The Sunset Grill: Good Food, Good Drink, and Some Vans Down by the River.

Sorry for the long wait for a new review! I recently moved from Indianapolis to a small town in Northern Kentucky, in Gallatin County, the smallest county in the Commonwealth.  I hesitate to mention the town's name because it's so small someone could probably figure out which house is mine, and I would rather not have any surprise visitors, or any visitors, really, now that I've retired and become a hermit.  Near to me, however, is the bodacious burg of Warsaw, which has I think 3 bars and 5 restaurants, including Dairy Queen and Subway.  One of these fine establishments is the Sunset Grill on US42 on the western outskirts of town.  It is an unassumingly nice, clean place overlooking the Ohio River, although it is separated from the water by a row of RV campsites, which only detract from the view a little bit because the Grill outdoor deck sits above them.

The bar is pretty standard, with several TV screens.  There is a dining room behind it that's fare enough away from the bar for families to enjoy without too much noise from the drinkers.  The outdoor deck is HUGE and the view is GREAT, especially when there pleasure boats and/or towboats with barges passing by.  The service is fast and friendly, although you might have to wait a bit for your food if they're very busy.  The elevated bar food is worth the wait-- I've loved everything I've ever had there, and their prices are not outrageous, either.  Cheers!

Boondoggles Bar & Grill-- Comfort Food in a Comfortable Setting.

Boondoggles is on Ferry Street in Vevay, Indiana, (pronounced VEEVEE since the 1800s, Lord knows why) a pretty little town that reminds me of a miniature downtown Madison, especially now at Christmastime with the building facades all outlined in white lights. I had intended to eat at Roxano's Italian Cafe across the street, but it was closed due to the death of a close friend of the owners. Sad.  Boondoggles looked pretty decent from the outside, a neat old building with a nice sign out front, even if it did look like your run of the mill type bar.

It was pretty much like that on the inside as well, with booths and tables on one side and the bar on the other, but in the dim light everything seemed pretty clean, even the grill area that's right out in the open behind the bar like most small-town places. The bartender/waitress/cook/busperson (it was a slow afternoon) was not a movie goddess but she had a pleasing, friendly face that matched her demeanor.  I ordered a bottle Yeungling, the 1/2 pound Boon Burger, and an order of Onion Straws, something you can't get just anyplace.  They were all EXCELLENT, the beer cold, the burger perfectly seasoned, and the onions lightly breaded and fried just right, not greasy.  My barstool was quite comfortable, and there were like six large-screened TVs visible from my roost, so it would probably be a good place to watch a game or race.  The name Vevay seems French to me, but I'll have to do some research on that town's history. Until then, however, I will say A Votre Sante! to you!  ...Or just Cheers!, since it's Indiana... or Yeeee Haaa! since its across the river from me here in Kentucky, even though we don't really say that, much.

The Glencoe General Store in Glencoe, KY is not really a store. ;-)

Glencoe, Kentucky, population 360, is such a small town, it's the kind you hear jokes about, like "The sign at the city limits says Welcome to Glencoe-- Resume Speed" etc.   Even though there are two main roads through town, US 127 and KY 467, their intersections are offset so that there is no traffic light needed. At one of those intersections sits the General Store, which long ago was just that, a little shop where you could get just about anything as long as you didn't want a big selection of it.  It reopened a couple of years ago, however, as a very different sort of establishment, and I'm glad it did. 

It is primarily a pizza and sandwich shop but also sells Kentucky-produced food products, from barbecue sauce to specialty locally cut meats to craft beer and wine.  The best thing there is the wood-fired pizza, the crust of which has just a little bit of char around the edges to give it a kind of smoky flavor.  They don't skimp on the excellent sauce or the toppings either, and the price is not outrageous.  The sandwiches are very good, and they have salads and desserts as well.  Some of the desserts like chocolate peanut-buter brownies are made in-house, while some others like Fry Pies and blueberry cream-cheese drizzled sweet rolls are made by Dutch Pastries, an Amish bakery over by nearby Dry Ridge, KY.  All are deeeelicious, and the comfortable ambiance of the dining room will make you reluctant to leave.   So, if you have no other reason to visit Glencoe, come down to the General Store, y'hear?!

The Alpha Cafe in Wapakoneta, OH- 125 years of people trying to say the name 6 times really fast....

It's only logical that people who live in a city that has a long name will eventually coin shortened versions of that name, I suppose both to save time & effort and as a shared term of endearment.  Thus here at home Indianapolis is Indy. Appalachicola, Florida is Appalach, and Wapakoneta, OH is Wapak, pronounced the way a Bostonian would pronounce "War Park". I learned this by visiting a couple of establishments in downtown Wapakoneta one afternoon where I ran smack dab into a charity golf pub crawl to honor a beloved late Wapak high school alumnus.  The participants all had golf putters, since some of the establishments involved in the crawl had actual little putting greens set up to help raise charity money. It seemed like a cool idea until somewhat later in the day when putter discipline faltered due to alcohol consumption and some folks experienced some serious near misses.

I mention the pub crawl only because the crowd's arrival cut short my visit to The Alpha Cafe and my conversation with its proprietor, thus I was unable to learn much of The Alpha's 125-year history, several decades of which involve ownership by the same family.  The Alpha is a beautiful place that seems like a fancier version of The Rustic Cafe in Delphos-- a long narrow storefront space that is nevertheless quite deep. Just like The Rustic (and probably most small town downtown taverns everywhere. The Grill Bar in Franklin, Indiana comes to mind), there is a long bar along one side and a line of booths on the other. About midways back there is a grill/kitchen space, with a dining/games area behind that.

The bar itself is incredibly grand: huge and all carved wood from the 1890's, not something you'd expect to see in a small town.  I was trying to take a cell phone picture of the entire fixture in one photo and failing, it was so big!  The young lady bartender saw me struggling with my phone camera and handed me a postcard with the exact photo I desired. The bar was designed and installed by the Brunswick-Balke-Collander Company, forerunner of the present Brunswick bowling alley dynasty which, incidentally, built the bowling alley in the famous Biltmore Mansion at about the same time during the "Gay 90's".  

The proprietor was a gruff but friendly guy, though I know that seems like an oxymoron.  He had just started telling me about the history of the place when the pub crawl folks came in, so I didn't get to hear much more. I had a cheap and cold bottle of domestic beer alongwith a cheese and fried bologna plate. Experience with this and other regional establishmets teaches me that people in the farm-rich Northwest Ohio really know their way around beef, pork and cheese.  The locally-sourced bologna was seasoned, tender, and tasty, and the hot pepper cheese was spicy and delicious.  

The crowd was a little loud and boisterous but they were suddenly drowned out by a guy whooping, hollering, and dancing round like a man on fire. Everyone there looked at him like he might be insane, until we found out he was streaming the Bengals playoff game on his phone and they had just made a crucial interception, so when that was revealed the crowd broke out in applause. It's interesting to me that NW Ohio seems to prefer the Cincinnati teams for professional baseball and football rather than Cleveland, makes me like it there even more.  At any rate I will say the flat and almost featureless prairies certainly give way to some of the prettiest little towns anywhere, among which "Wapak" rates quite highly and the Alpha is a great part of it. Cheers!

The Garrison Restaurant at Ft. Benjamin Harrison State Park-- History and Simple Elegance

Fort Ben was an Army base that closed in the early 1990s, although both the National Guard and Reserve still maintain small facilities there, and the Federal Government retained the gargantuan 1950s-era Army Finance Center Building, though I dunno if it's still used for that.  My cousin from Tennessee was trained as a paymaster there before being shipped off to Vietnam for that war, during which when he wasn't doing paymaster work he guarded convoys and shuttlebuses from attack by the Viet Cong.  It seems ironic to me that another cousin who was in combat as an Army Ranger came through without a scratch while the ostensibly rear-echelon paymaster was severely wounded in a VC rocket attack that killed several of his tentmates, and then had to suffer through another rocket attack on the hospital where he was being treated.  Um, BUT I DIGRESS, as I so often have to say....

Fort Ben was completed in 1910 and has some of the most beautiful, well-maintained brick buildings I've ever seen on a military base.  The Garrison is located inside what was the Officers' Club, which has meeting and banquet rooms as well as the pro shop for The Fort Golf Course.  It's main focus is as an event venue, so the small but elegant dining room is only open for lunch every day from 11 a.m to 2 p.m.

The menu is somewhat limited, but has salads, sandwiches, and a few entrees.  They trumpet their Fried Chicken as a specialty, so I ordered that.  It wasn't huge like the specials I've had at other State Park Inns, but it wasn't as expensive, either, only $10.99 for 2 pieces of chicken (all white for $2 more) and 2 sides.  My Caesar Salad was beyond excellent-- it doesn't seem like there would be that many variables in what makes a salad great, but I swear this may have been the best side salad I've ever had: extreeeemely fresh and crispy Romaine, fresh grated Parmesan, and what I can only conclude was freshly house-made dressing. The chicken and mashed potatoes arrived just after the salad but I couldn't stop eating it, it was that good. I had to really force myself to stop eating the salad long enough to take a picture!

The chicken was not what I'd consider Southern-style but it was very good.   The breading was light and crispy, not greasy at all, although for my taste it could have used a little more seasoning, but the chicken inside was perfectly cooked and juicy.  The taters and gravy were house made from scratch, I think, though the yeast roll was standard-issue state park fare but fresh and soft.  Coffee was excellent, and plentiful since the server returned often to see if I needed anything. It was a great lunch and would have made a great sales pitch for anyone needing catering for an event.  I'd love to sample the Valentine's Day prix fixe dinner they're having, but dinner for one on the Big Day for Couples would feel kind of awkward.

The only drawback for guests staying in The Lodge is that it is the equivalent of a couple blocks away from the restaurant, almost too far to walk on a cold Winter's day, so they might want to just make do with the free continental breakfast the Lodge provides.  I drove by the Lodge but didn't have time to stop and explore.  It's another one of those lovely early 1900s brick buildings with a big front porch full of rocking chairs and an antique sign that says simply HOTEL.  They also rent out 4 houses, formerly commanding officer's quarters, and another larger house, all intended for groups of guests for conferences, retreats, and golf outings.  

I can't wait to come back and stay there, even though I only live maybe ten miles away.  AT EASE, MISTER (MISS, MA'AM, CIS)!  EAT HEARTY, HOOAH!

The Crossings Restaurant in Pendleton, IN-- A Mediterranean Oasis

Pendleton actually has a number of good places to eat, but the only Greek one I know is The Crossings, 8424 S. State Road 67, which stands all by itself  at the corner of SR67 and SR9, an attractive little place that's easily accessible from both roads.  It was previously a simple little breakfast restaurannt (I forget the name) but has been very nicely renovated by the current owners with a kind of upscale looking interior. The menu has a nice combination of traditional American and Greek dishes, and the proprietor was a handsome gent who was very friendly, greeting me with very exotic-sounding accented English. The server, on the other hand, was courteous but not friendly, a beautiful young woman who would have been even moreso had she ever smiled.  That, too, kind of seems like a sterotypical Mediterranean thing which I'm probably basing solely on the two Mama Mia! and My Big Fat Greek Wedding movies.

It was lunch time and I had a Greek Salad that was freakin' HUGE!  It was also delicious, with fresh greens and all the traditional components.  I love how they pitted the Kalamata olives, which were so fresh and tasty, even more since I didn't have to eat my way aroung the pits.  I don't know if there are different quality Feta cheeses, but the stuff on my salad was the best, as was the dressing. It was sort of delicately excellent!  The coffee was good, too.

Despite my perceived lack of friendliness, the server provided excellent service. The price was excellent for this $$ guy as well-- even with the addition of gyro meat and a cup of coffee, my bill was only $14.95, tax included. My only regret about the place is that it's not closer to home, else I would be back there right away to try the rest of the menu.   Opa!

Restaurant at the Canyon Inn, McCormick's Creek State Park-- Remote, and Loving It.

First off, I did not stay in the Canyon Inn.  Oh no, instead of paying a little more and relaxing in quaint, restored comfort, last month I disregarded everything learned from watching Lucy and Desi in The Long, Long Trailer and bought a small recreational travel trailer, after which I proceeded to drive over or back into some of the most beautiful scenery in America.  Granted, though, I saved some dollars here and there on accomodations, and was able to take with me everything I needed from home AND the kitchen sink, and slept in the same bed every night no matter where I went. So that's how I wound up staying in the campground at McCormick's Creek State Park for $21 instead of the Canyon Inn for $138, but I nevertheless resolved to eat in the restaurant there.  The park itself is quite beautiful and kind of rugged, with a fairly deep canyon and a pretty, noisy little waterfall just a short (but steep) walk from the roadway.

I've visited 3 of Indiana's 7 state park inns so far, and each is an exquisitely restored and maintained masterpiece.  The Canyon Inn is a beautiful stone building outside, and inside it is all polished wood and plush carpet.  I went to the restaurant and was seated immediately as you might expect in mid-January, but I was surprised to see a decent-size crowd there.  I ordered the Saturday special which was Barbecue with 3 sides for $18.39, maybe not $$ at first glance, but it was HUGE!  A big slab of ribs and a big, thick slice of brisket, both dabbed with a very subtle BBQ sauce, not too sweet and not too spicy.  My side salad was kind of small but the greens were very fresh and the Bleu Cheese dressing chunky and flavorful.  The house-made chips were tasty and non-greasy, with ridges suitable for dipping in the Bleu Cheese.  My Broccoli Cheese soup was really decent if not outstanding.  In addition to that bargain, they had Oliver Winery's Cherry Moscato for $3.50 a glass, so BOTTOM'S UP! (burp)

El Toro Authentic Mexican -- A little surprise in the quest for individuality.

El Toro Authentic Mexican at 7040 McFarland Boulevard recently opened in the building (NOT a strip mall, yay!) that formerly housed The Stacked Pickle, a small chain that fell victim to The Pandemic.  El Toro is a small chain, too, with locations in Zionsville and Walton, KY near Cincinnati.  I stopped in hoping to find something other than the dreadful cookie-cutter sameness that seems to plague the Mexican food genre. El Toro kept the basic layout of The Stacked Pickle but has added some nice Mexican themed decor.  There was upbeat reggaeton and cumbia music playing on the sound system.

 

I was seated pretty quickly, although not El Meson quickly, and pretty soon the waiter brought some chips and salsa.  The chips were warm, and they were thicker and crunchier than I've seen elsewhere, so I wonder if they weren't made in-house...  The salsa was a rich red color, which is important to me because for me salsa is not only a food but an item of apparel as well.  It was decent but nothing to write home (or blog) about, pretty ordinary.  So far they hadn't shown me anything more interesting than my 22 ounce glass of draft Negro Modelo.  

I was there at 1:30 p.m. on a weekday and there apparently was no lunch menu.  The prices appeared to be at the top of this $$ guy's comfort level, so I ordered the Texas Taco Salad for $13.99, which promised steak, ckicken, and shrimp with lettuce and cheese sauce(?) in a pastry shell.  What I got was more like an open-faced chimichanga than a salad.

The pastry shell was very thin and very crispy, and it barely contained the mounds of goodness piled upon it.  The shrimp was large, plentiful, grilled right and lightly seasoned, as were the chunks of chicken and steak, all covered with a creamy queso.  I had to dig a bit but did find a bunch of lettuce underneath the mountain of meat, It wasn't very salad like, but it was HUGE for the price, and quite tasty. That and the beer along with the attentive waiter made this a pleasant $25+tip experience. Bastante bien. ;-)

The Sherman Hotel and Restaurants in Batesville, IN: Classy, but not so Costly

If you know me personally I wouldn't want you to think that by this review I'm taking lightly the recent untimely passing of my wife, TLW, which initially stood for The Little Woman (which she was) and  later at the suggestion of a friend became The Lovely Wife (which she was).  She was a homebody and an accomplished cook who loved nothing more than staying home and creating her own culinary masterpieces, but she was nevertheless willing to humor me and embark on various dining adventures, not all of which were successful. She was sweet to me in that way, and so many others.  And that, as Forrest Gump says, is all I have to say about that. The Sherman was one place we always intended to visit but never did.

The Sherman is perfect for one of those weekend getaways that so many big-city dwellers crave.  It is roughly halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, but is also reasonably close to Columbus, Ohio,  Louisville, Kentucky, and maybe even Chicago. I knew next to nothing about Batesville, Indiana beyond that tourist Mecca, the Batesville Casket Company, but I discovered the Hill-Rom Company also has a big presence there, WOOHOO! Beyond that, however, Batesville is a charming little town with a big German heritage, much like Berne, Indiana (which may be Swiss, too. I dunno for sure.)  Many of the old downtown buildings are of German-style architecture, and some of the new ones as well, which makes the place quite picturesque and enjoyably walkable.  There are numerous nice little restaurants and shops that sell a variety of items, especially antiques.  The old canal town of Metamora is not far away, with its own array of shops, canal boat exhibits, and an old-time railroad excursion.

The Sherman is part of Batesville's German heritage, with some of the building dating back to 1852.  It has a very Old European feel to it, lots of dark, heavy wood timbers and fixtures. After I checked in at the charming Old World lobby, I had a few misgivings as I ascended the stairs to the 2nd floor where all  22 guest rooms are located (there is no elevator for guests, but the staff is happy to help you with your luggage).  One rambling, labyrinthine 2nd floor hallway accesses all the rooms, with a step up or down along the way, so I wondered what I'd gotten myself into, but then I opened the door to the room and VOILA, elegance personified! My room was not overlarge but was high-ceilinged and beautifully updated, with a big comfortable bed, modern desk table and big flat-screen TV, and an elegant bathroom with faux marble flooring and glass-enclosed shower.  

I could have happily spent my entire time there in the room enjoying the 24/7 room service, but then I would have missed out on the excellent 1852 Restaurant, Black Forest Bar, and the Bier Hall, all of which are heavily patronized by Batesville locals, which is always a good sign. For dinner in the 1852 I had Jaegerschnitzel, breaded pork cutlets covered with a mushroom sauce and served with warm German potato salad, priced around $19 but the portions were HUGE and tasty.  Later I quaffed craft beers in the Black Forest Bar, an elegant space just off the lobby with an ornate antique bar from somewhere in Belgium, and yet the price was not outrageous. From there I went outside and around the corner to the Bier Hall (there was no direct interior access even though it's in the same building, my one pieve about the place), a large basement bar space that resembles every modern bar you've ever been to.  There was a decent live band on stage, a loooong bar, dart boards, and some video arcade game machines. Again, the prices were not outrageous and there was an eclectic mix of locals and hotel guests.

I checked out at noon the next day but decided to eat Saturday Brunch in the 1852 Restaurant, so the desk man (whom I suspect is the proprietor) secured my bags behind the desk while I ate.  The German Bacon, Egg, and Potato breakfast casserole was EXCELLENT, with half the plate shared by a pile of fresh spinach-- I asked for some vinaigrette dressing, and they brought 2 varieties, both home made and delicious. At $140 a night for the room ($125+ tax & fees), I didn't want to leave.  I can't wait to go back!  Prosit!  

West End Diner in Decatur, IN: Small-Town Goodness

After feasting at my bro-in-law's house in NW Ohio I swore I would never want to eat again, so the next morning I passed up the giant smorgasbord of leftovers in the kitchen and hit the road.  Thirty miles later, of course, there was a rumbly in me tumbly that could be heard over my vehicle's engine noise, music from the radio, and my cussing myself for not eating for free when I had the chance.   As if by magic the little West End Diner appeared, the glow from its "open" sign piercing the early morning gloom.

It is the kind of tidy small-town diner you've always imagined (well, that I've always imagined, anyway). with wood paneling and brick walls, cozy little booths, and a line of stools at a counter where all the grumpy old men customers always seem to sit.  I fittingly sat down at the counter and became grumpy because the stools are positioned too close to the counter, so that I had to do a kind of bow-legged spread to get where the stool was in a position to support my old butt. 

That, however, was the ONLY irritating thing about the place.  The wait staff was courteous if not outright friendly, and they were efficiently bustling about to keep everyone served.  I had the breakfast special full order of biscuits and gravy for $5.49 which included a drink, no less!  The coffee was okay but had a little bit of an alkaline flavor, maybe due to the water, maybe?  Biscuits were tasty but a little salty because they were homemade, and the gravy was a white milk gravy like you get at most Midwestern diners who've apparently never heard of bacon grease, but it had a decent amount of sausage bits AND some diced onions, which I've never had before-- they actually made it quite tasty.  

They had a big glass case on the wall with a sign over it listing the 15 types of pie they offer.  Out of all the exotic flavors I could have had, I chose Sugar Cream pie just so I could compare it to my bro-in-law's.  He began a long career in restaurant management by making pies at MCL cafeterias, so he has long been the piemaster of the family. I will say his pie was much lighter and fluffier than West End's, which was very dense like a heavy cheesecake.  Both tasted GREAT, though.  So, anyway, in case you missed it I got a full plate of biscuits and gravy, bottomles cup of coffee, and a piece of pie for $9.42, which made this $$ guy VERY happy.  As I left I put on my shades, looked at the cashier and did my best Arnold: "I'LL BE BAAACK."

Lima Memorial Hospital and St. Francis Hospital Food: Not Your Grandma's Gruel

I recently had occasion to visit with loved ones in both Lima Memorial Hospital in Lima, OH and St. Francis Hospital here in Indy, which leads one to make comparisons between the two similar institutions, especially (for me) their respective food services. When you spend hours watching your family member suffer while you have to sit there unable to do anything for them except be there, a short trip to the cafeteria can be a welcome respite from that constant anxiety.  

Lima Memorial and one other hospital serve that city of about 40,000 people along with a number of surrounding communities. It's undergoing a major renovation, so some problems, I suppose, are due to that.  The worst thing I can say is it seemed like a half-mile walk from the main entrance just to get to the elevators to get up onto the wards.  The cafeteria was down in the basement, so no windows, and was tiny for the size of the hospital, so at one mealtime I had to sit with another gent because all the other tables were full, I mean FULL of people, many of whom like me were forced to sit with people they didn't know, all taking off their masks to eat, which I doubt was a good thing Covid-wise, but maybe they were all vaccinated, at least.

On the plus side, their food was EXCELLENT!  My favorite dish was the Parmesan Chicken Breast: It appeared they had grilled the chicken, coated it with a creamy parmesan sauce and then baked it on for a few minutes more.  It was incredibly tasty, as was just about every thing else I had there.  The room service for patients was just as good: they were open until 10:00 p.m., and they accepted requests for patients' visitors as well. Every member of the hospital staff I met was as friendly and helpful as could be, and the longer I remained in Lima it seemd to be not just the hospital staff but the people of the city as well-- fast food restaurant employees, hotel clerks,  everyone!  

The staff of St. Francis (now named Franciscan-Indianapolis, although few locals call it that) are caring professionals who are very, very busy, so forgive them if they are more politely business-like than friendly.  The cafeteria is a busy place, too, but it is big enough to accommodate a lot of people very quickly with a very large selection of items.  The food is generally good but not outstanding; I have yet to find a dish I'm ecstatic about.  The two best things about the place are 1) it's on the second floor with big windows that overlook the parking lot, interstate highway, and some pastoral scenery, and 2) there is always hot Seattle's Best coffee available. I've several times spent a few peaceful minutes there at a table by the window, sipping dark roast while watching the traffic and pedestrians come and go, and not worrying about what the future holds for one particular room upstairs.  Every time a baby is born at St. Francis, the PA system plays a short music-box version of the children's hymn "Jesus Loves Me", which always makes me smile and pray that's really true. 

Newk's Eatery: Yeah, It's a Chain, but....

 ...It's not half bad, although it doesn't really pass the $$ Guy value test.  Newk's has locations across the South and Texas, with a few of locations each in Colorado and Maryland, and ONE, just one left in Indy.  It kind of reminds me of a stripped down McAlister's.  You order one of about ten sandwiches or entrees and they give you cups to fill your drink at a station in the back of the dining room. I had a Newk's Q sandwich and The Lovely Wife ordered a Grilled Steak sandwich.  Both come with a small side, so I had coleslaw and TLW had a fruit cup. The Q was sliced roast chicken on a kind of baguette with bacon and a white sauce that I supposed was meant to resemble Alabama white barbecue sauce, which was pretty good even though the sandwich was kind of small, like a 6-inch Subway sub for $8.  TLW's grilled steak was really shaved beef with a kind of minced horseradish sauce, again tasty but rather small.  My slaw was fresh but not memorable and TLW's little fruit cup was fresh and tasty.  We shared a $7.99 bowl of Tomato Basil Soup that was the hit of the meal even though it was sort of orange-colored and not very tomato-y.  They have little cups of add-ons you can take from the counter, so we added jalapenos, parmesan cheese, and crackers to the soup which made it quite flavorful.  Two large cups of UNsweet Peach Tea (which was nicely brewed and delicious) brought the price of our lunch to $34.51, which may be why the Newk's on the North side closed.  It was a nice working lunch, but not one this cheapskate could afford every day. ;-)

P.S. TLW was on a low-sodium diet at this time, and we found out too late that EVERYTHING at Newk's (except maybe the iced tea) is chocked full of sodium.  So if you're cutting down on sodium (and if not, why aren't you?!) you might want to avoid the place altogether. :-(

Ale Emporium: Like a Nationwide Chain But It Ain't.

Sorry, I wish this was funnier:  Maybe the Doc needs to up my meds! ...The southside Ale Emporium is in a nice strip mall (where else?) on the southwest corner of Emerson Avenue and County Line Road and opened a couple years ago after the original location was (and is) so successful at Alisonville Road and 86th Street, The original has a kind of old-fashioned pseudo-Victorian Bennigan's-like decor that makes for a comfortable living-room kind of atmosphere even though it is bustling and a little noisy, whereas this newer one down south has a trendy, modern marble and glass motif.  It has a family side and an adults-only bar side with an entire wall of flat-screen TVs, four of which are usually linked to make one great big screeen that can be seen from anywhere in the room, so it is likely a great place to watch the sporting event of your choice.  There is a covered outdoor section, too, which was nice today owing to the good weather, although I didn't see any TV screens there.  All of this gives the place a slick, polished look and atmosphere like you would expect from a major nationwide chain rather than a local establishment.  

And the food does nothing to dispell that big-box impression.  They have a full bar with a wide selection of draft and bottled craft beers, and a fairly varied menu of the usual restaurant dishes you might see at Applebee's, O'Charley's, or Chili's. They're sort of known for pizza and wings, and I have mixed feelings about both.  Like the rest of their food, it's all good... but none of it's what I'd call great.  They have both thin crust and deep dish pizza, very heavy on the cheese and almost no noticeable sauce.  The deep dish crust is rather thick and chewy compared to the pastry-like crust I've had in Chicago, the capital of deep dish, as well as some other places here.  I didn't get wings this time, but I remember being rather underwhelmed by them the last time.  ...Which is not to say I won't eat there again.  It's really a good place to eat.  I just wish it was better. 

The Cafe at the Super Kroger-- Who Knew?

We haven't been eating out much lately, so I'm reviewing the impromptu lunch we had today at Kroger, of all places. It seems like I'm the last to learn about new innovations in just about everything, so you may already be aware of things about the Kroger Company which continue to amaze me, with more and more varied offerings beyond mere groceries.  The Super Kroger or Kroger Super Center (I'm not sure what the company calls it, can't remember the actual title) at Emerson and County Line Road here in Indy is a wonder to behold, although compared to some of the other locations in other cities and states it may be rather tame:  My son in Union, KY lives near a Kroger location that is completely Online Pickup only, no indoor shopping at all.  It has numerous pull-up spaces where employees are waiting to load your vehicle with your order.  Also in Union, and in Anderson, IN there are full-fledged restaurants attached to some Kroger stores, named The 1883 Cafe & Bar, which have actual chefs and a full bar. Still others in Kentucky have their own liquor stores, some with beer bars where you can purchase samples of various ales (limit 2).

Still, our Super Kroger has a rather sizable Cafe area in a front corner of the store which you can access through its own entrance. It has pre-made sandwiches and deli-made microwaveable meals, a huge salad bar, and a deli counter with fresh baked pizza, sushi, and steam tables of baked chicken, fried chicken, and other home-made style delights with some nice sides as well.  Unfortunately for us it was 10:30 a.m. and this sumptuous smorgasbord didn't open until 11:00.  The Lovely Woman made do with a pre-made Chicken Caesar wrap and a small bag of Doritos while I had a Maple Turkey sandwich and a bag of honey-roast peanuts.  She chose a large fountain Iced Tea from the humongous drinks section which had that, a big cooler of bottled beverages, and one of those computer-controlled machines that offers myriad possible combinations of Coca-Cola brand soft drinks. I wanted coffee, but Cafe Guy apologized and said they couldn't sell coffee because of the in-store Starbucks which was like 100 feet away, even though it is run by Kroger with Kroger employees who won't let you tip them(?!) I really don't like Starbucks coffee (DON'T @ME, as they say. Most of it's too acidic for my taste, sorry... though I love their Iced Tea), so I went to the Great Coke Dispenser and had a Diet Barque's Cream Soda. Both sandwiches and drinks were fresh and delicious.  Our entire meal was like $14, a bargain these days, and the cafe was clean and comfortable, with a bunch of tables and another pit-like area around a big-screen TV.

It was quite a nice experience, and I would consider eating lunch there regularly if I worked or lived nearby.  I can only hope that someday soon Kroger adopts the 1883 Cafe & Bar concept systemwide, so I can eat, drink, and shop for groceries, home furnishings. and maybe a car, all in one place.  It'll be too easy to tell TLW "LET'S GO KROGERING!" 

Don Juan Taqueria: 'Way Authentic

 DJT, in a strip mall at Shelby Street and Hanna Avenue, is not a cookie-cutter Mexican like many other places: they have all the traditional dishes you see everywhere else, but also have a BUNCH of other actual Mexican offerings you won't find everywhere. The decor is more like many real places in Mexico, your basic storefront with polished concrete flooring, lunchroom-style chairs and tables as well as a few booths, and minimal festive decorations, which makes it a surprise when you find out they have a full bar with just about any liquor you want as well as a salsa bar with 6 or 7 different sauce selections. (The salsa bar was closed due to Covid restrictions when we went, but you could request the salsa you want to be brought to your table).  I ordered Birria, a type of mutton stew, but unfortunately they were out of mutton!  Still, they had other non-ordinary selections.  All in all, we loved eating there, and the proprietor and employees provided really courteous and helpful service.  They may not have all the carved wood and upscale atmosphere of some places, but the food is the thing there, and it is a GREAT thing.  iComemos!

Florida's "Forgotten Coast": The laid-back Florida of yesteryear--or not.

The Lovely Woman and I hit several places on vacation, so rather than put out a non-stop string of reviews I'll just try to give ya the highlights.  The Forgotten Coast is some travel promotion guru's name for 4 or 5 communities at the base of Florida's Panhandle, somewhere in between the tourist meccas of Panama City and Tampa/St. Pete.  The biggest of these is Apalachicola, the population of which is a whoppin' 2500 souls or so, but we had to stay there because TLW likes the way "Apalachicola" rolls off her tongue.  One of her recent favorite songs is Southern Voice by Tim McGraw, partly just because it mentions Apalachicola!  You may want to start over with this blog entry and take a drink everytime you read "Apalachicola", 'cause as I write this I imagine it's gonna be comin around a bunch o' times.

If you wanna stay at the beach, the best place is St. George Island, which has a reeeeally decent beach and only 2 actual hotels, The Buccaneer Inn and the St. George Inn.  The Buccaneer is a beachfront 1960's style motel with a pool that is nicely renovated and maintained and has fairly reasonable prices. The St. George is an old fashioned beachview 3-story wood construction hotel that seems like something out of the turn of the 20th Century but which was actually built in the late 1980's.  It is the tallest building on SGI except for the lighthouse, which is part of SGI's charm-- no giant hotels or resorts, only beach houses and  a few townhouse-style condo developments. SGI has one small Piggly Wiggly store/gas station, a bank, some stores, and 5 or 6 restaurants, all of which are pretty danged good.  The locals all seem to drink at Harry A's, a quintessential bar & grill you might find anywhere in the US, with old pics and junky memorabilia on the walls, etc., but the food is decent and prices are below the usual beach/resort level, which is probably why it draws the locals.  Unlike in Casablanca, everyone on SGI comes to The Blue Parrot, with outdoor dining and a bar that overlooks the beach.  It's a little pricey but a lot of fun.  Another drinking place, Mango Mike's is so unusual to me it deserves mention-- basically just a gigantic open-sided picnic shelter with an attached kitchen, where in the evenings they give you a can of insect repellent to use at your table or the horseshoe/cornhole pits.  The skeeters and no-see-ums can be murder on SGI at night, the only drawback to staying in such a  great getawayfromitall paradise.

This year we stayed in "downtown" Apalachicola (cheers!) a former King Cotton era shipping port. We stayed in an Airbnb apartment on the 3rd floor of the building which houses two stores on the ground floor and The Up to No Good Tavern/Up the Stairs Restaurant on the 2nd floor, which isn't a bargain but has really good food and drinks.  The crazy laid-back small town vibe of Apalachicola (chug!) means that lots of shops and eateries are closed on either Sunday 'n Monday or Tuesday 'n Wednesday, so when we arrived on Sunday it was a real hunt for somewhere to eat 'n drink, even though Apalachicola (bottoms up!) is nicknamed Oyster City due to its famous oyster industry.  Once we were finally able to eat at The Station Raw Bar on Tuesday, though, I really didn't need to eat anywhere else.  They had THE best fried oysters I've ever had, even though the delicious mollusks may not have come from Apalachicola Bay due to a present moratorium on oyster harvesting in the Bay itself (except for oyster farming) to give the oysters a chance to regenerate their populations.  Some places still get their oysters from Alligator Point, however, which is outside but near the mouth of the Bay, and they are no less delicious.        

We have yet to fully explore the other communities of Cap San Blas and Port St. Joe, but Eastpoint and Carrabelle have more of that sleepy small-town ambiance that makes the Forgotten Coast so attractive to folks who aren't drawn to the high-rise, high energy places like Miami, Ft. Myers, Clearwater and all the rest.  One culinary gem in Eastpoint is the Family Coastal Restaurant.   It's nothing fancy, with a decor kinda like the old Sunshine Cafes here in Indy, but it serves giant tasty mountains of seafood for a price that made this $$ guy's jaw drop in awe!  Carrabelle is a pretty little burg on a river cove tht not only has the World's Smallest Police Station but also a couple of great eateries, including Harry's Bar, a very dark but cool and comfortable little place downtown with really cold draft beer and decent prices.

I'm pretty sure The Forgotten Coast has all the fishing, boating, hiking, birdwatching, and other outdoor activities you could want, but why do those things when you can relax in the sun, drink, and eat???  Come to Apalachicola (thunk of beer mug hitting the floor) and enjoy the slow life!  Yeehaw!

Rager's Sausage Sandwich: Something to Look Forward To!

Rager's is in a nice, neat new space in one-half of a gas station/convenience store in Van Wert, OH, which if you're in Indy and reading this may be kind of disappointing, as it is to me because I don't have the ability to visit there EVERY DAY for breakfast or lunch like I'd want.  Pork is big around Van Wert due to the large number of hog farms there.  That and other agriculture make the Van Wert County Fair a really big deal: their fairground is much bigger than Marion County's here, for a county of only 15,000(?) people. Locally famous and one of the most popular food items offered at the fair is a great big sausage sandwich sold by a booth from the Lions' Club of the nearby village of Venedocia.  It has a big, round, dense patty that is thicker than a McD's quarter pounder and weighs twice as much, so it's almost a meal in itself.  It is well seasoned, nicely browned and VERY tasty. It seems everyone at the fair gets one sooner or later, they're so popular. 

Rager's sandwich has sort of the same rural origins but is different from the Venedocia sandwich.  Rager's store is sort of like Wheatley's here in Wanamaker, having begun as a farm and meat market in the little town of Convoy, OH, then a carnival vendor/food truck operator, and fairly recently opened their own actual restaurant.  Rager's patty is somewhat thinner and very irregularly shaped, like maybe they just grab a hunk out of a big pan of sausage and smush it on the griddle with a spatula.  It's REALLY well-seasoned, maybe more than the Lions', and is quite satisfying even though not as big.  I had Rager's lunch combo of a sandwich, some perfectly cooked fries, and fountain drink for under $7, so this $$ guy was in HOG HEAVEN!  I think Van Werters (Van Wertians?) agree, because the drive-thru line  at Rager's stayed almost 10 cars deep the whole time I was there...  SOOOOIE!  Y'all come get some!

Barry's Pizza South: A Matter of Taste, Not for Everyone...

On the one hand, I really want to support a local business like Barry's South Pizza & Wings, 5564 Madison Avenue, Telephone 317-974-9262 (carry out or delivery).  I list the address and phone here because you won't find it if you search "pizza near me" or "pizza indy southside", or even "pizza on Madison Avenue" on Google; it comes up only if you search for Barry's South Pizza.  I suppose that's because they haven't paid or done whatever they need to do to get recognized by The Great and Powerful G. On the other hand, I have to say that I was just a little disappointed with their pizza.   The thin crust was crispy but not hard, there was a good amount of cheese and sauce, and there were enough seasonings and toppings to give one that satisfying burp that signifies you've had a good meal.  The sauce, however, was a serious problem for The Lovely Woman and me-- it was incredibly sweet, so much so that TLW could not handle more than a single piece.  I was not completely put-off by it, but by the third and fourth piece I had to apply some Frank's Red Hot sauce in order to counterbalance the Candyland flavor. If you like that sort of pizza, you should be happy with Barry's:  Their service is quick and their prices reasonable. The pizza itself, however, was just not something I would ever want again.  Maybe next time (?) we'll try the wings....

OH, Pullup Grill & BBQ, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!

As a former Kentuckian (are there really "former" Kentuckians, hmm? Happy Chandler said that every Kentuckian he'd ever met was either going home or TALKING about going home) with family in Tennessee, I've eaten a LOT of barbecue in my life, so I was intrigued when reading someone's Facebook thread about good BBQ places in Indy and there were several mentions of one I'd never heard about, Pullup Grill & BBQ, 2412 E. Raymond Street. An old friend later went there and raved about it, too, so I decided life was too short to stay away from good barbecue for very long... and I'm glad I went as soon as I did, because this is truly THE BEST BARBECUE I'VE EVER HAD.  BBQ is almost a religion with some folks, and though I've eaten lots of it I have no clear idea what makes one better than the others, but whatever it is, Pullup has it.

The place is carry-out only, so I ordered online and it was ready when I got there.  The lady who waited on me was as nice as could be, and seemed truly concerned that I get everything I wanted.  The Lovely Woman at home is not a big BBQ person, so I ordered a dressed single 1/3 lb cheeseburger w/fries for her.  Now, I don't recall reading anything about Pullup's burgers, but this one was somewhere between very good and freakin' incredible: the thick patty had a nice bit of char on the outside for a rich flavor that was complimented by the soft bun and just the right amount of cheese and fixins.  The natural cut fries were merely great, cooked perfectly but with just a little salt/seasoning.  

The pulled pork in my dinner filled most of the large compartment of a three part to-go container, very pleasing to a $$ guy. I ordinarily hate the current use of periods for emphasis, but THE.BBQ.WAS.HEAVENLY. It was moist, juicy, and tender, with just enough smokiness to remind you it's barbecue. That luscious taste was combined with some kind of umami flavor the source of which I couldn't determine, so I can only conclude it is MAGIC.  I was under its spell from the first bite.  It's the only BBQ I've ever had that didn't benefit at least a little from a dab of barbecue sauce.  I found dipping a bite just a little way into Pullup's very good sauce to be disappointing because it concealed ever so slightly the delicious flavor of the meat itself, so I had plenty of sauce left over.  The sauce itself was deliciously different than most, only slightly sweet with more tomato flavor than molasses or brown sugar, and the hot variety had a lot of heat.

The Fresh Greens were good but not the best I've had, although I'm spoiled because TLW's Tennessee roots come out in her greens and are a little better.  The Green Beans are the best I've ever had from a restaurant.  Some of my Kentucky folks' beans might be a little better tasting, but I suspect that is only because they contains a dangerous level of bacon grease. Pullup's green beans had just the right amount of salty/bacony flavor to make them ever so tasty. TLW loved her burger & fries, and tasted my stuff and was duly impressed, so I know I wasn't just succumbing to the hype.

Pullup also offers ribs, rib tips, brisket, and pulled chicken, among other things.  So, that's at least four more trips I have to make there before I get back around to pulled pork.  I can't wait to get started!

Grillerz in Nineveh: I so WANTED to love it!

Grillerz doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside it is maybe the ultimate place to relax and have a drink. It sits in "downtown" Nineveh, which is eight or nine business buildings clustered around the 4-way stop at the corner of Nineveh Road and Hospital Road. The family dining room and the bar have that timber-frame hunting lodge/lake house kind of ambiance that I love, with lots of rough-hewn but polished wood, thick carpet, and in the bar a just-right dimness of lighting that puts you at ease. They have a good-sized parking lot and a nice deck in back of the building. The deck has some fixed benches and room for outdoor tables which they hadn't put out yet, owing to the cold today/hot tamale weather that is Spring in Indiana.  

I love just hanging out in there, and there's nothing really bad I can say about the place, especially the friendly service. It's just that there are a few things that don't wow me like I wish they would.  Although all the food there is decent, I have yet to find a dish that I really love.  The drinks are decent, too, and like the food not outrageously priced but still more than $$ cheap bastards like me want to pay. The online menu did mention some $2 draft pints on a certain day of the week, but this, as Aragorn says in Lord of the Rings, was not that day. I opted for the $4 Tito's Handmade Vodka that was on special, and that mixed with club soda and lime made an excellent drink. 

The Lovely Woman and I shared a Breaded Tenderloin sandwich which came with a side, so we chose onion rings.  I also ordered a bowl of French Onion Soup to make sure we didn't leave hungry. The tenderloin was a decent size and thickness, but lacked something-- seasoning, maybe?  The onion rings similarly were decent but (sorry, Cliche Police) nothing to write home about.  Everyone has a different preference, I suppose, but I don't really love rings that have such a thick coating that when you bite into them the onion doesn't separate and comes out in one long string, leaving you with an empty tube. of fried dough.  The soup, too, was quite edible but not outstanding.  I'm not sure what makes one French Onion Soup better than another, but this one just didn't have it. Still, I really like the Grillerz experience and we will likely visit there again to have a couple drinks whenever we get anywhere near Nineveh, hopefully after it warms up for good and the deck is open. Cheers!