Review: Drake's

Castleton. An indy neighborhood where there is shopping, traffic, and very few good food options or independent restaurants to satisfy all those shoppers and rat racers. It's sad really, but everyone who lives or works on Indy's North side knows that Castleton, food wise, has fast food and chains but little else. There are some notable exceptions like a couple of sushi bars and the Castleton Grill, but if you want a good sitdown meal you don't have a lot of options. That brings me to today's review which is a place that is trying to change that landscape a bit...Drake's.

Drake's is located in the strip mall on 82nd right before you get to the green bridge, and right behind the old Music Mill (now the not so impressive Brewstone). Drake's certainly isn't anything revolutionary. Their menu basically consists of burgers, chicken, salads, and the usual appetizers, and interestingly enough sushi. While the sushi certainly sets it apart I didn't try it on this particular visit so I can't really comment. What I did try was their fried pickles (annoyingly called frickles on the menu) and their Tavern Burger.

The fried pickles were delicious because well...fried pickles are always delicious, but here at Drake's I thought they were even a little better than the ones I've had elsewhere. First of all these pickles were cut lengthwise instead of in to chips which I think made them more crispy during the frying process and the pickles weren't so overwhelmed by the breading. The breading itself was also very well seasoned, appeared to be hand battered, the breading didn't slough off when you took a bite, and the sauce they served with them was different and better than the typical ranch you get at most places. Definitely had a mild but nice litle extra kick. My only quibble was that the cost of this app was 8 bucks which seemed a little high, but it's probably comparable to other similar restaurants.

The Tavern Burger was something I wanted to like was more than I actually did. The concept sounded great. Thick burger, pepper jack cheese, spicy remoluade sauce, and grilled onions.  It was served with either fries or tots and I chose tots.  When the burger came to my table it certainly looked big and appealing, and I could definitely tell it had all the elements just like the description stated. However, what was missing was something you can't see. Flavor. Despite the grilled onions, and sauce, and cheese it was just kind of bland. It wasn't as if the condiments were covering the flavor of the meat because I wasn't getting the spice I expected from the cheese or the sauce either. I will say that it was a very juicy burger even though it was cooked to well done without an option as to how it could have been prepared. The bun was toasted and was ok but it may have been a bit too large. I also wish the onions had been grilled and caramelized a little more. I think just a couple more minutes would have let them add that nice sweet flavor they can contribute. The tots were tasty and well seasoned, but they were your basic tater tots.

Even though maybe the burger was only a little better than okay I will say I liked eating at Drake's quite a bit. It was a nice day so we walked in and seated ourselves in front of the bar area and right near the open "garage doors" that make up the front of the restaurant. I like the semi al fresco dining experience a lot more than places that have patio seating under umbrellas. Our server was nice and service was prompt. I think Drake's is definitely worthy of another shot especially if I can gather some friends that will share some of that sushi with me.

Rating 6.5/10

Fast Food Review: Culver's

When you go out to grab lunch during a workday it's really easy to get stuck in a rut.  Out of all the times I've went out to lunch in the past 6 months (usually only about once a week) I've probably went to Taco Bell for a plurality of them.  I do like Taco Bell, but let's face facts I go there because it's quick and cheap.  The other day I decided I had enough of the same old same old and decided to not only try some place different but some place I had personally never been to before.  That place is Culvers.

If you're unfamiliar with Culver's they are a Wisconsin based regional chain that has a diverse menu, but one that primarily focuses on their signature "butter burgers".  The butter burgers are fresh ground beef smashed thin on the flattop with crispy edges on a butter toasted bun.  Despite hearing from my co-worker that Culver's serves up a mean fish sandwich also I decided I was in the mood for some red meat.  I decided to go with the double mushroom and swiss burger combo that comes with a drink and Culver's crinkle cut fries.

The first thing I did when I unwrapped my burger was take note of it's appearance.  After all people do say if your food looks good it's more likely to taste good. That is exactly why Sarah Jessica Parker has nothing to fear from cannibals, but I digress. In this case I noticed the size of the burger, with the double patty, was definitely an ample portion and the crispy edges were evident.  The 2 slices of swiss were nicely melted, and the bun looked pillowy and soft.  What turned me off a little was the way the thin sliced mushrooms seemed to be few in number and scattered haphazardly.  Luckily there were more mushrooms on top of the bottom bun and the flavor and aroma of them came through nicely.  There was no mayo or extra "mushroom sauce" here that sometime come on other burgers of this genre.  They were not needed.  The mushrooms here complemented the nice flavor of the meat, and muddling that with sauce would have been a crime.  The crinkle cut fries were also a nice change of pace.  While I'm not putting them on the same level as my favorite fries that are always fresh cut they were crisp and had good potato flavor.  The medium portion size was also larger than I expected.  I should also point out that I tried Culver's own root beer, and while it was good I wouldn't be able to differentiate it between other mainstream brand.

Being a guy that likes fast food from time to time I can't believe I've slept on Culver's for this long. It might still be fast food but they are doing it at a higher level than almost every other fast food burger joint.  I'm looking foward to my next visit, and maybe I'll try some custard next time.

Taste 9/10 Probably my favorite fast food burger.  Could have used just a few more mushrooms. Crinkle cut fries were good, but not as good as fresh cut variety.
Value 9/10 My double mushroom swiss combo cost $7.62 including tax.  Considering how much I enjoyed it that's pretty good in my opinion.  You get enough food that there is no need to upsize. It might be a little more expensive than a medium combo at Wendy's, McDonald's etc but it's not by much.

Revisit: Charleston's

There are a lot of things in life that tend not to live up to the hype: the BCS, SEC football, that last Superman movie, the Boston Redsox in 2011, the Segway, more or less everything you can buy on late night television for $19.95, Obama, pretty much every winner of American Idol, anything involving Star Wars that isn't the original cuts of the first three films....and Hugh Jackman.  After I ate at Charleston's the first time I felt like putting it on this list.  It came across as one of those kind of places that seemed like it should be better than it actually was.  Even though the unpalatable coleslaw stuck out in my mind from my last visit I was excited for another go round.

When I walked in the front door at Charleston's my dinner decision was more or less made for me.  I knew from the smell that Charleston's was cook food over a wood flame, and when I saw the wood fire grilled pork chops on the menu that's what I had to go for.  It was 2 chops served with sides of garlic mashed potatoes and bbq beans.  The first thing I noticed when my food arrived was that Charleston's is not a place that skimps on the portions.  Both pork chops were rather healthy in size and the amount of garlic mash on my plate was nothing short of gargantuan. The portion of beans was adequate but seemed small by comparison.  The second thing I noticed was that the pork chops had beautiful caramelized color and grill marks.  The mere appearance screamed delicious before I even took bite one. 

As for how things actually tasted that is a little more of a complex answer.  I thought the flavor of the chops was really really good.  The wood fire grill wasn't just a gimmick here.  The meat was tender, juicy, and cooked just right.  Also, the smoky flavor really came across strongly.  While I appreciated that, but I almost felt it could have used a sweet element as a complement.  Maybe that's just a personal preference, but I felt that a glaze or even a sauce would have really elevated these from really good to the level of something special.  The garlic mash was absolutely dead on.  The texture wasn't too smooth and the garlic flavor was present without being overwhelming.  The bbq beans were a little bit of a curve ball.  Based on the description I was expecting a flavor profile similar to sweet baked beans and instead this was more chili-like.  I actually appreciated it quite a bit.  For dessert, despite it being more of a Summer dish, I decided to go with the keylime pie.  It was fantastic.  The perfect mix of subtle sweetness and just a hint of sour from the limes.  It also didn't hurt itself by being topped with a healthy amount of fresh real whipped cream.


Taste 8.5/10 While there may have been ways that my dish could have been adjusted to improve it according to my person preferences, but it's hard to argue that the execution of the food was anything less than superb. The perfect flavors for a cool fall night. 

Value 8.5/10 When you go to Charleston's you have to realize that it isn't the type of place where you can get a 2 meals for $20 deal.  With dessert my meal was over the 20 dollar mark, but I definitely felt that it was worth every penny in terms of the amount and quality of food that was served. 

Meet the New Mexican Restaurant, Same As the Old Mexican Restaurant: Casa Grande Review

If you've read this blog before you've probably noticed what kinds of foods I like and what kinds I tend to shy away from just based on what I've written about.  In the case of Mexican cuisine it is true that I haven't done very many (or any-I'm too lazy to check) reviews of Mexican restaurants.  However, it's definitely not because I don't like Mexican food.  It may not always be my go-to ethnic cuisine, but there are a lot of times when I just crave it.  The problem I find though is that every new Mexican restaurant I go to seems the same to me.  Yes, the decor may be different.  There may be a different special on the menu here or there. But outside of  those factors I'm usually unable to discern much difference in the food's appearance, taste, or menu offerings.  When Casa Grande opened up in Castleton on the site of an old Max and Erma's I was hoping that this time "new" eatery would actually bring something "new" to the table literally and metaphorically.

Upon walking in to the restaurant I have to say I was encouraged.  The decor, while not fancy, definitely seemed like a step up from the likes of a lot of Mexican restaurants I've been in.  It was more like the inside of a just remodeled Ruby Tuesday's than an El Rodeo or Puerta (for you Muncieites).  The service was prompt, and our server was friendly even giving my friend beer suggestions.  Once we settled in I looked at the menu and was instantly disappointed.  You could have swapped out the menu from any other Mexican restaurant in the city and you wouldn't have noticed a difference.  That being what it was I decided to go with some standby favorites of mine chicken nachos and an ala carte tamale.

Before our food arrived we were of course given a basket of fresh tortilla chips with acommpanying salsa.  I expect this, but I was also a little surprised to see that along with the salsa we were served a sauce that was a ranch dressing base that was dressed up with a spice blend by the kitchen.  It was a little spicy, and I enjoyed it on my chips.  Our food soon arrived and it was time to dig in to the main event.  There really isn't a lot I can say about my chicken nachos.  The flavors were good.  The queso was perfectly melty and delicious.  The chips were chips.  However, I was disappointed at how dry a lot of my chicken was.  It still had flavor, but it definitely lacked a little juiciness.  The tamale was much larger than I expected.  I split it with The Girlfriend and I still was not able to take down my full plate of nachos.  Unfortunately the tamale was also disappointing.  The masa was dry and there was a lot of it.  When I say "a lot" I mean there was so much it was difficult to find the meat filling.  It was also quite dry and didn't have a ton of flavor.  Without all of the sauce and cheese on top it would have been rather hard to eat. 

All in all I guess I have to say my search for a standout Mexican restaurant continues.  I will of course always take suggestions, but I have to say I'm more than a little jaded now.  I've gone to too many places expecting something that will wow me only to come away feeling about the same as always. 

Taste 5/10 Extremely average here.  I didn't hate it, but I would probably only go back if someone else wanted to go or meet there.  Some execution issues with the food.

Value 7/10  As with most Mexican restaurants you are going to get a lot of food for your money here.  Our meal was around 20 bucks I think, and I had enough for 2 meals. 

Sweet Treat: Paradise Cafe Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ok here were are again at the intersection of two of my favorite things in the entire world chocolate chip cookies and toasted coconut.  While one would think that very little could go wrong with a coconut chocolate chip cookie given my culinary predilictions I have to say that this was not immediately a slam dunk.  While I love chocolate chip cookies I'm a little particular about them.  I definitely prefer soft and chewy over crunchy and crumbly.  I believe this is also the reason why I almost like to eat cookie dough as much as I like to eat the cookies themselves.   Also, it's important to me that any good chocolate chip cookie have chocolate pieces that aren't too big (no chunks please) and evenly distributed.  As for the coconut I'm pretty cool with it in all of it's forms, but much like everything else in life being a little bit toasted is always better.  How did these cookies from Paradise Bakery and Cafe, a place I had never been, stack up.

Truthfully and honestly I have to say these were the best chocolate chip cookies I can remember eating.  The regular chocolate chip was fantastic.  It met all of the criteria I described above and then some.  It far exceeded expectations.  I was a little more skeptical when I tried the chocolate chip coconut.  I had never had this particular combination before, and just having ate the regular chocolate chip it was going to have a lot to stack up to.  It passed the test with flying colors.  The coconut was not simply sprinkled on top but seemed to be actually mixed throughout the entire cookie.  It was also nicely toasted despite the cookie still being very moist and chewy.  The chocolate chips were evenly distributed and had the perfect melted consistency.  I wish had one right now.

Taste 10/10 As far as flavor combinations and chocolate chip cookies go this was it for me. 

Value 6/10  These cookies are pretty fantastic, but they dont come cheap.  They were running a special where you bought 3 cookies and got 1 free and the total came to almost 5 bucks! Yowza!  If the taste was anything less than a 10 the value score probably wouldn't have been dragged down significantly.

Burger Time (And I Don't Mean That Oldschool Videogame) Review: Houlihan's

Just in case you never noticed before the DUDE part of Random Dude Eats Random Food is more than just some word that rhymes in a blog title.  The truth is that I'm a guy and sometimes a guy just wants a damn hamburger.  But in my travels I seem to find a really good burger a little hard to come by.  Granted I've had some solid burgers, but none that rise to the level of the place with the little green door with the neon sign that says burger (If you get that cultural reference...good on ya).  That is to say, I can't find one that really sticks in my memory as the go to place for ground beef.  When I went with friends to Houlihan's a couple of weeks ago my primary motivation was the half-priced drinks, but was burger an added bonus or just a waste of money I could have used to buy more cheap booze?

First, before I get to the food, I want to voice a couple of impressions I had about Houlihan's as a restaurant.  Upon entering I have to say that my first thought was that this place is trying way too hard.  I mean, come on, it's a chain causal restaurant with a "'s" on the end of it's name.  Stop trying so hard to look cool with the semi-open kitchen and somewhat retro decor.  Just because you don't have all kinds of crazy crap on the walls doesn't make you that much better than Applebee's, Chili's, etc etc etc.  Looking at the "good Lord we have everything under the Sun" menu with no clear direction only reinforced my skepticism.  Add to that there was only 1 server working the entire bar area, on what was a busy Friday night, then you might begin to understand why Houlihan's had a lot to overcome to impress me.

I looked over the menu and decided on the Burger 72.  It has apparently had a quite a bit of press on the local and national blogosphere lately being reviewed at both Would I Buy It Again and Serious Eats.  To break it down it's an 8 oz burger with an garlic and herb fried mushroom cap, parmesan, horseradish and watercress on a challah bun.  I ordered mine medium, and despite the time it took our food to come out, I was pleasantly surprised.  Hell, maybe I was just craving some ground beef.  I don't know, but I do know that it was cooked  properly and was way better than any other chain burgers I've had in a while.  I was suspicious of the watercress seeing as it was a pretty unusual burger topping, but I actually to found that it added a nice contrast to all of the richness of the cream, cheese and beef.  The two aspects I were disappointed in were the size of the mushroom cap and the horseradish.  I had my sights set on a larger portabello mushroom cap almost covering my burger patty.  Even if my expectations in that regard were inflated (I'd mainline mushrooms if I could) I still thought it was smaller than it should have been.  It did add a nice flavor element however.  The horseradish on the other hand not so much.  Maybe again this is a personal taste preference that others don't share, but if you tell me something has horseradish it in something there better be enough to give me more than a little kick.  This kick was more Mike Vanderjagt style, off the mark and not coming through when you needed it the most.  The fries were pretty standard, but they did taste very fresh and crisp.  Delicious.

Taste 8.5/10 The quality of the burger alone might have been worthy of a 9+ in my opinion, but the toppings needed to come through here.  Not at the upper limit of it's complete potential, but I'll probably get it again the next time I'm at Houlihan's.

Value 5/10  It was a good burger, but for 10 bucks for a burger and fries it should be.  Not a great value.  Average I'd say.  The drink specials are a really good value especially for a place that isn't primarily a bar. 

Ale Emporium Revisit Review

The last time I wrote about the Ale Emporium on this blog I  was forced to take one of my favorite bar/eateries to task for a pulled pork sandwich that was an embarrassment to everything that real BBQ is about.  As we were looking for a place to have some food and drink one night I thought it would be a good idea to give the food at the Ale Emporium another chance.  I determined that this time I would order something more in their wheelhouse.  I was not disappointed.

Making a choice of what to order was more than a little difficult.  I've heard a lot of good things about the wings at the Ale Emporium and the Hermanaki wings in particular.  However, I remembered one of my friends trying their pan pizza a while back and being extremely jealous when it came to the table.  Relying on those memories The Girlfriend and I decided to split a 14" pan pizza with sausage and bacon.  It would be a mistake to call this a "Chicago style" or "deep dish" as I understand it.  That style is generally seen as having the toppings and cheese underneath and the sauce (a lot of it) on top.  That's not the case here.  This is very thick Midwest style pan pizza.  The toppings were plentiful and the amount of cheese was insane in a totally fantastic way.  I'm telling you there were so much cheese here someone who was lactose intolerant would have a hard time even looking at it.  The sausage tasted fresh, and the bacon definitely brought a nice smoky flavor although it wasn't terribly crisp.  The sauce was there, but it almost seemed like an afterthought compared to the mozzarella.  Maybe this style of pizza wouldn't be everybody's preference, but I absolutely freakin loved it.  Bars usually come nowhere close to putting out something like that.  It's to be commended in a big way.  One last note:  The 14" pan pizza here is enormous.  It would easily serve 4 or 5 people.  I was thinking more Pizza King 14" when I ordered this I guess.  We had leftover pizza for days.


Taste: 9/10  If the bacon was a little crispier and with a little more sauce this would be a 10
Value: 7/10  This is not a cheap pizza.  This is pizza with substance, and you can expect the price to match that accordingly.  On the bright side it will feed several people.

Yeah I Used to Be A Hater: Jimmy Johns Review

When it comes to food opinions I've never been shy about expressing mine even in my pre-blog days.  If there was one opinion my friends probably know well is that in general I'm a big hater of cold sandwich shops, Jimmy Johns being a member of that list.  The reason for this doesn't really have anything to do with the taste of the food itself.  I know JJ's has good bread, meat and cheese, but when I get a cold sandwich I just never feel like I'm getting bang for my buck.  I don't like a lot of veggies or toppings on my sandwich so I don't get really excited for plain cold cuts I could put on a sandwich myself at home and not have it taste that much worse than the sub shop.  Recently I think I had a sandwich that might have moved the meter a little however.

Jimmy John's would never be my first choice, but since people in the office were ordering it for my boss' boss visit to the office I decided to roll with it and try the Italian Nightclub sans the veggie combo of lettuce, tomato and onion.  What I ended up with was a sizable sandwich with plenty of capicola, salami, ham, provolone, mayo and Italian vinaigrette.  I decided to accompany that with JJ's bbq chips and one of their chocolate chip cookies.  I was happily surprised.  It was good quality ingredients on good bread and the mayo and vinaigrette added a nice zip.  I didn't think either one was over done.  I was prepared to be underwhelmed with the size of my sandwich since I wasn't having the veggies that increase the volume of the sandwich.  I was wrong.  Even without the sides the sandwich itself would have been a better than average lunch portion.  The chips were nicely coated with plenty of bbq flavor and were thick enough to have significant bite and crunch.  I enjoyed the cookie as well since it's large size and soft texture reminded me of my favorite Hardee's Big Cookie of the past.

In conclusion Jimmy John's has won me over.  I will no longer shrug or roll my eyes when people suggest eating there.  Well truthfully in most situations I would still prefer a hot meal, but I'll at least be open to JJ's for lunch.   As far as Subway goes I will continue to hate it with the fire of a thousand suns.  Inferior ingredients, cutting corners, diminishing amounts of meat.  I'll just be more careful to not lump all places into the same pile with Scrubway in the future.

Taste 8/10  Very solid sandwich.  One that was good enough to make me go back to Jimmy John's despite what I feel is its somewhat hipster proclivity.
Value N/A  Can't rate this one considering that I didn't pay for the sandwich myself.  I also have no idea what the normal cost is for the sandwich or the sides.  Feel free to chime in with comments if you know.

Review: Kabob Korner

A lot of my favorite foods tend to be various types of comfort food.  I know it has become a little cliche in today's food culture, but that's what I grew up eating and have fond memories of eating.  That's why it's such a treat when I get my adventurous side up and try something (usually ethnic food) that I'm not used to enjoying.  It's even more exciting when said meal turns out to be one I quite enjoy.

The place in question is of course Kabob Korner.  It's a little unassuming Afghani restaurant set in the corner of a small strip mall in the Castleton area.  It's one of those places that I enjoy so much because if you didn't know it was there you might miss it.  I myself have probably driven by the location across from the AMC Theater in the Castleton Square Mall dozens of times, but thanks to a suggestion from a co-worker several weeks ago I finally decided to stop in.

As all of you intelligent readers have probably figured out by now the main part of their menu consists of kabobs of various types of meat.  However, the kind of kabob they serve may not be the one you have pictured in your mind's eye.  Instead of getting served grilled meat and veggies on a stick what you get is your choice of meat prepared but not served on skewers, basmati rice with a tomato sauce topping and 2 pita bread pieces with a yogurt sauce.  On my trip I decided to go with the more expensive lamb, but I was informed this was their specialty and they did not disappoint.  The meat was heavily but nicely seasoned and cooked to perfection.  It was juicy and fresh, but in now way greasy.  The portion size was also quite large which I enjoyed.  The basmati rice didn't strike me as anything terribly special, but the homemade tomato sauce on top was quite enjoyable.  I just wished there was more of it to counterbalance the somewhat dry rice.  The pita pockets were also quite fresh and being served warm they were the perfect consistency.  The pitas were good both on their own and as a vehicle for containing meat and rice.

One thing I think you have to be aware of in regards to choosing to eat at the Kabob Korner is that if you judge the restaurant by its location, appearance, decor and plastic eating utensils you might draw the wrong conclusion.  I know I came in expecting something similar to a Chinese takeout experience.  Mediocre food quality at a low price prepared quickly.  What I got was something of much higher quality.  Yes the price was higher  than something you might expect to pay at a strip mall restaurant, but that's why it's important to look at what your eating and not where you're eating it.

Taste 8/10  The lamb was perfectly prepared and delicious.  I'd definitely get this dish again despite the just okay rice side dish.
Value 7/10  I paid just north of 13 dollars for a healthy portion of lamb, rice, pitas and a Coke.  I think that is pretty darn good.

Ale Emporium: Pulled Pork Review

I was to preface this review by saying how big of a fan I am of the Ale Emporium.  If you've never been there it's a cool bar/restaurant in a little strip mall on the corner of 86th and Allisonville in Castleton.  They often have live music, plenty of TVs, plenty of tables, a non smoking section, outdoor seating and good service.  I've also had several meals at the Ale Emporium and almost everything  I've had has been top notch.  I think that is what made the pulled pork bbq sandwich I had there such an incredible disappointment.

It was Friday afternoon after a long week and I decided to meet my buddy at the Ale Emporium for one or two or eight drinks.  On this front the bar met my every desire to a tee.  Beer never tastes as good as it does while sitting outdoors on a Friday after work.  However, to go with my barley and hops I decided to also order some food.  I passed up a few of my usual favorite sandwiches and pizza (the deep dish at AE is awesome!) and decided to go with an item on the menu with the ever-attractive NEW!! label next to it, the pulled pork sandwich.  The menu description sounded wonderfully enticing.  Slow smoked pulled pork bbq topped with creamy coleslaw with a side of pretzel crusted fried pickles.  That sounded like the perfect combination of drunk food and late Spring early Summer deliciousness.

When it arrived at my table it was not really what I had envisioned and not what had been described.  What was the first thing I see?  A striking absence of coleslaw and a horrendous  addition of melted cheese on top of my pulled pork.  For shame.  Maybe some of you out there have a preference for that and feel free to make your arguments in the comments, but I'll tell you right now you're wrong.  It added absolutely no flavor or texture and just made it visually unappealing.  The pork itself was also incredibly bland.  It had the appearance that it was sauced, but I was struggling to find any sweetness or tanginess. The pork also definitely seemed more shredded than pulled which isn't my preference and made it seemed more processed than fresh.  The bright spot was definitely the fried pickles.  Fried pickles are a somewhat trendy new item on several bar food menus these days, but these with their pretzel breading are truly unique.  They were the perfect thickness.  Crunchy and salty on the outside yet somewhat soft as you bit into them.  Very delicious, and I'm definitely going to get some the next time I'm at the Ale Emporium.

And speaking of going back let me say that I will be going back to the Ale Emporium and probably will do so with some frequency.  It's just a good bar with good food.  Everybody is entitled to a swing and a miss every once in a while.  I mean some of you are probably Cubs fans and you stick with them despite them being crappy for almost well...forever.  Anyway, my point is stop by the Ale Emporium for a bite and a pint sometime.  Somethings are worth a second ...or 100th chance.


Taste 3/10 The fried pickles were fantastic.  I'd mainline them if I could.  The sandwich on the other hand was one of the least flavorful bbq sandwiches I've ever had and it had cheese on it for Chrissakes.  I probably should have sent it back, but I was willing to give it a shot, and sending stuff back unless it's under or over cooked really isn't my style.  From now on I'm going to avoid bbq unless a place does that as their specialty.

Value 4.5 The value here would be just a little above average if my meal was more enjoyable.  The sandwiches are about what you'd expect to pay for bar food in Indianapolis.

Breakfast: LePeep

You've probably been hearing since you were a kid that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Most of us, myself included, usually rush out the door in the morning with little or no breakfast and are yet to burst into flames so who knows if that is actually true or not.  However, what I can tell you is that when I do have time for it breakfast is maybe my favorite meal of the day.  That delicious mixture of carbs and protein.  It can be sweet, savory or both at once.  Breakfast is a meal I love to eat at a restaurant if I can find a place that does it well.  Unfortunately for LePeep, after today their name has been crossed off that list.

For those of you unaware LePeep is a medium to medium-small sized chain of sitdown restaurants specializing in breakfast and lunch items with the main focus on breakfast.  I've always heard a lot of hype for it in the Indy area.  Even with several locations the flow of customers ranges from steady to really busy.  I had eaten there in pre-blog days and I had an omelet that was completely unmemorable.  I decided it worthy of another shot.  I wish I hadn't.

When I sat down I noticed that the service was snappy and that water was already placed at my table which I always view as a plus.  I also enjoyed that when I ordered coffee a pot was placed at my table a la IHOP so I could dispense my own refills.  The coffee was quite good, but it could have been served a little bit hotter.  When it came to my meal I decided to go the savory route and order the Eggs Benedict which I had been craving for quite some time.  I maintain that few things are better than a runny egg.  You can see from the picture that it was indeed a traditional Eggs Benedict served with LePeep's trademarked "Peasant Potatoes".  Unfortunately the dish was racked with seasoning and execution flaws.

The first thing I have to note is that maybe LePeep calls their homefries "Peasant Potatoes" because you'd almost have to be a starving peasant in a feudal society to want to eat them.  They look like nicely seasoned homefries, but in reality they were nothing but bland, forgettable, straight out-of-the-bag garbage.  I put a lot of ketchup on them and still couldn't make them worth eating.  You could find better hashbrowns or homefries almost anywhere.  Also, lacking in flavor was the hollandaise sauce on top of my poached eggs.  There was absolutely no tang or zip here.  It added absolutely nothing to the dish other than aesthetics.  The english muffin and ham were okay, but being the two easiest components to put on the plate I expect them to be. Being that they are in the title of the dish the eggs were supposed to be the star here.  They were not.  When I cut into a poached egg the runny yolk should flow out over my dish, but with the first egg the yolk sort of just stayed there.  I would call it more like a custard than runny.   The second egg was adequately runny, but that just speaks to a lack of consistency in the kitchen which may or may not be an even worse problem.  Also, I could not for the life of me figure out what was up with that terrible garnish on my place of tomatoes and lettuce.  Granted tomatoes in their non-sauce form kind of gross me out, but even if I liked them I don't see it making sense on a breakfast plate with such a rich dish. 

Taste: 4/10  It might even deserve less than a 4, but dang it I just love eggs that much.

Value: 2/10  The food was poorly executed and bland and it cost 8 bucks not including the coffee and tip.  Denny's food would both be cheaper and better.  If you want a real breakfast place though check out Best Bet Breakfast and Lunch or Uptown Cafe both in Noblesville.

Charleston's

Last night I had the opportunity to enjoy a good meal with coworkers at a locally popular but otherwise unknown restuarant called Charleston's.  The best way to describe the style of cusine is comfort food through and through.  There are no froo froo cucumber foams or watercress salads at this place.  It's hearty stick to your ribs fare in huge portions and makes no apologies for it.  The menu is on the smaller side, but it is focused and most of not all of the food seems to be made in house which is something you can't find at enough restaurants these days.  For my meal I decided to go with the chicken fried steak which comes with garlic mashed potatoes and sweet cooked carrots.  I also added a side of coleslaw since I'm a big fan.  I finished the meal off with their apple cobbler with walnuts and vanilla icecream.  Our table also decided to get an order of the shrimp done escargot style for an appetizer.  Let's go ahead and break down each of these components one by one.

Shrimp escargot-style appetizer:  This was one of the more unusal dishes I have ever eaten.  I've eaten shrimp in a lot of ways and I thought based on the menu description that I was just in for another shrip scampi-esque creation.  I was wrong.  Yes the basic flavor was there of the garlic and butter, but the shrimp were served in little holes in the dish in the garlic/butter mixture and covered in havarati cheese.  Seafood and cheese is usually an unpleasant combination.  However, in this case the cheese was mild enough to not kill the flavor of the shrimp that were cooked nicely.  In conclusion very good.

Chicken fried steak:  Overall a very solid offering for a main course.  I could tell it was fresh and hand breaded and fried to perfection.  It was a large portion with a lot of flavor.  It was topped with what the menu called a "black pepper chipoltle" gravy.  The gravy may have been the most delicious part of the meal.  It was your basic white gravy roux but mixed with spices and I'm guessing a little bit of sugar to give it the sweetness that I found so different and delicous.  The only negative comment I can make is that when my steak was hot right from the kitchen it wanted to slough off the breading when I cut into it.  Not that big of a deal and it had no impact on the taste or enjoyment of the dish.

Sides:  The garlic mashed potatoes (hidden in the picture under the steak) were very good.  I only had a couple problems.  The portion of mash that comes with the dish is Man vs Food worthy.  I'm not a guy who usually leaves food on the plate, but I could only take down about half of my potatoes.  They were the skin on variety and mashed to a good consistency, but they could have used some more garlic flavor an addition of the some of that great gravy that was on the steak.  The carrots were also tasty.  They were your basic carrots cut up and cooked in a light sweet glaze.  They were a nice compliment to the richness of the other items on my plate.  The one thing I ordered that absolutely broke my heart was the coleslaw.  Coleslaw is hands down one of my favorite sides to get with comfort food dishes, but Charleston's version of it was an incredible disappointment and borderline inedible.  The menu said it was creamy, and truthfully it was exactly the opposite.  It was more or less a bowl of chopped cabbage.  What flavor it did have was a very assertive onion flavor that was terrible and one that shouldn't be associated with good coleslaw.  I will not be ordering it next time

Dessert:  Normally I don't get dessert since I'm usually full from my meal and I'm not a big sweets guy to start off with anyway.  However, this time everyone at the table was raving about the desserts so I felt I had to indulge.  My dessert was the apple cobbler with vanilla icecream.  Everything about it was delicious.  It had just the right amount of sweetness and apple spices.  The walnuts provided a nice crunch and the ice cream was a great compliment to the hot cobbler.  It was very good, but next time I think I'll try the bread pudding since I've heard such good things.

Misc:  The service was very good considering we had a large party of 8.  Our food was out promptly with little confusion and my drink was refilled without asking.  Charleston's also has a full bar and selection of good beers on draft if you're so inclined.

Overall I think Charleston's is a great local restaurant with locations on 82nd street in Castleton and on Highway 37 in Carmel.  Let's do the ratings.

Taste:  9/10  I know it's only coleslaw, but if Charleston's is doing comfort food they need to get that right.  Worthy of a full point deduction.
Value:  8/10  It's a little bit more pricey than your average fast casual restaurant, but it's not that much more expensive and the food is of such a higher quality it can barely be considered in the same league.
Randomness:  7/10  Charleston's is pretty well known locally so it can't really be considered off the beaten path, but it hardly qualifies as a big chain on a national level.  Also, it is quite dark on the inside and has gaslights which I find pretty random in 2011.