MORE FOUNTAIN SQUARE GOODNESS AT END OF THE LINE - PUBLIC HOUSE

The ShelBi Street in Fountain Square has been re-opened with a fresh new menu, and great beer selection, as the End of the Line Public House. The much better name is an homage to the new Cultural Trail ending in Fountain Square and to the street cars that used to turn around and begin their journey all over again right in front of the restaurant. On the recommendation of our friendly server, I split an order of the baked pretzels with my dining companion. I wish I wouldn't have offered to split them. OH MY ......... Four nice size, piping hot salty pretzels with two warm cheezy dipping sauces. The rest of the menu consists of pizzas, salads and sandwiches. All the sandwiches are $10 and come with a pickle and your choice of several sides. I went with the Big Jesse which was a heap of juicy beef brisket on a toasty Italian roll topped with peppers, carrots and onions. I had a side of the house mac 'n cheese which was equally satisfying. A baked veggie burger with a side of fingerling potatoes went to the opposite side of the table and was thoroughly enjoyed. There are plenty of vegetarian options to choose from, which is always appreciated. The evening we were there a sign proclaimed there were 15 craft beers on tap, and I chose the Fountain Square Brewing Company's Oatmeal Stout which really hit the spot! Tasty food + Great service + Pleasant atmosphere = GOOD TIME!

DREAMS COME TRUE AT SUSHI CLUB!

Close your eyes, and imagine if you will...a Japanese restaurant where you can go and order all of the appetizers, soups, salads, nigiri sushi and specialty rolls you can eat. When you are finished and pleasantly bursting at the seams, your delightful server hands you a check for only $20 (plus tax and a generous tip). This is not some skanky, low-grade, sitting around all day buffet sushi. This is first class, made to order, as good as you will probably have at your favorite sushi joint, here in town or just about any where else for that matter. This is SUSHI CLUB which is located on the northeast corner of West 10th street and Girls School road. Housed in a former Pizza Hut and who knows what else after that, Sushi Club is a dream come true. Get over there NOW....and DON'T leave out your vegetarian friends. One of my favorite items of the evening actually came off of the vegetarian menu...the PEANUT and AVACADO ROLL! EVERYONE MUST try this culinary cuonundrum! There are plenty of other vegetarian friendly items on the menu as well. Your server will bring out your dry marker menus and answer all of your pending questions. I think the best approach is to look at it like a tapas bar. Order your soups and appetizers, and while they are being prepared, get ready to place your next order. The house salad was cold and topped with a creamy ginger dressing. The seaweed salad was probably the best I've ever tasted, with a lively sesame lemon dressing. Then keep it coming until, as our server put it, "your're really heavy"! Some of the other standouts of the evening were the delicate fried spring rolls with an intense sweet and sour dipping sauce and the CRAZY MANGO roll which was tuna with an eye popping mango/jalepeno sauce on top of it. The price is $2 more on the weekend with the addition of sashimi and maybe a few more rolls. Sushi club also has a nice selection of beer/wine and sake to enjoy at super reasonable prices. Everything my dining partner and I ordered was super fresh and beauutifully presented. I think if they got the sushi bar out into the room more and hung a few Japanese chotchkies on the walls the place would scream of a trendy Tokyo nightspot. But hey, I was too busy studying the menu and planning my next round of attack to really notice. I'm just saying.......

TACO B-LOZ...R.I.P.!

While having dinner with a friend a while back he asked me if I'd been to Taco B-Loz yet. After asking him to repeat that a few times, he told me it was a new Mexican restaurant on Michigan Road. I was VERY curious and on the way home I drove by the location for future reference. The first time I stopped by, I wasn't even hungry, I just wanted to check the place out. It was a hot day and the place was PACKED. I had a cerveza and some chips and was eager to return. And return I did on a rather peaceful weeknight. Our server was super nice and she brought our table salsa and chips and took our drink order. The chips were hot and fresh, and the table salsa was fine with nice bits of onions and cilantro. It could have been a bit spicier, but a few splashes of one of the hot sauces grouped at the table did the trick. Our drinks arrived and the food order was placed and we were off. My pal ordered one of the make your own combo deals, and I went for the tacos, having read that their Al Pastor (pork roasted in pineapple and spices) was the go to item. I ordered two of those and one steak. In no time our order came out with a trio of fun toppings for our meal. VERY spicy onions and peppers in a vinegar sauce, a creamy salsa verde

and a smoky chipotle red sauce housed in a metal lazy susan. My guest's combo came on two plates, with the bright red rice catching my eye. His Chile Relleno was exceptional with a very thick chunky sauce. My tacos were traditional Mexican style on dual stacked corn tortillas, stuffed with my meat choices and onion and cilantro. The steak was good, not great, being cooked a bit too long. But that was soon forgotten with the first bite of my Al Pastor. It was a FLAVOR EXPLOSION in my humble mouth. They didn't need it, but the addition of pickled onion mixture and some of the salsa verde took it over the top. If Taco-Bloz was closer I could probably eat there almost every day. Check out their website http://www.tacobloz.com/ for a couple pictures and a phone number, but DUH no address. They're at 8421 N. Michigan Road Indianapolis, IN 46268.

100 MEN WHO COOK INVADE HULMAN CENTER...FOR CHARITY!

Terre Haute is only about an hours drive from Indianapolis, and on March 19th the Hulman Center was the place to be for the 3rd annual "100 Men Who Cook" fundraising event for the the Terre Haute Children's Museum. What an amazing evening! Each year, 100 men (and in some cases their significant others) are invited to set up a table and bring their signature dish to share with about 900 guests. Doctors, landscapers, golf professionals, firemen and others from just about any occupation you can imagine, took an introductory march around the arena and then manned their stations. During the cocktail hour that preceded the start of the evening, an amazing common table with enormous peel and eat shrimp, provided by Jerry Isles of B & B Food Distributors, assorted cheeses and a taco bar got everyone primed for the main event. Chef Eddie Wilson of the Clabber Girl Bake Shop and Chef Jeff Ford of J. Fords Black Angus restaurant were the hosts for the evening. Once the dinner bell rang, the ravenous diners started their culinary assault, and many of the stations were sold out within 30 minutes. Of the several items I was able to fight my way to, some of the stand outs were a spectacular pulled pork sandwich, Asian spare ribs, paella, a breakfast casserole and a couple of mind blowing desserts. Oh, there were a couple of klunkers, but what do they say? "It's the thought that counts". Once the food ran out, there was an auction that included some fantastic donated items. And then, with the help of the cash bar, the dance floor filled up to finish out the night. Thank you to the Elaine Benes Dance School for providing the free lessons! In the past 3 years this event has raised over $250K for the Children's Museum. Way to go! Please keep us advised of any local food/wine related activities and we will be sure to pass them along!