Cafe St. Tropez

110 W. Main St. STE140

Carmel, IN, 46032

(317) 581-9559

Cafe St. Tropez

I want to first explain why it has been so long since I last posted an entry. I have been spending my nights coaching high school track. It has been the most rewarding and fulfilling thing I have ever done. It has also taken up most of my free time. Our season is coming to an end, so expect to hear much more from me. I also ended up buying a Groupon for Foodie Indy. It is a deck of playing cards with $10 gift cards to 52 local restaurants. You have to spend a minimum of $30 at each restaurant, but dinner for 2 usually ends up costing that much anyways. This is going to give me a larger base of restaurants to choose from. Maybe I'll start treating my followers to meals from the deck of cards, as the cards expire at the end of the year.

Since I failed to blog in a two week span, one of my followers, Melissa, won a meal on EAting Indy. We went to Cafe St. Tropez in downtown Carmel. It is located in between Bub's and Detour, overlooking the Monon. They have a little patio, but it was a cool evening so we ate inside. The restaurant is not very big. The interior is kind of a blend between a coffee house and a quaint cafe. The decor was nice, somewhat fancy. I felt a little underdressed as I came after a workout and was wearing sweat pants. It didn't really matter as we were the only ones in the restaurant. Near the end of our meal, a couple walked in, but it was just 4 of us in the restaurant for the majority of our dinner. Our service was average to good, but it is hard to ignore the only patrons in your establishment. The food came out quickly and our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu. Not to downplay her, but the menu only consists of appetizers, paninis, and a small breakfast menu. I was torn between the egg salad and the chicken panini. Our waitress recommended the panini. Price was the biggest issue. My sandwich was $10.50 and it only came with a salad. If I am going to pay that much for a sandwich, I at least want to feel satisfied. They also offered a dinner menu with a couple full size entrees, but those were priced at $19.99. I was still hungry after the meal. Luckily we went to Huddles Frozen Yogurt afterwards.

The panini was on sourdough bread. It was made up of chicken breast, taleggio cheese, greens, and a pesto sauce. It was very fresh and did not lack taste. The cheese was smooth and smokey. The bread was perfectly toasted. The pesto kept the chicken from drying out. The salad left something to be desired. It was just field greens, tomatoes, with white balsamic dressing. I just thought it was pretty boring. I probably will not make it back to St. Tropez Cafe as I could get more for my money elsewhere.

 

Sleep 'til your hungry, EAt 'til you're sleepy."

Shapiro's Deli

Shapiro's Deli (Carmel Location)

918 S. Rangeline Rd

Carmel, IN 46032

317-631-4041

Shapiro's Deli

This is one of the posts many of you have been waiting for. It is time to finally review my #1 Reuben. I had been waiting to write about this until ABW was back in Indy. We decided to go to the Carmel location on Black Friday. Of the two locations, Downtown and Carmel, Carmel is my favorite. Although it doesn't have the tradition and history of the Downtown location, it just has a cleaner feel to it. The downtown location is much older, and it seemed a little dingy. There is a third location located at Indianapolis International Airport in one of the terminals. Our fraternity chapter advisor once told me he plans his flights around to depart or arrive during meal time so he can stop and have a Reuben I have pictures of the Reuben's from both downtown and Carmel locations. Just like the last post, this is a restaurant you cannot judge service. It is essentially a Cafeteria, so you walk down the line with your tray and order as you move along. The sandwiches are made to order, so they bring you your food as it is finished. The food comes out in a very timely manner. Both locations have ample seating, and I have never had to wait for a seat. I don't have any pictures of the desserts, but they are top notch. The carrot cake is my favorite, where ABW prefers the German Chocolate Cake.I do have to be honest with my next statement and ABW agreed. Our Reuben experience was not up to par with our previous visits. Don't get me wrong, Shapiro's still is the best. But, we have had better sandwiches there. It felt like one of the times one of your friends over-hypes a movie, and when you go see it, you are disappointed. Maybe in our heads, we have this glorious idea of the perfect Reuben, and this time it just did not stack up to past experiences. If you compare the pictures, the Carmel Reuben lacked the meat of the Downtown Reuben. Also, the thickness of the bread was on the thick side in Carmel. Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious, but it has been better. The corned beef is tender and flavorful. The cole slaw is exactly how I prefer it, finely chopped veggies and just the right amount on the sandwich to add flavor, but not overpower the corned beef. The bread was perfectly toasted. The 1000 Island dressing adds a nice sweet and tangy flavor. I opted not to get the Mac N Cheese this time, as Thanksgiving was the day prior, and I had my fill. I usually split it with whomever I dine with. It is creamy and cheesy and for whatever reason, its just habit to order it with the Reuben. I did order a deviled egg. It was nothing out of the ordinary, a very typical deviled egg. 

Let me leave you with my favorite ABW story, which says a lot as I have known him for 20 plus years. It happened during my last year living in Chicago. ABW was going for a bike ride on a weekend morning. The CPD had some streets blocked off, and he was re-routed on his way to the lake. When he finally was able to get going on a street, he realized the streets were full of people. He then realized these people were dressed flamboyantly and were holding rainbow flags. It soon hit him, he was on the parade route for the Pride Parade. Embarrassed by the attention, he pedaled faster to get out of there. The problem was that the faster he pedaled, the louder the crowd cheered. And that is how ABW was essentially the "first float" in the Chicago Pride Parade

"Never EAt more than you can lift." - Miss Piggy

Hoaglin to Go

448 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 423-0300
Hoaglin To Go

It was a Friday afternoon, and I took a half day at work. I was going to run some errands downtown and had previously ordered take out with JBH once, and had wanted to go back. I never really eat alone, but it is a nice change of pace. Often times, you are too busy conversing and never really get the chance to relax a little bit, think, and enjoy your meal. Hoaglin is located on Mass Ave, and Michigan St. It is a quaint little bistro with about 20 or so tables. Take note of the hours, as it is not open all day. It was pretty busy, as it was the one time I went to pick up food to go. The clientele is a nice blend of workers on their lunch break, students on their laptops, moms with their kids, and a few hipsters. I'm surprised they aren't busy occupying something. I think I am going to occupy my roommate's bedroom until he lets me get cable in my bedroom. That might get a little weird though and I think he will kick me out. Good thing he doesn't read this. Back to the decor of the restaurant. I loved it. Each table had a fresh Gerber daisy in a tiny vase (I only noticed this because the ladies next to me mentioned that they always have fresh daisies). It was intimate, yet not cramped. I guess the only problem I had was that I was sharing a bench with another lady and she leaned forward and brought me with her. I didn't think that was possible as I am a pretty big guy and I had my entire weight on the bench. She wasn't an exceptionally large lady, she was just Country Strong. Right WJB?

I absolutely loved the egg salad last time I ordered it, and was debating between one of four of their chicken salads or the egg salad. I couldn't pass up the egg salad. According to Indianapolis Monthly, it is the city's best egg salad. I am going to have to agree with them. I know it is not as good as the egg salad at Lil' Guys, but it sure is close. The difference is Hoaglin's is a little more creamy than Lil' Guys. Probably has a little more mayo/mustard. The other ingredients are onion, bell pepper, and fresh dill. I chose the sourdough bread. The only problem with sourdough is that unless toasted, it falls apart pretty easily. Each bite, the bread would crumble, so it was a little on the messy side. No major complaints though, because each bit also had ample amounts of egg salad. I decided to swap out the kettle chips for a cup of soup ($3 extra). They had two soups to choose from; chicken corn chowder and black bean. I asked the waiter for his suggestion and he said the chicken complete with a caveat that one lady did not like it. I wanted some sort of meat with my meal, so I went with the chicken. I'm used to chowders being a little more creamy, this one was had a chicken stock base. It was more of like a chicken soup than a chowder. It was all white meat chicken though, and had onion, carrots, and bell peppers. It was pretty good. It was a chilly day, so it hit the spot. I promise I won't try to start a trend of soup/salad or soup/sandwich posts, but with the seasons ahead, it looks like it might be the case.

"The most important things to do in the world are to get something to EAt, something to drink, and somebody to love you." -Brenda Ueland

Henry's Coffee Bistro (East St.)

627 N East St

Indianapolis, IN 46202

Henry's Coffee Bistro

It was a Saturday morning, we decided to try something different for brunch. I have had Henry's for lunch before (I had the Chipotle Turkey Sandwich. The Asian slaw is the best I've ever had. I highly recommend it. It was a long time ago, so I can't give an accurate review. All I remember is that I couldn't put it down.)

Henry's is a very charming neighborhood coffee house. It is a very welcoming atmosphere. Every time I have been in there, it seems like the tables are full of students with their lap tops or a people meeting for a coffee date.  My favorite thing about Henry's is the friendly workers. I do not go there enough, but I feel like its the Cheers of coffeehouses, where everyone knows your name.  Patron after patron would come into the restaurant, and it seemed like the barista would already know what they were going to order. The staff is very accommodating. The morning I went, a couple of ladies were celebrating a birthday. A Henry's regular came in to order a fair amount of baked goods. He asked for the last chocolate chip cookie, but the employee was already saving it for the birthday girl. I thought that was really thoughtful. The workers really put the customer first.

The brunch menu is only served on the weekends from 9am-2pm. I wasn't too hungry, so I just ordered a breakfast sandwich. The BLT bagel looked really good to me. As you can see, the sandwich came with a side of plain yogurt. This was a very pleasant surprise. I couldn't tell if this was Greek yogurt or not. It had the tart flavor and thicker texture of a Greek yogurt. Regardless, it was great addition to the meal. The BLT was perfect. It has an avocado aioli spread. There wasn't a strong avocado flavor, but you can definitely taste it. The bacon was crisp throughout, which I love. My mom always made her bacon extra crispy which is probably why I have grown accustomed to crispy bacon. The Romaine lettuce offered a nice crunch as well. The best part of the sandwich was the addition of cream cheese. It worked as a binding of all the components of the sandwich. Sometimes the tomatoes slide off the end of the bread, but cream cheese kept it all together. I also enjoyed how the sandwich was sent through the panini press after it was constructed. At the end of the day I was extremely satisfied with the total package of the meal.  JBH ordered the biscuits and gravy. The sausage gravy was full of flavor. It packed a nice peppery punch, which I love in my gravy. The only knock I have on the biscuits were they were a little on the crunchy side. The insides were tender, but the the crust was more done. Overall, I would order both meals again. I didn't order a cup of coffee, but I probably should have. I always load my coffee with cream and sugar, so either way I couldn't tell you what a good cup of coffee tastes like. I'm sure Henry's is delightful.

What you need to know: The staff is top notch. If you are having a bad day, go to Henry's. Their friendliness rivals that of a Chick-Fil-A employee. If you choose to dine for lunch, make sure you get the Asian slaw. It has free wi-fi, so if you need a quiet place to study downtown, Henry's is a great option.

You are what you EAt.