Canal Bistro

Back on Memorial Day, I met up with some girlfriends from high school.  One was visiting from out of town, and wanted to go to Brugge, but alas, it was closed when we arrived.  So our group hiked towards the canal in Broad Ripple, and ended up at Canal Bistro.

I had never been there before, despite having walked by it a bazillion times over the past 15 years or so.  My friend knew it was a Mediterranean place, and that's all the rest of us needed to know--we were game to try it.

We split some hummus ($6) to start, and it was clearly made in-house--very good, with none of the fake citric acid taste of the store bought stuff.  It was drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika, tomatoes, and parsley.  It was, of course, served along side some pretty decent pita bread.  Great start.

For my main, I opted for the Chicken Shawarma platter ($15).  When I used to work in Evanston, IL, we'd occasionally go to a Mediterranean place that served shawarma that was incredibly flavorful and tender, and I've been seeking something similar since then.  This was it.  It was very much how I remembered it--thinly sliced pieces of very well seasoned chicken, a little crispy on one side.  So many memories!  And so tasty.  It came with rice, a little block of feta, some onions, a few olives, and a garlic dipping sauce (not pictured).  I found that mixing a bite of the chicken and rice with the feta and garlic sauce made for a pretty awesome bite.

I believe the other ladies enjoyed their meals, as well.  I think the other meals selected were veggie kabobs, beef kabobs, and the gyro platter.  They all looked really good!  The setting was lovely--a beautiful night, not too hot, sitting along the canal.  I will definitely need to go again.

Website:  Canal Bistro

Tulip Noir

Awhile back, Tim and I somehow ended up being able to go to brunch on a week day together (don't ask me how this happened--I don't even remember).  He wanted to go to Tulip Noir for a late breakfast/early brunch, as he'd gone there before and was really impressed.  I readily agreed.

 Tulip Noir is a small, locally owned breakfast and lunch place near 86th and Ditch Rd.  Their big thing is their French press coffee as well as their enormous tea list.  While several teas sounded intriguing (and they gave us a sample of a fragrant herbal tea that was on special), we both opted for the French press.  I got the House Blend which was supposed to have a lower acidity, and Tim got the French roast, which was more bold.  Each was a two cup press pot, and they were $3 each.  Fun, and a pretty good pot of coffee!  Really, we probably could have split a pot, but it's still cheaper than Starbucks.

Tim opted for Scott's Smokin' Bagel for his breakfast ($10.50).  It was four-grain honey bagel with smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, red onion marmalade, capers, and spinach.  As you can see in the picture, it was 'deconstructed'--not what Tim had expected.  While it's interesting that you can select how much of which items you want on the sandwich, sometimes I just want the chef to put it together into a tasty sandwich FOR me.  Still, Tim really enjoyed the flavors once it was all put together.   (Side note--the dish did include a whole bagel--I believe Tim was holding the top half in this picture, and that's why it's missing.)             

I had Andy's Eggs Benedict ($10.75).  They were outstanding.  Eggs Benedict isn't usually something I order, but on the limited Tulip Noir menu it stood out as sounding the best to me that day.  And hoo-boy, it was delicious.  The hollandaise sauce was buttery and tangy, the ham smokey and salty (as ham is), and the eggs added their rich yolks to the party (well, one of them did--the other was a touch overcooked.  It was the only negative).  All that was sitting on top of a wheat English muffin and a bed of greens that were DRESSED.  Yay!  Thank  you for dressing your greens, Tulip Noir, and not just putting them on there all boring and plain.  They were lightly dressed in a slightly tangy dressing that worked with the hollandaise to cut through the richness of the eggs and ham.  On top were a few little purple chive flowers that gave just enough mild onion flavor (and looked pretty!).

Our breakfast was not particularly cheap, but it was no more expensive than a place like Patachou, and it had better service than that local chain usually does.  Service was very friendly, and the meal was filled with nice touches like the cucumber water we were served when we sat down, the tea samples, etc.  It might not be an every day place for us, but every once in awhile we'll have to get over there!

Website:  Tulip Noir

Fat Dan's

It's been awhile since I've posted.  Okay, a very long while (two months).  My apologies.  Life got in the way, with a move (still in Indy!), trying to sell the old house, busyness at my job...excuses, excuses.

But we've certainly continued to eat during my time away!

We now live quite a bit closer to Broadripple and are deliriously close to all of our favorite haunts over there.  But we've also discovered a new favorite--Fat Dan's Deli.  It's located right next to Twenty Tap, yet we'd never gone in until about a month ago.

Fat Dan's has a very local-bar feel.  It's not very big, and it's the type of place where you want to sit at the bar if you can (we've managed to every time we've been).  Food is carried out to you on a gigantic piece of butcher paper and plopped down unceremoniously.  They've got some decent beers on tap--6 or 8 of those, I think--but the selection isn't nearly as prolific as their twenty-tapped neighbor.  The choices are written on a chalkboard as you enter, with just the basic info (no IBU or ABV values listed here!).

Still, it's a great experience, with tasty food.  The first time there, I got the pulled pork sandwich ($7.75).  It was piled onto a really good bun and served with a side of sauce.  My one complaint?  Not enough sauce for me.  I determined that if I ever order it again, I'd ask for two.  Otherwise, delicious.  Tim got a burger--the Wells St. Burger ($8.25), I believe, which had bacon, gorgonzola, onions, and BBQ sauce.  He really enjoyed it.

We split an order of tater tots ($3.75), and they were perfectly crispy and salty--very satisfying.  On a subsequent trip, we split the Dirty Tots (not on website, I think they were around $7.75), and oh man--they were heaven.  It's a basket of tots covered in melted cheese, hot sauce, green onions, and pulled pork.  It was the perfect greasy-cheesy-smokey-spicy combo.  Someday I'm just going to get an order of those for my meal.  I have no shame.

If you haven't made it over to Fat Dan's yet, I highly recommend you give it a go.  It makes for a great laid-back meal!

Website:  Fat Dan's Deli