The Original Gyro Joint (or is it)?

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

The pick for number 8 is ….drum roll please… The Original Gyro Joint in Broad Ripple! Kathie and I were both in the mood for a gyro and since we were in Carmel, it was just a short jump over to Broad Ripple. There is a gyro that holds a special place in my heart. I had a good friend who was a taxi driver in Indianapolis and he raved on and on about Mr. J’s on South East Street. I was working downtown Indianapolis at the time, so it wasn’t a far drive. Mr. J’s was not a place that I would ever choose on my own. It was in an old Burger Chef and even from the outside looked horrible. I reluctantly agreed to go in with my friend and met the two brothers that owned the place. I tried the bbq gyro which was the gyro meat, bbq sauce and a pepper mix. The only way that I could describe that gyro is amazing. I started going to Mr. J’s at least once a week for that gyro and would even drive from the far Westside on the weekends to have the meal. Mr. J’s has since changed owners (a few times) and I have stopped there a few times hoping and praying that the bbq gyro would be back, but I was let down. Their version of “bbq” gyro was nothing like the original. I stopped trying to find a replacement for that gyro and just settle on whatever. Needless to say, I was excited to try someplace that ranked high for a gyro!

Walking into the joint, I asked Kathie if we had ever been to a clean gyro joint. She said such a thing doesn’t exist! The Original Gyro Joint in Broad Ripple is trashed. It is probably from the years of drunks stumbling in at the wee hours of the morning coupled with really long hours for the owner/operator. Who wants to stay around at 4:00 in the morning when you have to be back in just a few short hours to open for the lunch crowd? I get it. It doesn’t mean that I will go back to the place, but I do understand how a place ends up looking dirty when you work 18 hours a day 7 days a week. The bathroom had so much stuff piled up in front of it that the door doesn’t even open all the way and when I finally did fight my way inside the bathroom, no paper towels. Washing hands must not be high on the list with the late night crowd. In all seriousness, I am a little disappointed with this restaurant being put on the list. I don’t think it represents a good example of a nice Hoosier owned restaurant. I guess when 90% of your business comes from the late night bar crowd, you can slack on the housekeeping!

It is a nice pile of gyro meat for the money!

We both ordered the “sandwich” from the list – The Original Gyro. The list describes it as “handmade sauce, chopped tomatoes and onions and a healthy portion of thinly sliced lamb’s meat combined with cool tzatziki sauce in a warm pita.” The place only had one person working and I assume that he was the owner. He took our order and then disappeared to the back. After about 15 minutes, our food arrived. We were there late in the afternoon so I assume that is why it took so long.

It has Kathies smile of approval!

All “housekeeping” issues aside, the gyro was good. It is a huge portion of meat and the sauce was nice. Was it as good as Mr. J’s? Nope. Not even close, but I am starting to think that there is no gyro that will ever be as good as my memory of Mr. J’s.

Sandwich #3 - Munchie Supreme @ Northside Kitchenette

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

I need to clarify that the list of 46 Super Sandwiches as put out by The Indiana Department of Tourism Development is not in any order other than the distance from the center of Indianapolis. It is up to the general public to decide where they rank in taste and that is what Kathie and I are doing. Currently we are just picking based on what we are doing and where we will be. There is no real method to our picks.

Kathie and I needed to be in Broad Ripple again this past weekend so we picked another sandwich in the village. We decided that sandwich #3 should be the Northside Kitchenette Munchie Supreme. The list describes the sandwich as: “You can get any of a tasty variety of sandwiches at this darling accessory to Broad Ripple’s Northside Social. You can also get textbook, hand-cut fries, deep golden with just a sliver of peel still showing. Get both by ordering the Munchie Supreme: a sizzling pile of grilled pastrami, melted Swiss cheese and a tangy Dijon mayo on thick-cut New York rye.”

Recently I had watched a Food Network show that featured a sandwich with fries on top. The show mentioned that it was an old tradition started to save time for trade workers on lunch. The sandwich on the show didn’t really intrigue me. Fries on top of my burger just to save time doesn't make any sense to me. If you are going to throw something on top of my sandwich, it better bring something to the party.
Northside Kitchenette is a little lunch counter, and I stress little, attached to the Northside Social Club. Neither of these have much presence as a place that I would normally stop for food. The social club seems to be a fine dining / upscale bar and the kitchenette is a little sign in the corner of an older strip center that I never would have noticed. In fact we drove past the place before realizing where it was. Walking into the joint I immediately had a completely different view on the place.

 It was like a corner diner but one that you need to dress up for. It is a casual place, but with the décor it just has an air of being a step up. Kathie and I were greeted by a couple of waitresses that were attentive and pleasant. We ordered our food and enjoyed the surroundings. Kathie ordered the Cuban with fries, because she knows I love Cuban sandwiches and she is always trying to find a good Cuban that she would like. She is not quite the fan that I am. I just need to take her back to Key West to experience the Cuban sandwich that I fell in love with.

The food arrived shortly and I can tell you that the Munchie is a good looking sandwich. The thick cut rye bread along with the fries peaking out really makes this sandwich look like something special. Once I took a bite, I can tell you it is as good as it looks, if not better. This is one good sandwich. The fries, the Dijon mayo, the cheese, everything just worked on this sandwich. I traded halves with Kathie, as that is the deal, but I wish I wouldn’t of. The Cuban was good, but no contest when compared to the Munchie Supreme. I probably could have eaten two without blinking an eye! The fries were wonderful as well, nicely seasoned and hand cut. Just wonderful.

If you have been reading my Super 46 blog from the start, you probably know that I am about the package! For me to fall in love with a place I want great food, great location, and a great story. Quite frankly, the Northside Kitchenette did not bring any story to the table. The website did not have any real information about how they came to be, and a quick Google check did not bring up anything about the who and why. The vibe of the place is like someone with a lot of money decided to do a restaurant they way they wanted. They hired the best of everything and got it done. It didn’t feel like a place where the owner had put in blood sweat and tears to make their dream happen. While it doesn’t have the entrepreneurial story behind it, the Northside Kitchenette does have a really good sandwich. In fact, probably the best so far, but there are many left to try.

For more information, check out: http://www.northsidekitchenette.com/