U.S. Adventures: Palm Beach, Florida

I’m going to try and make this pretty quick, because it’s a post from outside Indy, but no promises. For my birthday, hubby took me and the kids to Palm Beach for a little getaway. The thing that excited me about this place when I started researching restaurants was how many great options were.

For my birthday dinner, we went to my number one choice—a place called Buccan. It had great ratings and a great sounding menu. I so wish Indy had a place with a menu like this. Highlights of the appetizers (besides for the amazing bread plate) were Hamachi sashimi ($16) andbeef tartare ($14). On top of that wonderfully seasoned tartare was a breaded and fried poached egg. It had lots of acid and even my daughter loved it.

Highlights of the main part of the dinner were hubby’s pork tacos ($5.50) with avocado crema and salsa verde and the short rib empanadas ($6 each) with salsa criolla and aji Amarillo. They flavor profiles of these small plates were intense. Honestly better than my birthday splurge of house made pappardelle with shaved white truffles, which was fun and tasty and rich, but just didn’t stand out the same way. The other highlight believe it or not was my son’s roasted half chicken “Boudin” with mustard jus ($29). Wow, that skin on that chicken was amazing for real. So much flavor and so super crisp. I would actually order it myself if I went back. I loved this place. We even watched Dr. Oz have a few words with the hostess at the table next to us.

My next favorite dinner was at Echo. This is a Japanese restaurant—they do sushi but so much more, and while both the rolls we had were quite good (gotta love a roll with some real fresh jumbo lump crab in it (the Hurricane roll at $17) and a roll with spicy conch on top (the Palm Beach roll at $16))—the highlight of the evening for me was the two hot entrées that my kids chose. My favorite was the sweet and sour halibut ($32) which had large chunks of tempura fried halibut (perfectly juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside) all tossed in a slightly sweet, but not cloying, sauce. It had a good tang to it and I loved it. We also enjoyed sharing the wagyu flatiron steak ($35) with bulgogi marinade. Ok, really what we really liked about it was the kimchi fried rice underneath. That stuff was amazing. I mean the beef was good—a touch chewy, but that rice was fabulous. The entire table also enjoyed the Peking duck buns ($22). The biggest letdown was the salmon and tuna tartare duo that hubby and I ordered—it was really pretty bland. This restaurant was DARK though. Really dark. I never use my phone as a flashlight in restaurants and there was no other way here.

We also went to dinner at PB Catch, which is your basic seafood place. There was nothing wrong with this place, but nothing stood out in the same was as the first two. I also realized those giant stone crab claws just aren’t that special for me. Give me a Dungeness any day. (We did have a couple and they were really expensive and just ok). Hubby and I shared everything we ordered and the grilled oysters with paprika butter were very good. The oysters here were very fresh. I also ordered another appetizer as my entrée and it was very unique—and one of the best things on the table all night. It was a dish with bay scallops that were deep fried and served with spaetzle, compressed apple (in little balls that almost looked like scallops themselves) and little bits of braised oxtail ($20). It was a wonderful dish. My daughter’s tuna ($42) contained lots of olives and was tasty as well. Hubby’s fish and chips were not good. That crust was soggy.

We also ate lunch in Del Ray Beach one day when we wanted to check out another area (it’s a cute little beachy town with lots and lots of bars and restaurants and a few shops). We ate at City Oyster and had a nice meal there as well. Hubby and I shared the carpaccio of tuna with fennel, capers, and basil ($13.75) and the salmon BLT ($16) served on housemade challah bread with caper aioli. The BLT was heavy on bread, but we ate it open-faced and it was delish. The tuna was unique in presentation and all the sauces along the edge made the dish. The kids were also happy with their clam chowder (son) and seared mahi mahi (daughter). Also, we splurged and had dessert. The key lime pie and chocolate pudding with sea salt ($7) also both very good.

Other than these, most of the meals were in the hotel gazing at the ocean and were wonderful because of the views—and the food wasn’t bad either, although not quite as stellar as the other things we had out. We stayed at Eau Palm Beach if anyone is interested hearing more about it, drop me a line.

All in all, a great trip, great weather, and a perfect way to spend my birthday.

Byrne's Grilled Pizza

I took my daughter to see Wizard of Oz at Clowes Hall the other day—I needed somewhere we could eat an early supper nearby before the 6:30 show time. No idea where her love of musical theater comes from…but that’s another story.

I remembered hearing about Byrne’s Grilled Pizza taking over the old Oh Yumm spot on Illinois and thought it would be perfect. They are also open all day and on Sundays. Check and check. Byrnes started its life as a food truck that many people had mentioned to me, but I had never gotten a chance to try. Nice to see they have done well enough to move into a brick and mortar spot.

Because it was so early, we were the only ones there for a while, but our server was exceptionally friendly and helpful.  We started with an order of breadsticks (2 or 4 per order, we had 2) with a side of garlic olive oil for dipping (there are several dipping options) ($3.25). The breadsticks are their pizza dough done in a chewy breadstick and topped with salt. Interesting, because their pizza crusts are the super thin type, but these were pretty good. I really enjoyed the garlic dipping sauce, which was a pretty simple combo of good quality olive oil and minced garlic. The garlic was yummy, as garlic tends to be.

Their pizzas come in two sizes—the smaller one being a personal pan size. We each got one of these. It was a good way to try two completely different pies as well. I had “The Californian” ($10) and my daughter the “PBS” ($10). We both enjoyed our pizzas. Mine was topped with red sauce, spinach, bacon, plum tomato slices and avocado. And cheese of course. The crust here is very thin and crisp—almost more like a flatbread. I enjoyed the nice change of pace. I also liked that they gave you just enough of each topping, and not so much that the pizza became soggy or overwhelmed. They also liberally season their pizzas with dried herbs.

My daughter’s PBS had pepperoni, Smoking Goose jowl bacon and sausage (and cheese and red sauce). She really seemed to enjoy it. She ordered it because it had Smoking Goose bacon and she “only eats bacon from Smoking Goose.” Seriously. It’s kind of a problem because there’s a lot of bacon in this world that isn’t Smoking Goose. Anyhow, she ate almost all of it, which is a sure sign that she enjoyed it. She prefers the crumbly bits of sausage on pizza and that is the kind they use here. Again, super crispy crust. 

I was also happy to see that Byrnes had also acquired the Oh Yumm chocolate chip bread pudding recipe. Whenever hubby and ate there, we always looked forward to this dessert. It was still delicious—studded with lots of chocolate chips in a very moist bread pudding topped with vanilla and raspberry sauce and a couple slices of strawberry. It was nice to see it passed along. Apparently Byrnes hired several of the staff from Oh Yumm as well, which was also nice to hear.

The interior is a little more stark, with some wooden beams added to the ceiling and a counter from which you can order carry out (which seemed a popular option as people were coming in the whole time we were there to do just that on a cold Sunday evening). If you like that cracker thin type of crust, and more creative topping options than many places are offering (would like to try the Mexican pizza), you should check this place out. Let me know what you think.

Byrne’s Grilled Pizza

5615 N. Illinois Street

Indy 46208

317/737-2056

www.byrnespizza.com  

Recess - Revisit

This week’s quickie post is about Recess. I saw in their social media that they were doing the Room 4 cheeseburger for a couple of nights and I needed to eat it. The kids are also fans, so we trekked over as a family.

That burger? One of the best in town (fat burger wise anyhow). Tender meat, cheese, Dijon/mayo, lettuce, onions, pickles (I had to get them on the side because I was sharing with hubby) and a Brioche bun. Perfect.  And the crispy fries (more like slices) are strangely addictive. There were fights over them at our table. Those burgers were just pouring out of the kitchen all night.

We also ordered the chirashi, or scattered sushi bowl—the first time I have really tried the new raw bar menu. There was tuna, Hamachi and salmon sashimi served over sticky sushi rice with chunks of cucumber (could have lived without those personally) but I loved the shaved lightly pickled cucumbers on the side. Wonderful fish, delightfully simple, but great dish.

My daughter also ordered the goat cheese quesadilla with chicken. It was wee, but mucho delicious. We ended up ordering a second one because everyone wanted some of the first one. 

The food at Recess is always great. The service can get a little sketchy. Prepare for a little more time than you would think is my advice. And enjoy every bite. And if that burger’s on the menu, go get one. 

Recess

4907 N. College Ave

Indy 46205

317/925-7529

www.recessindy.com

Ramen Ray

Ok, I broke my rule about waiting a couple weeks before going somewhere new here, but I figured with the massive amounts of business they’ve had, they probably have lots of practice by now right? Plus, this place is right by my house and I have been waiting patiently (or not) for months for it to open.

I went with two friends and we tried everything on the menu. There are only three choices on the menu, so it’s pretty easy to do. We each got one of the different flavors of ramen and I tried them all (the bowls are around $13 each). I had the shio broth (which means salt) and my friends had the shoyu (soy) and miso (which is fermented bean paste). I think the shio is kind of the purest of the forms maybe, and the most delicate of the flavors. I enjoyed it and all the little bits of pork that were in there mixed with the noodles, but if you are looking for that big slice of pork on top, this one doesn’t come with it. Instead, there’s a little slice of fish roll. The broth did have a nuanced flavor and the bites with the egg were superb, but if you’re looking for something more in your face flavor-wise, you might want to try one of the others.

shio

The miso (which contains fish sauce and peanuts for those with allergy concerns) tasted heavily of miso—you know, like the soup you get before your sushi. I happen to really enjoy miso soup, so I thought this one was good, and it was certainly a stronger flavor than mine. This one had the pork slice as well as the egg and it’s unique topping was corn, which I will have to say is not my favorite ramen ingredient.

miso

I tasted the shoyu last, and after eating mine for several minutes beforehand, the soy flavor really whopped me. It’s definitely a darker and stronger flavor. Also good. This one also has the egg and pork (and they all had fresh bean sprouts and noodles obviously) as well as some seaweed. Speaking of noodles, they import their noodles from Japan, and apparently age them in the front counter. The noodles were good—they had some toothiness to them and didn’t just kind of dissolve the way rice noodles do. The only option they were offering when we were there was to add extra noodles, but honestly, there were a lot of noodles and I don’t know how they could even fit more in the bowl. You really don’t need extra in my opinion. The half soft-boiled eggs were also just right, with a just set yolk. One friend also snuck in a jar of togarashi to jazz up the soup after reading that it was a good idea. It was. We all used it.

shoyu

So overall, what do I think? I think Ramen Ray is certainly some of the best ramen in Indy (along with Rook) not that there are really many other places to compare to. I enjoy a nice bowl of noodles as much as the next gal, but I still haven’t found a bowl of ramen in Indy that can compare to the ones I have had in New York and Chicago (honestly, the best so far being Yusho in Chicago). And judging by the enthusiasm and crowds at this place (the entire restaurant was full before they even started serving at noon), Indy is itching for more ramen choices. Hopefully this starts a trend.

I do think they would do themselves a favor opening earlier than noon (the current hours are 12-2:00 and then reopening at 5:00 for dinner). Allowing people to get there earlier than noon, when a lot of people are just starting a lunch break would break up the crush of people all arriving at the same time I think. They are very friendly in there though and do everything they can to keep things moving along. I will certainly go back at some point when the crowds die down, as it is so convenient for me. However one of my friends, who lives near Westfield, said she’d be hard-pressed to come all the way to this side of town for this meal again (she has eaten a lot of the ramen I have had in other cities right alongside me).

the line at noon

I’m sure they will do well though, and it’s a decent ramen option. And I love that they focus so much on just doing the three types of ramen. To me, that shows real passion for the actual product they are making by not overextending themselves into areas where they may not shine. 

On the other hand, if you get tired of waiting at Ramen Ray, head across 71^st Street to Long Thanh and get some great Vietnamese food (don’t get the Chinese food though) without any wait. They even have noodles.

Ramen Ray

5628 East 71^st Street

Indy 46220

Apparently no phone, no website, but they are on facebook

Bluebeard - Revisit

Ok, another quickie Thursday post…. about Bluebeard. It was my daughter’s birthday and her choice (I am raising these kids right obviously).

When it’s her choice, we always get the bread plate ($4). She’s a carb fiend. The bread plate at Bluebeard is always good and this time I was pleased to find the anchovy butter a little less strong than usual. It was delightful. Also sauerkraut and mustard butter, although I did kind of miss a sweet choice.

Also, Crab Rangoon ($14) at Bluebeard? Yes please. Loved they offered two sauces—one being soy and Sriracha based (the other a lemongrass sweet and sour). I always eat my Rangoons with soy.

And octopus? Well Bluebeard never screws it up. How come it can be so god awful chewy some places and so perfectly tender at others? It always is done right here. Served on grilled bread with bagna cauda (a garlic and anchovy type spread). 

They were obviously featuring king crab on the menu in a couple ways, and my son was thrilled to have it as an option for dinner ($26). They even took the shells off. I thought it was great, but he wished it was warm. The waffle fries and curried ketchup on the side? A tad addicting.

My daughter chose the lasagna ($26). Ridiculously huge. This portion could feed a family of four. Made with lamb, it was interesting although probably the least favorite item of the evening. It just didn’t wow us.

I had an interesting “lobster” roll made with monkfish ($18). It was also unique—sort of a deconstructed lobster roll. I really liked it with the pickles on it and the curried lobster remoulade.

But the star of the evening was the bucatini ($18) with a poached egg, ham, sweet potato, zucchini, pearl onions and Parmesan in a carbonara sauce. That my friends, was one of the best pastas I have eaten in Indy in years. Maybe ever. Seriously, you ever see that on the menu, order it. We fought over it.

There were desserts too… also good. This place is solid. So nice to have such a reliably good place to eat in this town.

Bluebeard

653 Virginia Avenue

Indy, 46203

317/686-1580

www.bluebeardindy.com

Diavola Pizza

Hubby and I had a date night the other night and were struggling with somewhere to go. We wanted something new but really didn’t want to go downtown either. Several of you guys asked if I had been to Diavola yet, and I hadn’t, so we decided to check it out. Diavola is the new Neapolitan style pizza place in the old Zest/Twist location on 54^th Street. We didn’t know it going in, but the same man who owns Ambrosia Italian owns it. They have done a nice job with the interior—it’s nicer feeling than your average pizza joint and could stand up to it being a date night.

The pictures of the pizza online were certainly appealing, so we were looking forward to it. We started with the arugula salad ($9)(what you see in the picture is half-they split it in the kitchen for us). It was done well—nice crisp, fresh arugula with shaved Parmesan and some homemade croutons that had a nice herby flavor and a light vinaigrette. It was dressed appropriately and a nice thing to start with. I also liked that it wasn’t ridiculously huge, so you didn’t feel overwhelmed before you even got to the pizza.

Our server recommended if we split a pizza, that splitting a salad and appetizer was a good way to go and would be about the right amount of food. Based on her advice, we ordered the polpo appetizer ($13) next. This was the first clue for me about it being owned by Ambrosia. The set up was really similar to the octopus dish there. There were little cakes made of potato underneath, the charred roasted octopus on top, and there was a lemon vinaigrette throughout the dish. There was also a small pile of undressed arugula in the center of the plate topped with sliced olives. The olives were nice and salty and were a nice component in the dish. The potatoes were ok, a little bland maybe, but the biggest problem with the dish was the octopus itself. It was terribly chewy and overcooked. It looked pretty but it was borderline inedible. The vinaigrette was good as were the olives. That’s about all I can say positive about this dish.

We ordered a pizza ($14) and got a half and half combo—our server assured us we could do that. I chose the Contadina minus the roasted red peppers and hubby chose the Diavola. That meant that my side of the pizza would have artichokes, roasted mushrooms, basil, their homemade tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. Hubby’s would have the same sauce, basil, and cheese as well as spicy soppressata and extra virgin olive oil. Ok, my first gripe was that I had them hold the roasted red peppers because I feel like they dominate flavors too much, and in general, I don’t really love bell peppers. But for some reason, they added green bell peppers to my side, which I like even less, and which bummed me out. Other than that, the pizza was just ok. The middle of the crust was way too soggy and even the outside was a bit limp. Hubby was not finding a lot of the spicy soppressata on his side—he wished for more. I think part of the problem was that there was too much of other things on the pizza—from the toppings themselves to the cheese and sauce—it all didn’t help the crust any. The crust just couldn’t stand up to it. It’s possible that this place will perfect the pizza (I hope so) as it is open longer—I feel like it took both Pizzology and Napolese a bit of time to really perfect the pies, but I can’t say I would be rushing back to check. Based on this visit, I think there are many better options in town (mentioned above). Also, I have no idea if they even offer dessert because a check was plunked down before we were even asked. Maybe our server thought we had had enough, who knows.

Diavola Pizza

1134 East 54^th Street

Indy 46220

317/820-5100

https://www.facebook.com/diavolapizzaandwine/ 

Milktooth - Revisit

Here’s a quickie post—because well, Milktooth. I have written about it a lot. It’s no surprise that I am a fan of this place—I know there are some people that think it’s a bit precious, but I am not one of them.

Lunch with the ladies—we were treated to some uni spoons—not something I would normally order, but really good. Sometimes uni is a bit over the top for me, but these were perfect little umami bombs. A spoon, the uni, a bit of a soy-based sauce and a touch of wasabi on the end. Nicely done.

I have a thing for the lamb frita ($10) with pineapple pickled jalapenos, chile ketchup, white American cheese and tostones—oh yeah and add a fried egg ($2.50). I’ve had it before, written about it before, and will likely eat it again should the opportunity arise. A damn flavorful burger-type sandwich.

One friend had the Korean bbq wings ($12). Wow. Crispy fried wings in a wonderful, slightly sweet, slightly savory sauce. A nice sesame flavor and served with a lime. Hard to not want to order these again too should the appear on the menu. These things were slightly addictive.

A doughnut was also shared—served with a distinctive citrus glaze and some granola on top as well. I enjoy the sweets at Milktooth a lot, but am more easily lured by the savory options…. Although a salted rye brownie ($4) sounds good about now.

This place gets written up in some national publication like every other month—you should go try it if you haven’t already. It really is like nothing else in Indy.

Milktooth

540 Virginia Ave

Indy  46203

317/292-2280

www.milktoothindy.com

Table by Market District

I have been hearing lots and lots of things about Market District the store—and had not even been there to shop. But then I heard there was a restaurant too, and that’s what got me in the door. The main reason I haven’t been is because it’s not close to us, and even more specifically because, Meridian Street. I have avoided that area like the plague.

I was surprised to see that it’s a nicer, more full service type restaurant than I expected. I was kind of expecting a café-type place, but this place has a wine list, lots of booths and table service. The menu is actually very appealing as well—there’s a whole list of doctored up French fries (they call them “knife and fork fries”) that sound good, some nice salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. I went with the BELT pizza ($12). This was a pizza crust topped with bacon, egg, blistered tomatoes, provolone and fresh arugula. (I am sure you are shocked to hear that I ordered pizza that had eggs on it.) This was a really good pizza. The crust stood up to all those toppings—even with those perfectly delicious runny eggs on top, and was still crisp on the edges. I loved the lightly seasoned fresh arugula on top to give the whole thing that crunchy fresh edge. Even though it’s not really tomato time, by blistering the cherry tomatoes, they had a great softness and sweetness. And did I mention the perfect eggs being yolky all over the whole thing? And yet still not runny whites? It was very well done and I would eat it again. My friend, who may be slightly less a fan of all that egg on a pizza really enjoyed it as well and even took my leftovers home.

He had the “turf and turf” burger ($13), which was quite a large burger topped with house smoked BBQ pork, cheddar cheese, fried onion strings, BBQ sauce and pickled chow chow. The burger patty itself was made with a brisket and chuck blend and was extremely flavorful and tender—and they cooked it pretty nicely too, with a nice pink interior. There was a lot of stuff going on with this burger, and I am not usually a fan of BBQ sauce on a burger, but this was very tasty. Loved the texture from the onions and the acid from the pickled veggies. It was large, but not ridiculously so, and the bun (brioche) was soft and smashed down as you ate it. Much better than the too-firm pretzel buns I am seeing a lot as of late. I hate it when the bun makes it too hard to eat.

Like I said, I like the menu here a lot—there were lots of things I would like to try and based on what I had, I will certainly return. I also like that their “kid’s menu” includes not only some of the regular type choices, but that they will make any of the menu items at a smaller sized to allow kids to order everything on the regular menu. My kids will really dig this, as they aren’t huge fans of many of the typical kid’s menu choices.

The service was extremely attentive and the food was well paced. Like I said, I look forward to trying it again soon—maybe even for dinner with the kids. I just wish the traffic out there wasn’t so crazy. Oh yeah, I also checked out the grocery store. It is massive! I was just sort of browsing to see what they had, but that fish counter was very tempting. It’s nice too that while they have the gourmet stuff, you can still get regular stuff there too like name brand soda and cereals. If it was closer to me, it would certainly go into regular grocery store rotation.

Anyone else eaten at Table yet? Curious to hear what you had/what you thought.

Table by Market District

11505 North Illinois

Carmel, IN  46032

317/689-6330

www.marketdistrict.com  

Marco's Pizza

Here’s real quickie one—even though it is not a place that I have written about before, since we only got the one pizza (well, we only ate the one pizza), I thought I would just mention Marco’s. This place is a chain, but I had it at a kid’s birthday party and thought, hey, this is pretty good pizza so we ordered it for my daughter and her friends on her birthday.

Hubby and I got our classic toppings—red onion and mushroom. We also heated up our pizza stone in the oven while we waited for the delivery (I like that you can set a delivery early in the day to come at a certain time). The crust has a good amount of chewiness that I like and the sauce is not sweet. And there isn’t too much of it. We got it crisp on the stone, and it was a tasty diner. I will say though, I sort of hate their website—for some reason it is really difficult to just see what’s on the menu and how many people the pies serve.

All in all, it is a decent delivery option. Honestly, better than most I have found. It’s not overtopped and the crust has a nice yeasty flavor. What do you think? What’s your go-to easy delivery option for pizza?

Marco’s Pizza

7002 Lake Plaza Drive (multiple locations)

Indy 46220

317/849-7300

www.marcos.com 

Kuma's Corner

I finally got around to meeting a friend for lunch at Kuma’s. I have wanted to go there since it opened, but honestly, just kept forgetting about it. It is a place I had wanted to try in Chicago, but once I figured out it was opening here, I thought, no point wasting a Chicago meal on something I can get here!

First things first, it’s loud. Really loud. Their thing is death metal music—it’s what they play, and it’s how the burgers are named. Hey I get it, my boyfriend in high school was into this exact music—I have heard my fair share. But that was a long time ago for me, and I just have a hard time with any kind of music this loud unless I’m at a concert. It’s hard to carry on a conversation. Even the server sort of joked about how hard it is to take orders. We were eating early so it was extra loud when we first got there because we were the first customers of the day—and they did turn it down a teensy bit after a few tables were seated. But prepare yourself. This is not a place for any kind of deep conversation.

But it was ok for us; we were just having a quick lunch. I like the way they offer smaller versions of many of their signature burgers on the lunch menu—a reduced size and a reduced price (the lunch burgers are around $9) I ordered the “Kuma” burger—I always think the one named after the place must be good right? It was a burger topped with sharp cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and a beautifully fried egg. While the burgers are cooked to order, because the smaller versions are harder to modulate I guess, you can only get rare, medium or well done. I normally would get medium rare, but that’s only available on the full-sized patties. So I went with medium. My friend got rare and it was probably the better choice. The burgers are served on pretzel rolls—I like this idea in theory, if it’s a nice soft, warm pretzel roll, but these are just a little dense for me—and big. Hard to fit in my mouth. I can only imagine the larger burger. The burger itself and the toppings were good though---a quality burger. Tender meat, perfect egg and the right proportions. We got fries with ours as our side and they were very good—those slightly fatter, slightly browner Brugge-style fries. Nice and salty. They serve them with their house ketchup but I noticed they had a garlic mayo on the menu so I got a side of that too. That was a good choice. Also good on my burger. I would definitely recommend getting it. My friend ordered the chipotle mayo on the side for the same reason and it was good as well—although it had some serious kick to it.

His burger was pretty darn good —it had a Greek flavor to it with herbed goat cheese, kalamata olives, and a tzatziki-like sauce if I recall properly. It had a more distinctive unique flavor than the Kuma burger, which was more like a jacked up version of a regular burger. It was also rare, so it was more tender. I really liked the goat cheese with it. And the olives. You know I love olives.

Overall, these are solid burgers. The fries are also really good. I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best burgers in town, but I would happily eat one again. I wish there were bun options though. Love the fries, and the fact that you have several sauce options to go with them (even if they don’t advertise them as such). I am intrigued by the build your own mac and cheese as well. The server was exceptionally friendly and checked on us often.

You gotta love a restaurant that states clearly on their menu, “there are NO vegan options!” and whose motto is “Harshing your Mellow since 2005.” If you like metal and meat, this is your place.

Kuma’s Corner

1127 Prospect Street

Indy,  46203

317/929-1287

www.kumascorner.com 

Petite Chou - Revisit

Adding back a Thursday post every so often now (did anyone even notice I’ve been doing only one post a week?) Anyway, they are going to be quickie posts probably about places I have written about before. Mostly pictures and a few words.

I had a birthday lunch with my friend Suzanne at Petite Chou the other day (Happy Birthday Suzanne!). They have changed up the menu a bit since I was more of a regular there, and it looks good. 

I had the benedict crepe ($12.95). It was similar to ingredients in a Croque

madame, or an eggs benedict but with less heft, which is what I was looking for. A simple tasty crepe filled with ham, Gruyere cheese and a lovely sunny egg. It also came with Béarnaise sauce that I had on the side because I am particular about my Béarnaise, but I would go for it next time—this was a lovely one with just the right acidic kick. The side salads at chorus always need more dressing, and this was no exception.

Suzanne had “Le Club.” ($11.25) This is a tasty sandwich with all my faves—avocado, roasted rotisserie chicken, Dijon, aioli and bacon. Oh and cucumbers. I could certainly live without them though. It was a triple-decker on thin Brioche. The bread was good, but I would have preferred just two slices. The bread kinda took over.

Oh and the duck fat fries. With the Dijonaise. You cannot go wrong with those. Delicious. Crispy, rich and salty. You should get them.

Petite Chou

823 Westfield Blvd

Indy 46220

317/259-0765

www.petitechoubistro.com  

Ocean Prime - Revisit

For my Mom’s birthday, she chose Ocean Prime for dinner. It had been quite awhile since we had been there, so I figured it was a good time for an update.

There was a lot of food on our table throughout the course of the evening, but I didn’t try everything. I noticed they now have sushi rolls on the menu (not sure if this is new or not) but that sounded good so we decided to order some. We ordered the Dynamite roll ($17) and the lobster roll ($18). We also ended up with a free tuna roll that they accidentally made ($16), so honestly, by the time I was done with this and a few bites of other things, I could have called it a day.

The Dynamite roll was probably my favorite—it was filled with tempura shrimp and spicy mayo and then topped with some more fried shrimp. It was crunchy and quite delicious actually—both the kids and adults liked it a lot—their spicy mayo had a little bit more heat than many.  The lobster roll was filled with poached lobster tail, pickled Serrano peppers, kiwi, and massago. It was topped with more of the peppers and spicy mango puree. This one actually had a serious amount of heat to it. The ingredients were good quality, but I didn’t love this roll. It was a little too spicy, which detracted from the delicate flavor of the lobster. Also fruit in sushi rolls is not my favorite thing.

The free tuna roll was pretty good and probably fell in the middle for me. It was made up of a lot of spicy tuna on top, and avocado and cucumber inside. It also incorporated the wasabi-flavored roe, which actually had a fair amount of wasabi heat, giving this roll a pretty heated taste. All the rolls had a fair amount of spiciness that kind of surprised me a bit. Good or bad, I guess, depending on your taste. But overall, I was fairly impressed with the sushi quality and if I should find myself here again, wouldn’t hesitate to order a roll.

I had a bite of my sister’s salad as well—the Ocean Prime House salad ($10) with romaine, mixed greens, Granny Smith apples, goat cheese, walnuts and a Sherry mustard vinaigrette. I will say, this is a pretty decent tasting salad--the right amount of sweet without being over the top—and the goat cheese, slightly tart apples and vinaigrette balance it all nicely. I love a good vinaigrette. My other favorite appetizer is the goat cheese ravioli with mushrooms ($14), which I wrote about before and which my daughter had on this visit.

Sadly for me, the meal went downhill from here—this is usually my experience at Ocean Prime. You can get some nice apps, but when you move on to an entrée, they just fall a little flat. I split the Ahi tuna ($39) main with my daughter (the picture you see is half of the portion). It was served with small round roasted potatoes, fava beans and a truffle jus. Or so it said. I found the tuna, while cooked pretty well, to be pretty bland. Nothing about it really stood out for me. I didn’t get a lot of truffle taste—and I found it odd to be eating fava beans (and there were peas as well) in the middle of winter.

Luckily, the men in my immediate family did better with their meal—they shared an 8-ounce filet ($41) and thought it was very good. I did get one bite and thought it was good as well--much better than my tuna. They also do a very nice job with the au gratin potatoes at Ocean Prime ($11). They use roasted jalapenos in them, which are tasty—not spicy really at all, just adding richness and a little extra flavor. We have had ups and downs with steaks here, but this one was very good.

My sister's surf and turf app

Overall, it was a better meal altogether than most we have had here. The discovery of the sushi on the menu excited me a bit. I was bummed about my tuna and I wouldn’t order it again. I’m not sure this is a place we would rush back to, but if we do go back, a sushi roll and a steak would make a nice meal. It’s an expensive meal, even when you’re splitting, but such is life in most of the big chain steakhouses.

Our service was good—even with a large group. Hubby wanted me to mention that he hates the chairs here and finds them very uncomfortable. And the big round booths that look pretty cool are laid out right in what is basically a hallway, which isn’t an ideal place to sit either. They do have nice outdoor bar seating when the weather is nice.

All in all, it was a better meal than I was expecting and my mom was happy, so that’s all that matters.

Ocean Prime

8555 North River Road

Indy  46240

317/560-0975

www.oceanprimeindy.com