Super Bowl Update: Pizza

Showing posts with label Pizza. Show all posts

Union Jack - Revisit

3:49 AM | Labels: Broad Ripple Restaurants, kid friendly, Pizza, Union Jack Pub

So one of those really snowy nights not long ago, we got really stir crazy and had to get out of the house, even though the roads were really bad. Not a lot of places were open, but we found out that Union Jack was, so we got in the 4 wheel drive and headed out with the kids. The roads were fairly empty, but apparently, a lot of people had the same idea because the restaurant was doing a booming business. Unfortunately, they were short several staff members, so things were a little crazed, although our server did an awesome job—she was really up front about certain things taking a very long time (pizza) and I am pretty sure she was waiting on the entire family side by herself. Honestly, considering everything, she did a great job.

Hubby has a thing for the cheesy fries ($7.95) at Union Jack. We had them once before and he really wanted to get them again. Pretty straight forward—a mound of fries, bacon bits, a ton of melted (real) cheese, and ranch dressing for dipping. The kids loved these too. What’s not to like about fries, cheese, bacon and ranch? The fries were crispy and the cheese was cheesy (and gooey like only actual cheese can be). This apparently reminds hubby of a favorite bar in New Orleans that he used to hang out at in college. They sort of remind me of potato skins. Same kind of flavor.

In spite of the warnings, the kids ordered kid’s pizzas ($5.65 ea)—one with just cheese and one with sausage. We did order them immediately, before we even placed our drink orders after our server warned us. The pizzas were great. I am assuming this is their “regular” crust pizza and it was crisp on the edges but with a really nice light, airiness to it. This was some of the better pizza I have had in awhile. The kids both decided they liked the sausage the best (they call them sausage meatballs because they are such big pieces of sausage). We had the thin crust awhile back and it was just ok, but this was great. And it has been years and years since we had the deep dish pizzas—I really want to try one of those (we were scared off by the warning on this night since they take 40 minutes normally according to the menu). Hmmm..only question would be Chicago style or deep dish (in other words, one crust or two)? I think very soon, we will be back in for some more pizza.

Hubby and I split fish and chips ($12.95) for our actual dinner (although we sort of stole a fair amount of our kids’ pizzas). They weren’t bad, and the fish was juicy and tender, but they were breaded, not battered which isn’t my favorite thing. They are made in house though, and the breading has a nice amount of seasoning and flavor. They also do a breaded tenderloin in what I am assuming is the same breading, and I bet it would be really good if the pork is done well. We had a house salad on the side as well. Pretty standard—they do make their dressings as well and I liked the blue cheese. The rest of it was standard—mostly romaine lettuce and croutons as well as some cherry tomatoes.

We had a fun night with the kids and they really liked the pizza. And so did we. So we are going back soon for the full enchilada, so to speak.

Union Jack Pub

924 Broad Ripple Avenue

Indy 46220

317/257-4343

www.unionjackpub-broadripple.com

Read User's comments(0)

Thr3e Wise Men - Revisit

2:44 AM | Labels: Beer, Broad Ripple Restaurants, Independent Restaurants, kid friendly, Pizza, Thr3e Wise Men

We met up with some friends of ours and their kids the other night at Thr3e Wise Men (I still have a really hard time typing that name). I have only eaten in the place once before, and it was outside and quite awhile ago, so I figured a revisit was in order (we have ordered carry out several times before).

The place was very busy and I didn’t think we would get seated right away until we saw there is a small back room as well—it feels a little removed from the restaurant, but was probably for the best given that my son and his best friend were there together. I like how kid friendly they are at Thr3e Wisemen as well—they give them crayons as well as a little dough ball to play with, which seemed to make them all happy. There is also fresh popcorn delivered right away which the kids love as well. The adults were happy because we had a long table and could sit down at the other end and have some adult conversation.

We started with some loaded potato chips ($6.50) which are housemade potato chips that are seasoned and topped with Maytag blue cheese cream sauce and bacon. I was not a huge fan of these. I don’t know if it was the seasoning on the chips, or the blue cheese sauce, but something was making the roof of my mouth burn—it just wasn’t enjoyable to me. I also appreciate the housemade chips, but these were a little too thick for me—I prefer a thinner potato chip. Although you certainly didn’t have to worry about them breaking under the weight of the toppings. The kids got breadsticks and were happy.

We ordered a pizza for the kids and the Moms split a special pizza—it was a veggie pizza with white sauce, and a bunch of veggie toppings-tomatoes, spinach, onions, green peppers and mushrooms (I actually asked for ½ of it to be without green peppers, but they only gave me about 2 pieces without them). The pizza was good though. The crust was nice and crispy and there were a decent amount of veggies. I enjoyed the variation from the regular red sauce (although I do like their red sauce). The white sauce had a decent amount of garlic flavor. I like their cheese blend as well—it isn’t rubbery they way pizza cheese can often be.

The menfolk had a pepperoni and mushroom pizza ($12) and seemed to enjoy it as well. I was happy to see they were really on their game with getting the crust right. Occasionally the kitchen seems to have problems with consistency based on our carry out experiences—it seems like sometimes they don’t stretch it enough or something and it is too dense and the pizza is much smaller than normal.

We also shared an elephant ear ($4.50) which I really enjoyed. They take their pizza dough, deep fry it, and coat it with cinnamon and sugar. Simple, and really tasty—and I enjoy the slightly sour taste of the dough that comes from the crust (and I am guessing the beer that goes into it). Everyone at the table, adults and kids alike, agreed on this one.

The atmosphere is totally casual and just noisy enough that it isn’t annoying, but that slightly drowns out your own loud son’s voice so he isn’t annoying others. I liked our server, especially since she carded all of us, which I always appreciate. All in all, it’s a good option for pizza and kids, although I am still looking for my ideal pizza in this town.

Thr3e Wise Men

1021 Broad Ripple Avenue

Indy 46220

317/255-5151

www.thr3ewisemen.com

Read User's comments(0)

Broad Ripple Brewpub

2:05 AM | Labels: Beer, Broad Ripple Brewpub, Broad Ripple Restaurants, Independent Restaurants, kid friendly, Pizza

I can’t believe we have lived (back) here 6 years now and this is our first trip to Broad Ripple Brew Pub in that time. I have been in the past, years and years ago, but I can’t even begin to tell you what I thought of it then it has been so long. Someone recently told us the Scotch eggs were good though, and we really enjoyed them at MacNiven’s, so we wanted to try them.

We also had the kids with us and they are pretty kid friendly as well, although our server didn’t bring us a kids’ menu until we asked for one. Honestly, the service, or lack thereof, was actually the first thing I noticed about the place. There was no one around anywhere, just a lot of signs saying “enter through other door” and “seat yourself” and a pile of menus on a center table. After we did seat ourselves, it took awhile before anyone approached us too. I wouldn’t say service is a strength, that is for sure.

We started with the Scotch eggs though ($6.75) and they were good. It is a boiled egg covered in sausage, breaded and quickly deep fried. The sausage was a little different from the MacNiven’s version—it was more like country sausage—not quite as spicy. They also served them with a garlic ranch dipping sauce. The sausage part was nearly as thick as the egg, and honestly I prefer my egg ratio to be a little higher, but the flavor was good and the outside crust was good and crunchy. The ranch was very garlicky, and that was a nice change of pace from your traditional ranch. If I had to choose which one I liked better, I would probably choose MacNiven’s, but these were very good too.

Hubby and I were a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of the menu—there are a lot of options on there—and ended up splitting a 12" specialty pizza ($11.50). It was the portabella pizza and had portabella mushrooms, provolone, mozzarella and feta cheese (we had them skip the roasted red peppers). The flavor of the pizza was very good—again, lots of garlic and the different flavors of cheeses made it more interesting than a lot of pub pizzas. The mushrooms tasted like they were roasted and had a deep earthy flavor. The feta was a good addition because of the saltiness it added—especially once it is cooked. The crust tasted good—it was seasoned more than your standard pizza crust. The only problem was the classic soggy in the middle problem. You really had to eat it with a knife and fork because the middle was so gooey, if you picked it up, the topping would have slid off. It was kind of a shame, because if it had a solid crust, it would have been a pretty darn good pie.

The chicken fingers that my son had were not impressive (they rarely are). They seemed pretty foodservice to me. He mainly just finished up the Scotch eggs instead. My daughter had a half order of nachos off the appetizer menu and was perfectly content. All in all, for a pub, the food was pretty good (at least the adult food was). The service was pretty lacking although our server perked up a little when I asked her opinion on some of her favorite things. The menu is large though—really large. I know a lot of you guys eat there, so let me know about your favorite things.

Broad Ripple Brewpub

842 East 65^thStreet

Indy 46220

317/253-2739

www.broadripplebrewpub.com

Read User's comments(0)

Keystone Sports Review

2:20 AM | Labels: Adult-only restaurants, Independent Restaurants, Northside Restaurant, Pizza, pork tenderloin

I keep randomly hearing about this place from different people recommending different things (and all warning me about the smoke). I finally got around to checking it out with my friend wibia for lunch the other day (hubby cannot tolerate smoke at all). So some people told me about the pizza, some the wings with blue cheese, and others just the place in general. So I tried to hit as many highlights as possible.

I thought it was awesome that they had fresh, homemade fried mushrooms on the menu (I love them so, but so rarely are they actually made fresh) so we shared a half order of them with blue cheese on the side (see, getting to try the blue cheese too) ($3.75). I liked them. It is a beer batter, and while not as sort of puffy as I normally sort of think of when I order something beer battered, it was tasty—there was some decent seasoning in there. They were really super hot though (as in, temperature). Wowza. The blue cheese was good—the sauce part was lighter than a lot of them (more sour cream in the ratio perhaps) and there were some nice chunks of blue cheese in it. Kind of hard to dip the mushrooms into though, because of all the hunks of cheese—you sort of had to scoop some on top of the mushroom.

A couple of people have also mentioned their pizza to me when I go on one of my frequent pizza kicks—so I thought I needed to try it. Besides, it isn’t far from my house; I could probably add it to the carry out rotation if I wanted. I got the small (as in personal sized) pizza with mushrooms and red onions (my standard combo, especially with thin crust pizza) (about $4.75). Ehhh, I don’t know—the toppings were good and they put the right amount on there, but the crust was really pretty soggy. It was really honestly hard to tell if this could be a good pizza because the middle was so soft. The flavors were fine—there was nothing that was putting me off the rest of it, just nothing that wowed me about it either. To be fair, hubby did heat up the rest of it later in the toaster oven and got it nice and crisp and thought it was pretty good (although like I said, he subscribes to the theory that there is no bad pizza, only better pizza).

Wibia had a special club sandwich, only made with a fried pork tenderloin patty in place of the ham (nice idea huh?). I always find club sandwiches kind of goofy because they are so big, and I just tried a bit of the tenderloin part—it was very good. Not too thin, not too fat, and still decently moist. It was the same batter as was on the mushrooms as well. I think we agreed that fried stuff is probably the way to go here—they do a nice job with it. I think a regular pork tenderloin would probably be a better bet, and easier to eat, but the club was an interesting take on it.

I have to say, I was a little intimidated to walk in the place just because I had no idea what to expect—there are all these vertical blinds sort of haphazardly covering the window, and honestly, it didn’t look like a place that I would think, “hey! Let’s go there!” But as soon as someone mentions to me that something might be good to eat, I am willing to go just about anywhere. I would hate to think I am missing out on something. And actually when you walked in, it is a pretty normal place—a bar in the back and a bunch of booth in the front. The server was really nice and attentive and she refilled our drinks whenever she noticed they were low. The downside of this place is definitely the smoking. Everyone in there was smoking except for us. I did have the good sense to at least sit at the table next to the open front door, but it still was the worst part of the experience. But I guess as of June 1^st, pretty much all bars will be smoke free so if you are thinking about giving this place a try, I would just wait til then. Although, I would be interested to see if their business changes after the smoking ban passes. Anyhow, who has been there? What do you like to eat there?

Keystone Sports Review

5602 North Keystone Avenue

Indy 46220

317/251-9902

http://www.keystonesportsreview.com/

Read User's comments(0)

Ale Emporium

3:29 AM | Labels: Adult-only restaurants, Ale Emporium, lunch places, Northside Restaurant, Pizza

After hearing about it from several of you, I met my friend wibia (us bloggers have to stick together after all) for lunch at Ale Emporium so that I could finally try their pizza (apparently I am on a pizza quest now). They have some nice lunch specials with a slice of pizza and a salad, but I really wanted to try the deep dish pizza (that’s what you guys keep telling me anyway) so we ordered a pizza to share (you can’t get the deep dish with the lunch special).

Ale Emporium is an interesting place—much bigger inside than I thought looking at it and extremely casual—it is essentially a bar (don’t bring the kids) with lots of high bar tables. Thankfully they have made one large side of the room non-smoking.

I can’t talk about too much because really, all we had was the pizza (well, and a couple of beers, I mean it is called Ale Emporium right?)—it takes awhile to make a whole deep dish pizza, but I was expecting that—and actually it didn’t take as long as what I would have thought. Also, our server was attentive and helpful even though it was her first day.

So on to the pizza, I got spinach and mushroom on my half (which for some reason I have decided is the classic deep dish toppings for me--probably because of Zachary’s pizza in Berkeley). Anyway, it is certainly generous, we shared a small ($16.50) (of course, he had to have sausage on his half, claiming my choices were too girly) and it was a lot of food (at least for me). There were 6 pieces total. So overall, I liked it o.k. It was a little more gooey and sloppy than I thought it would be—but the crust was strong enough to hold up to the toppings. I guess the deep dish pies I have had in the past were more self contained when you put a piece on your plate. This one kind of oozed all over. The crust has a sort of almost thick pastry-like texture and I liked the slight flakiness. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more spinach and mushrooms in there—clearly the spinach was just some leaves thrown in, not a substantial amount. I couldn’t really taste either of my chosen toppings that much. What you tasted was the pretty thick crust and the significant amount of cheese and to a lesser extent, the sauce, but it was a good sauce with decent seasoning. And at least the crust was hearty enough to stand up to it. Wibia did say that he thought the deep dish pizza was better when it was bigger—that the proportions were better, and I can see that as a possibility. Although, I would need a small army to eat an even bigger one.

I am intrigued by the thin crust too though—because the sauce and crust flavors were generally good. I am curious to know what the thin crust is like. Who has had it? And which do you like better?

Ale Emporium

8617 Allisonville

Indy 46202

317/842-1333

http://ale-emporium.com/

Read User's comments(0)

Pizzology - Revisit

3:59 AM | Labels: Carmel, Independent Restaurants, Neal Brown, Northside Restaurant, Pizza, Pizzology

We hadn’t been to Pizzology and ages, and had never taken the kids there. We had recently had some mediocre pizza experiences and wanted to go back and see if Pizzology could remedy that situation. It was Friday, and we didn’t want to get stuck in a wait (like I said, we had the kids with us), so we went on the early side. By 6:00, there was a substantial wait, and when we left it was packed in there with people waiting to sit down.

I was tempted by the Northside Nights menu—it was a great deal, one of the few places that really seems like a bargain (I like that they include 2 glasses of Prosecco with the meal), but as soon as our server told us about the special gnocchi ($12), we knew were getting it. It was their version of a carbonara-- black pepper and parsley gnocchi that were seared and served with seared sliced green olives, and little crispy dices of pancetta. The whole thing was topped with parmesan and an egg yolk. As soon as we got it, we broke the egg into it making a creamy, eggy, sauce. I like carbonara in general, but I loved the slices of green olive in this to give it that extra slightly briny flavor that rounded out all the rich ingredients. I think I liked this more than hubby though, who thought they egg was just a little too much for him, and made the dish just a little too eggy. We also got an order of breadsticks ($5)—there were 4 of them, and they were clearly being made in house of the same dough the pizza crust is made with. They were slightly charred and had that lovely chewy, yeasty flavor I really like. The kids really liked them. I also liked that they gave you not only a tomato sauce, but a cream based (and slightly cheesy) Mornay type sauce as well. But honestly, with the sprinkling of Parmesan on top of them, they were good on their own as well.

Hubby and I split “The Saint” pizza ($13) which is a white pizza (no red sauce) with roasted wild mushrooms, onions, peppadew peppers, provolone cheese and sea salt. We enjoyed it and the crust was cooked perfectly. I think hubby missed his red sauce a little though. I liked the salty kick from, well, the salt, and the peppers and onions added a little spice to the rest. The provolone was a little heavy in spots, but I loved the mushrooms—there were plenty of them and they really had a nice deep roasted flavor. The crust is the thing here, and we appreciated it so much more after eating some not so flavorful crusts elsewhere lately

The kids just had a red pizza with mozzarella (we couldn’t get them to vary) ($11). Honestly, I think I would just get the 4 cheese for them next time and not tell them, because this one wasn’t quite cheesy enough for them or me. But again, the crust was cooked perfectly, and other than wishing it had a little more cheese, it was pretty much perfectly executed. Exciting? No. But that is my kids and food for you.

We also got the special dessert form the Northside Nights menu—the zeppole ($5). I found these kind of addicting once I started eating them. They were basically another version of the dough, in smaller pieces than the breadsticks that are baked and then covered in cinnamon and sugar and a bit of honey. Again, I really like the flavor of the dough anyway, and then you go and make it sweet and you can’t really go wrong. It is certainly a large enough portion to share among several people as well. Sadly, they couldn’t guarantee they were nut free (not sure why) so my son couldn’t eat them. Apparently they were a hit in the restaurant though, and have since been added to the regular menu.

Anyway, it was nice to go back to a pizza place and have a good solid meal—like I said I have had some not so impressive pizza lately, and this redeemed my faith.

Pizzology

13190 Hazel Dell Parkway

Carmel, IN 46032

317-844-2554

www.pizzologyindy.com

Read User's comments(0)

Jockamo Pizza

2:53 AM | Labels: Eastside restaurants, Independent Restaurants, Jockamo, kid friendly, lunch places, Pizza

Jockamo is a place that has been recommended for quite awhile by several of you guys so hubby and I headed over there for lunch the other day (after nearly being killed on the way over by a giant SUV running a red light, but that’s another story). Anyhow, the first thing I noticed is the fact that they embrace other independent Indy restaurants by using several local ingredients in their pizzas (Papa Roux étouffée sauce on one, G.T. South BBQ sauce on others) and I also like the atmosphere of the place (we were at the one in Irvington). The staff was exceptionally friendly, and they were constantly refilling drinks, etc. That part they have down for sure.

We started with an order of breadsticks ($3.25 for 3) with their “house special creamy parmesan” sauce (it had been recommended by several people, and you know I am always looking for an interesting breadstick sauce). This was probably the highlight of the meal for me—I enjoyed the very thick, creamy sauce. I am wondering about whether the breadsticks are made in house though—they just looked so perfectly uniform and didn’t really seem like they were made from the same dough as the pizza crust (which seems is usually the case with breadsticks). But they were super light and airy and nicely seasoned.

For our pizza, we wanted an opportunity to try a couple different of their house special pizzas so we got a half and half which you can do if you order at least a medium (our medium half and half was $14.50). Right away I was intrigued by the “Po Boy” which was the first one on the menu, so we got half a “Po Boy” and half a “Cheese Louise.” The Po Boy part had red sauce, red onion, green pepper, Cajun sausage from New Orleans, cheese, and your choice of shrimp, crawfish or chicken that is seasoned with Old Bay. We got the crawfish at our server’s suggestion. I don’t know, this didn’t really do it for me. I mean, I knew it was a strange pizza topping going in, but it just didn’t come together for me. There was so much on there too—it was a little too much for me. And one of the bites I had with the crawfish was a little fishy. I did enjoy the sausage though—a nice punch of flavor.

The “Cheese Louise” part of the pizza was definitely my favorite half (and hubby’s too). It had 5 (!) kinds of cheese on it—cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta, gouda, and parmesan as well as bacon and red onion. It was an interesting flavor combo with all that cheese and then the smokiness from the bacon and the crunch from the red onion (and they did an excellent job getting the right amount of onion on there—enough you can taste it with every bite). The creamy dollops of ricotta added a slight sour flavor to the parts it was on which I enjoyed. However, again, it was SO much stuff piled on a style of crust that just isn’t me. There is nothing interesting about this crust to me—I like the crust to be a little chewy and to have its own unique flavor that makes you want to eat the crust edges even with nothing on them. I also appreciate a lighter hand with toppings, and this style of pizza seems to pride itself with piling them on and heavy as the crust can possibly withstand.

So before you start yelling at me about this one, I just want to say that I have come to the realization (partially due to several angry emails) that pizza is extremely subjective. Everyone has their style of pizza that they like, and, well, the whole “Indy style” (as I call it) is not mine. I know a lot of you like this place but honestly, it isn’t for me.

Truly, I believe Indy does have its own style of pizza, a la Bazbeaux, Some Guys, and Jockamo, but none of these are ones that excite me. The crust is somewhat thin, and flat, and then it is (in my opinon) overly loaded with toppings.

So, obviously, this is a matter of preference. What do you guys think? Do you have certain styles you like and others you just don’t? Any of you find this type of pizza your favorite? I did love finally checking out Irvington (where my Dad grew up). Where else should I try in that area?

Jockamo Pizza

5646 East Washington Street

Indy 46219

317/356-6612

www.jockamopizza.com

Read User's comments(0)

Tony Sacco's

2:59 AM | Labels: Carmel, Chain Restaurants, Northside Restaurant, Pizza, Tony Sacco's

We found ourselves at Clay Terrace the other day and I saw there was a place we hadn’t tried there yet, and I always of course feel it is my duty to try them all (well, usually anyway). We had our son with us, so pizza seemed a good option. And I don’t think hubby would ever turn down pizza.

The place was pretty empty when we got there on a Saturday for lunch—it is pretty large inside. Our server was really nice and very attentive. We ordered the garlic rotoli to start ($5). This is a bowl of 8 garlic rolls. They are basically like dinner rolls that are sitting in a basil flavored olive oil and topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil. The menu described them as coming with a “basil dipping sauce” but what they mean is the oil in the bottom of the bowl, not a separate dipping sauce (we asked). They serve them with marinara and nacho cheese sauce. I guess I was sort of hoping for a garlic knot experience, but these are much softer and we were missing the garlic butter with them. They were ok, but nothing special. Not sure you really need a dipping sauce, but the ones we got were pretty average. And if you got too much of the oil, well, they were just oily.

I like that this place states that they don’t freeze, fry or microwave anything, and that they make their marinara daily, and I was excited to try the pizza which is cooked in a 1000 degree coal fired oven. According to the menu, cooking the pizza this way gives it a unique flavor, but honestly, I didn’t really get much of a high heat flavor—the crust was not singed or blackened at all. We ordered a small (12 inch) pizza with our classic-- mushrooms and red onion on top ($13.50). This is a good sized pizza for a small I thought. The crust, while not really apparent that it had been cooked in any unique way, wasn’t bad—it was chewy and crispy at the same time. But honestly, there was nothing about the rest of the pie that made me have any desire to want to go back. The mushrooms are supposedly roasted, but came across with a slightly slimy texture, like the canned type. And I would think roasting would add some extra flavor, but the mushrooms just didn’t seem to have a lot. The onion was fine, nicely sliced very thin, but the cheese (which the menu says is a mix of mozzarella and Romano cheese) didn’t have a lot of flavor, and was super stringy and a bit rubbery.

So this was not a repeatable place for us-- there was about this place that stood out in a good way. I’m curious if you guys have been here, and what you thought about it.

Tony Sacco’s

Clay Terrace Blvd, Suite 150

Carmel, IN 46032

317/574-3473

www.tonysaccos.com

Read User's comments(0)

Thr3e Wise Men

3:52 AM | Labels: Beer, Broad Ripple Restaurants, Independent Restaurants, kid friendly, outdoor seating, Pizza, Scotty's Brewhouse, Thr3e Wise Men

Thr3e Wise Men is the latest project of Scott Wise, who owns the Scotty’s Brewhouses and Scotty’s Lakehouse at Geist. I always joke that the surest way to stir things up is to write a review of a Scotty’s enterprise. These reviews always seem to bring people out for comments. I will be interested to see if this is the case with this review.

Anyway, I already liked this place when I saw the fact that the menu is so much more limited than others in Scotty’s arsenal. It is pretty much pizza, sandwiches, a salad and a few appetizers (fear not fried pickle lovers, they are there). But the focus is pizza-type foods and beer, which they are also brewing in house.

We had put off going up till now because I had heard there are no backs on the seats in the restaurant (mostly picnic tables, but there are some tables in a banquette with backs) and we were waiting for a nice day to sit outside at the tables and chairs out there (with backs). Hubby has back problems and gets cranky if he doesn’t have a back. However, I will have to say, for picnic tables, they look like they are about the most comfortable ones you could imagine. The seats are padded and the tables are topped with a thick coating so you aren’t going to have those tables that never really get clean. I actually really liked the interior—it felt more welcoming and more family friendly than the Lakehouse which has always felt like a bar inside to me more than a Lakehouse.

But we sat outside with the kids who already instantly loved the place as soon as our server set down the bucket of popcorn which is being popped freshly near the back of the restaurant (the first smell I noticed when we walked in). Seriously, they could eat nothing else and get fresh popcorn and be happy. They are easy. Thr3e Wisemen doesn’t have a specific kids menu, but with pizza as a main item, most kids I know are going to be happy.

We started with an order of breadsticks ($4) and the tableside tossed salad ($7 for serving for 2). The breadsticks were a hit with the kids as well—they were pretty good. Nothing amazing, but solid and I liked that they seemed to be brushed with some garlic butter giving them a little flavor without dipping them into anything. They did bring their housemade marinara and the standard nacho cheese dip. I am still waiting for someone to come up with something different to dip breadsticks into, but maybe that’s just me. I would love just a bit more of the garlic butter on the side at Thr3e Wisemen --that would be tasty. The marinara is pretty good though—very thick and savory in flavor, none of that over-sweetness I don’t like.

The salad was chopped lettuce with spinach, red onions, mushrooms, bacon, mozzarella and goat cheese. We went with the house dressing which is an Italian-type vinaigrette. It was properly dressed (tossed and dressed at the table) and served its purpose as a nice accompaniment to the pizza. The dressing leaned a bit toward the sweet side for me—I would prefer a bit more vinegary flavor, but that is probably a matter of taste.

The pizza though, wow, the pizza was really good. Hubby and I split a small pizza with red onions and mushrooms ($11). I appreciated that our server stopped us when we tried to order a medium, telling us she thought we would be better off with a small. She was right. The small is plenty big. The crust is super thin and done the way a thin crust should be. Nice and crispy but with just a little chewiness. It had a great yeasty flavor, not sure if it is from the dough, or the fact that they use some of their home brewed beer in it. Same marinara here—the right amount so it didn’t take over the other flavors and just the right amount of toppings. The cheese is also a blend from a local dairy and had a little more flavor than your standard pizza mozzarella. If you like a really thin crust type pizza, this is a place you need to try. The kids had a cheese (with extra cheese) pizza ($9.50) and seemed to enjoy it as well. Extra cheese may be a bit much for the crust, but they were happy. On this subject, I think if you were to load up the crust with too much meat, it may not hold up as well either, but I could be wrong. I would love to hear from other people what they have liked on their pizzas at Thr3e Wisemen.

This is good pizza. Hubby and I were both really happy to have found a handmade pizza with good flavor so near our house. We have a ton of pizza places around us, but we are not in love with any of them. The pizza at Thr3e Wisemen may just fill our void for a good thin crust pizza. We will know for sure when we see how well it travels. But the current plan is to put it into the rotation for sure. I am glad to see that the narrower menu has allowed for certain menu items to really shine. The service was also very friendly and professional while still being low-key. I like that it doesn’t seem like they are trying too hard. All around, this is a nice family friendly Broad Ripple option with some high quality menu items. (Kudos to the stools in the bathrooms for kids to reach the sinks and the fancy hand dryers).

Thr3e Wise Men (is it just me, or does the “3” in the name make it more difficult to find online?)

1021 Broad Ripple Avenue

Indy 46220

317/255-5151

http://www.thr3ewisemen.com/

Read User's comments(0)

Amore Pizzeria

3:29 AM | Labels: Amore Pizzeria, kid friendly, lunch places, Northside Restaurant, Pizza, Zionsville

One of the great things about this blog, and my connection with all of you guys is the way I can ask for a recommendation somewhere (usually on twitter) and get an answer back really quick. I also love it when people ask me for help and I can help them (sometimes also with help from you guys). I usually get a couple of emails a week from people asking for recommendations for some specific occasion or location—often people from out of town. I love that. Anyway, I am rambling on because the other day I needed to be in Zionsville in the afternoon with my kids and figured it would be a good time to try something new for lunch. I posted a tweet and after two different people recommended the same place, we set out to find it. Amore is set in a little strip mall (I sort of expected it to be in downtown Zionsville for some reason) and is your classic New York pizza style set up. Lots of pies behind a glassed-in counter. They heat up a slice of whatever you want, and you are good to go.

As I looked over the pies, I thought several of them looked good. I asked about my classic combo, red onions and mushrooms and was told they didn’t have red onions, only white. And I saw the mushrooms on another pie, and they looked like the same kind I had at Giorgio’s downtown—the ones that looked suspiciously like canned, so I decided to go another direction. Their version of the margarita ($3.50/ slice) looked really good and different from a lot that you see in that the tomatoes were chopped up and evenly distributed on the pizza (instead of just like one slice on each piece as you commonly see). There was also a lot of fresh basil sprinkled on top. So I went with a slice of that, ordered a couple breadsticks ($.65 each) and the cheese slices for my kids ($2.85/slice). But then, as we were paying for everything, I saw this Greek pizza come out from the back ($3.50/slice). It looked awesome. I ordered a slice of it too. Normally that is a lot of pizza for me for lunch, but I couldn’t pass it up. Who knew when I would be back?

As I sat down with the food, I realized I had ordered two flavors of pizza for myself that did not have red sauce on it—which I thought from a review perspective was probably not the best plan, but I also realized that I think I probably do tend to prefer a white sauce or olive oil these days---mainly I think because if I don’t like a pizza it often is because of the sauce. Anyway, the margarita was good—there was mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of the crust with the tomatoes and basil and the tomatoes tasted almost like they might be slightly marinated in a very light vinaigrette. The Greek pizza also had a thin layer of cheese and then was topped with lots of fresh spinach, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives cut in half, garlic and feta cheese sprinkled on top and lightly melted. It was hard for me to decide which one I liked better, but I probably ended up eating more of the Greek—and would be tempted to order it again. I loved the thick juicy olives. I did try a bite of my daughter’s cheese slice, and a dip into the marinara we got with the breadsticks, and you know, it was a little sweet, which is exactly what I don’t like in a red sauce. The breadsticks, by the way, were nothing special to me. (And I am frustrated to see on the menu now that they have garlic knots—I totally would have ordered them if I had seen them. That’s what happens when you are with your kids who are busy spilling their drinks and causing a general ruckus as you are trying to peruse all your options). The crust on the pizza was good—nice and thin and crispy but with the right amount of bendiness to make it a proper New York style slice (at least in Indiana).

This place obviously has a loyal customer base—at lunch on a Monday the place was jammed by the time we left. And it is good pizza (and they have a very large menu of other things). If it were my neighborhood, it would certainly be in my rotation. And next time, I’m getting the knuckles.

And p.s., what else is good in Zionsville? I am keeping a list.

Amore Pizzeria

41 Boone Village

Zionsville, IN 46077

317/733-1609

www.amorezionsville.com

Read User's comments(0)

MacKenzie River Pizza

2:47 AM | Labels: Castleton Area Restaurants, Chain Restaurants, kid friendly, MacKenzie River, outdoor seating, Pizza

I have had a few recommendations for this place, and it is very close to our house. So the other night, when I really didn’t want to cook, we took the kids and headed over. It hasn’t been open too long, and from what I have heard and seen, this location has never done very well with any restaurant. When we pulled in, we thought we might have trouble getting in, because the parking lot seemed very full. However, I guess the restaurant must be quite a bit larger than the parking lot (and they have a fair amount of outside seating) because the inside was pretty empty. We were the only table in our entire section.

So this place is a chain, although a chain in Montana, Idaho, and Washington, so I am not exactly sure what inspired them to open one in Indiana, other than I guess chains do so well here (sigh). It will be interesting to see how they do, particularly in this location.

Anyway, our server was friendly, and fairly attentive. We started with an order of “lodge poles” which are described as breadsticks with cheese and served with marinara. So I know that a lot (all?) breadsticks are often made with the same dough used in the pizza, but this was actually one of their pizza crusts which was cut in half and had cheese melted on it and a bowl of marinara. So basically, it was a cheese pizza with the sauce on the side and cut into thinner slices. They didn’t taste bad, and had a nice bit of garlic to them, but really, I felt like I was having a pizza appetizer before my pizza. The marinara is pretty good—more savory than sweet which I like.

We also ordered a regular small pizza on their original crust (which is sourdough—same as for the breadsticks). On this one we went with the classic margarita—mozzarella, tomato, and basil. The toppings were pretty fresh and plentiful and tasted good. Here’s the thing though—I am pretty sure the crust on their “original” pizza (and the sticks) is made somewhere and frozen. They are perfectly round discs that even have little holes punched into the crust—I assume to keep the shape when they are frozen. I don’t know, in this day and age, with all the pizza choices there are, I thought this was kind of lame. And the crust was bready and dense, and just didn’t do it for me. Honestly, I think Boboli is better (and it’s not my favorite).

The thin crust was better—it appeared to be made fresh, as it was super thin and much more irregular in shape. It was crispy and a much better alternative to the regular crust. We got the Sequoia which is pesto (instead of marinara), artichokes, sundried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and mozzarella cheese. Interestingly, it was pretty spicy—I am assuming it was a combination of a lot of garlic in the pesto and maybe the marinade of the sun dried tomatoes. It was pretty good though. The crust was much crispier and I liked the combination of toppings. The artichokes gave it that slightly vinegar taste and the pine nuts a bit of crunch. And I liked that there was enough cheese to make it feel rich and not like a veggie flatbread or something. They have a lot of choices for their pizza combos and I can appreciate that they have a nice variation of things. Although sometimes it seems a little overwhelming because there are so many options.

So honestly, there was nothing about it food-wise that made me want to go back, even though with its proximity to our house, I will never say never. (They did have a decent selection of local beer.) I have a feeling that several of you will disagree with me about this review though, so please share your thoughts. And while you’re at it, please share your favorite pizza places. It has been awhile since we talked pizza and I’m always looking for something good….

MacKenzie River Pizza

4939 East 82^nd Street

Indy 46240

317/288-0609

www.mackenzieriverpizza.com

Read User's comments(0)

Bella Pizzeria

3:06 AM | Labels: Bella Pizzeria, Independent Restaurants, kid friendly, lunch places, Northside Restaurant, Pizza

You know me and New York style pizza right? So I was looking for something quick and new and kid friendly the other day for lunch and took hubby and my son to Bella Pizzeria. This is another one of the traditional New York style places with the pizza (and calzones and breadsticks) sitting on the counter waiting to be warmed up to order.

So I went with my usual (you gotta compare these kind of places right?) which is mushrooms and red onions (well, that’s what I asked for) and hubby had sausage and pepperoni and their white pizza margherita. My son had cheese (go figure, he is a man of simple tastes). I also got a couple of breadsticks, one with cheese inside and one plain.

Well, my slice was served with a lot of chopped yellow onions over the top, which if I had known was going to be the case, I would have just gone with plain mushroom (which they did have already made). The flavor of the crust was good I thought, and it was crunchy and yet bendy at the same time. I wasn’t a fan of all those onions though and scraped most of them off. They had a nice sauce that wasn’t over done, and wasn’t overly sweet. Overall, I would say this was a good basic New York slice. Not the best I have had in town and not the worst. I would like to try an entire pie and see how it heats up at home in my oven on my pizza stone.

The breadsticks weren’t moist and chewy which is what I like in a breadstick. I would give them a pass the next time. Although, I did like the look of the calzones—they weren’t super doughy like some are which I find to be way too filling, particularly at lunch.

Sadly, hubby’s pizza slices were put in the oven last and had the shortest amount of time getting re-heated and didn’t crisp up enough. The bite of the margherita I had (no red sauce at all) was a little too soggy. My son’s cheese was cooked the longest and his was probably the best slice on the table. He loved it and promptly proclaimed it his new favorite lunch place. I didn’t try the meat slice, but hubby said he actually preferred the simplicity of my son’s cheese or my mushroom because the sausage and mushroom themselves weren’t anything special. We decided when we try a whole pie, it will likely be a veggie version. And it will be heated a little longer at our house.

The prices are decent—hubby and I both got lunch specials. Mine was a slice of pizza, 2 breadsticks and a drink for just under $6 and hubby had a special with 2 slices, and a drink for just over $6. A regular slice is around $3-4 depending on the toppings. For a quick slice at lunch time on the Northside, I liked it. The pie was decent, the staff exceptionally friendly and it was quick. Next time I go in, I may just ask them to heat it a little longer.

Bella Pizzeria

3855 East 96^th Street (and 2 other Northside locations)

Indy 46240

317/569-9211

www.thebellapizza.com

Read User's comments(0)

Archives