Open Society -- Revist

I met some friends at Open Society for lunch the other day. I heard they have a new chef and I looked at the menu online and was intrigued. It has been changed a bit since the last time I was there, which was quite a while ago.

smash burger?

So I was torn between breakfast type items and lunch, but when I saw they had something called the society burger, which is further described as a “smash burger,” I got even more interested. Could it be a nice thin burger? I mean what else could “smash burger” mean right? Well, I don’t know why they use that term, because this was actually more like a meatball than any type of patty. I was kind of sad about this. Also, it was a very well-done meatball, which was also a bummer (they didn’t ask how I wanted it). It came topped with cheese, arugula, pickles and a special sauce. I enjoyed the flavors of the toppings, but sadly, the meat was disappointing. And the bun was also quite round in shape. The whole thing ended up being like the opposite of a thin burger. The fries here are quite delicious though. I particularly like the crunchy end bits. I like a nice crunchy fry, and these hit the spot. They serve them with ketchup though, which is kind of boring.

I also had a couple of bites of my friend’s avocado toast ($12), which visually looked amazing. How can you go wrong with avocado, egg, and cheese right? Well, the whole plate, salad and asparagus included, was strangely under seasoned. I guess because avocado and eggs both cry out for salt, but we kept salting it (which we had to ask for) and still were not getting it right. Same thing with the dressing on the greens. It was kind of sad for something so beautiful to be lacking such depth. Especially since the description described Aleppo oil (Aleppo is a type of pepper) as an ingredient, which we thought would liven it up, but we struggled to find the flavor of it. 

The final thing I had just a bite of was ‘nduja sandwich ($15). It came topped with local ‘nduja, avocado, roasted red pepper and Havarti on Amelia’s bread. It also had chips on the side. This sandwich had a distinct spicy flavor to it, unlike the others. It must have been the ‘nduja, but it had a kick to it for sure. It was not like ‘nduja I had had before—not as soft and spreadable, but still the sandwich was pretty good. I liked the thin cut bread. This is the type of bread I really enjoy on a sandwich. I can’t say it’s a sandwich I would repeatedly order, but I enjoyed the bites I had.

Overall, I was a little disappointed with the food I had, particularly my “smash” burger. Hopefully one day I will find out what it has this name.

Open Society

4850 North College Ave

Indy 46205

317/999-8706

http://www.opensocietyindy.com/

Noise rating (at lunch): 1 bell out of 5.

Open Society - Revisit (lunch edition)

I guess some of those marketing emails work because Open Society has sent me a few of them (not sure how I got on the list though) and made me intrigued to try it for lunch. They call it brunch and serve it just about every day. They do have breakfast items and lunch items as well.

So my friend and I split the soft scramble ($10) and the Cubano ($10) and a side of fries ($3). The soft scramble was scrambled eggs with truffle Gouda and served with a side of cauliflower, dressed greens, and a big slab of toast. This was a tasty dish. The eggs were softly scrambled and still on the runny side, which if you ask me is how they should be—I don’t like them when they are super dry. And they had a light truffle taste from the cheese and some extra creaminess from it as well. The roasted cauliflower was somewhat unusual to see on a breakfast plate, but I liked it for a change of pace. And it was cooked nicely. I enjoy dressed greens with eggs as well.  The toast they use (which was also on the Cubano) is very tasty. Thick cut, but a nice crusty country bread. It was a somewhat unusual combo of items, but it worked.

The Cubano is an interesting take as well. So, it’s not a thin pressed version like Cuban sandwiches, but I will forgive this fact (I do like a thin pressed Cuban sandwich) because the country bread used has an egg cooked into it. Yes, it’s an “egg in the hole” as part of the sandwich. This is a genius idea. So when you cut into it (I split it in half to share), the runny egg yolk breaks and makes the sandwich extra decadent. Inside the sandwich is smoked ham, carnitas, Swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard. I wished for a little more of the pickles and mustard to balance out the decadence of everything else though—especially with that thick bread. It was a tasty sandwich though, and I enjoyed it. The egg with the pork definitely gives it a breakfast-y feel. This was also served with a side of greens (mostly arugula)—I wished for a touch more dressing though.

I thought the fries were fine-nothing really special here. Maybe if they were cooked a little crisper. I did ask for a side of the chipotle aioli to dip them in (it comes on the turkey club). Confession: I often search a menu for any type of flavored aioli/mayo and order a side of it if I am getting fries. So much more interesting than ketchup to me. It was also just fine, a little flat or something. I’d skip the fries next time. Both of the entrees we shared were very enjoyable though, and I like that they have some interesting things and variations of dishes on the menu. Lunch and brunch can sometimes get kind of boring, but this was good. And it makes me want to come back and try dinner again, since I really wasn’t wowed the first time. The menu looks like it has been changed up since that visit.

Good to see one of the newer places in town still open though—they had a decent crowd, although not super busy. The service was good and the food fairly quick. I am already planning a return lunch visit.

Open Society

4850 North College Ave

Indy 46205

317/999-8706

http://www.opensocietyindy.com/

Open Society

I am always as excited as everyone else to try the next new place. I have been patiently waiting for Open Society to open up (seems like it took forever!) and recently hubby and I enjoyed our first date night alone in weeks and weeks, and checked it out. It’s diagonal across the street from Recess and is nice because there is plenty of parking around.

We were greeted warmly by the host and even though we were early for our reservation, were seated promptly. The first thing you notice about this place is the giant coffee bar that dominates the middle of the room. The second thing you notice is the roar of the crowd—even when it wasn’t totally full, it was very loud (I look for some noise-deadening retrofits in their future—at least I hope so). We were seated along the wall beside the bustling coffee bar, which was a little awkward because you’re basically face to face with people’s butts waiting to order coffee, but good for them that they are doing such a good coffee business.

We decided to go with all tapas, as the small plates menu was larger and sounded a bit more interesting. Our server recommended four to five, so we ordered five. So, the first somewhat annoying thing was although we ordered them at the same time, I did not expect them to bring them out all at once, which is what happened, and not particularly quickly either. So I recommend if you don’t want it that way, either order them one or two at a time, or tell them to space them a bit. They could barely fit all of ours on the table.

The first item we had (and really the only offering with red meat unless you include duck) was the albondigas ($10). These were lamb and chorizo meatballs served in a rich chipotle marinara sauce with a sprinkling of queso fresco and herbs. These were the best item on the table, and I am not normally a meatball person. Hubby really enjoyed them as well. They were tender meatballs with a nice little kick and saltiness from the chorizo and I really enjoyed the smoky sauce—much more interesting than a traditional marinara. The cheese offered just a touch of creaminess.

My next favorite item was the torta ($8) although hubby was not as big a fan. It was dense corn cake (nice bits of corn in there) and was served on top of a little salad/garnish type thing with arugula and balsamic. There were asparagus spears on top. It was served with chipotle-avocado emulsion. I liked the corn cake dipped into the sauce (as unappetizing as it appears in pictures) but the greens and asparagus seemed a little disconnected to me—almost like they don’t really follow the theme of the cuisine. And this garnish type salad was repeated in another dish as well—and pretty much the same sauce was repeated as well.

The croquettas ($13) were the other dish with the same greens (although on the menu described as micro greens). These were meant to be lump crab cakes (well with the name croquettas, I assumed there was more than one). There was one crab cake and we both thought it was pretty disappointing. It was mushy in texture and hubby kept asking me if I was sure this was the one that was supposed to have crab in it. The only evidence was a slightly fishy taste. And the avocado emulsion made its second appearance. I did like the little crispy fried onions served alongside it, you really needed something to break up the mushy factor. I would take a pass on this one. (And please change the name to croquette if there’s only one).

I had high hopes for the risoles ($8), which our server described as fried dumplings. They are made with artichoke, chickpeas, scallions, queso fresco and garlic. I love artichoke and I will say, these had a nice strong artichoke flavor to them. Unfortunately they were fried so much that they were really just a crispy shell with nothing really inside them. I was hoping to bite into a light creamy interior, but it was pretty much the same throughout. They were on top of a lighter lemon-based sauce that you really needed because they were so crunchy, but there wasn’t enough of it to go around to each fritter. I’m not sure if there was an execution problem or if this was what they intended them to be, but I feel like they could have been better. Again, I did enjoy the intense artichoke flavor though.

We also had the Marioscos ($11). This was their version of fried calamari and shrimp—it was described on the menu as corn tempura battered, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It was kind of a cross between a traditional tempura and cornmeal crusting—it was interesting and the seafood itself was very tender. I liked that they served this one on top of something different—a chili-green papaya salad—and that it was served with a different sauce—a cilantro lime vinaigrette. Dressings like this get me excited. Sadly, there wasn’t enough of it here to really dress the seafood in any meaningful way, it was really more like a garnish under the calamari and shrimp—so the seafood came across as dry. 

We decided to see if we could save what was becoming a rather disappointing meal with dessert. We both had read several people discussing how good the flan was. The caramel flan is beautifully presented—much more refined looking than any of the tapas. Someone is taking care in presentation here. Too bad it was pretty bland. We ended up leaving much of it because it was just hard to get excited about eating it. I did like the slices of caramelized bananas. We did enjoy the dessert wine they had though—Ben Rye from Donnafugata.

Overall, we were pretty disappointed in our meal. The service was off to start (I really don’t think serving all the dishes at once is the best plan) and the food was lackluster. There were messy garnishes and sauces repeated on several dishes, which to me, shows a bit of lack of creativity.

After the dinner I went back to read yelp reviews (something I don’t do very often) and I realized many of the very high marks were coming from people who only went for coffee. So, it sounds like they have a strong coffee bar. And I can see how the neighborhood would appreciate having a local place to get a good cup of coffee. I just hope they improve the food. The menu has a lot of potential, but the execution was pretty lacking. I am expecting a lot of people to disagree with me, but I really want to hear from those of you who have eaten a full meal here. What were your thoughts? Who knows, maybe it was just an off night when we were there. I hope so.

Open Society

4850 North College Ave

Indy 46205

317/999-8706

http://www.opensocietyindy.com/

Guest Post: General American Donut Campany

by: Gwen 

When it comes to donuts, Indy is a city divided.  There are die-hard Taylor’s Bakery fans, Boyden’s Bakery devotees, and east coast transplants who will only eat Dunkin’ Donuts.  And don’t forget about Long’s Bakery, whose donuts have an almost religious following.  But the folks at General American Donut Company hope to unite the Circle City with their creative take on breakfast goodies.  

General American Donut Company is Indianapolis’s first craft donut shop.  Their menu features inventive varieties like Peanut Butter & Jelly and Crème Brulee, classic flavors like the Raised Glazed, and The Bennie—GADCo’s version of the “cronut.”  But the initial draw for me was the Stumptown Coffee.  This rich, flavorful java hails from Portland, Oregon and tastes great as brewed coffee, espresso, or bottled as a “Cold Brew.”  The cup I drank had a rich, smooth taste that did not disappoint.

I may have come for the coffee, but I quickly realized that the donuts were worth sticking around for.  I wasn’t alone—on their opening day, the line to reach the glass bakery case stretched out the door.  Patrons who braved the almost hour-long line were rewarded with warm, melt-in-your-mouth treats.  I ordered a Salted Caramel donut, a S’mores donut, and a vanilla Bennie.  With a medium coffee, my total came to just under $10.  While this seemed a little steep for three donuts, these pastries were substantial and much larger than most donuts—I only ended up eating about half of each one, leaving me with a terrific late-night snack.

The S’mores variety had a cake donut base filled with homemade marshmallow fluff and topped with a thick chocolate icing and a graham cracker.  Talk about decadence!  The Bennie had buttery, flaky croissant layers but was glazed like a donut.  My absolute favorite was the Salted Caramel.  This yeast donut was topped with subtle caramel icing and beautiful flaked sea salt.  I go gaga over anything salted caramel, but this was absolute perfection.  The caramel had a rich flavor, but it didn’t overpower the delicate flavor of the donut.  

If there is an area where General American Donut Company missed the mark, it was in décor and ambiance.  The bakery is located in what appears to be an old garage that has been painted a bright white inside.  The furniture is a hodgepodge of old tables and chairs, many of which looked rickety and uncomfortable.  The walls were scantily decorated with kitschy Americana deer.  I normally love this shabby chic style, but if you’re going to do it, you really have to commit.  A handful of paintings from your grandmother’s basement and a deer statue don’t cut it.  I couldn’t see myself cozying up here to study with a cup of coffee.  

What General American Donut Company lacks in atmosphere it makes up for with an outstanding product.  Unlike craft donuts I’ve had in other cities, these didn’t feel gimmicky or as if the donuts themselves took a backseat to crazy flavors.  GADCo got basic donuts just right, then dressed them with innovative but crowd-pleasing toppings and fillings.  Indianapolis may just have a new favorite donut.  

General American Donut Company

827 S. East Street

Indy 46225

317/964-0744

http://www.generalamericandonutco.com/ 

Eggshell Bistro - Revisit

This is a brief one, because I only had the one thing, but it had been awhile since I had been to Eggshell Bistro and it seemed worth mentioning. This place is always hard for me to make a decision, because almost everything is egg-based and as you probably know, eggs are one of my favorite things.

After toying with choosing a menu item, our server read off the specials and I quickly was convinced to try the special tart. It was a light flaky crust and was filled with all kinds of good things—artichokes, pancetta, fresh herbs, capers, olive tapenade, eggs and Gruyeye cheese. This thing was super delicious. I liked it because it is light inside, but also thin. I hate it when you get a piece of quiche and it’s huge and way too dense.  This was the opposite of that. And the ingredients gave it a depth of flavor that I find is often missing in egg dishes like this—the olives, capers and the artichokes have that briny, salty, taste that stand out on their own, but there's enough hearty pancetta and cheese to make you feel like you are splurging a bit too. I appreciate the portions here, because they are just right for me, but can see some feeling like they are on the small side. The side of fruit I had was beautiful as well –and I love that it wasn’t full of melon, which I consider the filler fruit (partially because it is one of my least favorite of the fruit varieties).

If this place was closer to me, it would certainly be in my regular rotation although it has some issues about the place that I could see become annoying on a regular basis. For one thing, even though it is never full when I am there (in this instance we were the only ones here), it takes a long time to get your food. Like, a pretty darn long time. I am also not sure how they maintain on the amount of business I see in there, but my friend assured me they are quite busy on the weekends. Also, they do this thing where they put menu items on the menu in lighter font and with an asterisk saying they are “under development.” Which means basically, they are not available to be ordered. Why put them on the menu? Are they trying to convince you to come back to try said item? I just felt frustrated I couldn’t get that tuna sandwich that sounded so good. I noticed this on my first visit as well. I say, don’t tease. If you want to test it on a few days make it a special. If you aren’t going to serve it, don’t put it on the menu. Just my two cents. But I do wanna try that sandwich….

Eggshell Bistro

51 West Carmel City Drive

Carmel, IN  46032

317/660-1616

www.eggshellbistro.com 

Lulu's Coffee and Bakehouse

Every so often I ask on twitter for favorite restaurants in an area, or cuisine, or whatever just to try and get some new motivation. The other day I asked for favorite lunch places and was surprised when one of my twitter friends suggested a place I wasn’t familiar with—Lulu’s Coffee & Bakehouse. So naturally, I had to try it.

I took the BFF and we headed for lunch. It’s a small place and you order at the counter. I was intrigued by the “Greenwich Panini” special and asked what was in it—a very nice lady from the kitchen came and was happy to explain it to me (and answer several other questions about the menu, like is there fruit in the chicken salad? (Yes)).

I went ahead and got the Greenwich Panini because it sounded interesting—it was cheddar and provolone cheese, sliced avocado, jalapeno cream cheese and a sprinkle of cilantro. It was pressed flat and served hot on sourdough bread. The sandwiches are served a la carte, so I ordered a side salad as well (my whole meal with a small bottle of Pellegrino was about $12). I liked the sandwich—it had a good amount of ripe avocado on it so that you got some in every bite and the jalapeno cream cheese added a little bit of spicy heat which made the sandwich unique. I appreciated the addition of the cilantro in theory, but in execution, you couldn’t taste it that much. The sandwich was solid and I ate it all.  The side salad was just romaine lettuce chopped up with a slice of tomato and a slice of cucumber on top. I learned most of the dressings aren’t made in house—I had the blue cheese and it was just standard bottled blue cheese. Too bad because this is the kind of place that could set itself apart by doing something like making their own dressings and using them on the sandwiches as well (apparently they do do this with their one housemade dressing which is the honey mustard).

My BFF’s sandwich was a little more straightforward, and sadly a little more boring. She had the garden sandwich ($5.09) which was wheat bread just stacked with lots of fresh veggies. There were a few black olives on it, as well as a smear of hummus, but I couldn’t really taste the hummus in the bite I had. She also had the chicken chili, which she seemed to enjoy but I didn’t try it.

They’re using fresh ingredients, and the food seems healthy. These are sort of like the kind of sandwiches you could pretty easily make at home yourself.  Not sure I would make a special trip, but if this were my home or work neighborhood, I can see stopping in for a bite. There were several kinds of quiches available as well that looked good (they even do a gluten free one with a crisp potato crust that looked pretty darn good). The people are very nice. Anyone else been there?

Lulu’s Coffee & Bakehouse

2292 West 86^th Street

Indy 46260

317/879-1995

http://www.luluscoffeeandbakehouse.com/