NAPOLI'S II PIZZA...GOOD RIDDANCE TO PIZZA HUT RUBBISH

OH..The high school memories of cruising around the Pizza Hut, Gringo's Taco House and Taco Bell on  North Arlington Ave. after the games.  Those days have come and gone, and thankfully the stank that is now calling itself Pizza Hut has moved out.  A new tenant, Napoli's II, has moved in, painted the exterior, done some re-decorating on the inside and is up and running!  Nothing fancy here, just REALLY GOOD New York style pizza.  Several varieties are ready all day to be served as slices along with calzones and subs, or order a whole pie to eat in and enjoy or take it home and pop a few cold ones.  They also offer delivery to a pretty wide area around Irvington.  Call them for details, they are super nice people! My pal JH met up with me for a late lunch and we ordered the daily special.  A two topping 18" monster served with breadsticks and two drinks for only $20!  The perfect NY style thin crust, flavorful sauce and super fresh topping made for a great pizza.  I had a small tossed salad with super crisp iceberg lettuce, onions, cucumber and olives with a homemade Italian dressing.  It was a great way to start the meal.  The breadsticks were huge and very light, not heavy and doughy like they often are.  Your choice of cheese or marinara sauce are offered.  No alcohol is served at this time, just soft drinks.  Napoli's II is a great place for an inexpensive family night out.  Delivery is nice, but I'm a take out and have it at home kind of guy, but to each his own.  ENJOY!

TOW YARD BREWERY NEEDS TO BE TOWED AWAY

After reading a mostly positive review of the Tow Yard Brewing Co. in the Indianapolis Business Journal recently the "Almost Every Monday Night Dinner Club" decided to check the place out.  It was about 7:20 as the four of us approached the building, one of us on the verge of starvation after a long day at work, we were informed, by an obviously perterbed employee, that the "management" had decided to close the kitchen early because it had been kind of slow.  WTF?  You DO NOT just close your kitchen willie nilly.  There was not even a creative attempt at some "technical difficulties" or "the chef's dog just died" excuse.  Come on.  I would love to tell you about the beer, food, service, prices etc. but..... I CANNOT.  WHY BECAUSE THEY CLOSED THE KITCHEN EARLY.  We took our business down the street to Ralph's Great Divide and had a wonderful evening.  Checking out their reviews on YELP they better get their act together in a hurry or they will be GONE.  There are way too many great drinking and dining options within a pints throw of this place!  I emailed them that evening and never received a response, so they just don't care.  Or maybe they turned off their computer early because it was slow!

MEXICO CITY IN FISHERS?

Looking for a Mexican restaurant in the Indianapolis area?  Good luck with that (extreme sarcasm).  You can throw a piñata in just about any direction in these parts and have it land close to a Mexican joint.  There are the good the bad and the ugly choices, as always, and a few outstanding ones as well.  Mexico City Grill is easily in the good catgegory.  Located in a strip center (due tell) on the Northeast corner of 116th and Allisonville Road you will find your usual Tex-Mex items with a few surprises thrown in.  The place is much larger than you would guess from the outside.  At first glance it appears as if EVERYTHING is brightly painted and carved out of wood, lots of eye candy for the easily amused.  But it was very clean and the service was outstanding.  I went for a late lunch and it was moderately busy.  Freshly made chips and table salsa came out right away with a nice big glass of ice water.  The salsa was on the mild side but was flavorful.  I threw a couple of my choices out to my server and he said the Al Pastor burrito would be to my liking.  Upon it's arrival I was impressed with the presentation and portion size.  The Al Pastor didn't seem like it had been marinated for very long, but the pork was tender and it had a nice pineapple zing to it.  I would like to go back in the evening to see how their Margaritas are and check out some of the dinner entrees that are not on the lunch menu.