317 Burger

A few Sundays ago, Tim and I were out and about running errands and decided to randomly pick someplace in Broad Ripple for lunch.  We drove past 317 Burger and realized it was new and burgers sounded good to us, so we opted to give it a try.

It was a fairly nice day so several people were sitting out front, but we wanted air conditioning so we headed into the bar.  We were the only ones in there.  Which doesn't mean that much, at a new place on a Sunday afternoon, but...

We quickly reviewed the menu, and I opted for the Spicy Tuna Burger ($12)--it just sounded good that day.   I've had the tuna sandwich at Boogie Burger (whole piece of tuna, citrus-y and awesome), and the tuna burger at the now-defunct Scotty's Lakehouse (spicy and teriyaki-ish and packed with flavor), so I was excited to try another.  Sadly, this one was just 'eh.'  It came with avocado, arugula, and wasabi aioli, but somehow none of those things had any flavor.  Not enough wasabi to make up for the rest of the bland.  Also, it had a slightly strange texture.  It was made from diced tuna like the Scotty's version, but this was much more tightly pressed and bound with something  that gave it a mealy texture (flour? I know it sounds odd, but that's all I can think of that would make it feel like that). I wasn't overly impressed.  I think Tim liked his burger--he customized it with duck bacon and gouda ($10)--but it wasn't anything extraordinary to write home about, either.

The highlight was the poutine we shared.  They served up hand-cut, thick steak fries topped with cheese and the gravy on the side.  You poured the gravy over the top so that the cheese (appeared to be some curds and some shredded) would melt.  I guess this was so they didn't get soggy?  Unfortunately, the fries were thick and not overly crisp to start, so it didn't really help.  But the flavor was there, and we enjoyed them.  For the price ($5), it was a very generous serving.  We couldn't even finish them (which is saying quite a lot).

My verdict is that this place is only so-so.  Perhaps it's finding its footing; perhaps I would have enjoyed a true burger more than the tuna.  Either way, I'm not particularly excited to go back.  Frankly, we probably won't return.  This town just has way too many truly GOOD burgers to get a mediocre one.

Website:  No real website that I could locate, so here's the 317 Burger Facebook page.

Steak & Shake

Steak & Shake's GCB

Let me start by saying that I usually try to avoid reviewing chains.  Not because I don't eat at plenty of them, but because they are everywhere, and the general public has usually tried most of them already, so what's the point of a review?  (Okay, yes, I also did one of Waffle House, but I felt the need to advocate for it.)

But when I heard that Steak & Shake was offering a Garlic Double Cheeseburger, I had to try it myself and then share the results.  You see, I went to a certain university here in Indiana that's near a restaurant named Marvin's, which is famous for its Garlic Cheeseburgers (GCB's, for short).  They're a bit of an obsession for most of us alumni.

The original GCB

As you can see from the pictures, Steak & Shake's version is pretty different from Marvin's good old GCB in the looks department.  I will give S&S props for a pretty good bun (not their standard steak burger bun), and the meat is probably of higher quality than Marv's.  However, at S&S  butter is the featured ingredient on top of the bun (and throughout, really), rather than the garlic salt.  The original is much more dry and garlic salt heavy, in a good way.  S&S's was greasy and strangely tangy, possibly from something in the garlic butter spread they put inside.  Kind of odd. Both had standard American cheese on them, although I couldn't really taste it beyond the butter on S&S's burger.

Overall, the S&S burger was pretty good, even though I could feel my arteries clogging as I ate it.  But it was really no substitute for the original GCB, which in my unbiased opinion, is perfection.

Website:  Steak & Shake and Marvin's

Twenty Tap

My trend of reviewing burgers continues.  One of Tim's favorite places in town for a casual beer-and-burger dinner is Twenty Tap.  So, when we were pondering where to meet a couple of friends for a weeknight dinner, Twenty was his pick (yes, I do occasionally let him pick).  Luckily, our friends were up for trying it, as they had never been.  I had been there a couple of times before.

Mushrooms (top) & curds

Looking at the menu, I struggled because there were several options that sounded good to me that night.  I started out determined to be somewhat healthy and thought I'd try the beet salad on the starter menu plus maybe soup or the pimento mac-and-cheese (which I'd had before--it's my favorite thing there--but more on that later).  But I was soon convinced to do otherwise because the Onion Burger was calling my name.  And even before that, my health-kick was ruined because as a table we ordered the cheese curds ($7) and fried curried mushrooms ($6). 

The cheese curds were de-lish.  How can you go wrong with cheese?  Answer: You can't.  But you can go extra-right with them by beer battering them, as Twenty Tap does.  They came with 2 aiolis, but really, the mayo wasn't necessary.  They were excellent on their own, nice and salty and with that satisfying puffy-crunchy battered exterior.  Yum.  I also really enjoyed the mushrooms.  They had a nice curry flavor, which I'm a sucker for, and more of that beer batter.  Our friend said that they were fried way too much for his taste, and indeed they were a much darker brown than the cheese curds.  I didn't notice any of the over-fried flavor that he mentioned, though, and helped myself to way too many of them.

Onion burger

 Soon after we polished those off, our main courses arrived.  I got the aforementioned Onion Burger, which had swiss cheese, beer battered onion rings, and horseradish aioli.  Yes--more beer battering.  What with all the fried food I was having, I'm moderately proud to say that I finally made the healthy choice of a 'simple salad' for my side.  It consisted of greens (mostly arugula, from what I could tell), shallot, fennel, shaved parmesan, and a lemon vinaigrette, and was pretty good.  The salty parm and tangy vinaigrette balanced out the bitterness of the greens pretty nicely, and the shallot gave it some nice onion undertones.  I didn't notice much fennel.

Cross section

The burger itself was pretty good.  The bun was alright, nothing special.  The burger had good flavor and I enjoyed the onion rings (had to take some of them off, though, or it would have been impossible to eat).  The burger was very lightly pink--I'd say medium well, bordering on well-done, which is okay by me except that they advertise them as being cooked to medium unless you request otherwise, and it dried it out a bit.  Again, it was still pretty good, but nothing close to the delicious juicy flavorfulness of Room Four or Scratch Truck's burgers.  I resisted the urge to reach for the salt shaker each time I took a bite, so it probably could have used a touch more seasoning, too. After all of that fried food, I ate about half of my burger and then took the bun off the other half and ate what I could with a knife and fork.

Burn Burger

Tim got the Burn Burger (chilies, jalapeno, onion, pulled pork, and cheddar-$9).  I had a small bite and the pulled pork had great flavor and actually went very well on the burger.  Tim certainly loved it!  He said the jalapeno and chillies gave it a nice spicy kick, but that it wasn't overly spicy.

Pimento mac

Along with our burgers, to counteract any health benefits we may have gotten from salads, and to pile on the cheese and calories, Tim and I split a small order of the pimento mac-and-cheese ($3).  Like I said, it is by far my favorite thing on the Twenty Tap menu, so we couldn't leave without having some and making our friends try it.  If you've never had pimento cheese and only know pimentos from their place in the center of olives, then you may think this sounds gross. However, you would be wrong.  It is goooood.  The pimentos give the dish a tangy, spicy kick--not spicy heat, just spicy flavor.  Mmmm.  Just try it.

What I haven't mentioned about Twenty Tap is just that--the taps.  They have 38 craft beers on tap, many from Indiana and even more from the rest of the Midwest.  If you enjoy craft beer, you will love this place.  The food is solid, and there's a beer for everyone.

One note:  The dining room is not all that huge, and the bar area tends to be packed.  If you go during prime dining times (6:30 or later), expect a short wait most nights of the week.  I think we waited about 20-30 minutes for our 4-person party at 7pm on a Thursday--not terrible, but also not immediate seating.  Waits are much longer on the weekends.

Website:  Twenty Tap

Bru Burger

Man, I've done a lot of reviews of hamburgers on this site so far.  They really aren't my favorite food by a long-shot, even though it would seem that way from the percentage of posts I've done about them here.  I do enjoy a good one now and again, but...yeah.  These reviews are disproportionate to how often I actually eat burgers in my every day life.

Nevertheless, last week I met some friends for dinner at Bru Burger.  Looking at the menu online beforehand (as I tend to do), I was impressed by the variety of toppings they offered.  I was interested in several of them, but I was particularly interested in the Ahi Tuna Burger:  Sweet chili mayo and mango-cucumber slaw on a multi-grain bun ($11).  While I felt a little guilty about not trying a beef burger my first time at this burger joint, it's actually something I seem order often, and I wanted to compare.  The tuna burger was my favorite option at Scotty's Lakehouse (now closed) and it's also my go-to option at Boogie Burger, so I figured I'd see how this one stacked up.

It was pretty good.  The tuna itself was packed more tightly than the tuna was on Scotty's version, and I'm not sure I liked that--in the picture, it looks more like a turkey burger, and honestly I could have been eating turkey for all I could tell from the dense texture.  Scotty's tuna was diced and loosely-packed.  The mango-cucumber slaw was good, and the sweet chili mayo gave it a nice Japanese flavor profile, although, again, I found it pale in comparison to Scotty's wasabi-teriyaki punch.  It just seemed to be missing something.  I enjoyed it but I'm not dying to have it again.

I also think it's a bit lame that you have to order your side separately when you're already paying $11 for a burger--this is a complaint I had about Scotty's and do still have with a number of other 'fancy burger' restaurants.  If the burgers were just outstandingly amazingly good, with top quality beef, and cooked perfectly, I can get down with paying that much plus more for a side (Room Four and Scratch Truck are good examples of such burgers, although Room Four includes fries, actually).  I got the onion rings, a $3 charge, and received 4 large rings that were beer batter-dipped and freshly fried.  The first two, eaten early, were delicious and crispy, but by the time I got around to the last couple they were kind of limp and greasy.  Not that that's unusual for fried food, but it reminded me of just how unhealthy they are (and who needs a reminder of that?).  The homemade ketchup was actually really delicious--fresh tasting, and pretty tangy.  I had ordered ranch for my rings but actually ended up enjoying the homemade ketchup far more--it lightened up the heavy greasy taste. 

I'm not sure I'd return to Bru Burger if I was picking the restaurant, although I wouldn't mind going with friends if they picked it.  I should probably try an actual beef burger, huh?  But I just wasn't blown away by my meal, and I need to be if I'm going to return voluntarily.  There are just too many excellent restaurants in Indy now to pay for mediocrity.

Website:  Bru Burger

Joseph Decuis Emporium

The counter

The store

 I was in Huntington, Indiana for the first time last week for a training for work, and took the opportunity to pop up to Roanoke to hit the Joseph Decuis Emporium.  I've read about the  Joseph Decuis restaurant over on Indy Restaurant Scene, and have always wanted to try it, but I don't think I could ever convince my husband to drive two hours to go to any restaurant.  So, the Emporium was a great chance to try some of their more casual food, and to shop for some fancy meats. The restaurant and emporium were on a super quaint street in Roanoke, and I found a parking spot right out front.  The emporium has a counter straight ahead of you as you enter, and it is the central hub of the room.  Up front are old chairs that have all been painted black, and tables branded with the Joseph Decius logo where you can dine-in. In the back and along one side is the store section.

The sliders

I perused the menu board, which hangs above the central counter, but the daily specials board quickly caught my eye.  Two Wagyu beef sliders with spicy mayo and bacon and a side of fries ($10 range, if I remember correctly).  Yes, it was more than I had intended to spend for lunch, but I figured it was worth it to try that Wagyu.  And it was.  Incredibly juicy and flavorful, the sliders came on toasted, sweet rolls that balanced the spicy sauce.  These things were so full of fatty deliciousness that they dripped everywhere.  Messy, but very good.  I was disappointed by the fries, though--they didn't seem homemade at all (and probably weren't--though, mind you, I didn't ask).  They were crispy and salty, but nothing I couldn't get at any number of restaurants.  I was offered a choice between those and sweet potato fries--maybe I should have taken the other option.  Oh well.

 While I waited for my order, I did a little shopping and picked up a pound of American Wagyu ground beef to try making my own burgers.  Also picked up a 1 pound package of duck breast (turned out to contain two breasts).  Can't wait to try both!

Website:  Joseph Decuis

96th Street Steakburgers

Tim and I were out running errands a few weekends ago, and needed lunch.  Since we were on the north side and I was craving a milkshake, we decided to head to 96th Street Steakburgers.

I've gotten fries and shakes there several times through the years via the drive-thru, but I think I've only had a burger there maybe once, and it wasn't all that memorable.  I recall thinking it was pretty good, but nothing special--in my opinion, the fries and shakes were what they did best.  This trip didn't really change my mind, although they have added all kinds of topping combinations since I was last inside (which, again, hadn't been for years and years). 

I opted for a burger with mushrooms and what was supposed to be swiss, but was actually the 'American cheese' version of swiss (you know the stuff I'm talking about--no holes to be found, and tastes nothing like swiss cheese).  It's a shame they went with this low-grade version of the swiss, because the mushrooms were outstanding.  Freshly sauteed, meaty, well-seasoned, and most importantly, not from a can.  I don't understand why they'd go premium on the veggie but cheap on the cheese!  Lame.  And doubly lame because I could barely taste the mushrooms over the fake cheese taste.  The burger patty itself is thin, sort of like Steak-n-Shake, and pretty good, but if the meat seems like an after-thought in this review, it's just because its flavor was also masked by the cheese.

Tim got what I believe was called a Cowboy Burger which involved BBQ, cheese, and I think some form of onion, and he really enjoyed his.  I didn't taste it as I'm not a big fan of BBQ sauce on burgers.

I did get a side of fries, and they were fresh cut and fried golden.  I've always maintained that they have a very homemade quality to them--they are almost exactly like the homemade fries my dad has always made, which is probably why they hold a special place in my heart.  They're cut relatively thin and fried to a golden brown.  Yummy.

The chocolate shake was also delish--they are "hand-dipped" and do seem like they're made from the real thing.  Very sweet and chocolatey, and very thick.

Apologies for the lack of prices on this one, but I have slept many times since then and they aren't posted on the website.  We each got special burgers, fries, and drinks (plus my upgrade to the shake) and it was well under $20 for us both--I want to say the combo meals ended up being $7-8 each?

96th Street Steakburgers makes for a fairly tasty lunch, but I'd stick with the standard burger next time (or, maybe try their bleu cheese burger...they can't fake bleu cheese, can they?).  At the very least, I know I'll likely grab some fries or a shake again someday.

Website:  96th Street Steakburgers