Smee's Place

1454 W. 86th St

Indianapolis, IN 46560

(317) 876-0202

Smee's Place

As you may have noticed, I have a new logo on Twitter and in the header of the blog. I would like to thank Billy Boese for his hard work in designing this for me. This blog post is somewhat of a dedication to him in that Smee's is located in our old neck of the woods. I have been going there since grade school. Without fail, everytime I have eaten there, I have seen someone I know. It is mostly just my friends' parents, but it is always nice to catch up with them. That said, it is not usually a place for people in their twenties. The clientele is generally families and adults. @rfschaffner had never eaten there before so we decided to stop in for dinner before we drove up to Chicago for the the weekend. The first thing he said was, "I think we are the only people in here under the age of 50." Truth be told, he was right. The hostess overheard and said, "I was thinking the same thing when you walked in, but we have really good food." We had to wait about 10 minutes to get a seat, and we got there around 6:30 on a Friday night. The service was great. The hostess was very nice, the wait staff was courteous and our food came out quickly. Back in high school, one of our friends was a waitress there and we would come in probably once a month to visit her and grab lunch or dinner. Some nights she would stop by my parent's house, as it was a regular hang out for my friends and i, after her shift and bring us loaded fries (an @ArtWalter favorite). I recommend these as an appetizer. They are loaded with jack, cheddar, bacon, and scallions. It is served with sour cream and ranch dressing. I know it is from a healthy option, but they are a good appetizer to share. 

This time around, we ordered the Hot Wing Dip ($8.95). It 3 types of cheeses, ranch, Frank's Hot Sauce, and cajun chicken. It was good, but I have had better. It was very thick and creamy. The chicken was cubed and you kind of had to dig to find it. I am just used to buffalo chicken dip where the chicken is shredded and each bite has chicken in it. I could not even tell that the chicken had any Cajun flavor. It was served with salsa and tortilla chips. For my entree, I ordered the Texas Tenderloin ($7.95). It is a grilled tenderloin with jack cheese, caramelized onions, bourbon BBQ sauce on sourdough bread. I chose onion rings for my side. This is the second time I got flustered and ordered onion rings. The first was at an Italian restaurant in Chicago. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan and she asked me for a side, and the first side I saw was onion rings. Little did I know that the Chicken Parm did not come with pasta, so I just had that and onion rings. Needless to say, I was disappointed both times with my choice of onion rings as a side. These onion rings had too much breading and I only ate a couple of them. Next time I will opt for a different side. The problem is there are so many, that it is just hard to choose. The sandwich was tasty, but very messy. With each bite, the BBQ sauce would fall out of the sandwich. The bread was thick and toasted so it held up with the gooey mess inside. The mild jack cheese and caramelized onions added a little flavor, but was overshadowed by the taste from the BBQ sauce. This is not a bad thing, as the sauce had a great sweet, smoky flavor.

There is a sign outside Smee's Place that promotes eating local instead of chain restaurants. At the table on the opposite side of the weekly specials there is a card that listed a statistic that shows how much revenue goes back to the local community when you eat at local restaurant as opposed to a chain. I will have to say that I do try to eat local instead of the chains. As you can see by most of the restauants I have reviewed, the majority are locally owned. I will continue to go back to Smee's as it brings back fond memories of growing up and it always a place to see old, friendly faces.

 "When I EAt, it is the food that is scared." Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation

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

Yen Ching

9150 Michigan Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 228-0868


Welcome back. First, let me preface the review with a little story. When I was working in Chicago, I had the chance to go to a natural foods trade show. After a little small talk with a man peddling Himalayan Salt Blocks, he asked me where I was from. I told him I was born and raised in Indianapolis. His response, "the best Chinese food I have ever eaten was in Indianapolis." I replied, "Oh yeah? What restaurant?" He then proceeded to tell me that there is no way I have heard of it. I said, "Try me. I think I've been to the best Chinese restaurant in Indianapolis." Finally he conceded and told me it was this little restaurant called,  Yen Ching. I informed him that I too believe that is the best Chinese restaurant. The only difference is that he always goes to the Yen Ching on E. Washington Street, whereas I frequent the Northside location. Yen Ching has long been a family favorite. My family has been going to this restaurant for a long time now. It is special when you can walk into an establishment and the owners, wait staff, or bartenders recognize you and welcome you by name. I always hold those places in high regard. 


Luckily I work on the Northwest side of town, so Yen Ching is only about 10 minutes away from the office. I have introduced my co-workers to the restaurant and its safe to say that they are hooked as well. They always know I'm a sure bet to join them for lunch. I know, enough background, and on with the food. My favorite time to dine is during lunch.  They offer a lunch combination platter where you can get soup, entree, fried rice, a crab rangoon, and a fried wonton for $5.45 (some options are a little more expensive. For instance, the Orange Chicken).  I always get the Hot & Sour soup. It is a great blend of veggies (bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, carrots, and I want to say there are bits of straw mushrooms as well). Also, there is egg streamed into the broth as well as tofu and tiny pieces of pork. Flavor-wise, it is exactly as advertised. It is a great mix of spicy and sour. It has a healthy amount of pepper. **Note, make sure you ask for a small bowl of fried wontons to mix or dip in the soup. It gives the soup a little added crunch.** I've tried other hot and sour soups, but this is by far my favorite. I also always substitute the fried wonton with another crab rangoon. The filling in the rangoon has a very creamy texture. I'd say it leans on the cream cheese flavor, with a hint of crab. All in all, a perfect addition to the meal. For my entree today I went with the General Zoal's Chicken. Who is General Zoal you ask? Well my friends, I have no idea who he was historically, but culinarily, he beats the pants off of General Tso, General Chu, or any Chinese General with a chicken dish named after him. This dish was the initial reason I started going back to Yen Ching. The pieces of chicken are dark meat.  The sauce is a vibrant red, as compared to more of a brown sauce you get at other Chinese restaurants. The sauce is not heavy and has a great blend of heat and sweet. The fried rice also has a very light taste to it. It is not at all greasy. The only veggies you are getting with this combo are in the soup and in the fried rice. If you want a more well rounded meal, opt for the chicken or beef and broccoli. 


Let's talk about the atmosphere. The decor in the restaurant is pretty plain. They have some Chinese tapestries and plants, but thats about it. If you are looking for a five star Chinese restaurant experience, Yen Ching is not the place for you. It is the perfect neighborhood eatery for amazing Chinese food. My favorite part of the service is the timing of the food. I'd say it is pretty flawless. You are seated, the waitress takes your order, within 5 minutes you have your soup, as you are finishing the soup the entree is on its way. As your meal comes to a close, the check is dropped with a fortune cookie. Speaking of fortune cookies, ever wonder why your fortune isn't coming true? Well you are eating the cookies wrong. Let me blow your mind on the proper way to eat a fortune cookie. 1. Break the cookie. 2. DO NOT READ THE FORTUNE. 3. Eat the cookie. 4. Read the fortune. 5. If you like your fortune,  eat your fortune. And do NOT tell anyone what it said. BOOM. That's how you eat a fortune cookie. Anyways, my favorite waitress is the older lady, Ching. Some people are annoyed with her style because she is very loud and commanding when you order, but she is friendly and gets the job done. 


Let's recap. The best time to go is for lunch. Order the Hot and Sour Soup, the Egg Drop is a decent option as well.  I recommend the following dishes as I rotate them whenever I dine: General Zoal's Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, Beef and Broccoli (My sister's favorite. She swears by it. I'd have to agree that it is the BEST Beef and Broccoli I've ever had) , Chicken and Broccoli, and Sweet and Sour Chicken. Lastly, don't forget to sign up for the Birthday Club. You bring two friends in and your meal is free. Well just find one friend and bring me. 


EAt your heart out.