It's a good thing I don't live in the Midwest because it seems like everything I love to eat out there is an the unhealthy end of the food spectrum. I've been to the Indianapolis area a few times to visit a friend and every time I seem to discover a new food that is delicious and unhealthy.
One my first trips, I feel in love with the sippable sundae at Steak N Shake. It became a staple of my visits, although I have skipped it the last two visits. A couple years ago, I tried fried pickles for the first time ever when my friend's mom attempted to copy a recipe from a local restaurant. I got to try the originals last time I visited at Scotty's Brewhouse in downtown Indianapolis. It sounds weird, but the fried pickles are quite tasty. Also on my last visit, my friend's mom made corn fritters for the bridal shower and they were also delicious. She made them with a mix of cornmeal, corn kernels and green onions.
This weekend I went back to Indianapolis for my friend's wedding and I was there for a few days. It seemed like most of the trip revolved around eating. The first night I flew in late in the afternoon and my friend's mother picked me up at the airport. She offered to take me to dinner since my friend was busy with wedding-related stuff. She picked a place near her house called the Brickhouse Burger Company. With a name like that, I knew what I had to get - the only problem was making the choice between the seven or so offered on the menu and building my own. I ended up going with the 'shroom, which included a burger with sauteed mushrooms, Havarti dill cheese, tomatoes, and pickles, all served on a pretzel roll. I had never heard of a pretzel roll before, but I love soft pretzels. The roll was not shaped like a pretzel, but it had all the softness with the brown crust of a pretzel. It held its own against the burger. It was the best burger I've had in ages and I will now be on a mission to find a place in the bay area that has a pretzel bun. The burger was good, but I opted to only eat half of it, thinking I would save the other half for later.
But then the next day, I grabbed breakfast in the hotel lobby (offered for free with the night's stay) and then I went to lunch at a place called Champp's with the other bridesmaids. I started off with a cup of french onion soup and then had the Champp's club. While the soup had just the perfect amount of cheesy goodness, the club sandwich had too much cheese for my taste, with the double layer of Monterey jack and cheddar cheese. I ate half my sandwich so that I could save room for the mile-high ice cream pie we split five ways for dessert.
So after eating lunch close to 2 p.m., I was hardly hungry at all by the time we got to Kona Jack's for the rehearsal dinner around 8 p.m. But I couldn't pass up the soy ginger house dressing on a fresh salad and filet mignon. The best part of the meal was the taste of warm lemon cake I had for dessert, though I stayed to just a few bites since I was so full.
The delicious food I ate during the trip almost makes me wish I visited Indianapolis more often so I could have it again. But for now I am trying to get back to eating healthy with fresh vegetables and fruits from the farmers market.
Photo by Melissa Flores
The 'shroom burger at Brickhouse Burger Company includes Havarti cheese, sauteed mushrooms and burger fixings on a pretzel roll.
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