Triple XXX Family Restaurant, Lafayette, Indiana

If I was a student at Purdue University, I'd probably eat at Triple XXX a few times a week. Not because it's gourmet dining. Not because it was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. And not because of the ambiance (although, it is a cool old diner). The food is fast, and in the case of some of breakfast dishes I saw come out of the kitchen, the portions are big.

This was my second time eating at Triple XXX. I decided that Anita needed to try it out, too, so we stopped there before heading out to a local antique mall, The Leaping Leopard.

So, we both ordered the Bernie Flowers All-Pro burger with all of the toppings. The burgers at Triple XXX are ground on the spot - I saw it with my own eyes, and cooked up on a hot griddle. Topped with onion, lettuce, tomato and Miracle Whip, all on a toasted sesame seed bun. I liked the texture of the burger, and the toppings were fresh. But, the burger wasn't seasoned at all. After adding a bit of salt and pepper, I chowed down on it and enjoyed. Anita felt the same way - the burgers just needed seasoning.

I had onion rings on the side. Good, yummy, onion rings. I could have eaten two sides of onion rings. They were good.

Anita had curly fries on the side. Though good, she felt that there weren't that many on the plate compared to the size of the orders of regular fries we saw around us.

You know, I'd go back to Triple XXX again. I'd like to try their breakfasts. Everyone around us was enjoying big plates of biscuits and gravy and eggs and... well, it all looked good.

Firehouse BBQ and Blues, Richmond, Indiana

Anita and I were antiquing in nearby Centerville, Indiana, when we drove the few miles to Richmond to grab lunch at Firehouse BBQ and Blues.

Firehouse BBQ is located downtown Richmond, in an area that seems be revitalizing itself. The building is the longest standing firehouse in Richmond. There's a restaurant side, and a bar side, and a stage area for live music. From their website, it seems they keep a pretty full band schedule. If we're ever in the area in the evening, we'll swing on by for some good BBQ and music... and beer.

The old firehouse walls are exposed.

I had the brisket sandwich with a side of green beans. The sandwich comes pre-sauced, which I'm not usually a fan of, but in this case, it was good. Very good, actually. And the beans? I could've had a few more helpings. They were quite tasty. Anita had the (very good) pulled pork sandwich with a side of the cheesy potatoes, from which I stole several bites. We also ordered a banana pudding dessert, which was really great. So great that I just sort of duplicated it at home tonight. I'll be posting it soon.

You can't go to Firehouse BBQ without also admiring the painting on the south side of the building. It is very well done.

Garrett's Smokehouse BBQ, Indianapolis, Indiana

I'll eat anything that's been cooked low and slow. As a big fan of BBQ done right, I was happy to finally make it down to Garrett's Smokehouse BBQ, which is not too far from our house.

Garrett's is located in a little strip mall. We showed up on the hottest day of the year (and almost the hottest day ever in Indiana). They have a full BBQ menu - pork, chicken, brisket and even turkey. We decided to get our meal to go.

Anita ordered the pulled pork sandwich with a side of mac-and-cheese. For her sauce, she went with the mild. I had the brisket sandwich with a side of spicy slaw and sweet BBQ sauce. I was already happy since the meats weren't pre-sauced. You just never know when someone might be trying to hide poorer quality smoked meat under a sauce. Not the case at Garrett's, that's for sure.

The meats were smoked perfectly. You know how sometimes you get BBQ and only the first 1/2" or so has a smoke flavor? Garrett's BBQ had a nice (but not overwhelming) smoke flavor throughout. Both sauces were great. Really great, actually. I'm going to pick up some extra sauce next time for my own smoked ribs.

Besides the meats, the sides were also excellent. They were both made from scratch. Anita's mac-and-cheese was smooth and cheesy. My spicy slaw was definitely spicy. I love homemade slaw - there's such a difference between it and store-bought. I'm looking forward to trying their other sides.

We had a good meal from Garrett's. We'll be returning soon! It's great to see local restaurants turn out great food like Garrett's. Support your local chefs and cooks.

The Grill 2, McCordsville, Indiana

Anita and I headed up to Pendleton, Indiana, to do a little antiquing at the Heritage Antique Mall, a small place but one where you can occasionally find some pretty interesting items. We decided to stop by the Grill 2, on Pendleton Pike, for lunch. I'd heard through an ex-coworker that the food and service there is good.

I ordered the Reuben sandwich with onion rings. The Reuben was good, with plenty of dressing, and served on a really good bread. The corned beef was tender and tasty. The big winner, though, was the onion rings. These hand-breaded jewels were to die for, and you get a big ole serving of them to boot. They were good. Really good. I'll definitely order them again.
 

Anita ordered the breaded tenderloin with fries. She loved them both.

Service was friendly and prompt. We'll be returning, that's for sure, to try some other items on the menu (though I'm going to have a hard time ordering a side other than the onion rings...).

Boogie Burger, Indianapolis, Indiana

Boogie Burger has been on my to-eat list for a long time. We had this week off, so we decided to give it a try. Many of my friends have raved about it.

We both ordered the Boogie Burger with cheese.

Easily the best burger I've had. The seasoning was spot-on perfect. I really should've ordered a double. Or maybe a triple. It was just that good and it was embarrassing how quickly I ate it. I admit it. I woofed it down and moaned in happiness the entire time.

We also shared an order of garlic French fries. The fries are very addicting. They are tossed with garlic and parsley. Yes, you'll have garlic breath (and lips) when you are done, but it is sooooo worth it.

It's going to be difficult for me to return to Boogie Burger and order something different that we did this time. The burger and fries were just so good. This place is definitely going onto our normal eating rotation (and at the top at that).

Yat's Cajun Creole Restaurant, Indianapolis, Indiana

We love Yat's. It's right by our house, has great food and staff, and a constantly rotating menu. Not long ago we grabbed an order to go to the park. This last week, we stopped by and ate in the restaurant. We got there early (rumors are that you might want to get there early to get their famous spinach and mushroom étouffée).

Anita ordered two half platters. One half of spinach and mushroom étouffée, and one half of red beans and rice. Each platter comes with a piece of bread, which makes for excellent soppin'. The soppin' is one of the best parts since all of the sauces at Yat's are absolutely delicious. Anita loved her lunch.

I also had the spinach and mushroom étouffée, along with a half order of chili cheese étouffée and crawfish. The crawfish étouffée is insanely good. In fact, I'm swinging by Yat's next week to get some more. I think I might try it over French bread... sort of a crawfish po'boy. Oh, and that chili cheese sauce? Yep you guessed it. It's excellent for soppin' up with bread. And there's no shortage of crawfish in this dish. Mmmm. Tasty. My mouth is watering recalling just how good it was.

It's great to see local joints do well and turn out great food. Yat's is definitely doing both.

Coxhall Gardens, Carmel, Indiana

I've driven by Coxhall Gardens a few times, never really paying that much attention to it other than to wonder why there were two large towers on the grounds. The other day I decided to pick up Anita at work and take her to the gardens for a lunchtime picnic.


The Coxhall Gardens are 125 acres that were donated to Hamilton County back in 1999 by Jesse and Beulah Cox. The city is still developing the gardens, but there is plenty of things to do and see there now. The place is very well maintained.


The centerpiece of the gardens is this layered seating area which is ideal for weddings, concerts, etc. At the top is a statue of the Cox's.





There are nice walking paths around two large lakes.


There are also two large bell towers. We were there at noon enjoying our lunch when the bells started sounding. It was quite nice actually.


There's a big play area for kids, but we didn't go to that section. There are a few walking paths. It was a nice day out, and there were several teens getting their high school photos taken on the grounds.


Coxhall Gardens has several programs that you can enjoy, like bird watching or frog hunting (ok, you don't actually hunt them) in the evenings. We'll return soon for another mid-day picnic and a walk.

Stop by Coxhall Gardens. It's a nice peaceful setting located off 116th and Towne in Carmel, Indiana.

Bub's Big Ugly Burgers, Carmel, Indiana

Oh, how we love Bub's burgers. They are seasoned just right and cooked to perfection. And the buns... to die for!


If you're daring enough, you can try the Big Ugly, which is one pound of meat... after cooking!

Bub's is located right on the Monon Trail in downtown Carmel. Swing on by if you're in the neighborhood and enjoy a really great burger.

Nick's English Hut, Bloomington, Indiana

Anita has been talking about the strombolis at Nick's English Hut for years. And even though we are often near Bloomington, we'd never stopped until now.


We both ordered the traditional stromboli. We were split on the results. Anita absolutely loved hers and is still talking about it today. I thought it was good, but needed a kick. I lean towards spicier foods and I just felt that that strom could've used some heat. Now, that being said, I could hang out at Nick's for a game and drink a few beers and easily throw down a few strombolis. It's the kind of place I would been at a lot back in my college days.

So, I think we'll be going back to Nick's next time we're in the area.

Pizzology Pizzeria and Pub, Carmel, Indiana

Anita and a coworker and I met up for lunch yesterday at Pizzology. I've heard a lot of talk about Pizzology and we finally got around to eating there.


We ordered the pizza rossa (red sauce) with mushrooms, sausage, and mozzarella. The pizza is wood-fired, and comes out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I actually thought it would be crunchier. The toppings were definitely quality. I could've eaten just the mozzarella, it was really, really good. Anita loved everything about the pizza.

Pizzology has a nice selection of pizzas and toppings. Not overwhelming and not crazy.

I like Pizzology's philosophy towards their food. They know the sources of their ingredients, the farms, and the families that run them. This isn't your corporate who-knows-where-the-food-comes-from kinda joint. You have to like that and their commitment shows in the quality of their food. We'll definitely be returning soon!

Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve, Fishers, Indiana

Anita was off work today, so for lunch we drove over to Sam's Gyros and picked up a regular gyro (for Anita) and a spicy gyro (for me) and headed over to Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve in Fishers. We have driven by Ritchey Woods at least a hundred times and always wanted to stop, and today we finally did.

Ritchey Woods is a nature preserve of about 127 acres. There are several walking trails...

... and a few picnic tables, and a nice shelter area for anyone's use.


It seems that the shelter was recently used for a rather major pumpkin carving activity!


It was nice out today (mid 70s), and there were a few people there walking their dogs... or just walking themselves!


While walking along one trail we discovered these enormous giant puffball mushrooms. Apparently these mushrooms can get over 40 pounds in weight! I can believe it by how big they are! The large one below was bigger than a basketball!

Ritchey Woods is a nice little place to stop by for a stroll and enjoy the woods and nature. We are looking forward to returning soon.

Food Vendors at the 2011 Persimmon Festival, Mitchell, Indiana

We made our yearly trip down to Mitchell last weekend for the Persimmon Festival and parade. You can find my pictures of the 2009 parade here.

Since I've already blogged pictures of the parade, I decided to take pictures of the many food vendors instead. I went 'uptown' before it got crowded and grabbed these shots. You gotta love fair food!