The Tamale Place

The Tamale Place
5226 Rockville Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46224

I have never been the biggest fan of tamales. They tend to be just one of those Mexican Food side dishes. We (at least in Indiana) tend to find our Mexican food being commercialized, and basic resemblances of the original dishes. With the influx of Hispanic immigrants (not taking a political stance, just stating a fact) we are beginning to see more authentic places come into existence. The Tamale Place is one of those new places.

In encourage you to read their history on the website, as I am here to discuss the food.

The thing I remember about tamales is how a high school Spanish teacher raved about them. Then I ordered one, and it was just plain, blah, and small. This is so not the case with The Tamale Place. These are family recipes, and nothing is blah (or small for that part) about them.

The way that it operates is very simple. Yes, they have a menu on their website. However, as my co-worker Bret found out, they only make a certain number of each tamale every day. So, get their early. As I've hinted to, these tamales are not what I remembered at least. When I've had tamales before, the were maybe the the length of your standard pen and not very thick. However, at The Tamale Place, I would almost consider them double sized, not not plain. But rather stuffed with wonderful flavors.

So far, I've had Chipotle Chicken and the Spicy Pork in Green Sauce tamales. These two tamales changed my whole opinion on the delicacy as a whole. Meat not your thing? They also have vegetarian tamales (which they do not use any meat products in, we've checked), and they are packed with flavor as well.

Tamales not really your thing? How about some of the best tortilla chips you've ever had? They also have an extensive menu boasting nachos (smothered in queso that is to die for), tacos, tortas, etc. I have not heard a complaint about any of their food.

If you are feeling up for some authentic Mexican food make the trip.

Brozinni Pizzeria

8810 South Emerson Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46237

http://www.brozinni.net/

All of us tend to watch the area around us for new restaurants and when something new comes, we add it to the list of places to try. Yet, local places rely on these recommendations to people that don't live in the area. Brozinni Pizzeria is one of the places I probably never would have noticed or been to if I hadn't heard about it from co-workers who reside on the south side. Therefore, I owe this review to Bobby T, Bret, and Casey as if it were not for them, I would have never been to Brozinn's.

In a strip mall off of Emerson and County Line Rd on the south side, sits Brozinni Pizzeria. They offer New York style pizza, pasta dishes, typical pizza place items, and "Knuckles" (which will be discussed later). They sell by the slice at lunch (highly recommend), with pieces being very large. The manager explained to our group at one lunch that their sauces are made in house, which is something to brag about. To me is shows that they care enough to serve quality.

I'll just cut to the point. If you haven't been here yet, go. It is probably one of the best pizzas in Indianapolis (as it would be hard to dethrone Bazbaux). I have loved everything I've had there, but I am a huge fan of the 34th Street. It's a white sauce pizza (remember homemade sauce) with garlic, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, and scoops of ricotta (which isn't listed on the menu). This pizza is nothing short of a masterpiece, and this coming from a guy that almost always has to have meat on his pizza.

I hope you are still with me, as I am yet to discuss the trademark item at Brozinni's, Knuckles. Knuckles are basically breadsticks that are tied in knots, cooked, and drenched in garlic butter. These are a must. I will always get Knuckles every time I go to Brozinni's.

Like I said earlier, if you haven't been to Brozinni's, go. It might seem a bit out of the way for people that don't live on the south side. But it is worth the trip.

West Coast Tacos

The newest hype to hit Indianapolis, a Taco Truck. But not just any taco truck, it's West Coast Tacos. I started seeing mentions of this place on Twitter and decided to do a bit more digging.

Apparently, the founder is originally from Indianapolis, moved out to LA for a few year, and brought back the idea of a Taco Truck (serving West Coast style tacos). The tricky thing is, they don't have a dedicated location. Rather, they have a few regular spots, and tweet the night before where they will be (follow @WestCoastTacos). Conveniently, they are usually in Broad Ripple on Friday and Saturday nights. Personally, I love the concept of using new media. However, I wonder how well it will work when the newness wears off and they aren't so popular any longer.

The menu is very simple as when we went, they had three types of tacos, chicken, steak, and pork. For those of you not familiar with the style of tacos from the left coast, take your regular taco, get rid of all the lettuce, tomatoes, etc, and wrap up some very flavorful meat in a corn tortilla. The prices are rather reasonable, $2/taco, or 3 for $5. If you are a bigger dude, I recommend getting more than the 3.

My opinion, as well as a few others, is that overall, these tacos are great! The meat is full of flavor, but be warned, it's not bland like most tacos. One bite left me wanting more. My one knock is that the tortillas were a bit dry. I'm not a food expert, but maybe a bit of steaming of the tortillas would help. However, Melissa and I agreed, we will be getting these tacos again, but probably when they are closer to home.

Santorini Greek Kitchen

1417 E. Prospect St.
Indianapolis, IN 46203

http://www.greekkitchen.dine.com/

Located in a converted house in the Fountain Square section of Indianapolis, Santorini Greek Kitchen (Santorini's as most of my friends call it) is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to eat. Quite frankly, I must not be the only one as it is perennially listed as Best Greek Resturant in Indianapolis.

One thing that you MUST, and I will always get, is the Saganaki, aka flaming cheese. They serve so much of this that their ceiling tiles have smoke marks on them, seriously. With some of the best pita bread, this warm cheese is close to heaven in your mouth.

It will be hard for me to ever try something besides the gyro. They do not skimp on the lamb and beef which is perfectly seasoned. It is served open faced because there is that much meat on the same pitas that come with the Saganaki. The sauce (I always call it gyro sauce, some call it a cucumber sauce, others by it's name) is on par with some of the best I've had as well. Topped with feta cheese and some Roma tomatoes, now my mouth is watering.

I have only been for lunch, so this section might not apply if you go for dinner. The gyro comes with two different options french fries or for a dollar more, potatoes with Greek seasoning, green beans, and rice pilaf. The first time I got the platter, and I will save my dollar next time. It might just be personal taste as others swear by the platter. I felt the seasoning on the potatoes was too much, the rice pilaf was bland, and the green beans were nothing special. Yet, the fact that I will go there again speaks leaps and bounds about my feelings for the saganaki and gyro.

My next visit is already in the planing stages.

King David's Dogs

www.kingdaviddogs.com

15 N Pennsylvania
Indianapolis, IN

I will make this quick and simple as King David's Dogs is widely known and widely touted. This place is regularly voted "Best Hot Dog" in Indianapolis Monthly.

It's kind of hard to get to unless you happen to be downtown for lunch or late afternoon as they close at 4pm.

If you are downtown when they are open and haven't been there, go. It is great! So many different options, and even some that are not on the published menu. All of the many stiles are covered, Chicago, New York, Chili, etc. If you like pretzel bread, try the pretzel dog.

Ok, like I said before, everyone and their mom knows how good this place is. Now just go check it out.

Mug N Bun

www.mug-n-bun.com

5211 W. 10th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46224

There use to be one in every town, a drive-in restaurant. Heck, even McDonald's started out as a drive-in. While Sonic does a rather good job of keeping this idea around, it's the small places that are the real treasure.

Like a lot of the places that I've had the pleasure to go, this was recommended by a co-worker. However, just mentioning on Facebook that I was looking to go there brought some people out of the wood work. Even including a video from The Indy Channel showcasing this treasure on the West side.

While Mug N Bun started as a true drive-in, they have continued to grow much like their patronage. You can still drive-in, they have picnic tables as well as indoor seating (rather new I'm told) to aid in keeping the place open year round. While the address says Indianapolis, I don't know how much closer one could be to Speedway. We ate outside and could tell there were cars on the track. Gotta love Indy in May!

Mug N Bun's extensive menu is loaded with the typical drive-in fare. Burgers, coney dogs, corn dogs, handmade root beer, ice cream, and plenty of fried foods. However, what Mug N Bun is known for is it's breaded tenderloin, along with it's aforementioned root beer. My group decided that we would all get something different and share, so we could get the full experience.

Since we sampled a lot of different things, I'm going with a different format today and describe what I consumed.

Bread Tenderloin: Good size and flavor was what you expect. I was not let down. I got mine today with only onions. Looking back, I wish I would have gone with some lettuce, mayo and ketchup to add to the flavor.

Onion Rings: I do not know if I have EVER had onion rings this good. One thing of note. Usually when one gets onion rings, you bite down and pull away and the rest of the onion comes out. Not here. Two of my friends were going to split the last one, and it was an easy split. DELICIOUS.

Breaded Mushrooms: Good. Nothing out of the ordinary. I'm not sure if they are just pre made out of bag or fresh, but I would get them again.

Hot Pepper Cheese Balls: These were great as well. It's a spicier cheese, but not too spicy, breaded, and deep fried. Very good and I might go this route next time.

Handmade Root Beer: Wonderful. Root beer that you get in a can, has a completely different flavor and texture than handmade root beer. Not a lot of bite, very low carbonation, and not too sweet. How can you go to a Drive-in and not get root beer or a root beer float.

A few notes.

Do you have a hankering for a milkshake? What about a 32 oz. milkshake? Go to Mug N Bun.

Do not go here and plan to eat light or plan to work in the afternoon as a nap is almost mandatory. If you have a tendency to eat lean(er), be cautious of the amount of grease you will consume and how it may affect you body.

This place is another one I am looking forward for a repeat visit. The menu is so large and everything sounds so good! At lunch it was decided that we will make an evening of it. We'll get a group to go to dinner at Mug N Bun, then hit up the drive-in (movie theater) on Tibbs.

Yet another local place with good food.

***HELP***
If anyone knows of how to submit challenges to Man Vs. Food let me know. I love the show and would love to have Adam come and try the challenge at Mug N Bun.

Fireside Brewhouse

http://www.firesidebrewhouse.com/

With a name like Fireside Brewhouse what do you expect? I got it, sushi and Jager Bombs! No? Oh here it is, fried chicken and waffles! Wrong again? Shoot. I digress. What you will find is salads, sandwiches, a different twist on burgers, steaks, and pizza. Oh, I forgot to mention, one of the best beer selections on the south side.

Remember when it use to be, "We have both types Budweiser and Miller". Blues Brothers rip off aside, I have a feeling we are going to see more of these brewhouses popping up with the ever increasing popularity of the US Microbrewery market. What you run across is that these places need to have something that sets them apart and makes the distinguishable from the next place down the road. What they have at Fireside, "The Dude".

When you look at the menu online, Fireside shares their beer selection. However, while it is rather extensive, ask your server regardless. I did not see Sun King Cream Ale on the menu, but I sure enjoyed two pints with dinner.

As menus typically do, the food looks amazing. The Three Blind Mice will probably be the next item I try, as the picture show it's uniqueness, but aids in it's mouth watering tendencies. However, my choice for the evening was, The Dude.

I had heard rumors of this different take on burgers and decided, it was what I needed to have. The dude is a half pound burger and slice of Velveeta dipped in batter, and deep fried. Yes, it does sound like a heart attack. For those of you thinking that this is just a restaurant's variation of your school cafeteria favorite, The Breaded Cheeseburger, you are sorely mistaken. The burger is essentially made like the other burgers, then dipped (in a different type of batter) and fried.

Honest opinion on The Dude, eh it was ok. Once the novelty of it wore off, I could focus on the taste more. I was not a fan of grilled taste and the breadedness together. I don't know if it threw me off, or they just didn't bode well together for me. If I had it to do over again, I'd save my calories for something else. Further note, the ladies in our group had burgers, but tend to stick to a leaner diet and they didn't stick well with them.

All that aside, I would like to go again. I know, I just bashed THE THING to set them apart. True, but I'm itching to try The Three Blind Mice. :)

Give the place a chance and make sure to check out Sun King, they are local and pretty good. Don't be afraid to follow me for more reviews. I really hope there are more than 4 followers out there (with one being my wife) :)

El Azabache

http://www.elazabacherestaurant.com/

4200 S. East St., Indianapolis - IN (reviewed)

9976 E. Washington St., Indianapolis - IN

One of my college friends asked that I review an authentic Mexican restaurant. I hope this works for you Mary, but it might not be on your side of town.

Of all days to crave Mexican food, Cinco de Mayo is the day we spontaneously decided to lunch at El Azabache. As you can imagine, the place was packed.

After being seated, the table is given chips and salsa, as is customary with moth Mexican food places. The salsa was nothing spectacular, but better than overly processed jar salsa. That said, I still ate my fair share. :) One of the advantages of going at lunch is that they have lunch sized portions (and prices) of most of their popular menu items. This was my choice as they were advertising a new item, Arroz con Pollo.

Arroz con Pollo: Chicken Fajita covered with cheese dip, guacamole salad and Pico de Gallo. Served with a side of rice and flour tortillas.

Typically, I order light when eating Mexican food because I fill up on chips and salsa. However, this time, the Arroz con Pollo sounded like exactly what I wanted. Once the dish hit the table, it was on! The aroma was tantalizing, and the food was right there to meet, if not exceed, the reputation the aroma gave. Everything was paired nicely together and worked almost to perfection. I ran out of tortillas and progressed to using chips, which played nicely as well. Even though I had gorged myself on chips and salsa, I found room to finish, even if I might have been worthless the rest of the afternoon (kidding).

For being probably the busiest day of the year, El Azabache was well prepared. The servers were great and there was a mariachi band roaming and serenading all of the patrons. Since we went for lunch, none of us partook in the adult beverages. However, if you are looking for a Mexican beer (all of the big players), Margarita, or shots of Tequila (wide selection as well), they have them to accompany the great food.

I will be going back to this place! As I'm writing, I'm dreaming of the Arroz con Pollo again!

Sorry

I have been getting a great deal of slack from people because I haven't updated lately. You are correct, Casey J Sprouse, and I do need to update. I have just had life happen and have been busy. I have 2 to review, El Azabache (from 5 May) and Fireside Brewhouse (visit 7 May). They are coming, I promise. Oh, and a heart attack discussion is coming in one.

Pasquales - Kentucky Ave.

My lunch group (Young Peoples Lunch or Awesome People Lunch depending on who you talk to) is getting in the habit of having lunch together once a week. Not everyone works at Lilly Technology Center - North. We all have been working on a rotation of places we like, or are interested in trying. All of the places are in various areas of downtown Indy or just outside. Today's selection was Pasquales off of Kentucky Ave, practically to 465 (west side of downtown).

If you like hole in the wall places, this is about as hole in the wall as you get. I remember the first time I went there with a co-worker, and we weren't exactly sure where it was and almost gave up until we found it. Depending on which way you go, it's in a shopping center next to a Rent-A-Center in a shopping plaza that has a Kroger and a Speedway on the other side.

If you are looking for a GREAT pizza buffet, try this place. For the price, you cannot beat it. While the salad bar leaves much to the imagination (iceberg lettuce and salad dressing), other things make up for it. They have spaghetti, garlic cheese bread and pizza also on the buffet line.

The two things that will keep me going back to Pasquales are the garlic cheese bread and the BBQ pizza. My aforementioned co-worker and I have been dreaming about the garlic cheese bread with some of the pasta sauce for dip. I am completely full, and my mouth is watering thinking about it. Also, the BBQ pizza is a must. This delightful pizza is not a regular on the buffet, but they will make it upon request. This pizza uses BBQ sauce for the sauce, ground beef and pepperoni. In case you are thinking that it sounds "eh", chew on this. When the ladies making the pizza come out and say "BBQ" the line is instantly packed and it doesn't last long. It is my favorite.

Like I mentioned before, it is off the beaten path. However, when we arrived around 11:30 am, there were hardly any seats left. Great place and I will be back.

Ale Emporium

http://www.ale-emporium.com/



Last evening after we finished looking at houses, our realtor suggested that we go to dinner at Ale Emporium. We had been to the Ale Emporium before, but mainly for drinks. There was one caveat, we found they have a $7 bacon wrapped filet on Tuesday evenings. I remember thinking, "$7 filet dinner, hmm". We were pleasantly surprised in that it was better than I thought. Granted, it wasn't a filet from St. Elmo's. Seriously, who would I be kidding? However, one of our friends that we went with, opted for the pizza that evening and was very enthused.



Unfortunately, we hadn't been back since. Not for any particular reason, just a lot of different options. That all changed with one suggestion from our wonderful realtor.



We arrived and decided to sit outdoors. We perused the EXTENSIVE beer selection. Most of the beer is import or Micro, with your traditional "big three" domestics. They have some micro on tap. What jumps to mind are select Bell's, Samuel Adams, Three Floyd's, and more. Check out the website as they list them all.



Our pizza arrived and were we in for a treat. I love homemade pizza. I remember having pizza night with family friends growing up. The flavor pops out and is just always wonderful. The pizza at the Ale Emporium was as close to homemade as I have experienced in a very long time. The three of us polished off a 16" pizza without any complaints.



Additionally, we really enjoyed our waiter, Fisher. We were sure to tip well as he did a good job and was very sociable.



If you are in the Castleton area, I highly recommend the Ale Emporium. It has a great beer selection and good food. The atmosphere is top notch as well!

Happy Garden

Have you ever moved to a new town, and have to find your spot for (insert a type of food you enjoy here)? I've lived in the Indy area now for around 3 years and haven't found a place for, as I like to call it, Strip Mall Chinese Food (SMCF). Yes, these places are everywhere and typically all have the same menu, and we all love it.

For Mel and myself, we are a bit picky about trying a new SMCF place. We tried a place around the corner, and really weren't happy. This was probably the last time we've had SMCF in Indy, and were CRAVING it. Let's be honest. We all have had some SMCF that we didn't enjoy and/or made us feel ill afterwards. Thus, we have a recommendation requirement.

Today we had the pleasure of visiting Happy Garden in the Windridge Shopping Center. For those of you who are from Indy and, like me, don't always know the names of shopping centers, it's at 56th St. and Emerson. Still need help? Really close to Cathedral High School and there use to be an O'Malia's grocery store right there (recently closed).

Our church has a super secret rotation of establishments where a group of members and attendees visit after church every Sunday, called Lunch Bunch. While Happy Garden has appeared as an option, we haven't taken the group up on Happy Garden. Today, Happy Garden wasn't the Lunch Bunch option. However, my sister (a former church member and "Lunch Bunch" attendee) suggested we go to Happy Garden, so there was the recommendation we needed.

We fully enjoyed our time at Happy Garden; gorging ourselves on the $5.50 every day lunch buffet. The food is what you expect, and we were in heaven. It had been a while since we'd had Sweet and Sour Chicken with red sauce, Chicken and Mushrooms, General Tso's, etc. (I wish I could add that it had been a while since we had Crab Rangoon, but it hadn't. That my friends is a story for another time). To top it all off, they have Pepsi products meaning Mt. Dew!

If you are like Mel and me and need a recommendation before you try any Strip Mall Chinese Food place, consider this yours.

Getting Started

I am going to admit, I kind of stole this idea from someone on Twitter. A friend in a different city mentioned starting a blog doing food reviews. I like food. I like to eat out. Maybe, someone will read this and something fun will come of it. If not, I have an excuse to eat different places and write how I feel about it. Granted, I have not ever been formally trained in cooking or what not. I just love food. So, if you bear with me as I give this a whirl, I'll let you know where I've eaten recently and my take on the food and ambiance, etc.