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!

Eddy's Neighborhood Bar & Grill on Geist: Comfort, and Comfort Food

Eddy's is at 11693 Fall Creek Road in the Geist Marina Complex, next door to Puccini's Pasta & Pizza and just a little way down from Wolfie's Grill, so you would have other options if you went there and found your primary target too crowded.  Eddy's view of the marina and reservoir is not as good as Wolfie's, but it's a little cheaper and still very nice.  There are umbrella tables out front, but as it was a windy 45-degree day we opted to eat inside. It has a comfortable semi-nautical ambiance like you might expect, and the large family dining room is almost completely separate from the bar so your kids won't have to watch the people drinking, and vice versa. They offer dock-side delivery to the yacht people, which I thought might be cool whenever I win the Lottery and can sail from our lakefront mansion over to the marina.

The Lovely Woman got a Turkcy BLT Wrap with a side of cottage cheese and I ordered a Pulled Pork Sandwich with Ketttle Chips.  A strange thing happened, though-- the kitchen runner brought me a Fried Tenderloin Sandwich with Fries, and TLW said that was what she thought she heard me order!  Now, I didn't have my heart set on Pulled Pork and didn't want to spend another 15 minutes waiting, so I didn't say anything and just started in on the Tenderloin. A minute or two later, though, the waiter brought out a small plate of Kettle Chips and said "Sorry for the mistake."  What the-?  I looked around to make sure that Obewan Kenobe wasn't seated nearby incantating "THIS ISN'T THE PULLED PORK YOU'RE LOOKING FOR" to us and the waiter....

My Tenderloin was very, very good.  The patty was maybe 8" around and a half-inch thick, perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned.  For me the best tenderloins are those with more of a fried chicken-type coating rather than the traditional corn meal.  Eddy's and the one at Foxgardin Family Restaurants are good examples of this. The fries were also good, having been dusted with seasoning, and the Kettle Chips were very interesting: not hard and crunchy like others I've had, and seasoned with some kind of herb like chives or oregano.  TLW's wrap was very good, too, with smokey bacon and turkey along with a hefty amount of a Southwestern blend of cheeses.  I just wish the cook had mixed up the ingredients before rolling them up in the tortilla so you wouldn't have a big blob of cheese on one side and big bites of turkey on the other.  With a big-around wrap like that, you can't get a mix of everything in one bite.  Damn first-world problems!

The Humble Taco: Classy, Tasty, and a little Pricey

The Humble Taco at 172 Melody Lane in Greenwood just opened in the space formerly occupied by a location of the defunct local chain The Stacked Pickle, which was decent but fell victim (they said) to The Pandemic. It's kind of ironic that THT just opened March 1, 2021 and is likely enjoying success partly because of this stage of our living with the virus.  There was a 2-hour wait when we tried to go there that first week-- it was the first warm days of Spring and new restaurant openings had been very few in number since The Big P started, so I think the severely cabin-fevered public was ready to get the HELL out of the house and GO EAT somewhere nice. We gave up trying to get in and went to Indy's Mi Abuelito instead that day (see review above) and were pleasantly surprised. 

The Lovely Woman and I came back to THT a week or so later in the middle of a weekday afternoon and were immediately seated.  They've opened up the dining room from its Stacked Pickle days and the high ceiling made it seem quite light and airy (although in my experience that tends to make it rather noisy, too, during the busiest times). The new owners are experienced restauranteurs and you could tell by the excellent and very fast service we received.

The menu is very similar to that of the Agave & Rye chain in the Cincinnati and Louisville areas, mostly designer tacos which are not authentic Mexican and range from $3 to $5 each-- you'll probably need at least 2 to make a meal since they're a little small (I thought) for the price. But here's the thing: they are FREAKIN' DELICIOUS! I forget the names of the two I had-- one was the Pulled Pork PBJ, I think, and the other was the Cheeseburger, maybe?  It had cheesy spicy ground beef and home fries, little cubes of fried potato, in a flour tortilla.  Both were excellently seasoned, substantial,  and quite satisfying in their own way.  I had a side of rice as well, which itself was a culinary masterpiece, smokey flavored, fluffy and thick.  TLW had a Taco Salad, which was big, perhaps a better value, and a little different from any other I've had.  The pastry crust shell was fried a little hard but that gave it a toasty flavor and kept it from losing its molecular integrity due to the moisture from the salad ingredients, which were a little light on the lettuce and heavy on other components, which was a GOOD thing, to me.

I had a bottle Modelo and TLW had their signature Watermelon Margarita, which was excellent, but both were at a price that would keep this $$ guy from ordering more than one.  With all that cheap bastard stuff said, however, I have to say we loved the place and will soon return.  iCOMEMOS, DUDE!