Nope, I haven’t quit the 365 photo project, I’m just behind on putting the photos I’ve taken up. I know – three day weekend for me and I couldn’t get it done. But I was working on the project — I want to do some portrait work, and we have a southern-exposure window that I wanted to put a chair in front of so I could take some pictures in natural light. That entailed taking down the Christmas tree, rearranging the library, and moving the trunk from in front of the window. Lots of work, but now I have a place to seat people in pretty lighting.
I’m trying to create some variety and different opportunities, because all my pictures are of knitting and cats. 😉 It hard to come up with entertaining things to photograph when I hate the cold and am hibernating at home a lot.
I’m the knitting cat lady! Yes, knitting and cats. And dogs – wouldn’t want to forget the pooch. Gratuitous knitting photo
Things will also pick up once it gets warmer. This coming weekend we’re going to a skating competition for Stephanie and I’ll have a lot of pictures there, and we do get out a lot more in the spring.
Stephanie took me out last night to a Asian/Vietnamese food place on the east side of town – Sandra Rice and Noodles. OMG. The best lemongrass chicken I’ve ever had, hands down. Simply wonderful. I have leftovers that I can’t wait to get at. We tacked a dessert on to the order so we could use a coupon – rice pudding that was the best afterthought ever. Really delicious. It’s on Pendleton Pike, so it’s a bit out of the way, but definitely worth the drive from downtown for us. Yum yum yum. I wish I were a better writer when it comes to food, but I’m not good at separating flavors and identifying what went into a dish. And I tend to only talk about places I really enjoy, so every food review sounds the same – “Yummy, delicious, best ever.” Not terribly helpful to anyone, other than to let you know what I like.
I put together this list of downtown Indianapolis delivery options for my own reference. If you happen to know of others or if this list needs an update, please comment with suggestions.
Aunt Polly’s – 317-632-3663
Bazbeaux Pizza – 317-636-7662
Best Taste China Buffet – 317-684-1818
Bob’s Tu Your Door – 317-358-2627
China King – 317-685-8630
Domino’s Pizza – 317-635-3030
Giorgio’s Pizza – 317-687-9869 (giorgiosindy.com for menu)
Hong Kong Chinese 1524 N Illinois St. – 317-951-8882
Jimmy John’s – 317-686-0246 Luca Pizza di Roma – 317-423-2373
Papa John’s – 317-632-7272
South of Chicago Pizza & Beef (619 Virginia Ave.) – (317) 203-7110
Tip Top Tavern – 1341 N Capitol Ave – (317) 423-9905
Vito’s on Penn – 317-636-2200
Honestly, I think it says more about Indianapolis budgets than our dining habits, and it says more about restauranteurs not really understanding the Indy market. I’ve never had the money to go to L’explorateur, and I certainly don’t now.
I hate chain restaurants and overly salted food as much as you do. But SOME of our unique independent restaurants have to be within a budget for everyone to go regularly and not just as a birthday gift or holiday treat.
If you look at New York and Chicago and LA – locals don’t go to L’explorateur-like restaurants every night. Those high-flyers are attended by tourists from out of town, with locals attending on special occasions, and the large population of those cities means occasional dining from locals is enough to keep high-end restaurants in business.
But those cities also have awesome, independently-owned and operated restaurants that fit in the $ and $$ range – that’s where locals do their daily dining.
The Indianapolis market needs a lot more of these quality $ and $$ restaurants. And right now, our cities population isn’t big enough that we can support high-end restaurants with occasional dining.
Situated right off the Monon on Main Street in downtown Carmel, Bubs is a popular lunch location, especially for (as my friend Mike pointed out) beefy white guys in corporate attire. It was so popular that we had to put our name in and wait fifteen minutes to get a table, and because we specified “first available” we ended up outside in the heated, awning-covered outdoor area, which was fairly comfortable even in February. If you are opening a sandwich shop or some other food stall, you can add some of these tips in your business.
Bub’s draw is their one pound “Big Ugly” burger (that’s the after cooking weight; the before cooking is a whopping 22 ounces) which will gain you a memorial photo on the wall if you can finish the whole thing. Personally, I think that might be so they can identify you later when you keel over from a heart attack, but they advertise it as a good thing. A couple of my co-workers have met the challenge, and a couple of them have failed miserably, although they talked big about it afterwards (“Well, you know, I could have done that if I hadn’t had such a big dinner last night, harumph, harumph.” Yeah, right.)
However, there’s something undeniably satisfying about taking on a big meal outdoors, especially when you’ve got a little more control over the cooking process. Imagine setting up your own backyard kitchen for the day, surrounded by friends and family, and deciding to take on a grilling challenge that rivals the “Big Ugly” burger. Instead of an oversized sandwich, you’re firing up a smaller, but still mighty, feast using a portable stove or firepit. The flames are dancing, the smells are incredible, and with the right setup—like Chiasson Smoke—the food cooks to perfection every time. Whether it’s burgers, steaks, or even something more adventurous like grilled vegetables or fish, the outdoor cooking experience is all about taking your time and savoring the moment.
Backyard cooking with a rocket stove is the perfect way to get that bold, smoky flavor without the heavy lifting of a giant commercial grill. The beauty of it lies in its simplicity—compact, efficient, and easy to use. You don’t need a giant burger challenge to appreciate how satisfying it is to cook over an open flame, with each bite carrying the essence of fresh air and camaraderie. And as your own backyard becomes the setting for these little culinary victories, you might find yourself wondering why you ever relied on the kitchen at all. The fun is in the challenge, the process, and the chance to share something delicious with those you care about.
The display of “Big Ugly Champions” photos covers three walls of the restaurant, so the challenge isn’t impossible to surmount. Given that the restaurant opened in May of 2003, there seem to be a lot of champions, and I wonder where they’re going to go with the photos in a few more years.
I didn’t even bother with the big talk, and just went for the quarter pound “Settle for Less Ugly” burger, although I put a twist on it and ordered Elk rather than regular beef. Bub’s is offering Elk burgers on a trial basis to gage whether it’s popular enough to put it on their regular menu. It is healthier than beef, with less fat, calories and cholesterol, so it’s a nice alternative for people with diet concerns. I just wanted to taste Elk.
I ordered my burger medium, and with lettuce, onion, pickle, mayo and pepperjack cheese. I also ordered a side of sloppy waffles; waffle fries with a topping of cheese, bacon and sour cream.
The Elk tasted a bit different than beef; a bit sweeter and not as tangy. I had arrived with a craving for a good juicy burger, so I was a bit disappointed, but I don’t blame the Elk for that. It wasn’t gamey or unpleasant, and I’d vote in favor of them keeping it on the menu.
Sloppy Waffles
By the time I got around to eating my sloppy waffles, they were rather cold due to the temperature of the outdoor seating, and the cheese was more like cheese whiz than the melted cheddar that I was hoping for. That didn’t stop me from eating them all, though.
Mahi Mahi
Mike had the The Mahi Mahi fish sandwich, which he reports was “a big slab o’ fishly goodness barely contained between two slices of tangy Foccacia bread.” It was served with a peach-mango salsa and Mike had the cole slaw as a side. Judge for yourself from the photo; it was the biggest piece of fish I’ve ever seen in a sandwich.
The menu features three burger sizes (one pound, half pound and quarter pound sizes), and other menu items are hot dogs and chili, a chicken sandwich and salad, and pie and brownie dessert. With only a salad on the non-meat side of things, Bub’s may not be a regular stop for you if you have a vegetarian with your regular lunch party as we do.
Bub’s has an ice cream shop in the front of the building that’s a draw for the Monon crowd, and they also feature entertainment in the evenings, with some comedy shows scheduled and live music planned for Saturday evenings in the Spring.
One day I was out to lunch with my co-workers and I picked up my knife to cut something, and the fork stuck to it. The knife was magnetic. But only the table knife, not the fork or the spoon. And my knife was the only one that way, no one else at the table had a magnetic knife. We picked up other utensils, we picked up my keys… it was cool. So of course I stole the knife and took it back to work with me, because it was so strange. A couple of months later Jerrod found another one while out to dinner, and stole it for me, because — cool, two magnetic knives.
And one day a few weeks ago, we were at a steak house and found two magnetic knives at the table. Still no magnetic forks or spoons.
So of course, we’ve been theorizing, what causes the knives to become magnetic? And only the knives? Some unusual dishwasher phenomenon? I tested all the knives at home, and other than the two from the restaurant, none of my other knives are magnetic. And the two we stole from the restaurants still work great; they haven’t lost their magnetism at all.
I’ve tried searching around on the internet, but the only thing I could find with sites selling the magnetic strips that you put your cooking knives on. For a while, that was my theory about how the knives because magnetic, until I asked at one of the restaurants and they said they didn’t store their knives that way, they stored them with all the other silverware in racks.
So color me perplexed.
But I still think “Magnetic Knife” is a great band name.
