So they give you really nice pieces of steak. My son, a huge steak lover, was thrilled to add some steak into his breakfast, which is a meal that often can go steakless. He kind of ignored the eggs. But he was down with the steak, potatoes and toast. He basically had a steak dinner for breakfast. He was happy. Oh yeah, he also had a short stack of pancakes on the side ($4) because that is the stage of life he is in (he has grown 4 inches in the last year). He also enjoyed them. They were light and fluffy. Tasty pancakes if you are a pancake person.

My daughter had a special, the crab cake benedict, which has been one of her favorite things since she ate one in Washington D.C. and fell deeply in love. They did theirs with a crab cake and an English muffin, which she thought was a little starch heavy and she wished it just had the crab cake. Or at least more of the crab cake. The eggs were done perfectly though and she is a lover of potato, so she was happy with these as well.

Overall, a really nice mom and pop breakfast (and lunch as well) joint with solid, tasty food. If you are looking for something warm and comforting made from good ingredients and with friendly service, check this place out.

A2Z Café

4705 E 96^th Street

Indy 46240

317/569-9349

www.a2zcafe.com

MIlktooth-- Revisit

Hubby and I had a rare day off when the kids were still in school just before Christmas and decided to hit up Milktooth. Wowza, it was packed. I guess other people had the same idea. Anyway, we waited about 30 minutes but it was actually one of those sunny days and we sat outside in the sun.

We had already looked over the menu when we did get seated, so we ordered right away. While there were several things that sounded good, this was a menu that wasn’t as compelling as some I have seen. But it changes all the time, so this will happen sometimes. We were intrigued by the Indiana hot wings, but the warning that came on the menu that they were extremely hot and that no refunds would be offered scared us off so we decided to pass on those. If they have that kind of warning, we figured they must be really hot. And I’m not the type to love super fiery hot stuff that destroys my taste buds anyhow.

So we ordered the burger ($14), because, let’s face it, it is usually one of the best burgers around these days. They vary it up and this one was different and extremely tasty. It was a thin beef patty topped with asiago, shitake mushrooms, cream cheese chive aioli. Oh, and of course, we added an egg. Part of what makes it so good is that Amelia’s Pullman bun too. It’s just perfect. Light but exactly right to hold up to the stuff inside. Seriously, we split this (as well as everything else) and hubby really wanted to order a second one for dessert. We were both savoring every single bite.

We also ordered the Dutch baby pancake with Manchego, grapefruit, shaved Brussels sprouts, Sherry vinaigrette and chopped hazelnuts--oh and we added the meat option ($16). I want to say it was morcilla? I was glad we added it though—although it was a bit chewy, it added a nice smoky hearty flavor. I liked this better than the last Dutch baby I had at Milktooth because it was pretty much purely savory. The acid and intensity of the grapefruit was a nice contrast with the cheese. The Brussels sprouts were very tasty too and overall were sliced very thin. There were a couple that were just a little too thick for me, but overall, this was a dish that was super interesting and really good.

We tried to get the ham and cheese croissant, but sadly they were out of it, so we decided to get the latke ($5) instead. They usually have some sort of latke on the menu, but they mix it up as to what’s in it, and what’s on it. This one was potato and rutabaga and was topped with acorn squash butter and green harissa cream. I loved the harissa cream—it was tangy like it was made with sour cream. I didn’t really like the acorn squash butter as much, but it didn’t really matter because I just pushed it out of the way and ate all the rest. 

Ok, we had some wine, and in order to prevent hubby from ordering that second burger, we decided to try a pastry for dessert. We got the twice-baked pumpkin/chocolate croissant ($4). I was suspicious because pumpkin flavored things aren’t typically my first choice, but this was really good.  Decadent.

The only downside was the service was pretty slow. But like I said, they were really busy, so I think our server might have been a little overwhelmed. But we had nowhere to be and had wine, so we were generally pretty happy. I’ve said it many times before, but we are lucky to have this place and I am glad to see it still living up to the hype. There’s always something new to try, and always a twist on an old favorite as well.

Milktooth

540 Virginia Ave

Indy  46203

317/292-2280

www.milktoothindy.com

Uptown Café

You know, I had noticed that the old Binford Café near my house had a new sign and that it was now called Uptown Café. And then on instagram, my online friend @frangsty told me that she went, and really liked it. Hubby and I tried it the very next day. It is so close to our house and we are always on the scout out for new breakfast places!

So it’s a small little place—not a lot of atmosphere to it, but the servers are really nice and were right there to fill up your coffee. My only real knock is that it is just a rectangular storefront, and in this really cold weather, whenever someone opened the front door, a gust of cold air shot through the place. They might want to invest in a curtain or some sort of entry area that is blocked a bit. Most of the year it is probably fine, but was a bit chilly when we were there.

I just went with my classic breakfast to see how it compared to other favorites. I had two eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns and homemade white toast ($9.29). They make a lot of stuff from scratch, and the bread is one of them. They also do fresh-squeezed OJ. If you’re a jam person, they also give you a little side of homemade strawberry jam with your toast. My breakfast was pretty much spot on. The eggs were cooked just right, the hash browns were brown and crispy on the outside, and the toast was light and delicious. The bacon looked a little suspect, but it actually had a good flavor and was pleasantly crunchy. I love a glass of fresh-squeezed OJ, and this one while not as sweet as you hope for, was a very generous amount for the price. You can’t really control the sweetness of an orange after all.

Hubby tried the corned beef hash bowl ($8.49) and was quite happy. It was an interesting take of the shredded (hash brown) potatoes, the corned beef and lots of onions (no peppers, which made him happy). They also added Swiss cheese to the mix, giving the whole thing a sort of reuben flavor. He really enjoyed it for sure. He loves corned beef hash and this was one of his favorites.

We also got a piece of quiche ($7.49) to go to take home to my son—this was the only real let down we had food-wise. It just tasted like it had been microwaved, which made the crust a bit soft and the eggs a bit chewy. I just don’t think eggs and microwaves really mix. It really needed to be heated in the oven.

Overall though, for a good solid basic breakfast option within just a few miles of our house (hooray!), this place is getting added to the rotation for sure. I think once the word gets out, it will do very well.

Uptown Café

6404 Rucker Road

Indy  46220

317/466-9631

Rize

There’s a new place in the new hotel in Ironworks that’s serves breakfast/lunch called Rize. It’s also run by the Cunningham Group like Provision upstairs. I like the looks of the menu because it’s a little more interesting take on breakfast. I met a friend for a late breakfast the other day to check it out.

I was torn between a couple of things, but luckily the friend I was with was willing to give me a couple of bites of hers as well, and she got one of the things I was debating. I ordered the egg tart ($11), which is sort of like a really light egg custard in a crust—like a lighter version of a quiche. But instead of having the veggies mixed in, they sauté them and put them on top. I can see how this makes good sense as far as easily changing up the seasonality of the veggies and keeping he base tart the same. There is Gruyere cheese in the tart and it is very light and fluffy—and the crust was nice and flaky. I really enjoyed it.  I especially like the swath of hibiscus mustard and the pickled onions—they really made the dish. A bite with all of the parts of it was really, really good. The veggies on top were fallish—there were mushrooms and sweet potatoes and broccolini. I would get it again. I bet in the spring and summer it would be amazing since I prefer those veggies in general.

My friend had their version of a frittata ($12). They do a similar thing—they put the veggies on top rather than inside the eggs. It actually comes across more of a very loose omelet with lots of veggies on top. There are really nice caramelized onions and a harissa and crème fraiche type sauce as well. They also serve a little salad along with it, which is a nice touch of acid. I would happily order this one as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed both items and would love to try more of the menu. It feels like a healthier breakfast place because there’s so much emphasis on veggies, which is nice. There are a lot of nice chef touches on the dishes as well, making it stand out over a lot of the more basic breakfast places. Who has tried something else really good here?

Rize

2721 East 86^th Street

Indy 46240

317/843-6101

www.rize-restaurant.com 

Biscuits Café - the Chilaquiles edition

I am happy to say you guys were right! A few posts ago, I wrote about a couple of different places where I had ordered chilaquiles only to be disappointed by what amounted to what I called breakfast nachos. Several of you guys told me to try the version at Biscuits, and I did. Several times. In fact, my entire family is now addicted to chilaquiles ($12.00 + additional for meat) at Biscuits and request it to the point that I have tried it with just about every type of meat offered as well as no meat.

So here’s how they do their chilaquiles. They cook the chips in the ranchero sauce, which is their slightly spicy red sauce. You can get them in a verde sauce too, or in a milder red sauce. They mix the chips up with the sauce and meat, cover them with cheese and then add two eggs on top cooked how you like them (over easy for me). When you break into the eggs, you get this amazing tasting dish that will make you addicted. And while you get some texture from the chips, they are cooked a bit so they aren’t super crunchy. As far as meat goes, we have tried the chicken and the carnitas and I have even tried them without meat at all. Overall I think my favorite is the chicken, just because it’s a bit heartier. I was hoping when I got it without meat, I would get more of the chips part, but I really didn’t. For some reason, they carnitas didn’t really do it for me or hubby, even though we really like carnitas in general. But I’m telling you, there’s just something about this dish. You need to try it. Oh, and it’s not on the menu, but it has always been on the special board when we have gone, although I have heard even if it isn’t, they will always make it for you. The dish also come with beans and rice on the side.

Migas

I also usually get a side of hash browns, fried crispy (sometimes they come out pretty soft). They are really tasty, and even though you probably don’t need them on top of the huge platters of food you get, I order them anyway.

I also tried the migas ($7.95) on one visit, which sounded similar, but have the eggs scrambled into the chips.  They don’t use the sauce though, and these come across as dry and bland. I am telling you, once you have the chilaquiles here, that’s all you’ll want to order. We’ve also tried the breakfast burrito ($7.95), the breakfast quesadilla and taquitos. All were decent, particularly the quesadilla, but none measure up to the chilaquiles in my mind. Other times relatives have ordered more basic breakfast menu items and didn’t seem overly thrilled with them.

The only downside to this place right now is that they have recently expanded. While the new part of the restaurant is cute and well done, I don’t think they have added additional staff and we’ve notice a sharp decline in service since the new addition opened. It takes a long time to order and sometimes items come out a bit cold. It’s great they have more space so you don’t have to wait to get seated, but you will sit at your table and wait quite awhile to put in your order.

Anyway, if you love chilaquiles, check it out. Just be patient or go at an off time.

Biscuits Café 

1035 Broad Ripple Ave

Indy 46220

317/202-0410

Sunrise Café - Revisit

I have written about this place a few times before, but I feel like I need to keep giving gentle reminders about places I like so they stay in business, especially these days. So what is the go to for hubby and I for a greasy spoon type of breakfast? Sunrise. There are too many breakfast places that are trying to be too much, and not pulling it off. This place is a divey diner (seriously, the furniture is very well worn) and the food is consistently good. Want bacon and eggs and crispy hash browns? Sunrise is your place. That is our regular order, but on this particular visit, hubby revisited one of his old standbys, the eggs benedict. I like that you can order them by one ($7.95) or two ($9.25). Hubby had two. They use an English muffin, shaved ham, a poached egg and their homemade hollandaise sauce. Hubby really enjoyed the change of pace, and this dish is a regular choice for my parents, who were also dining with us. It’s not a super fancy version or anything, but it tastes good. I had my usual, two eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns and white toast ($8.95). They do everything just the way it should be, and both the bacon and hash browns are crispy like I like them.

My son is a fan of their fried egg sandwich ($7.95); again you can pick one or two eggs. It comes with cheese and bacon. He likes his eggs fried hard (crazy I know). And it comes with hash browns as well. My daughter usually orders sweets for her breakfast, and this was no exception. She had one chocolate chip pancake ($2.95). They do their pancakes really thin, which I think is kind of interesting. Almost like a crepe. In fact, you can get them rolled up around sausage if you want.

Anyway, at the location on Shadeland, where we go (there are a couple others in Carmel, Fishers, and downtown), there is never a wait, which is a nice thing to know on a weekend morning when you want a solid, fast breakfast. Everyone in my family likes it, and it’s a standard for us. 

Sunrise Café

7387 North Shadeland Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46150

317/288-5303

Yolk

We hit Yolk the other day for breakfast. My daughter was at a friend’s house and the rest of us actually get up early enough for breakfast, so we thought we’d give it a try. They have a large breakfast menu, and several lunch items as well.

I started with some of the strawberry orange juice ($3.50) and it was very tasty—it tasted very fresh and was a bit pulpy, which I like. So far, so good. Our server was also very attentive and answered my questions with her knowledge and opinions, which I appreciate.

I ordered the chilaquiles ($11 +$2.50 for added chicken) because I just keep hoping to find some in town that are not just nachos with an egg on top. Well, these weren’t it. It was a big plate of tortilla chips covered in cheese and sitting on top of some salsa verde, with two fried eggs and avocado. I also added chicken. I enjoyed the flavor of the verde sauce, but there wasn’t a lot of it. So, I mean, breakfast nachos aren’t bad—they just don’t give you that homey, baked, hot dish kind of flavor. You know what I mean. I like the versions that come out looking like a kind of casserole—the tortillas are sort of chewy and crunchy at the same time because they’ve been baked. The egg is mixed in with the chips and sauce. Anyway, like I said, there was no ingredient here that was bad, they just didn’t come together in the way I had hoped.

I was intrigued with my son’s fried chicken and waffles ($12.50). He really liked the waffle with the bits of bacon cooked into it—with a little syrup it gave you that sweet and savory mix. The chicken was ok—it was a massive breast (it was bigger than the waffle) that had a nice crispy crunch, but the chicken was so dense, it wasn’t that appealing. He had the sausage gravy on the side (typically it comes on top). Again, there was nothing terrible about this, but the chicken was just too big and dense—it wasn’t very tender. They need to use a boneless thigh and this dish would be greatly improved.

Hubby had the corned beef hash with eggs ($13.50). This is hubby’s quest dish. He loves corned beef hash but is also particular about it in the way I am about my chilaquiles (what can I say, we have issues). He thought it was also fine, but wasn’t wowed. They make their own corned beef, but overall he thought the dish lacked seasoning and was just a little bland.

I wanted it to be Biscuit Love in Nashville, but that it was not. And I am still on the quest for great chilaquiles in Indy. So tell me whatcha’ got.

Yolk

2727 East 86^th Street

Indy  46240

317/451-9655

www.eatyolk.com 

Road Trip: Bread Basket Cafe and Bakery--Danville, IN

My sister and her husband recently moved from Avon to Danville just to be a little further away from me (just kidding)…but for real they did move to Danville. And she has been after me for like a year to try the Bread Basket. We kept trying to do a weekend family thing but it never seemed to work out. So recently she and I just met up on a random weekday when we were both off.

So yeah, it’s about an hour from me, but I can see why she really likes it. It’s super cute first of all, located in an old house. You enter through the back door, and literally walk through the kitchen to the dining room. Talk about homey. You walk through a gauntlet of homemade breads and pastries and the smell in there is like my house on baking day at the holidays. So good.

It’s pretty much a breakfast/lunch place, with some additional options on the weekends for brunch. It was a weekday, and still during breakfast hours, so that’s what we were choosing from. Apparently on the weekends, you can choose from either side of the menu at any time (they’re open til 3:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday). I ordered a half order of the biscuits and gravy with two fried eggs ($4.99 + $2.99). They are homemade biscuits and were flaky—from what I could tell under all that gravy. Let’s face it, they are really just a vehicle for the sausage gravy, which was well seasoned and a good consistency—not too runny or too floury as it can be sometimes. I like a little egg with mine and ate them together. They eggs were cooked well.

My sister had the breakfast sandwich ($7.49) and it was delicious. The star was the homemade honey oat bread, it was soft, yet had nice texture throughout. And it had just the right amount of egg to cheese to bacon ratio (you can get sausage or ham if you want). She loves the roasted potatoes that she got as a side ($2.79), and they were nice roasted potatoes, but weren’t getting me super excited. 

She had mentioned how many of our family members loved the cinnamon rolls and cinnamon roll French toast ($11.49), so I decided I needed to get one to go for later (just the roll, not the French toast). I also got a piece of outrageous chocolate cake for my kids. I can’t really do sweets like that in the morning, but it made for a nice decadent dessert after sushi that night. Seriously, that was one of the best cinnamon rolls ever. Tons of cream cheese icing. It was truly addictive. It’s really a good thing they are not closer to me, or I might develop a problem for those rolls.

It’s a great family run place and I can see how it could become a regular place if it was close by. I would like to try their lunch sandwiches sometime—I bet they’re really good on those breads they make.

Bread Basket Cafe and Bakery

46 S. Tennessee Street

Danville, IN  46122

317/718-4800

www.breadbasketcafe.com