TACOS A LA DIABLA....MUY MUY PICANTE!

So I was driving down East Washington Street in Indianapolis the other night...trying my hardest to find a Mexican Restaurant...OK...That's B.S!  You can't fling a tortilla in any direction around here that wouldn't hit a Mexican Restaurant! But talk about hidden away...a little strip mall on the north side of East Washington street holds a fiesta waiting for you to stop in!  Tacos A la Diabla offers a nice atmosphere, super friendly service and a wonderful array of Mexican delights waiting for you to try.  They have several beers on tap including Pacifico.  The table chips and salsa are AMAZING, fresh home made chips and a nice smoky, chunky salsa.  Everything that passed by me looked good, but I went for the tacos a la diabla.  One each of chicken, steak and Al Pastor.  I am always disappointed with steak tacos...dry and flavorless...NOT HERE!  Juicy and flavorful!  The chicken and pork tacos were equally AMAZING!  The best part is they offer, without looking at you as a gringo...flour or corn tortillas.  I love flour tortillas and they were warm and soft and heavenly!  These puppies are SPICY....like sweating bullets hot!  They bring out squirt bottles of a tomatillo/cilantro and creamy chipotle sauce, if needed.  Both were nice and added another layer to the already crazy good flavor profile.  Sit back, enjoy the food and watch a Mexican game show on one of the TVs!  

GRIGGSBY'S STATION IN GREENFIELD AND COMING SOON TO IRVINGTON!

This past Thursday I was very fortunate to be invited to attend the soft opening of Griggsby's Station in Greenfield.  Located right on the main drag, G.S. will be the GO-TO for a great night out with an amazing beer/wine selection, mind blowing craft cocktails and a diverse and clever menu featuring locally sourced produce and protein.  Sausages, grass fed beef, pasture raised pork and chicken...all humanely raised with no antibiotics or hormones come from Tyner Pond Farms.  This location used to be an old antique store and was gutted, exposing the beautiful brick walls and rustic wood flooring.  Chef Michael has this kitchen kicking out a small but very creative menu of salads, tacos, satay, steaks and lots of stuff in between.  His wife Abi runs the front of the house and Bar manager Jason totally understands how to make their thirsty customers happy!  The gentleman seated on my right at the bar had a burger and loved it and his friend couldn't stop raving about his Asian pork skewers.  I had the sirloin served with grilled watermelon, mustard greens and chimichurri and was blown away.  A fun little fact, they have all of their steak knives hand made locally! They will be opening a location this fall in Irvington and I cannot wait!

One of Jason's creations...The Raggedy Buck...A flavor explosion!

SAHARA RESTAURANT BRINGS A BIT OF LEBANON HERE TO INDY

SAHARA  832 BROAD RIPPLE AVE

There are some pretty good Greek restaurants around town, that's for sure.  But the Sahara takes the Middle Eastern dishes you may be familiar with and puts a tasty Lebanese twist on them.  The place is beautifully decorated and very inviting.  You order at the counter and your meal is prepared freshly and brought out to your table.  The portions are substantial and priced between $8-15.  The falafel is probably the best I have ever tasted.  Smaller than I'm used to, but packed full of flavor.  Nice and crunchy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside.  They offer several options of sandwiches and platters with different meat options, chicken, lamb, steak and ground beef.  Vegetarians will be happy that there are lots of options for them as well, including the above mentioned falafel!  Everyone that works there is over the top friendly.  I am told they will be staying open late nights on Friday and Saturday to tame the hungry Broad Ripple crawlers!

AMERI-MEX? CAN'T GO WRONG AT LA HACIENDA

6825 Graham Road location is my go to!

Are you in the mood for some outstanding American-Mexican fare?  Well who in their right mind isn't from time to time?  With a few locations scattered around town, La Hacienda is a pretty much guaranteed spot to get your taste buds firing.  The location at 71st and Binford is by far my favorite, with great service, spot on food and BEYOND AMAZING Texas Margaritas.  The complimentary chips are always warm and fresh.  The table salsa is good, but I like chunks of onion in cilantro in mine, and theirs is pretty smooth.  The menu is pretty standard with burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, tacos etc.  Nothing really out of the ordinary, but I can't say that I've had anything that wasn't top notch.  Some stand outs are the kind of hard to find on the menu fish tacos with a choice of soft flour or hard shells and, believe it or not, the chicken soup (pictured above).  WOW!  Big chunks of chicken and avocado in a nice tangy broth with some pico and cheese thrown in for good measure.  AND one of the least expensive items on the menu.  It is a must try.  A word of warning....THE PLACE IS ALWAYS BUSY!

FIND SOME GREAT ASIAN FARE AT JS GARDEN

A standing ovation and a thunderous "welcome to the neighborhood" goes out to JS Garden.  Located in a kind of hidden strip center behind Rally's at 54th and Keystone you will find a smallish, clean and politely staffed Asian restaurant.  I like my King Dragon or Bamboo House for the more typical Chinese/American cuisine, but it sure is nice to have a more "authentic" option so close by.  I stopped by the first time today for lunch, and I am already thinking about about my next visit!.  Lunch specials run until 4 PM and include a main dish, steamed rice and a small fried spring roll.  If memory serves me, there were five or six items to choose from.  I had the curry chicken and potatoes and added a bowl of hot and sour soup.  I am always on the prowl for the best H&S soup and this one was TOP SHELF!  My entree was off the charts delicious.  My wonderful server asked me if I would like it spicy, and my positive response resulted in a pleasantly fiery flavor explosion in my mouth.   I'm not sure what they were eating, but the couple at the next table were giddy with delight, expressing their happiness between themselves and the entire staff!  Now for my "if this was my place....I would....." two cents worth.  If you feel like you need a TV, show a slideshow of the countries that you represent.  Have some nice ethnic music playing in the dining room.  A bigger issue, to me, is the lack of a vegetation section of the menu.  There is no mention at all about which items can be made veggie.  I am not vegetarian, but I have many friends that are.  A look at the menu would possibly discourage some from coming in.  I asked about vegetarian options, and was told that they will gladly make almost any dish meat free.  I hope that the next printing of the menu will have a  better meat free presence.  I step off of my pedestal and encourage everyone to stop by this great new addition to So-Bro.

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!