Number 19 - Historic Steer In Meatball Sandwich!

See how this all started here: http://bkatranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/bc-and-kathies-excellent-adventure-to.html


Number 19! We are still knocking them off the list, but not as fast as I would like! I can now start seeing half-way so that is a good sign! We are saving some close and easy sandwiches for crunch time, so I might be able to pull an ace out of my sleeve in the final hours!

I have been looking forward to sandwich 19! The list describes our number 19, the Historic Steer In Meatball Sandwich, as:

After its March 2011 debut on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, in less than two months, at least one person from every state and some parts of Canada arrived to polish off the real star of the show, the fat meatball sandwich. A locally-baked crusty baguette cradles fresh, bright-red marinara sauce, and three succulent hunks of veal, beef and sausage, all under a veil of browned mozzarella and asiago cheese.

The Historic Steer Inn is a place that I have been to and am familiar with. This restaurant has had quite a wild ride in Indy. The place started out as the Northway Drive-In in the 50’s and a very well known restaurateur bought the place in the late 1950’s. That was the famous Laughner family. Here is the interesting thing, the Laughners didn’t do that well with it and sold it in 1964 to Harold Phillips. Now Harold’s Steer In, the restaurant became popular and thrived till around 2004 when it closed down. Charlie and Barbara Kehrer, longtime East siders, leased the place to try to continue the tradition of the Steer In. They were successful and able to purchase it in 2008 from Harold and it became the Historic Steer In. The rest is history so to speak.

I like meatball sandwiches but very rarely get them because NOBODY knows how to make a proper meatball sandwich. A meatball sandwich should be meat, sauce, cheese in the right portions and be able to be picked up. Easy right? WRONG. Most places try to accomplish that goal by using the wrong portions. They cut back on sauce or they increase the bread size. The only reason to use a fork to eat a meatball sandwich is because of size – not because it is too soggy to pick up! From the description from the list, I had a feeling they knew how to make it, but I was nervous.

The place has an old diner mixed with bar vibe to it. I think that is because there are flat screens TV’s all over the place showing sports or news. Not what I would think for a diner, but then you have the lunch counter, the wait staff, and build of the place so you think diner. I ordered the sandwich with onion rings (another item I am real picky on) and Kathie ordered the chili burger.

Our food arrived and let me get the formalities out of the way. The onion rings were not good. Cooked wrong, failed attempt at breading, let me just say don’t order the rings. I didn’t even finish them and if you have seen my gut, you know I don’t leave food much! Kathie liked her burger but of course she never says a bad word about anything! I did try a bite and the burger was good.

Now for what you have been waiting for, my review on the meatball sandwich. Where do I start? I read a blog the other day with someone stating that most people use the word AWESOME wrong. His premise was that awesome is “inspiring awe” and the definition of awe is “A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder” therefore saying this sandwich was awesome would be wrong. How about splendid, first rate, superb, superior? Would those words be accurate in describing this meatball sandwich? YES! The crusty baguette is a splendid choice, a soft nice core in a toasty hard shell. Next are the superior meatballs. Nice blend of meats that provide a great flavor and top those with a first rate marinara. Covered, smothered? Nay, nay, just enough to cover the tops of the huge meatballs. Are they done with that sandwich? No. A lot of places would be. Historic Steer In is still going to top it with, not one, but two cheeses and then put the thing under the heat so you end up with a nice browned blanket of cheese. I would just say awesome and that would have saved me 50 words, but I guess that would be the wrong word.

Next time you find yourself on the eastside, steer in to a great sandwich. See what I did there? I’m here all week folks!

Number 18 out of 46! Bourbon Street Distillery

See how this all started here: http://bkatranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/bc-and-kathies-excellent-adventure-to.html

Number 18! Bourbon Street Distillery. Talk about a place that I have driven by thousands of times and not thought one minute about it being anything but a bar downtown. I have always loved the look of this place because it has a great 2nd floor wrap around patio that sits on a nice corner of downtown, but bar food just doesn’t motivate me much and since I don’t drink, I have always just kept driving.

Super 46 informed me that there MIGHT be Triple Decker BLT worthy of a try. This is what they had to say:

This lively bar with great views of downtown Indianapolis serves hearty pub grub with pumped-up classics like their Triple Decker BLT, loaded with crisp bacon piled on three pieces of freshly toasted bread and served with a side of housemade chips or fries. The industrial-style building features exposed brick walls fittingly plastered with kitschy posters.

I am a bacon sandwich fan. No tomato. Bacon, white bread smothered in Miracle Whip, and a slice of cheddar. You can toast the bread if you want but the only two rules that must be followed is no tomato and CRISP bacon.

Kathie and I ordered (she opted for a burger) and enjoyed the ambiance of the place while we waited for our food. The wrap around patio is neat but it was WAY too hot for us to enjoy the day that we visited.

One of the views from the patio

When our food arrived, the first thing I looked at was the bacon. It is supposed to be the star after all. The bacon was a little under where I like it but there was plenty of it, another key to the proper bacon sandwich. I took a bite per our rules – as served, and then promptly peeled off the tomato and really took a bite. Overall this is a better than average BAR sandwich. Nothing to write home about and I would not have put it on the list but, I am glad they did. This is a nice joint downtown that I would take my “drinking” friends to for some nice Indianapolis downtown vibe, some above average bar food and a cool old building. It would beat any of the chain bar/restaurants that we have around, but I think I will just order the burger next time.

Number 17 / 46 - Rock - Cola Cafe'

See how this all started here: http://bkatranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/bc-and-kathies-excellent-adventure-to.html

Number 17! Rock-Cola Café and the Mile High Club Sandwich! This sandwich was picked as the number 2 sandwich out of them all in the Super 46 contest. I have been anxious to try it because the picture on-line and in the Super 46 listing looks incredible!

Rock Cola is a little 50’s styled diner located on the southeast side of Indy. I have heard about this restaurant many times but I have never found myself in the position to stop. Walking in it is exactly what you expect – a little diner with some old restored vending machines and plenty of “flair” on the walls and ceiling. The grill is right behind the counter for everyone to see as you would except in a diner.

Kathie ordered the Cajun burger and I the Mile High Club. Kathie opted for jalapeno poppers and I went for the onion rings.

The list describes the sandwich as: “A sandwich so huge it requires three pieces of thick Texas toast to keep its shape, this towering stack of smoked turkey, honey-baked ham and hickory-smoked bacon turns heads when it emerges from behind the cafe’s ’50s-style white plastic counter. The cook runs it through the garden and stabs it with a steak knife before serving” .  When it arrived, I must say it was huge! The first thing that caught my eye was the bacon – there was a nice PROPERLY cooked piece sticking out from the bread.

I tackled the club sandwich and I will admit it is a good club and is loaded properly with the various meats that make it a club. Kathie’s burger was delish and if I found myself in Rock-Cola Café again, I would probably order the Cajun burger. It was a good diner burger with some nice flavor to it. Both of our sides were just okay. The onion rings did not hold up to my very strict standards and the jalapeno poppers could have been from any bar in Broad Ripple.

In my opinion this sandwich should not have been one of the top two sandwiches in all of Indiana. Was it good? Yes. Was it special? Yes. Nice Indiana niche location? Yes. Top sandwich out of all on the list? No. Not even close. Heck, Kathie and I are only on sandwich 17 and I can list 3 that would beat the Mile High Club hands down in a food competition (if you are keeping score at home - Northside, Shapiro’s, and Marbles). Are you saying to yourself, “Wait a minute, B.C. – this is a food contest and they didn’t beat the Mile High Club”. Well, the actual scoring of the top sandwiches was done by public internet vote. The initial 46 sandwiches were selected by the Publishers of Indianapolis Monthly Magazine but to rank the sandwiches the list was put to internet vote which changed the list from about food to who could mobilize the voting forces the best. Don’t take me wrong, I have no problem with that but don’t think for a second it is about food at that point. My writing will continue to look at the list based on the food and passion. The place with the best food AND the best passion for their food and Indiana will earn the top spot from me.

#16 - Marble's Cafe

See how this all started here: http://bkatranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/bc-and-kathies-excellent-adventure-to.html


I have been a little remiss in my writing – but don’t worry – not my eating! Kathie and I actually have completed a few more adventures; I just haven’t had time to write the reviews. This challenge would be a lot easier if I just was required to EAT the 46 sandwiches instead of eating AND writing about them!

Number 16! Marble’s Café. This is another perfect example of why Kathie and I do the list – to find “hidden gems” that we normally would not venture in. Marble’s Café is located on the Westside near 56th and I-465 – it not too far from us, and on our pathway to some of our family members houses. We really should have tried this place before now! The café sits right between Boathouse Grill and Subway restaurant.

Walking into the café we were both a little nervous. The place is pretty un-assuming. A few tables, a counter and that is about it. No real graphics on the wall or any décor to really “sell” that you are in the right place for good food! If we were not on the Super 46 mission, I am thinking we might have ended up next door at Subway but thankfully we did not! The sandwich from the list is the Chicken Club and sounds so good as described by the list:

Enjoy a monstrous sandwich—and possibly rub elbows with some of your favorite Colts players at this restaurant located less than a mile from the Colts Complex on the city’s northwest side. The chicken club is a hearty serving of breaded chicken, Applewood bacon, honey maple ham, and Cajun turkey, all held together by melted Swiss cheese and owner Calvin Marble’s special sauce. Still hungry? You can’t go wrong with homemade peach cobbler.

We ordered and asked about the drink selection because there was no soda fountain to be seen. We were surprised when Faygo was offered in addition to the normal tea, coffee and lemonade. Ahhh, Faygo Grape over ice. It brought back some memories about Faygo from years ago and I must admit it was a nice change from the normal Diet Coke that I would order.

Our meals came out and they looked delicious. Nice big fries and sandwiches that weren’t wrapped in paper. Heck it looked like real food! Kathie liked her burger a lot and said it was like a Steak & Shake burger – thin and crispy patties. My sandwich was nothing but incredible. I can’t say enough about this sandwich and their take on the Chicken Club. Nice breaded chicken, like chicken tenders, with bacon, ham, Cajun turkey, all smothered in Swiss cheese and covered with a “special sauce”. It was awesome. Everything worked together perfectly and nothing was lost in a bite. There was a nice amount of bacon but again, not overwhelming. It was a really good balance of ingredients between the bread! I hate when you order a “complicated” sandwich and you can’t taste something. It happens all the time with cheese. If it is on the sandwich, you better be able to taste it!



The Club!



Kathie's Burger

I went to the owner/chef after we finished the meal and complimented him on the sandwich and told him what we were doing and that he without a doubt deserved a place on the top 46 sandwiches in Indiana. It was one of the best that I have had in the adventure. He mentioned that he had people walk in the door and turn around and leave and he just didn’t understand it. I gave him my thoughts on it and explained I might have done the same thing if not for the list. I am certainly not a restaurant expert but as a small business owner, I understand his frustration of being next to a chain restaurant that really doesn’t have anything special to offer but manages to have a line out the door every lunch hour. Marble’s has a great sandwich and the heart of someone that wants to give GREAT food. I beg of you to please give Marble’s a try and tell a few hundred people.

I should mention that I did try the peach cobbler and it was wonderful. Homemade peach cobbler made right there. Mr. Marble needs to get some ice cream and that would be heaven!

Number 15 - Creation Cafe'

See how this all started here: http://bkatranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/bc-and-kathies-excellent-adventure-to.html


Number 15! Almost a third of the way! A third would be 15.33 so as soon as we take a bite at the next restaurant we will be officially a third of the way to completion.

Number 15 is a GREAT example of why we started this goal. We wanted to explore locally owned sandwich locations with exceptional food and be forced out of our normal patterns. Number 15, Creation Café, is perfect example of this.

Creation Café is located at the start of the canal in downtown Indianapolis in Buggs Temple. Kathie and I visit the canal several times a year and have walked right by the Creation Café many times not considering it a meal option. The signage just lists “Creation Café” on the side of Buggs Temple which is an old church building which became famous for gospel singing in the 70’s. Buggs Temple is named after Elder James C. Buggs who purchased the building. Walking by that sign on the side of a historic church, I had always envisioned people sitting inside debating creationism versus evolution over pots of coffee and tins of pie. I was wrong.

The café is very inviting. The décor, the sofa in the middle of the room, the desert counter and the whole vibe just says “come in, sit down and enjoy”. We did just that. We grabbed a table inside because as you can imagine, the patio seating that overlooks the canal was a little crowded. I ordered the Super 46 item - Southern Style BBQ Sandwich. The list describes the sandwich as: overflowing with tender pork pulled and barbecued in-house, the sandwich contains several unique twists: tangy Pico de Gallo, creamy coleslaw, and homemade pickles that top melted cheddar. Kathie also ordered the sandwich and we decided to indulge in an appetizer - South of the Border Chicken Dip. Let’s see if I can conjure up a description like the Super 46 bunch: The spicy chicken chunks swim through a sea of cheese sauce that is littered with crumbles of blue cheese. When you take your tortilla chip and dip into this ocean of awesomeness your taste buds will come alive screaming for more.

Yeah, I think I will leave the description to the creative writers over at Super 46. What I would say about the Chicken Dip is that it rocks. We both liked it very much. In fact we barely left room for the main item – the Southern Style BBQ Sandwich. The sandwich is exactly how the list describes it. I actually was nervous about this sandwich because I don’t like coleslaw or Pico de Gallo so I figured I would be forcing down a bite and then scraping that stuff off. I didn't scrape anything off. I like everything about the sandwich and how all the ingredients worked together to make just a good BBQ sandwich that without a doubt deserved to be on this list.

We decide for desert.  How could we not have desert, seeing how everything that we have tried so far was amazing?  Kathie is a huge gelato fan and they have a case full.  I love icing and they have cupcakes with icing to the ceiling.  Kathie got her cup of gelato and I got my lemon - rasberry cupcake.  Amazing.

I can’t wait to go back to Creation Café and try the Cuban or maybe the Italiano Panini. Let’s just say, I can’t wait to go back.

Mug 'n Bun

See how this all started here: http://bkatranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/bc-and-kathies-excellent-adventure-to.html

It is official Kathie and I are off track with our schedule to complete all 46 sandwiches in a year but fear not, we are determined to complete this task on schedule even if it means we have to eat delicious sandwiches every night during the week!

Number 14 is Mug N Bun for their breaded tenderloin. Mug N Bun is a place that used to be a standard stop for Kathie and I because we lived in the area. Had the sandwich been for the burger, I probably could do a review from memory.

Mug – N – Bun advertises as “Indy’s oldest and finest drive in”. I did some research and found that Mug N Bun started as Frostop in 1942. It was renamed to Mug – N – Bun in 1962. That first 20 years would be quite an accomplishment in the restaurant business alone, but to be doing basically the same thing 70 years later is amazing. Mug – N – Bun still features car hops although not on roller skates.

Kathie and I decide to relive our youth and order from the patio which is what we did 15 years ago. Man, that is hard to think! Kathie ordered the double cheeseburger (she is small but mighty!) and I ordered the tenderloin and onion rings.

The list mentions the Mug N Bun tenderloin as such: If there's a starter tenderloin for visitors to the Hoosier state, this thin, crispy tenderloin that extends modestly beyond the bun would have to be the leading candidate, especially in a basket with giant batter-dipped onion rings. I agree, except remove “starter”. This is what Hoosier tenderloin is supposed to be! Thin, battered, and HUGE! Tenderloin should be about twice the size of the bun and it doesn’t matter what size bun you use – if you decide to use buns that are the size of dinner plates then the tenderloin better be the size of a pizza pan!

When our food arrived I was not disappointed! The tenderloin was the proper thickness, size and breaded properly. With some pickles, ketchup and mustard it was a GREAT tenderloin and by far the best on the list so far but I think we have only done one other tenderloin so far. The onion rings were perfect. I am amazed at how many places have no clue on onion rings. First, when you bite into an onion ring you should be able to do just that, take a bite. You should not end up pulling the onion out from the breading. When you hold the onion ring firmly, the breading should not fall off. One of the most important things is cooking time. I don’t know the proper amount of cooking time for an onion ring and either does most people WHO MAKE THEM. I am glad that Mug – N – Bun knows how to make a good ring. And peanut butter shake. And burger. And pretty much everything.

The best burger in Indy - Number 13!

See how this all started here: http://bkatranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/bc-and-kathies-excellent-adventure-to.html


Sandwich #13! I was bragging about being on schedule with completing our goal of all 46 sandwiches in a year’s time and now we are behind the schedule. Don’t worry, this is a long term mission and I am sure we can catch up! There are some places close to us that we can grab during the week if needed. Man, I am willing to sacrifice soo much for the list – I’m willing to eat out several times a week!

Sandwich 13 is an icon of Indianapolis burgers…Working Man’s Friend Double Cheeseburger. I would say that this burger is one of the most “blogged” about burgers in Indianapolis. It continually gets picked as best burger in contest after contest. Now, the Working Man’s Friend is a dive. A greasy spoon, hole in the wall, smoky, bar with a dang good burger. Walking into the joint I did a quick stop at the door because I thought I just went through a strange space time continuum into 1970. The first thing you notice is a huge glass block bar and an antique cash register that doesn’t appear to be an antique in the surroundings that it resides in. There are also a couple of antique cigarette machines which I quickly asked if they would sell one of them. The waitress quickly said “no, I don’t think so. If I sold them, people wouldn’t have anything to take a picture of or talk about.” I had to agree with her. I watched another couple enter who immediately commented about the machines.

The Working Man’s Friend is a local joint made for the people working in the factories that used to be everywhere in that part of town. It is made for people to stop by after their shift for a beer or swing in during lunch break for good food. I don’t care if you are in coveralls or a suit you won’t look out of place. Everyone is there for something whether it is a cold beer and a friendly ear or the best darn burger in Indianapolis.

Think of Steak & Shake with fresher ingredients. The burger is a thin burger with crispy edges but nice and moist. The double cheeseburger, which we both ordered, is two patties separated by a bottom bun so that would be three pieces of bread for those keeping count. As long as we are counting, there are cheese slices on both burgers – a huge plus in my book. The burger is minimally dressed; mine was just pickles, since ketchup and mustard are on the table. Kathie used the word “money” to describe the burger no less than four times…”man, this burger is money” which is not a common saying from her. I think this burger caused her to channel Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. It was a good burger. A really good friend of mine owns rental property and a long time ago he was driving a friend around to his various investments some are in good areas of town and some are not. He made the statement once as he rolled out of the Broad Ripple neighborhood heading to the near north side “I’m going to show you the properties that I actually make money on but first roll up the windows, lock the door and shove anything of value under the seats!”

Let me take you to the best burger in town, but first, please roll’em up.