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.