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Es werden Posts vom Dezember, 2012 angezeigt.

Recess - Revisit

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It has been awhile since we’ve been to Recess—not sure why, it is still one of the best restaurants in town. I guess maybe it seems like such a commitment, time-wise and food-wise.   The good news is, it is totally worth it.   It was on my in-laws list of places they have wanted to try in Indy, and it was the holidays, so a good excuse (not that you really need one). I am sure you know by now that Recess is a price fixed menu—you get 4 or 5 courses—usually you have  a choice for the largest protein and often there is an additional supplemental course for an extra charge (this night it was $56 with a $12 up charge for the pate).  So you have to go on faith with what they are making that day.  Most meals I have had have been good to really great, although there are always courses that I like better than others. The first course on this night was the weakest one for me (and I think everyone at the table). It was mixed greens with sliced jicama, radishes and tortilla chops and queso fresco

Rock-Cola 50’s Café

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You have to love it when you pull up to a place and the kids say, “Is THAT where we’re eating?” That was the impression the exterior of  Rock-Cola gave my kids. (The restaurant's  motto after all is “Just like all the high class places…without all of the high class.”) Once they got inside, they instantly changed their mind though—they loved all the 50's kitsch. My daughter always wants to sit at the counter too, but we settled into a booth. The service was a little strange, the lady who was cooking behind the bar on the flat top was really very friendly, but the lady who was waiting on tables said little to nothing the entire time she waited on us. She was kind of eyeing us suspiciously the first 10 minutes or so. I get the feeling maybe they don’t get a lot of kids or something. Anyhow, immediately my kids ordered a can of Choc-ola (which you can only get at Rock-Cola apparently). They were completely intrigued by a chocolate drink that comes in a can and isn’t fizzy. I am not

Happy Holidays!

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Hi everyone! Just wanted to take a minute to let you know I am taking a few days off from posting any restaurant reviews...I should have something up by the end of the week, so check back. I am going to be relaxing, spending time with my family and friends, eating, cooking, and counting my blessings--particularly my two healthy, happy, children.  But in the meantime, enjoy your Christmas (if that is a holiday you celebrate) and enjoy all the wonderful food this time of year so often provides!  Peace and joy to you all, Erin P.S. Would love to hear what you are eating over the next few days--are you cooking? Going out?  Please share!

A couple of rolls - Wild Ginger and Wasabi on 82nd

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So I have randomly eaten a couple of rolls at a couple of different places—both when hubby was out of town, and both with my kids, who seem to always be game for Japanese food.  And I always appreciate that there is no fear my son having an allergic reaction, since Japanese food rarely uses any kind of nuts. Interestingly, Wasabi (the second one I discuss here) was originally owned by the people who own Wild Ginger now.  So I guess it isn’t surprising that there are several similar items on the menus. Anyhow, the first dinner was Wild Ginger on 116 th Street in Fishers—the kids were totally into it, I have to say.  They loved the origami crane light fixture (a cool idea) and our table in the window (the place is certainly kid friendly).  They split an order of chicken teriyaki and I ordered a roll and a couple of orders of nigiri to split with my son.  Wild Ginger The roll I had there was the “mistake roll” ($7) which was spicy tuna inside and then the entire thing is lightly tempura f

Rosie's Place

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I had to be way north the other day, so naturally my mind wandered to where I could grab lunch that was new.   I thought of Rosie’s because several people have recommended it and I have read about it a couple places.   I didn’t realize it was right on the square in Noblesville—right in between the Asian Grill and Matteo’s. It’s a pretty big place, and I loved all the sweets piled up as you walked in.   The lady who greeted me (and was my server as well) was super nice and very friendly. The menu is half breakfast items and half lunch—the lunch side is made up mainly of salads and sandwiches.  I was torn about which way to go—honestly, everything sounded good and I am really looking forward to trying breakfast as well. Those breakfast tacos have my name on them. So in order to try as many things as possible since I was by myself, I got a “pick two” ($7.50) and had a half sandwich and a soup—ok, and I also got a side of mac and cheese ($2.50).  The sandwich I got was the roast turkey clu

Sakura

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  Sakura is the old guard sushi place in Indy—I think it opened when I was in high school (Lord, I’m old) and was the only one of its kind for awhile. Nowadays, sushi is everywhere, and in varying quality.   I am pretty sure the décor has not changed one iota since it opened, right down to the fake flowers hanging on the walls.   Honestly, I am surprised I haven’t written about it before—we have been lots of times, although the last time we went I swore I would never come back because the service was so horrible (and of course we were with the kids).   It can get crazy crowded, and when it does I find often it seems the staff sort of hovers in the back corner and the sushi making becomes progressively slower. I started with a bowl of miso.  As I have said before, I have never really found a lot of variation in miso soup other than sometimes they have a little  more tofu (yay, this one did!), or a little more seaweed.  Other than that, what I can say about it was that it was scorching h

Hubbard & Cravens

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Back up in Carmel to meet my friend Suzanne for lunch again—she is becoming one of my best “try a new restaurant” dates.  Sometimes it is hard to find people as enthusiastic as I am about trying new places.  Anyhow, we decided to go to Hubbard & Cravens after we both had looked at the menu online. There were a couple of pleasant surprises for me when I checked out the website. First, I really thought this was a large chain, but in fact it is locally owned—there are several locations, but all in the central Indianapolis area.  Next, I was kind of excited to see all the local products being used—lots of Smoking Goose meats, Trader’s Point cheese, and many other local farmers (as well as several local beers).  The one weird thing about the website is that they list a breakfast menu and a dinner menu, but no lunch menu—just an FYI, the lunch menu is the same as the dinner menu online (also, the prices aren’t totally up to date).  We went to the Carmel City Center location which is loc

Road Trip - Joseph Decuis - Revisit

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We have been having some great dinners lately.   And a couple of weeks ago it was hubby’s birthday and at his request, we headed up to Joseph Decuis (not like he had any trouble convincing me).   We checked in at the Inn, where we had not yet stayed, and walked down the street to dinner. I love Roanoke at the holidays because it is such a cute little town anyway, and then when you add lots of lights, it is even cuter. For dinner we were seated in the glass atrium part of the restaurant, which was also new to us. I was a little worried it would be cold in there with all the glass (and it was a cold night), but it was well insulated and well heated—a nice change of pace for restaurants in Indiana. All the little twinkly lights gave it nice atmosphere. Hubby and I usually split pretty much everything and since it was his birthday, I sort of let him choose the path.  The first thing he wanted to do was to skip any kind of soup or salad course and get the charcuterie platter ($18).  It was

12 Chefs of Christmas Ticket Giveaway!

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****HEY EVERYONE, I have picked my winner. Congrats to Patrick Wright! And thanks to everyone who left me a comment. I hope to see you next Saturday!*********** ___________________________________________________________________________ I don't do these things very often, but every once in awhile an event comes along that I am excited about--so if I happen to get a couple of tickets to give away, I am going to do it.  Brad Gates Catering and Flat 12 Bierwerks got together with a bunch of local chefs and producers to make this event happen to benefit the City Market  on Saturday, December 15th from 7:00-10:00 pm . I love the idea of the event because as you guys probably know, I am not overly knowledgeable about beer and this seems like a fun way to try a bunch of different beers that have been paired with food. Of course, if you actually know something about beer, I assume this is going to be a fun event for you too because I'm pretty sure these chefs know what they are doing

JT's Grille & Bar

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On the hunt for yet another new breakfast spot, the family and I decided to give JT’s a try—it is in the former location of Just Judy’s.   It is a similar menu and while the interior has been somewhat redecorated, it is not too different.   The kids are fans of breakfast in general (particularly French toast) so it is a meal that is easy to get everyone to agree on.   They also have a wide-ranging menu including lunch items, so if you go in the late morning you can go either way (as we did). I had my standard breakfast (which here is appropriately called “Mom’s Breakfast”)—2 eggs over easy, bacon, toast and I again decided to try their version of the hash brown casserole ($5.49 + $2.95 for the casserole).  The eggs were pretty good (one was a little overdone) and the bacon was decent--crisp on the edge and a good flavor.  The toast was cut really thick and had little butter on it, so it wasn’t my favorite.  The most disappointing thing was the hash brown casserole though. I think I am