Geraldine's Supper Club

Geraldine’s is the newest restaurant from Dan Jarman, of Fat Dan’s fame. Totally different type of place, completely different vibe for sure. So this is a tough one for me, because so many people have told me how great the Old Fashioned and the steaks are, and while I really enjoyed several things, those two items happened to be the weak links of the meal. However, there are many things I enjoyed, starting with the atmosphere of the place. Love the old school supper club feel, and the wood everywhere. We also had a very attentive server, even though we might have challenged her with a few of our questions.

The first thing we ordered to eat was the housemade Gorgonzola potato chips ($11). So they are super thin, super fresh potato chips that are drizzled with a blue cheese creamy sauce and chunks of Gorgonzola. The chips reminded me of those ones you get at the State Fair that are like a long thin layer all off of one potato. These were really good and went down a little too easy. Honestly, they ended up being one of my favorite parts of the meal and I sort of wish I had eaten more of them. Before we got the appetizer though, they brought us a banana sorbet palate cleanser. It was tasty, but I think I would have preferred it before the main course.

Next, we had a salad course—hubby and I split a wedge salad ($11). It was fine. The smoky whole piece of bacon was delicious. I think the dressing was likely the same sauce used on the chips, but because it is kind of thin, which makes it good on the chips, but doesn’t stand up quite as well to a big hunk of iceberg. And there wasn’t nearly enough of it, so we got some extra on the side. The bacon was delicious. The rest was fair.

My sister had the beef wellington ($34), which is a filet with mushroom cooked inside pastry. This was definitely the best of the steaks on the table—the filet was fairly tender, although I think cooked a little more than was ordered. It was good, and it’s nice to see this old standard on a menu. It just didn’t blow my mind. The two men at the table had the 14-ounce ribeye ($40) with the addition of herb butter. They were not super impressed with the steak, and the bite I had was so fatty, I had to spit most of it out. Maybe you have to stick with the dry aged steaks or something, because everyone has told me the steaks are great, but this one did not impress any of us. We had a side of the crispy hash brown wheel (how could you say no to that?) ($10) and sautéed asparagus ($12). The outside of the hash browns was yummy—very crispy and well salted. There was just a little too much of the soft non-crispy bits on the inside. But I am being picky—I like my hash browns as crispy as possible. Maybe deep fry the whole thing…who knows.

So, since I was going to share the beef wellington, I got the seared ahi tuna appetizer ($15) as my main. This was delicious. One of the best versions of this simple straightforward dish that I have had. The tuna was really high quality and cooked just right. It was served with a soy dipping sauce and a mustard sauce on the plate. I could pass on the spicy mustard, but I really enjoyed the soy sauce. It was a really nice dish and a good accompaniment with all the rich heavy flavors of the steaks.

We were celebrating my sister and her husband’s birthdays, and they must have heard us say “happy birthday,” because they started the end of the meal by bringing us a free dessert consisting of a chocolate bon bon, chocolate dipped strawberries, and some caramel meringues. This was really good. The dark chocolate on the strawberries was bitter and just right with the sweet strawberries. We also ordered the sticky toffee bread pudding ($12) to share at the recommendation of the server. This was really tasty too. We love bread pudding and sticky toffee pudding, and this was a great combo of the two. Plus, more of those caramel meringues, which were one of my favorite things…. I need to make these. I love the texture of meringues, and the light caramel flavor added to them and was somewhat unusual (and delicious) for a meringue.

But back to that drink. It was an old fashioned that was watered down with soda or water. You could tell they just wanted the glass to look full, but hubby wasn’t a fan. I saw a video on twitter of the bartender making the same drink, and the glass was not full. So maybe another bartender with his or her own style…who knows. The wine pours on the other hand were generous. The wine list was small, be what we had was good. 

All in all, I am still somewhat intrigued by this place—I like the vibe of it, and some of the things (appetizers mainly, and the dessert) were really good. I might make a light meal of apps—there were several more I would like to try. If I were going to get a steak, I might just stick with a straight filet. The service was very friendly and efficient as well. 

But since everyone else has told me nothing but good things… share with me what you have had and liked.

Geraldine’s Supper Club

1101 English Ave 

Indy  46203

317/600-3336

www.geraldinesindy.com 

Fat Dan's- Revisit

It has been awhile since we have been to Fat Dan’s. Hubby and I were both craving hamburgers, so we decided it was time to go back. We also met a couple of friends there who had never been, so that’s always fun.

It was a Friday evening and pretty crowded but we got the last available table. I hadn’t been in since they expanded; I would say it’s a much better use of space than the yogurt store that used to sit empty most of the time next door. Our server came around and took drink orders and then strongly recommended we get the dirty tots ($8.50). He was extremely strong in his recommendation, and told us they were life changing. I mean at that point, we could hardly say no (even though usually we get the fries/tots combo, and I was somewhat resistant to give it up).

Anyhow, the dirty tots consist of tater tots topped with hot sauce, pulled pork, and beer cheese sauce.  So my first couple of bites, I was unsure whether I had made the right choice, but I have to say, these things really grow on you. I liked the cheesy sauce and the hot sauce together that gave it a little heat. And the tots stayed nice and crisp under all that stuff. I sort of wished for something to cut through the heaviness a little—a little dollop of sour cream perhaps? But I am always thinking of how to make everything better. And these things were pretty darn good on their own. By the end, it was hard to not just keep going back for more.

 I went with my classic—the Fat burger ($10). I had it with all the toppings—lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and cheese. It comes with chips as you see, but I also ordered a side of fries to share, just because I couldn’t totally give up on the fries. The burger is excellent—juicy and topped with all the right things. I also really like their pickles. The only thing that surprised me was the server didn’t ask how I wanted it cooked, and I kind of didn’t think about it and it came out pretty well done. The mix of meat they use is so good though, that it still tasted good, but next time, I would make sure to ask for it medium. This place definitely satisfies the craving for a good burger.

The fries ($3.50 for a small) here are also very tasty—they are hand cut and varying in sizes. I really like them.

Hubby ended up getting the brisket sandwich ($11), which he seemed to enjoy, but honestly, I think he was jealous of my burger. He often tries different things here, and I often don’t, but he usually wishes he had gotten the burger too. They’re just that tasty.

Want a really good burger and fries/tots? This is your spot. And who knows, the server might have convinced me to order the dirty tots again next time too.

Fat Dan’s Chicago Style Deli

815 Broad Ripple Avenue

Indy  46220

317/600-3333

www.fatdansdeli.com  

Fat Dan's - Revisit

It’s been awhile since I have been to Fat Dan’s and I hadn’t been to the new location—hubby has been nagging me to go and we wanted to take the kids somewhere easy, so it seemed like a good choice.

I love the new location, and the table service! Our server was really nice and very attentive. The whole place was full, even as early as it was. The kids were digging the games on the table (we had Connect Four) and the fact that they had tater tots on the menu.

I have a thing for Fat Dan’s burgers and that’s what I ordered. They are my favorite fat burger in town (although they aren’t ridiculously huge) for sure. I had mine with a fried egg (which they did just a little runny in the middle—perfect, but not too messy) and cheese. ($9) As in the past, it was delicious—they ask you what temperature you want it cooked to and they listen. The meat is super tender and has great flavor. I really like the buns as well—they really stand up to the meat. My daughter had a kid’s burger as well ($4.50) and really liked it as well. They are a little smaller than the adult version, but honestly not that much. It’s a great deal.

Hubby had the Italian Beef, wet ($7.50). They do a nice job with Italian Beef, but hubby was jealous of my burger. The Italian beef has all the traditional fixings (the thin beef, and lots of giardinara), but we have gotten sort of jaded by making it at home and putting just what we want on it in just the exact right quantities. I also didn’t taste the sweet peppers that we use on ours at home.  And we tend to get a little bowl of the au jus to dip in at home to keep the sandwich from falling apart as you eat it. But it’s still a solid option for Italian Beef in Indy.

We all shared a mixed order of fries and tots  ($3.75) and they were as good as they have ever been. The fries (and a few potato rounds) were super crispy. The tots were as good as you get with tots as well and my daughter was happy. Who doesn’t love some tots every now and then?

If you aren’t familiar with Fat Dan’s—they bring the food out on a big piece of butcher paper. Fries in the middle and the sandwich individually wrapped alongside. The napkins are big rolls of paper towels. It’s a completely casual, easygoing place with great food. I still want to try one of those hand dipped corn dogs one of these days. They look great.

I am glad to see Dan’s expansion going so well—and I like that the new location still has the “charm” of the old one, even in slightly fancier digs.

Fat Dan’s Chicago Style Deli

5410 North College

Indy  46220

317/600-3333

www.fatdansdeli.com  

Fat Dan's Deli

** FAT DAN'S HAS MOVED TO 5410 North College**

Fat Dan’s has been on my list for awhile, and luckily, I have a friend who is pushy when it comes to his love of the place as well as getting me to write about it.  But I can appreciate a restaurant-pusher—especially when I end up agreeing with them.  This was actually my third visit (all in the last few months) to Fat Dan’s, and all of them have been good.  On this most recent visit, I ordered the burger ($6.25) (which I also had on my first visit).  (Note: this is not an anonymous review, but as always is still an honest one.)

So you can probably guess that since I ordered the burger a second time, particularly when I am not generally a person who orders a lot of restaurant burgers, that it is a darn good burger.  I love that I was actually asked how I wanted it cooked (medium rare) and that Dan cooked it just that way (yep, it’s often a one-man operation, and Dan is a taking your order and cooking it up).  The burger was really tender and juicy, and I liked the two kinds of cheeses (Provolone and cheddar I believe) and I liked the soft, fresh bun.  The first time I just ordered it as it came, and it had more stuff on it (lettuce and tomato type stuff).  This time I just asked for it with just cheese, ketchup and pickles (my classic combo) and I liked it even better than the first time because I could really taste the meat (and it wasn’t as tall, which made it easier for me to eat).  This isn’t the thin burger style, but it is probably the best of the fat burgers I have had around town. 

So if you order fries ($2.75), you get a pile of them dumped on a piece of butcher paper on the table.  Seriously, a ton!  The first time I didn’t eat a lot of them---honestly I thought they were a little soft, but this time I asked for them extra crispy and I enjoyed them a lot more.  They are hand cut—mostly your classic fat cut French fry shape, but a few thick round slices as well.  You can tell they are coming from fresh potatoes and I like the somewhat heavy handed seasoning on them.  Get them crispy and they are really good (I might pass on them otherwise though).

In the past, I have also had the pulled pork sandwich ($8.25) which is very good as well.  They have a little smoker in the kitchen and Dan does a good job with the smoked meat.  It is very tender—really rich and smoky though, hard for me to eat a ton of it.  It has a really nice deep flavor—not all dried out like a lot of pulled pork sandwiches. I also had a taste of my friend’s “wreck” sandwich which has a little bit of everything on it. There's roast beef and turkey, lots of onions, giardiniera, tomatoes, lettuce, and melted cheese served on an Italian roll. Pretty much a kitchen sink kind of sandwich.  Honestly, the slice of it I had I don’t even think had all the ingredients. It was huge.  It was pretty good, but I liked my burger better I think (at least compared to the bites I had).  They do have a classic Italian Beef sandwich on the menu, which I am intrigued to try (when I have someone to split it with) as well as a traditional Chicago dog. I was with someone on one visit who got the corn dog as well, and I was intrigued by it as well—it was a hand dipped batter. Impressive.

Which brings me to one of my favorite parts about Fat Dan’s—the atmosphere.  It is a hole in the wall kind of place—not fancy, but it has a great friendly vibe, especially if you are lucky enough to be there when Dan is actually working—he chatted with us for awhile, and it is completely obvious after 5 minutes of talking to him that he is a really great guy, and really cares about what he is doing.  He cares about all his ingredients, and makes food the way he would want to eat it.  (My only complaint, in the winter, it tends to be a bit chilly, so wear your sweater). They’ve got beer on tap (local Triton Brewing Company currently, and Old Style, of course), and it is a fun place to sit and have a beer and a great sandwich.  (Yep, even I drank beer.)  These sandwiches are hearty too—a great place for a person with a healthy appetite (or for two people like me to share something).

Fat Dan’s Chicago Style Deli

815 Broad Ripple Avenue

Indy  46220

317/600-3333

www.fatdansdeli.com