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!