Napolese - Meridian/Kessler - Top Restaurant Challenge

Wednesday June 3, 2013

Napolese

 

114 E 49^th Street

Indianapolis, IN

317-925-0765

Website: http://www.napolesepizzeria.com/
Type of Food: Italian/Pizza

Price: $3.00 - $40.00

Date Potential: 2^nd or 3^rd date for intimate conversation

Dress: casual to business casual

Appetizers: 4/5 stars

Entrée: 4/5 stars

Atmosphere: 4/5 stars

Atmosphere

Napolese is worth the praise and attention it has received since its opening. The atmosphere is cozy, but upscale, and makes you feel right at home. The candlelight gives the restaurant a romantic atmosphere, perfect for a date, but with large open windows and plenty of natural light, allows the customer to not feel closed in by the small-ish space.

 

Service

From the host to the waitress to the chefs, everyone at Napolese is fun, friendly, and helpful. Our helpful and kind waitress was always there to help us decide what would be best but also gave us the space to enjoy our meal together.

 

Food

While many might see the description of pizza and shy away, assuming this is like every other “gourmet” pizza joint in Indianapolis, you would be wrong. The wood fire crust is fresh and crisp (and I am a girl who loves a doughy crust most days) and is topped with fresh ingredients, that don’t leave you searching for a napkin to dab off grease.

At the end of your meal, I would highly recommend requesting a scoop of the amazing gelato accompanied with a small pitcher of espresso to pour on top. This tasty treat will leave you begging to return.

 

Overview

Overall I believe it’s clear I would recommend Napolese to anyone willing to listen, and willing to take me along! There are multiple locations, so get out and give them a try!

 

Interested in having your establishment reviewed?
Contact us at indyfoodiereviews@gmail.com

Pub & Grill - Las Vegas, NV

Wednesday June 19, 2013

Gordon Ramsay
Pub & Grill

Caesars Palace

Las Vegas, NV

877-346-4642

Website: http:// www.caesarspalace.com/restaurants/gordon-ramsay-pub-and-grill.html
Type of Food: English Style Pub Food

Price: $11.00 - $35.00

Date Potential: Not recommended

Dress: casual to “Vegas attire”

Appetizers: 2/5

Entrée: 3/5 stars

Atmosphere: 1/5 stars

Atmosphere & Service

I am doing something new … combining the two categories above, as in this case they went hand in hand. When you first find the pub, it is a fun and seemingly relaxing place to enjoy dinner. However, if you decide to visit this spot in your Las Vegas travels make sure to request a low top table or booth, unless you enjoy back pain. The high top the 7 of us were sat at was one of the least comfortable seating assignments I have received at a restaurant. The hostess team then chose to seat another table of 7 next to us, causing a strange older gentleman to enjoy his meal sitting in my lap. When I chose to mention this oversight to the staff, I was waved off, and basically given the “we don’t care as long as everyone pays their check” looks. While I understand that in resorts and casinos, many restaurants are not playing to compete for return or regular customers; with a popular chef’s name attached to the restaurant (a chef famous for “fixing” other owners issues in the same area) you would imagine he would be appalled at this behavior.

 

Food

The food was okay at best, but nothing to demand a return from me or my dining companions if we were to return to Las Vegas in the future. The highlight was choosing our two favorite dishes, out of the 15-ish sampled, and was easy. If you decided to subject yourself to the service of the pub and grill, order the smashed fingerling potatoes, and the mac n cheese. Both were cooked well, and momentarily helped me forget about the gentleman in my lap.

 

Overview

Overall, I would not recommend trying this establishment, and urge you to go elsewhere should you be in sin city.

 

Interested in having your establishment reviewed?
Contact us at indyfoodiereviews@gmail.com

Creation Cafe - Dowtown Indy

Wednesday June 5, 2013

Creation Café

 

337 West 11th Street

Indianapolis, IN

317-955-2389

Website: http://www.creationcafeandeuphoria.com
Type of Food: Sandwiches and Light Entrees

Price: $3.00 - $30.00

Date Potential: Fun lunch with friends or 2^nd date dinner

Dress: casual

Appetizers: n/a

Entrée: 3/5 stars

Atmosphere: 4/5 stars

Atmosphere

If you are not seeking out the Creation Café, you might easily miss it. The café is nestled inside Bug’s Temple and provides a wonderful escape for an afternoon or evening. I recommend getting a table outside on warmer days, as the patio looks out over the canal and provides great scenery for any meal.

 

Service

The wait staff is polite and is able to answer almost any questions you may have about the different products and options they offer. They are attentive to needs; water glasses were never empty, and we were checked on once our food had arrived and given time to try our selections.

 

Food

My dining companion had been to the café before, and upon searching the menu for his “usual” found it had been replaced. He decided to give their version of the bologna and cheese a try (keep in mind I was with a truly picky eater) and was pleasantly surprised. The bologna was a product of Smoking Goose, topped with melted smoked Gouda cheese on a pretzel roll. The salty flavors blended together nicely and earned an A+ in his book.

My entrée was not too far out of my wheelhouse; I ordered a chipotle chicken club sandwich and was a happy customer. The chipotle flavor was present and pleasant without overpowering the other flavors of the traditional club sandwich. I enjoyed every tasty bite, especially the side of sweet potato fries.

 

Overview

Overall, I enjoyed almost every aspect of my trip to Creation Café and would encourage my readers to give it a try!

 

Interested in having your establishment reviewed?
Contact us at indyfoodiereviews@gmail.com

Bourbon Street Distillery - Indianapolis, IN

Wednesday May 30, 2013

Bourbon Street Distillery

361 Indiana Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46204

317-636-3316

Website: http://bourbonstreetdistillery.com/
Type of Food: Bar Food/Cajun

Price: $3.00 - $40.00

Date Potential: lunch or dinner and drinks with friends

Dress: Casual

Entrée: 4/5 stars

Atmosphere: 4/5 stars

Atmosphere

Bourbon Street is the ideal spot for a casual dining experience with some of your favorite people. I would especially recommend going when it’s warm out and sitting on the top deck. People watching, and the warm sun on your face while sipping on a great beer; not much can beat that feeling folks! The interior décor stays true to the Cajun roots of this eclectic, but cozy spot.

 

Service

The service was friendly, speedy, and made the dining experience a pleasurable one. The staff is fast paced and seems to work well together, keeping up with orders coming in from many different sections.

 

Food/Drinks

My dining companion and I had lunch, and it was a relaxing and tasty afternoon. I had the shrimp Po’Boy, one of many options including catfish, and what I assume is the vegetarian option, French fries. The food came out hot, well-seasoned, and quickly enough that no one felt rushed in their lunch hour. Cannot say I had any issues with my dish or the sample I took of my companion’s grilled cheese with bacon.

 

Overview

Overall I enjoyed my trip to Bourbon Street Distillery and would happily return, maybe next time to sample a different Po’Boy. The food and atmosphere may seem simple in presentation but combined with the outstanding wait staff and the Cajun roots of this relaxed atmosphere, this restaurant is a classic favorite.

 

Interested in having your establishment reviewed?
Contact us at indyfoodiereviews@gmail.com

UPDATE The Stacked Pickle - West Carmel

Stacked Pickle

4335 West 106th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46032

317.876.0981

Website: www.stackedpickle.com/west-carmel.html
Type of Food: American Pub

 

 

As promised in my January 26th blog post, I returned to Stacked Pickle to give it another shot once it had been open for a while and been able to adjust to its newest location.

 

I was pleasently surprised that the staff seemed calmer, and more assured in their positions, and the food came out well prepared and in a timely fashion.

 

Overall, I am glad I took the second trip around, and would encourage you to give them a try!

Ocean World - NW Indianapolis

Wednesday May 8, 2013

Ocean World Sushi

 

1206 W 86^th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46260

317-848-8901

Website: www.oceanwordlsushi.com
Type of Food: sushi/Japanese

Price: $3.00 - $30.00

Date Potential: Fun lunch with friends

Dress: casual

Appetizers: 4/5 stars

Entrée: 4/5 stars

Atmosphere: 2/5 stars

Atmosphere

Ocean World, is a fun eclectic style, that would remind you of an “Under the Sea” prom theme. The restaurant itself is wonderful but can get a bit loud during its busiest times since most of the tables are quite close to each other. Ocean world has great food and speedy service, and is for sure a great lunch or early dinner spot.

 

Service

The wait staff is speedy, polite, and is able to answer almost any questions you may have about the different rolls and options they offer. They are attentive to needs, as water glasses were never empty and courses were served right after each other without much wait time.

 

Food

Since we dined on sushi, we started the meal off with soup. The miso soup served, in my opinion, is one of the better versions I have had in Indy. It comes out piping hot, but not scalding, and has just the right amount of flavor added to the broth.

The sushi was excellent, and I discovered one of my new favorite rolls in town, called the Mardi Gras roll. While this roll does have some cooked portions, it was executed perfectly, with just enough spice to avoid having to use the wasabi provided, as I sometimes do. The best part about this roll … it was the special of the day! I have seen a theme at Ocean World that they do not shy away from putting some of their best rolls on special, which says a lot about the management and chefs.

 

Overview

Overall I would go back to Ocean World time and time again, it was a great find!

 

Interested in having your establishment reviewed?
Contact us at indyfoodiereviews@gmail.com

The Gift of Cake

So I feel bad I haven't been able to post a review in the last two weeks due to my traveling schedule. So  I wanted to give a gift to you all, that I recently received myself, for being amazing and reading my food ramblings :)

The gift is called "Mug Cake" .... and its easy as 3-2-1!

1. Grab a coffee mug (any size)
2. get a boxed mix of angel food cake, and a boxed mix of your other favorite (I chose devils food)
3. mix the two boxed mixes together in a Ziploc bag
4. take three Tbs. of mix and put it in the mug
5. take two Tbs. of water and put it in with the mix
6. STIR (found out this is a VERY important step lol)
7. microwave for 1 minute on high

finally ... enjoy a single serving cake treat anywhere there's a microwave! (for thos of you watching calories ... WHY ARE YOU READING THIS BLOG?? ha! just kidding! ... this treat is only 3PP on weight watchers).


Enjoy my friends!