rickyleepotts…an opinionated realist

Broad Ripple is quite possibly one of the most well known parts of the city of Indianapolis. There is so much history here including the Vogue Theater, the Monon Trail, and the Broad Ripple Canal. There are tons of bars and restaurants and even little shops and boutiques. Some of my favorites include Indy CD & Vinyl, Red Mango, and Future Shock. (I have never bought anything at Future Shock but I love just browsing around in there.)

One thing I really enjoy about Broad Ripple is the selection of restaurants. There are tons of places to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and most of them have numerous beers on tap for the beer drinkers out there. I usually find myself in Broad Ripple at night, either hitting a nightclub or grabbing a beer at Union Jack. (Sheryl and I are both members of the Passport Beer Club.) But there are times where I just want a change of pace from the north side and I don’t want to drive all the way downtown.

One night, while Sheryl and I were sitting at Union Jack having a beer with some friends, our server asked if we had been to the new place on the water. The water, being the Broad Ripple Canal, and the new place being Flatwater Restaurant on the Canal. I had never heard of it, and the rest of our party was clueless as well. So we finished our beers and made our way across the street to Flatwater. We figured we would give this place a shot and see what we were missing.

We ended up getting a seat outside, had a couple of beers each, and eventually ran into our server from Union Jack. She was there having a beer after her shift and introduced us to her mother, one of the employees at Flatwater. Long story short, the owner came over, introduced himself, and I ended up scheduling a restaurant experience review before the night was over. Sheryl and I would return a week or so later and get the chance to try more than just their beers, but also their entire menu, from their appetizers to their entrees, salads and more.

Getting to Flatwater

Flatwater Restaurant on the Canal is located in the heart of Broad Ripple and sits on the canal. I guess that makes sense, since the canal is actually in the name of the restaurant! Anyone that knows the Broad Ripple area will know that parking is a nightmare, but there is a small parking lot right next to the restaurant if you can snag a spot there. If not, just find a normal parking spot somewhere in the village and walk to the restaurant.

When you first get to Flatwater, you will see a few tables out front and then more tables along the left side of the building. You can actually walk back there and find quite a few more tables with a great view of the canal. There is another bar out there as well that allows guests libation for those hot summer nights and cool fall evenings. As with any other bar in the state of Indiana, note that you must be twenty-one years old to be in the bar area.

A Warm Welcome

When we first arrived to Flatwater, we were about twenty minutes early. It was still early in the evening, and the weather was just perfect, so they had moved the host stand outside. I walked up and was greeted by the hostess. I proceeded to tell her that I had a reservation at 7:00 PM. She looked confused, so I proceeded to give her my name. She informed me that they don’t do reservations and continued to have a perplexed look on her face. She asked me to wait for a moment and she went inside to investigate. A couple of minutes later she came back informed of the situation. We were seated out back on the patio.

A couple of things that set this place apart from other restaurants on and near the canal are the candles and Tiki torches that surround the patio. Every table has a large citronella candle in the center and when the sun starts to go down all of the Tiki torches are lit to help aid in bug control even further. And they work. Being that close to the canal and doing something so small means so much to the guests. Nothing bothers me more than eating outside and being eaten alive by bugs while trying to enjoy a meal. It truly is the little things that matter most and this was duly noted.

Starting Things Off with Some Appetizers

After we got comfy in our seat, our server greeted us with waters and proceeded to explain to us the process for the evening’s meal. She stated that we would be starting with appetizers, moving on to a couple of their specialty salads, then trying a couple entrees, and then ending the evening with dessert. It sounded perfect to me, and I was excited to try this menu.

The first appetizer that came to the table was the Best of the Wurst platter. This dish is loaded with meats, cheeses, and fruit and is something I highly suggest you share. The dish runs $13 but has three different types of meat, three cheeses, two types of grapes, and some apple slices all arranged beautifully on one plate. The meats are all local as well, coming from Claus’ German Sausage & Meats.

The first meat you will try is the Cajun sausage. This would later prove to be the best of the three as there is a certain sweetness to the sausage, but then you are hit with the heat. It is not unbearable, but a nice, soft heat that proves this is a true Cajun sausage. The next item is the Italian sausage and tastes just like any other Italian sausage you have ever had. You end with the Kielbasa, which has a smooth flavor to it and tastes fresh. Granted, these meats are all local so it makes sense they all taste so fresh.

The dish is also served with a side of course ground mustard and sweet mustard. I tried one piece of each meat before dipping into the selection of sauces, as I wanted to get a full sense of what these meats tasted like. But when I dipped a bite of Italian sausage into the course ground mustard, I almost fell out of my chair. I wanted to take a bath in that stuff it was so good. But it was a bit spicy. Not so hot I couldn’t stand another bite, but when you breathe in after taking your first bite of this stuff, you notice it is there.

I then dipped a bite of the Kielbasa into the sweet mustard and had a similar reaction. It was not as flavorful as the ground variety, but it was delicious nonetheless. I almost wanted there to be a German BBQ sauce or something served with this, but there is not a ton of meat here so two dipping sauces is just fine.

On the plate there is also an array of grapes, both red and white, and a handful of nuts that provide a wide range of flavors for your enjoyment. This platter runs just shy of $14 but if shared, it is a great way to start your night off.

Next came the pulled pork nachos. I am a huge fan of nachos too. Not to mention when they pile them so high it takes two people to carry them to the table. (Not really, but this plate was huge and stacked high with chips and pork.) The dish itself did not have a ton of toppings, and was not served drenched in salsa. That’s because the pork does all the talking with this dish.

The pork on these nachos is piled high and is the reason that this dish is so popular. The pork itself is cooked in a smoker out back for three and a half hours. They then take the meat and cook it for another five and half hours inside the main kitchen area. All of the preparation for this stuff is done in-house.

Another thing that is done in-house is their pico de gallo. Just because there was no salad dripping off these chips doesn’t mean there was not a hearty and chunky pico sitting on top. The pico has chopped onion and tomato and a certain freshness to it in every bite.

The chips were even fresh and had an intense crunch to them with every chomp. They were not soggy like some chips I have had before, and they stood the test of time, staying crisp for the entire time they sat on the table. But the dryness of the chips matched with the dryness in the pulled pork made me want more. I needed something else. I needed barbecue sauce to push this dish over the top.

Before the BBQ was delivered to my table, Mike and I had a talk about why he doesn’t serve them with BBQ right off the bat. He claims that true pork enthusiasts would rather taste the flavor in the meat and not the sweetness in a sauce. Sheryl agreed with him, as she really liked the flavor of the pork.  And I have to agree, the pork did have great flavor, but I needed something to take away the dryness I was experiencing with each bite. He grabbed the BBQ sauce and we both finished off the plate of nachos.

(One thing that our server did do was to offer us Tabasco and Sriracha hot sauces. She claimed that nearly everyone who orders this dish on a regular basis asks for one or the other. I tried a bite with each of these sauces, but the BBQ was what did it for me.)

With Nachos Come Beer

With our nachos came a couple of glasses of beer. You know how much Sheryl and I like beer. The first beer that hit the table was a Helios from Upland Brewery down in Bloomington, Indiana. I am a big fan of this brewery thanks to their Upland Wheat. They make a handful of other beers like the Winter Warmer, the Bad Elmer’s Porter and the Dragonfly IPA. But tonight we were in for something a little different. We were served a glass of the Helios Pale Ale. I have had this beer before, but pairing it with the pork nachos gave it a whole new taste. It was a perfect way to wash down those delicious nachos.

But these are just a couple of the appetizers you can choose from. Also listed on the menu are things like tuna tartar, fried calamari, and sweet and spicy Asian shrimp sauté. We did not get the chance to try any of the other dishes, but that was just fine, more food was already on its way to our table. Next up were the salads.

Bring On the Leafy Greens

It took me a long time to enjoy salad, but now its no surprise to see me order one on purpose when we go out to dinner. I love the taste of a fresh iceberg lettuce house salad or the coolness from a hand-tossed Caesar salad. Lucky for me two salads were on their way to the table. Sheryl, on the other hand, isn’t the biggest fan of salad out there, but mentioned that depending on the type of salad, it is starting to grow on her.  Lucky for her, they delivered just the type of salad she likes.

The first salad that I tried was the wedge salad. This is a classic salad that literally involves a big chunk of iceberg lettuce, some bacon (dried bacon of course), bleu cheese dressing, and tomatoes. I was served a half size of this salad due to the amount of food I was going to consume, but that was plenty for me to get a sense of what this dish is all about. A half order is only $4.50 while a full order is $7.

The second salad that we tried (the one that Sheryl much preferred) was a mixed greens salad that had a collection of ingredients in it. First off was the array of lettuce that was there. On top of that came bleu cheese crumbles (you can never have too much bleu cheese), some applewood smoked bacon, walnuts, dried cranberries, and Dijon balsamic vinaigrette. There were just so many flavors floating around on this plate it was hard to keep my head still. And any time you combine dried cranberries and bleu cheese you are in for a great dish.

Serving Some More Brews

With our salads we were served two new beers. The idea behind this was if we were going to enjoy two new salads, we needed to try two new beers. The first beer served was the Sun King Wee Mac Scottish Ale from Sun King Brewery. I am not a fan of anything that comes from Sun King, and I had had this beer before. Nothing different this night either. The beer just lacks in flavor all across the board. I do give Flatwater credit, though, for wanting to work with all these local establishments. That goes a long way.

The other beer that we were served might be one of the best beers I have had all month. It was the Osiris Pale Ale and it might as well have been considered an IPA, as much flavor and aroma as this beer puts off. Perhaps it was just my dislike for the Sun King beer that drove me to this pale, but it was a great choice matched with the mass amounts of bleu cheese on our plates. If nothing else, it just shows that Flatwater has a ton of great beers on draft.

Now It’s Time to Eat

All right, enough with the salads and the appetizers. I am ready for some real food. Before I even showed up for the restaurant experience review I was told to check out the fish tacos. Now, if you know my habits when it comes to ordering my dinner, I thrive over fish tacos. I love fish tacos. Whoever thought it was a good idea to mix Mexican and seafood is okay in my book.

Nearly every restaurant nowadays serves fish tacos. Some serve them with codfish, some with tilapia, and some with salmon. But here at Flatwater, you can choose from three different fish tacos. (Let me say that not all three of these are fish tacos, just two of them. But if you don’t like fish, you can still order tacos so you fit in with those around you digging into the fish!)

Rather than getting an order of all three, we were served a sampler platter. We were served one of each taco so we could try all of them first hand. Note that when you order these on the menu, you can only pick two, not three, tacos for your meal. I think if you offer only three choices, allow a person to select all three at once. And while it is still allowed, mixing and matching these is also discouraged. Of course, if you ask nicely, I am sure they will fill your desires for your meal.

The first taco we had was a shrimp taco. The thing that I disliked about these tacos was the number of shells. They were soft shells, but there were two of them for each taco. I had to get halfway through before I asked our server why there were two shells. She informed us there was actually cheese melted between them and they use two tacos to help keep all the stuffing inside the taco rather than on your lap. It made sense, the logic was sound, but every bite had more shell flavor than I wanted. I wanted to taste the meat inside.

The shrimp tacos were just okay. I wanted some sort of sauce or perhaps a sweet lime glaze or something to help with the dryness in the shrimp. They were just your standard shrimp tacos. Sheryl, on the other hand, thought the shrimp tacos were the best of the three. She does love her shrimp.

The second taco we tried was the “world famous” Mahi Mahi tacos. I love Mahi Mahi, and the place that makes my all time favorite fish tacos uses Mahi Mahi in their fish tacos. However, I wanted more with these as well. The shells are small, what you would expect, but there was just something missing here. The pico de gallo, which is made in-house, adds a little hint of freshness to each bite. But like how I wanted BBQ sauce with the nachos, I wanted something to throw on top of this dish as well.

The last taco, and my least favorite, was the pulled pork taco. This is the same pulled pork that is smoked out back and cooked for nearly six hours before being tossed on your plate. But this taco was boring and needed not only a sauce to hide the dryness (I do love the taste of this pork, but perhaps on a sandwich maybe), but get rid of the soft shells too. I think a hard shell taco option might make this better, or perhaps served on a taco salad maybe. I don’t want to be the guy that hates their most popular dish, but the tacos were nothing short of ordinary.

Now, before I go on, let me say that I spoke with the manager before we left. I gave him my advice on the tacos. I said that if you were going to use two shells, make the cheese on it more prominent. Perhaps throw a thin layer of refried beans in there. Do something to hide the taste of these taco shells. At the same time, he explained to me that if they make them with only one shell they simply fall apart. The juice from the homemade pico de gallo just drips out everywhere and they are a pain to eat.

He did say that if you order them with only one shell, they will prepare them that way, but he suggested that I not do that. Of course, there is always a napkin on hand to clean your lap if you make a mess. My suggestion, out of the three tacos we tried, would be to order the Mahi Mahi. The fish is the best, and the aftertaste leaves you with that fish taco satisfaction.

We managed to finish the fish tacos just in time for the next dish. When this was set on the table, right in front of me of course, the aroma just about knocked me out of my chair. Sitting in front of me was a half-inch-thick pork chop topped with caramelized onions and braised with a sweet BBQ glaze. On the side were hand cut French fries. But the side took a backseat to this gorgeous piece of meat in front of me. The first thing I did was to try the onions. They were sweet, perfectly prepared, and sitting ever so nicely on top of this pork chop.

Now, the chop itself is local. These pork chops are actually hand-picked each and every week from Claus’ German Sausage & Meat down on the south side. And you can tell, as the freshness in this piece of meat is unparalleled. The BBQ glaze also gives it such a smooth finish, and mixed with the sweetness coming off the onions, all I wanted to do was get another bite. This dish was truly knife-and-fork-licking good.

When we were chomping away on the fries, our server brought a dipping sauce for us to try. When the sauce hit the table, I had to know what was in it. Although the recipe remains a secret, she did say there is a lot of ranch dressing and some Sriracha. So I grabbed a few fries and gave it a shot. Sure enough, I was hit with the coolness of the ranch and then punched in the face with the heat of the Sriracha. It was one of the best sauces I had ever had. I dipped the rest of my fries in it and even dipped a piece of the pork chop in it.

Sipping on an IPA

With our entrée, I was served a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. I have had this beer before, and actually find myself ordering it more and more the older I get. It is not a specialty beer, made not too far from here in Galesburg, Michigan at the Bell’s Brewery, and is easy to track down by just walking into any given liquor store. But the bitterness in this beer matched the sweetness from the pork chop just perfectly. It was a perfect marriage among beer and food.

Time for the Sweet Stuff

This is the worst part of the meal for me. I hate dessert. I have just never been a fan of sweets. But of course, if you throw a bowl of ice cream in front of me, chances are I am going to eat it! After we finished our entrees, and spent a few minutes making room for our last course, the desserts made their way to the table.

The first item was a slice of chocolate cake. There was more to it, but I was too busy digging into the second dish. Sitting beside it was a piece of cherry frangipane. I had not heard of this sort of dish before either, but after I asked what all goes into making this delicious piece of pie, it’s really quite simple.

First you take tort dough and add a little bit of cinnamon. Add some cherries, throw it in the oven, and out comes this gooey mess. Think of this as a cherry pie on steroids. Make sure if you order this, you like cinnamon because every bite is packed with a heavy hint of said spice.

As with everything else, Flatwater likes to keep things local. All of their desserts come from Rene’s Bakery, which is located just down the road from the restaurant. The ice cream is not local, but that is changing soon as well. They are close to reaching a deal with a local ice cream shop.

Loosening My Belt a Couple Notches

Needless to say, after all that food I was full. I couldn’t eat another bite. I even sent some of the chocolate cake back because I just couldn’t finish it. I did order another beer, but there is always room for one more beer.

As the night came to a close, Sheryl and I sat on the patio, looked out over the calm water on the canal, and sat there completely satisfied. Flatwater Restaurant on the Canal is a hidden gem of the Broad Ripple Village and is a place that I highly suggest you try out. Whether you are coming in for a quick lunch, wanting to have a nice relaxing night out for dinner, or just want to grab a beer with some buddies, Flatwater has you covered.

I want to say thank you to Mike Yount and his entire staff for being so accommodating to both Sheryl and I. You can tell just by talking with Mike how much this establishment means to him. From putting in flat screens outside for football season, to introducing himself to every table that walks in the door, Mike takes his restaurant seriously. I applaud all his hard work. So the next time you are in Broad Ripple and want to grab a bite to eat, head over to Flatwater Restaurant on the Canal, feed some ducks, and grab an order of pulled pork nachos and an ice cold beer. I hope to become a regular soon!

Have you been to Flatwater Restaurant on the Canal? What did you order? Did you like it? I look forward to hearing from all of you on your experience at Flatwater.

Who’s hungry? If you are headed to Electric Zoo this weekend make sure you check out the wide range of food that will be on hand for your enjoyment. Not only are you going to experience more than seventy artists from all over the world including names like Armin van Buuren and the Glitch Mob, but you are going to be able to eat from a collection of food tents and typical New York City food trucks. (Nothing beats the shrimp trucks in Hawaii though. The shrimp is literally born and raised in ponds right outside next to the truck you order from. Now that’s good eating.)

New York City is literally a melting pot with cultures from all over the world coming together to live in a city that never sleeps. The food this year at Electric Zoo is a collaboration as well. From Italian to pizza to vegan and more it will be easy for you to chow down this weekend. Below you will find a list of all the vendors scheduled to appear at Electric Zoo this year as well as the types of food they serve.

• Ruthy’s Bakery – (Middle Eastern/Italian/Vegetarian)
• Circles Café – (Hot Dogs/Italian Ice)
• Vegetarian Oasis – (Mexican/Caribbean/Thai/Falafel/Burritos/Jambalaya)
• Water Taxi Beach – (Cheeseburgers/Fruit including Grass Fed Beef/Hand Cut Fries)
• Strawberry Fields – (Burritos/Smoothies/Pita/Falafel)
• Masala Times – (Indian/Specialty Drinks/Mango Lassi Yogurt Drinks)
• PizzaMoto – (Wood Oven Pizza/Ice Cream/Local Products)
• Sigmund Pretzelshop – (Pretzels/Sandwiches both Handmade & Vegan)
• Thai Trio Platters – (Thai/Salads)
• Nyota’s Ting – (Vegan Health Food)
• Shaved Ice – (Flavored Shaved Ice)

The food doesn’t stop there. If you can’t find something to eat in that mess of food, then hit up one of the many food trucks that will be on the island. The list of food trucks scheduled to appear at this year’s event include:

• Green Truck – (American/Mexican/Vegetarian/Organic/Locally Produced)
• Kwik Meal – (Indian/Mediterranean/Pitas)
• La Cense Beef – (Steak Burgers from natural grass fed beef)
• Rickshaw Dumplings – (Pan-Asian/Pacific Rim)
• Street Sweets – (Coffee Drinks/Cookies /Gluten Free/Organic Dairy)
• Van Leeuwen – (Ice Cream/Hormone Free)
• Miss Softee – (Soft Serve Ice Cream/Kosher)
• Je & Jo Cookie Dough Ice Cream – (Organic Ice Cream)
• Mexicue – (Mexican/BBQ/Gluten Free Foods)

So for all of you who were wondering where your next meal was going to come from, fear not as the there will be plenty of options for you choose from. Let’s eat people! (No pun intended!)

I love dark beers. Whether a stout or a porter, the darker the better. On a recent trip to Jungle Jims, the greatest grocery store on the planet, I grabbed a bunch of different beers. They have a huge selection of beers by the bottle and picked some stouts, some porter, an IPA or two, and a handful of lagers. One of the beers I picked up was a bottle of the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Anytime you mix beer and chocolate, you are in for a treat.

This beer comes from the Brooklyn Brewery located in, you guesses it, Brooklyn, New York. The brewery is quite new, having only opened in 1987. But their beers are good, and have made quite a bit of noise in the market.

The brewery was started by former associated press correspondent Steve Hindy. He began this venture with former Chemical Ban lending officer Tom Potter and they were off. What makes these two guys so special is their difference in beer making and their experience when it comes to the process of making a brew. Steve, working for the AP, has seen how beers are make in Saudi Arabia and Syria, as well as many other countries in the middle east. However Tom had little experience making beer learning from his neighbor how to make his first batch.

Part of the reason their beers are so high in price is their alcohol content, but also the limited quantities of these beers. They have such a small operation, and its hard to find these beers outside of the east coast. They charge more because they are forced to make more beer and end up with less than expected due to their sizeable operation. But by the time you grab one of these you don’t care what it cost.

Coming out of the Bottle

This beer pours thick. It’s a heavy, quite dense beer that offers the drinker something to get exited about. Once it hits the glass, there is literally no head what so ever. The makers of this beer put more attention into the ingredients behind their brew than the small things that most look for in a brew. This brew maker also has a long line of beers that are easy to find and cheap to buy. But this beer is sold in four packs as it packs higher alcohol content and is much thicker than your average beer.

Let the Beer Hit the Nose

When they say chocolate I am sold. The nose doesn’t lie. That is just what it smells like. Imagine taking a chocolate bar, melting it over an open flame, and addend some booze! It smells thick too and appears to be engine oil sitting in the glass. The beer becomes an almost experience before you even taste it.

Hits your Lips

The beer is not as thick as it seems coming out of the bottle or sitting stable in the glass. The first taste you get is dry and sweetness on the back of your tongue. But then you get a poppy almost soda pop flavor that sticks to the center of your palate. By the time the beer is gone you can understand where that 10% ABV comes from.

The aftertaste sticks around too. Its nice to see a beer that has such a high ABV, comes across the tongue like a stout should, but then leave that sweet molasses flavor in your mouth for what seems like days. This is not a beer you chug either. Enjoy this. It will be gone before you know it and you will want another one as soon as you suck the last drop from the glass.

Beer: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery

Location: Brooklyn, New York

ABV: 10%

Hotels are a dime a dozen here in Indianapolis. You can stay at the Holiday Inn or at Best Western, even at a nicer hotel like the Hilton or the Conrad. Not too long ago I needed a place to stay but didn’t want to break the bank. After a little bit of research, I ended up at the TownePlace Suites located at Keystone at the Crossing.

From the moment I got to the hotel, I knew I made the right decision. Having worked all the details out with Clint Sheets, the hotel’s General Manager, I was ready to take in a couple of nights and see what this entire place had to offer. From the moment I walked in the door, to the relationship I created with the hotel staff, to the complimentary chocolate chip cookies that awaited me every time I came and went, I could not have been happier.

Welcome to TownePlace Suites Care of Clint Sheets, General Manager

When I walked into the room, I was impressed to find two separate bedrooms, a full kitchen and a large living space. There was also a decent size table sitting in the center of the suite with a hard-wired Internet connection, several outlets, and a welcome letter from the General Manager, Mr. Clint Sheets. The letter read:

“Thank you for choosing to stay at the TownePlace Suites Keystone. We look forward to you having a wonderful experience with us. If at anytime there is anything you feel we could do to enhance your experience please contact one of our service team experts.”

Regards,

Clint Sheet, General Manager

What better way to make us feel welcome than a welcome note from the general manager? I have heard that the folks here at TownePlace Suites try to make you feel as close to home as possible. From the time I walked into our room I couldn’t agree more. This was a perfect way to start off our stay here at TownePlace Suites. (Not to mention there were two bottles of water sitting on the table. This came in handy because the day we checked in the temperatures outside were hitting close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Getting to know the Marriott

TownePlace Suites is just one example of the great hotels offered by Marriott International. This public company began back in 1927 and has been going strong ever since. As a matter of fact, their revenue is bouncing around $13 billion a year right now. Not bad considering the current state of our economy. They also employ over 150,000 workers all over the world to help serve their guests on a daily basis.

The company Marriott was founded by J. William Marriott and his wife. This couple actually got started with a root beer stand in Washington, D.C., before taking their concept to a bigger and more profitable level. They now have over 3,000 lodging properties in the United States and in sixty-seven different countries.

Not to scare any of the readers out there, but the Marriott name has suffered a lot of turmoil since their inception way back when. In 2001 the organization suffered a brute force attack in New York City during the bombing of the Marriott World Trade Centers, then again in 2003 with a hotel bombing and in 2008 in another hotel bombing in Islamabad. Again in 2009, they suffered yet another series of bombs in a hotel just outside of Jakarta. But they have managed to come back strong and offering full service hotels all over the world from New York to LA and beyond.

Not all Marriott hotels go by that same name. You can stay at a JW Marriott hotel or resort, a Renaissance hotel or resort, a Ritz-Carlton, BULGARI, or even the Edition hotels. You can even stay in an Autograph Collection hotel and resort or stay like I did in an extended stay hotel like the TownePlace Suites. You can take advantage of timeshare opportunities with the Marriott offering various locations for these around the world as well. No matter your lodging needs, they have been covered by this great company.

Marriott Rewards offers More Ways to Save

If you travel a lot, you might want to take advantage of the Marriott Rewards program. With Marriott Rewards, you can earn valuable discounts and even earn air miles that will help pay for your next trip. If traveling for work, this makes it even better!

There are several levels to the Marriott Rewards program, including the Elite members, Silver, Gold, and even Platinum members. Each level has a different set of guidelines and you reach these levels based on how often you use this rewards program. Besides the hotel chain, you can even use these rewards on over thirty U.S. and international airlines.

The beauty of the Marriott Rewards program is that nearly all Marriott hotels participate in this program allowing you to earn points all over the world. As a matter of fact, this program is so widely accepted that in 2009 the Marriott Rewards Program was rated as the number one hotel rewards program on the market. So if you stay at a lot of Marriott hotels, I highly suggest you enroll in this program. Nothing beats earning free stuff, right?

Pets are Always Welcome

Sheryl and I like to travel a lot. We are always going somewhere whether it is to Chicago for a weekend, or on a weeklong trip to visit some remote island. We just love to travel and it is something that we are doing more the older we get. But one challenge we have every time we travel is what to do with Sophie, Sheryl’s adorable dog. Her mother dislikes watching the dog for various reasons, and most dog kennels are way too expensive for our budget. So we usually end up begging some friend of ours to watch the dog offering a place to stay and some instructions on how to take care of her.

When I first began looking to stay at TownePlace Suites, the first thing Sheryl asked me was what we would do with Sophie. Sure enough, I would come to find out that animals are allowed here at TownePlace Suites. You can bring your dogs or cats with you, but you will have to pay a $50 fee for the animal. The reason for the fee is to help maintain the clean facility and to help cover the cost of the deep clean that the hotel gets on a regular basis.

Regardless of the price, it is a great advantage for those families traveling with pets. They have a pretty detailed list of rules, but nothing too crazy. The hotel just has to make sure they are covered with your little furry friends staying over. Sheryl and I brought Sophie’s crate with us so that when we left she could feel as if she was at home. Sure, she barked a little bit each time we left, but nothing too serious. She didn’t bark any more than she would have if we were at home!

One of the highlights of our trip was having Sophie with us to share in the beauty that is TownePlace Suites. Its something so simple but it goes a long way for guests.

Total Temperature Control

It doesn’t matter which hotel I am staying in, whether I am there for a few nights or camping out for the entire week, the first thing I do when I walk in the room is turn the AC on as cold as I can get it. I love the feeling of walking into an ice-cold hotel room after a long day in the sun. I rarely stay in hotels in the winter months, and if I do I am usually on some remote island anyway.

When I walked into our room at TownePlace Suites, I didn’t know where to begin. There was an AC under the window in the main room. There was an AC under the window in the spare bedroom. There was even an AC under the window in the master bedroom. I didn’t know where to start! I immediately turned them all to their coldest settings and waited for the cold air to fill the space around me.

One thing that I disliked about the air conditioner units is you have no control over the exact temperature. You can set the unit to be anywhere from cooler to warmer but it is truly a guessing game when you are trying to judge the exact temperature you are trying to reach. Lucky for me I want it as cold as I can get it. But for those of you who want a nice, comfortable temperature when you get home from work, you will have to adjust it to suit your need accordingly.

Grabbing a Bite to Eat

TownePlace Suites has a great location on the north side of Indianapolis. There are tons of places to get a bite to eat. If you want American, head across the street to T.G.I. Friday’s. In the mood for Asian? Right next to Friday’s you will find P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. You also have Champps Americana, the Cheesecake Factory, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, and a wide variety of other restaurants up and down 86^th Street.

If you are looking to save a few bucks just stop by the front desk. There you will find a wide range of coupons on the counter. For instance, we grabbed a pair of free appetizers at Sullivan’s Steakhouse. We also snatched up a 20% coupon for Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (located across the parking lot on the same side of 86^th Street), a free appetizer at P.F. Chang’s, and even a stack of free appetizers at T.G.I. Friday’s. Going hungry is not an option at TownePlace Suites.

If you happen to be staying on a Monday or Tuesday night, the food actually comes to you. On Monday nights, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, T.G.I. Friday’s caters in for a guest reception each week. Here you can sample many items off the Friday’s menu including their Jack Chicken Tenders, fresh grilled chicken bruchetta, chips and salsa, spinach artichoke dip, and more.

To help you enjoy your meal even more, TownePlace Suites provides plates and silverware as well as unlimited complimentary lemonade. We were afraid it wasn’t going to be enough to satisfy us for dinner, but by the time we were through three plates of food, we were stuffed. Not to mention we grabbed a couple of chocolate chip cookies on our way out the door.

On Tuesday, you are hit with a repeat of Monday night with P.F. Chang’s catering for you. Again you are hit with a wide variety of menu options and are offered the same luxury as you were on Monday night. After speaking with Clint Sheets, the hotel’s general manager, they are hoping to solidify restaurants to provide dinner for their guests every night. The goal is to have a different restaurant cater in each and every night of the week.

One thing they do need to work on, however, is their seating arrangements. Unless you want to sit in the conference room, located in the back of the building, you are going to either stand or be forced to take your food back to your room. There are no tables and chairs for you to sit at. The same goes for the free continental breakfast each morning. The selection is similar to most other hotels, but there is nowhere to sit and enjoy your breakfast. Sure, I can grab a cup of coffee or a bagel and hit the road, but if I wanted to sit and enjoy a nice breakfast before a long day at work I am out of luck.

You Shall Be Entertained

Depending on how long your stay is at TownePlace Suites, you might be tempted to see what else the city of Indianapolis has to offer. Perhaps you want to see a movie during your visit. Or perhaps you want to see a live concert while in town. There are also two shopping malls near the hotel. No matter what you want to do while you are staying at TownePlace Suites, you aren’t far.

If you want to take in a movie, you have a few options. Right across the street at the Keystone Fashion Mall you can visit the Keystone Arts Cinema. Here you will find a wide range of blockbusters as well as more independent films. There is also a bar in this theatre, which is something unique to the Circle City.

If you want a more typical movie theater experience, just head east a little bit and watch a film at the AMC Entertainment theater, located at the Castleton Square Shopping Mall. I told you there were some shopping malls close by! Here you can see all the latest releases, grab a tub of popcorn, and enjoy an evening out. If you get there early, you can even visit any one of the stores located just next to the theater.

If you are more in the mood for live music, then head down the road and see a show at Birdy’s Bar & Grill. Located on 71^st Street and Keystone Avenue, you will find a staple of the Indianapolis music scene. The stage at Birdy’s has seen the likes of national touring artists like The Fray and Daughtry, but also plays host to local singer/songwriters and regional touring artists just the same. Birdy’s has live music seven nights a week, and always has some of the best drink specials in town.

As a matter of fact, if you see a show at Birdy’s, chances are the stars on stage are staying in the same hotel as you. Birdy’s Bar & Grill actually has an exclusive relationship with TownePlace Suites. Both TownePlace Suites and Birdy’s have nothing but good things to say about the relationship. So if you are a band touring the country, check out Birdy’s and you might just get a chance to crash in the same hotel I am sitting in right now!

If movies, shopping, and live music are not your thing, then take in a comedy show at Cracker’s Comedy Club. There are two locations for this comedy joint, one located just south of Birdy’s in the heart of the Broad Ripple Village as well as one downtown located just off the circle. Regardless if you go to a rock show or see a show that makes you laugh your head off, TownePlace plays a great host to folks and allows for a comfy place to sleep not too far from these great late night entertainment spots.

Keeping Your Room Clean

Like most hotels, the cleaning crew at TownePlace Suites will come into your room every day and make sure the beds are made, all of the trash is taken out, and that you have fresh towels and toiletries in the bathroom. If you are planning an extended stay here at TownePlace you will get your bed made every few days and a deep clean once a week. A deep clean will basically mean that the cleaning crew will come in and clean everything from the showers and toilets to the carpets and kitchen.

We were only here for two nights, but after the first night when I came home from work, the hotel was nearly perfect. The kitchen had been cleaned up, the bathroom was how it was when we first got here, and the beds were all made. Minus the mint on the pillow it was like walking into the hotel room for the first time all over again. (Are there still hotels that put a mint on your pillow?)

Amenities for the Working Man (And the Working Woman)

The concept of an extended stay hotel like this one aids the businessman more than anyone. Here at the TownePlace Suites, you can take advantage of numerous amenities that will make your workday that much easier. First is the complimentary high-speed wireless Internet. If you are not interested in using the Wi-Fi there is a hard-wired connection waiting for you on the table in the living area.

Downstairs, in the lobby, you will find two desktop computers with Internet access. You will also find a stack of USA Today papers free to all guests. If you need meeting space, they have that too. Just ask about the full service conference center that features a huge white board for dry-erase presentations or a projector display, or even video conferencing on the television screen.

Staying in Shape

I am not known for working out on a regular basis. But during my stay at the TownePlace Suites, I felt obligated to check out the workout facility. So I laced up my sneakers, tossed on an old t-shirt, and headed down to the gym to workout for a couple of hours.

The gym is nothing to write home about. Inside you will find a single treadmill, one stair stepping machine, and a bike. The bike is actually quite uncomfortable as I tried that first. And the treadmill is actually quite old and has quite a few buttons that stick from time to time. Overall, I don’t suggest coming to the TownePlace Suites to work out.

Perhaps that is why they formed a relationship with Lifestyle Family Fitness Club located just down the road. While staying at the TownePlace Suites you have full access to Lifestyle Fitness. It is located just a couple of blocks east of the hotel and very easy to get to, even if you are not from here. Just show your room key and a photo ID and you get full access to all their equipment. It is a nice added perk, especially if you are trying to stay fit and are planning on staying for a while.

Taking a Dip

Weather permitting, and it was during my stay, make sure you check out their swimming pool. Just outside the main office you will find a small swimming pool as well as a few chairs for sun bathing. The pool is not that big, reaching a max of only five feet in the deep end, but it allows you a chance to cool down after a long day in the office. And if you just want to work on that nice tan you have going on, you can do that too.

Also near the swimming pool you will find a gas grill for all your summer cookout needs. Grill some burgers or hot dogs and invite some of the other hotel guests down for a bite to eat and quick dive in the pool. Of if you want some alone time you can just take a seat at the picnic table on the far side of the parking lot. Either way you look at it, the TownePlace Suites has something for everyone.

Getting Some Shut Eye

Inside the hotel rooms you will find either one or two beds for your comfort. Whether you just want to lay down for a quick nap or a long night’s rest before your big meeting the next day, you have come to the right place. These beds are incredible. They are so soft, almost too soft, and the pillows remind you of clouds at how soft they are. The second I pulled the sheets down on this bed (we had two beds in our hotel room) I knew I was in for a good night’s rest. I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to attack the day. It was truly a great night of sleep.

You can also lie on the couch if you like. The rooms here at TownePlace Suites have a chair and couch in the main living area. Here you can work on your laptop, watch a movie on TV, or just take a load off for a while. While the couches are not as comfy as the beds are, they do offer nice options for relaxation.

Checking In & Checking Out

The process for checking in was as easy as they come. As soon as I said my name she knew where I was coming from and what room I was in, and proceeded to tell me a bit about the surrounding area. She offered me a welcome packet from the front desk and said that I could come to her with any questions. I don’t recall her name, but she made me feel right at home from the start.

As easy as the check in was, the checkout was just the same. I walked down to the hotel lobby, grabbed another one of those complimentary cookies, and handed in my key. I was in and out in a matter of moments. The rest was taken care of by the man behind the counter. It goes to show they care about the business traveler who is on a schedule and is trying to make a meeting or an early morning appointment. As they say, the early bird gets the worm.

Our stay at the TownePlace Suites was great from the moment I walked in the front door. We were only there for a couple of nights but the staff went out of their way to make sure we had a great experience. It was the little things that mattered most, like the free coffee and the fresh sheets. But it was the way I felt at home that made this a special visit. The next time I book a hotel, I will keep an eye out for not only the Marriott name but also the name TownePlace Suites.

I would like to personally thank Andrew Lyon of the Circle City Chamber Group for introducing me to the TownePlace Suites as he is an avid visitor and has spent many a night in those same comfy beds as we did. I also want to thank Clint Sheets, the hotel General Manager, for being so accommodating and for literally going out of his way to make sure we had a grand experience. Your attention to detail did not go unnoticed and I hope that here in this article you can see that. I can’t stop talking about the TownePlace Suites.

Creating a buzz for yourself can be difficult. Short of just asking people to read my blog, it is an ongoing battle to get traffic. I have found that a combination of quality content and consistent posting is the best way to guarantee a steady flow of site visits. I am seeing an increase in traffic the longer I write and matched with affiliations with organization all over the United States, my hits are coming from all over the world.

But in an effort to create more local traffic, I have started thinking outside the box a little bit. Without a budget it’s tough. That is when Jason Firebaugh said to me, “Why don’t you have a concert or an event and feature some of the bands that you have worked with?” Sure enough, I loved the idea and I ran with it. Five months later, I hosted rickyleepotts.com presents six bands for six bucks at Birdy’s Bar & Grill.

When I first started planning the event, I was nervous at how much work it would be. I have worked on shows before, but never anything like this. This event was going to feature six local acts, all of different genres, playing on one stage. I would be the one promoting the show, the one organizing the ticket sales, scheduling the night, booking the bands, collecting sponsors, and handling just about everything else that would go into this event.

Gathering bands was the easy part. Being that rickyleepotts.com was the one presenting this event, I wanted to make sure that all of the bands on the bill I had worked with in some fashion or another. Seeing as how every three blog posts on my blog are interviews with bands, I figured that was the easiest way to narrow down my selection. I have interviewed over two hundred bands from all over the world, so I had plenty of options.

I figured that it would make sense to have Jason Firebaugh on the bill. I met him about a year ago and we have stayed friends ever since. He is a solo acoustic singer/songwriter and he just loves to get on stage and perform. From confirming him the rest of the bands just fell into place. Like I said, I wanted it to be six different bands but also six different genres. My intention was to have different crowds mingled in the same room to hear new styles of music and to share fans left and right. The night went from acoustic to country to rap and beyond. It was truly a unique experience for a lot of the folks in the crowd.

The lineup for the night was set within just a few weeks of planning. I had Jason Firebaugh kicking things off, Digs Bridges on second, Brad Real up third, The Post Script next, then Ironsides, and The Will Woodrow Project finishing things off. I also had a local comedic poet, DDE, perform some of his material during set changes. And of course, I can’t forget about my good friend Johnny Teater who emceed the event for me.

The process of planning a show like this is no easy task. It takes a lot of effort to get bands confirmed, to get a date confirmed with the venue, even to find a venue was a challenge. Having worked with Birdy’s in the past, I knew that is where I wanted to have it. And the next one will be there as well. I am looking for a mid to late February date for the next show. I just hope that I can get a little more support from the local media next time around. Considering that I am a local writer (regardless if my traffic is localized or not) and that I featured six local bands and a local poet, you would think that more local media would want to be involved. But this entire event was a process for me, and a learning experience if nothing else.

I also couldn’t have done this without my sponsors. Again, I had never done an event like this before so asking for sponsors and then working out what these sponsors could offer was an experience as well. The list of sponsors included IndyCouponDeals.com, Indiana Uploaded, Dad’s Root Beer, J. Lauren Photography, Morin Creative, Indiana Drinking Team, Shane Brown Art, and My Car Doc. Each one of them offered something that helped make this event that much easier to plan.

The night of the show I was done. I was finished promoting and I was just ready for a night of great music and to share in the fruit of my labor with all my friends that came out. It was great seeing so many familiar faces in the same room for an event that I had put together. It is the execution of these ideas, and the planning that went into this, that made the night all worthwhile. As much as the bands meant to the event, and the sponsors allowing me to fund this event, the fans meant just as much. Because of you guys I am having another event. I want to keep this ball rolling and continue to work with local bands helping them gain more exposure on a national level.

I could type an entire blog post thanking each and every one of you. And perhaps I should. But I want to do that here, by simply saying you all are what makes what I do so special. To have a night like that come together, to see so many people in the same room at the same time for one purpose, is why I do what I do. I am already working on the next event, not even twenty-four hours after the first one ended. In six months I will have six more bands and another list of great sponsors to showcase. I have already confirmed my first sponsor, Melissa Brewer Photography.

So again, thank you all and I look forward to more events like this in the future. If you were there, please leave your feedback. I am curious what you guys all thought of the event. What could I do better next time? What did you like or dislike about the event? Lets make the next one bigger and better than this one.

Get over it, I’m fat. And to be honest, the older I get and the fatter I become, the less I care. I love food. I love to eat. Nothing in this world beats a cheap Chinese buffet. From the egg rolls to the sweet and sour chicken, there is just something about that tasty MSG I can’t get enough of.

I think my point in being fat, and not caring as much about it as most people do, is that I am going to die. Yep. I’m going to die. Oh yeah, and so are you. And you and you and you. We are all going to die at some point in our lives. The beauty of life is that we all lose. There is nothing that anyone can do about it, either. So why not enjoy my time here? Sure, you might argue that my eating habits are going to take three, five, hell even ten years off my life. By the time I get that old does ten years really make all that big of a difference?

Being fat comes with responsibility. I am asked all the time what restaurants are good in the Circle City. People ask what the best steak house is or the best plate of Thai food. Even where the best cheeseburger is or where they can get a helping of spaghetti and meatballs. I have heard it all. And I have had a recommendation for it all as well. I eat out a lot, and while you might spend your money on a fancy car or a big house, I spend mine on food and drinks.

There are times when I can’t sit down for a three-course meal. I need something quick. That’s why God invented McDonald’s. Better yet, that is why He invented the drive-thru. So I can run to any given restaurant and grab a snack, a meal, or just a drink or ice cream sundae. The easier it is for me, and the less I have to wait for my food, the more I tend to eat.

There are some fast food joints that I avoid though. After seeing a handful of videos on YouTube about what corporations are pumping into their food, it does make me at least conscience about what I eat. No matter how tasty it is. I wanted to break down some of the worst fast foods out there today. What’s for dinner tonight? Maybe this will help you decide what’s not for dinner tonight.

Long John Silver’s Fish Combo Meal

I love Long John Silver’s. They have the best hush puppies of anywhere I have ever been. But this particular dish is quite unhealthy. Packed with over 750 calories, this dish will fill you up in a hurry. The entire thing is deep-fried. From the two pieces of deep-fried fish, to the handful of fries, to the pair of hush puppies, all of this stuff is dipped in whatever kind of oil they have back there. But it’s so tasty. I save myself for Long John’s once or twice a month, if that. It’s cheap though, and if you are looking for some valuable seafood, you can’t beat it.

Hardee’s Loaded Biscuit and Gravy with Hash Rounds

They say that the most important meal is breakfast. If that is the case, then treat yourself to one of these. Well, of course, that might be the only meal you eat all day. The average adult is supposed to eat around 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day. This little meal packs well over 1,500 calories. But it is so good. The hash rounds are incredible; you don’t even need ketchup to cover the taste. And the biscuits, holy crap. There is a sausage patty, a stack of eggs, and some cheese all topped with some sausage gravy. It’s heavy too; if you order one, just lift it before you eat it. Imagine that in your stomach. Anyway, it’s delicious, so add that to your bucket list if you are on a diet.

Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket

Have you ever eaten dinner at Dairy Queen? Try it; their food is quite good. Not all Dairy Queens serve dinner, but the ones that do are solid. One of the items that you should try is their six-piece chicken finger basket. It comes with two pieces of Texas toast as well as a handful of fries. And don’t think about dipping your chicken in BBQ or honey mustard. The folks over at DQ do it right serving their chicken fingers with a side of sausage gravy. I always say, you never can have too much gravy.

Wendy’s Triple Baconator Combo Meal

Have you had one of these yet? Holy crap, this burger is retarded. And I say that in the absolute best way possible. This burger is huge too, and not what you would expect from a place like Wendy’s. This burger, served with a side of fries and a soft drink, will pack in nearly 2,000 calories. So make sure you don’t eat anything else that day, as this will give you all the energy you need for that day. This burger is a little expensive too, but for the size and the taste (let alone the guilt this thing has), its well worth it. If you feel guilty ordering one, get a Diet Coke instead.

Quiznos Tuna Melt

Now here you go, a healthy alternative to all of these belt busters. Oh wait a minute, not really. This little sub sandwich has nearly 2,000 calories in it. Yeah, I know! And they are only $5 now. They are trying to compete with the hit deals that Subway started last year and are offering their large sandwiches with more meat for the same price. They also have a lot more calories. The foot long tuna at Subway has nearly half that many calories. Either way, you will feel a little better about eating it.

As you can see, there are a ton of options out there for a quick meal. But at the same time, there are a ton of calories in those selections. So if you want to eat out, and you have no choice but to grab something on the go, then think smart. Head over to Panera Bread for a soup and salad. They actually have all of their calorie counts on the menu itself. Also, you can head over to Taco Bell or When Eddie Met Salad for a more natural and organic option. You can never eat too much salad. (You can eat too much dressing though. A salad no longer becomes a salad when you drown it with fatty salad dressing.)

No matter what’s for dinner, make sure you order a Diet Coke. That will save you a ton of calories right off the bat. Let’s eat!

Saturday nights in Broad Ripple usually consist of dinner, a few drinks, and hanging out with friends. You might start somewhere like La Jolla Mexican Restaurant for some chips and salsa, maybe a margarita. Then you might head over to Brother’s Bar & Grill for a couple of beers. Perhaps then off to a dance club like Landsharks or The Vogue. While this might be fun, I decided to spend my Saturday night this week at Birdy’s Bar & Grill. As you know, Birdy’s is a great place to see live music and you can see a band here every night of the week. Just check the calendar when you first walk in to see when your favorite band is playing next.

Birdy’s is actually known for playing host to a ton of great local and Midwest bands. But there have been a fair share of regional and national acts as well. On this very stage I have seen the likes of Daughtry, The Fray, Mat Kearney, the Detroit Cobras, and many more. But on Saturday, July 24^th, 2010, there were four bands taking the stage. For one low price—only $8—you could get your face melted by Kramus, Alter Ego, Glass Halo, and Fred Shafer. The bill promised to rock the house. When we got there, maybe fifteen minutes after the doors had opened, there were already about fifteen or twenty people sitting around just chatting. We grabbed a table and got ready to have a great night of music.

Kramus Kicks Things Off

It was just after 9:00 when Kramus took the stage. These guys have been playing the Indianapolis scene for quite some time and have made some major changes over the last few years. Sadly, their former lead singer passed away early in 2008, but they have managed to come back from that and in all honesty, are better than ever. Their old sound was too close to Breaking Benjamin to impress. But now, they are on a whole new level. These guys play with heart, emotion, and are a true rock band. They played first, which surprised me, as they had double booked the night. I disagree with bands playing more than one or two shows a month in Indianapolis (or the surrounding area), let alone on the same night. But they were there. They rocked the stage and managed to get me to hum along for a few minutes.

Fred Shafer Brings the Noise

Fred Shafer, who I felt should have been the headliner for the evening, actually took the stage second. Fred, a guy that travels all over the world playing his songs for anyone ready to listen, has so much heart and passion in his voice and his stage presence. His disc, Resistor, is nothing like what you see on stage. And there is a reason for that. You will like the disc, that’s not the issue. He wants you to like, even love, the album, and then see him perform those tunes live. He wants to take you to the next level. And I have seen him play for ten people before, and it’s the same show as when he plays for 10,000.

Fred is actually a good buddy of mine, and I have been following his work for quite some time. It is neat following his tour schedule and seeing all the places that he plays. It makes shows like this, in smaller and more intimate venues, that much better. You can feel the music here, and he will shake every hand in the venue if he has to. Fred is just a nice guy.

He kicked things off and before the first song is over, he is dripping in sweat. But you see past that almost immediately. Driving all the way from Nashville, Tennessee, he played to a room with about fifty to sixty people in it. But that didn’t stop him from playing like it was the last show he would ever play. His songs are rock, that’s for sure. But he adds, in some of the tunes, an almost country feel. He is wearing flannel (I am not sure I have ever seen him in anything else) and he wears cowboy boots well, but he still throws the hard rock front at you. Regardless, listening to tunes from his album, new songs he has never played before, and some older tunes that you can find floating around the Internet, we got a huge taste of who Fred Shafer really is. He is coming back to Birdy’s Bar & Grill in October, so if you have not seen him, or even if you have, come see him perform this fall.

Alter Ego Rocks the House

I was first introduced to the band Alter Ego by one of their band members. Myles Berry, on bass, asked me to take a listen to his new band. They have been tearing up Facebook and Twitter and are on their way to something big. They all still hold day jobs, but they are playing all over the Midwest and getting their names in front of people. Here in town you can catch a show every few weeks, and getting the chance to share the stage with Fred Shafer is an honor. Myles and Fred have been friends for a long time, and this was a neat show to see live.

I had not seen Alter Ego play live before. But as soon as they started singing, the dance floor filled up. Girls (some intoxicated, of course) began dancing and singing along to the lyrics. It was tough keeping up, though. I was not sure if they did that many originals. They did a handful of covers, some from Godsmack and other popular rock bands, offering a mixture for the fans. It was nice hearing some tunes that I was used to, especially since I had not seen these guys before. And I have to admit, they did pretty good covering Godsmack.

The guys in Alter Ego fit the rock band persona perfectly. They were all wearing black shirts, tight jeans, and boots. They had tattoos and wrist bands and were just playing good old fashioned rock music. I loved watching Myles play. He has so much energy and his facial expressions crack me up. He is not only having fun up there, he knows deep inside that is where he is supposed to be. The lead singer didn’t play an instrument, which I enjoy seeing. There are too many bands out there that focus too much on the instruments rather than the vocals. Alter Ego, however, put a ton of emphasis into their vocals. Their lyrics are just as good, and they match the vocals well. Regardless, I am glad I got to see them perform and they are a true Indianapolis rock band.

Glass Halo Sends Us Home

I have not seen these guys either, and came to this show excited to watch them play. These guys, fresh off of a Battle of Birdy’s win last year, they are $10,000 richer and ready to make something of themselves. They are a complete package too. They have merchandise, professional photography complements of Melissa Brewer Photography, and even a laptop allowing fans to sign up for their mailing list. But when you see their equipment, the way the guys all have that rock band (almost an adult alternative rock band) look about them, you start to see why they are so good.

They play a ton around the city, but they are also playing a lot around the Midwest. As a matter of fact, they recently just played a show with Fred Shafer at the Elbow Room up in Chicago. After winning the Battle of Birdy’s they have an excuse to get out and play more shows.

From the first song I was in love. The vocals are polished, and remind me of a harder Killers matched with a dash of Wilco. Their drummer, who is fairly new to the band, doesn’t get too into the songs, but doesn’t need to. His style, his ability to be heard yet not over the top, is just what this bands needs. No offense to the drummer, but the three guys up front are what we came to see. The lead guitar player was a blast to watch, too. He was dancing around, shaking his shaggy hair, and just having a blast on stage. And the bass player, sporting a similar and familiar faux hawk, was throwing vocals into the mic and just making himself welcome on stage. They were all comfortable up there, and it just makes sense they perform together.

Going on this late it is hard to keep a crowd in the room, but they did a good job of entertaining the crowd they had. I had no expectations coming into this, so I was curious to see what they could pull off. I was impressed, and had the chance to actually meet some of the guys throughout the night. The lead singer graduated from Rose Hulman. The guitar player I was talking about earlier has a degree in public relations. But yet they know how to make good rock music. (They gave me a copy of their latest disc, and I am excited to listen to that to say the least.) I can’t wait to know all the words to their songs.

This is just another night of great music in the books here at Birdy’s. This show was well put together, thanks to the likes of Myles Berry, and kept me entertained from the moment I walked in. if you have not seen these bands perform, at least do yourself a favor and listen to them on MySpace or on their official websites. Regardless, you will be treated with some original, raw, and healthy rock music. Throw those devil horns up and start rocking already!

Wine is more than just a drink. Wine is an experience. Wine, and the appreciation of wine, is a lifestyle. You can grab a cheap bottle of wine at the liquor store, sure. But why? Why not take the time to research the wine, learn things about the area the grapes came from, and enjoy the wine with your meal. Take the effort to pick wines based on what’s for dinner. I have a hard time drinking the same wine twice. (I am drinking a glass of red as I type.) For every wine that I drink, I want to drink a different one. It’s like seeing the same band twice or visiting the same country multiple times. There are just too many options out there. If you need help finding what wines you might like, look no further than this man. I have known this guy for many years, and it has been so cool seeing him grow from a man sitting behind a camera (he still does that, but it’s not the same as when he got started) to an author on the  New York Times bestsellers list. The only word that could describe him is passion. He brings 100% to everything he does, and he is someone I am glad to call a friend. I have been waiting a long time to sit with him and bring his story to my readers, but the time has finally arrived. It my absolute pleasure to introduce you to the one…the only…Gary Vaynerchuk.

Where did this all start? Not the wine or social media stuff, I mean you. Where did the personality of Gary Vaynerchuk come from?

I would say if you look way back, I am no different now than I was when I was at baseball card shows at fourteen years old. I have always had confidence and some brashness. I always felt I was capable. There was no shot I wouldn’t do it. No shot I couldn’t do it. It was what I did well. I very much feel like all that is going on now is a replication of my DNA. This is what I am good at. This is what I do. It has been a journey of my DNA. Any new genre, the Internet, ecommerce, wine library; it has always been the same game.

I am going through the HubSpot Inbound Marketing University. You are one of the instructors in this webinar series. Do you suggest it and have you been certified yourself?

I do suggest, of course. But no, I have not been certified with HubSpot. It is great though. I love it any time I get the chance to educate. For someone who was such a terrible student it is amazing how much I enjoy teaching. That has been a lot of fun. Getting asked to be a part of the Inbound Marketing University was a great experience.

Tell me about your obsession with the New York Jets.

It’s one of the first things I remember about America. It holds a deeper meaning because of that. It means more to me than you could ever know. I have watched every game since. It’s pretty intense. I am a BIG fan. (Laughs) It’s what I want to accomplish professionally. I want to own them. It’s something I think about and I absolutely focus on.

Have you seen the trailer for The Social Network?

Yes, I have seen them all. I don’t go to a lot of movies, but I will go see that. It’s our world.

If someone were only going to use one tool, only one social network, which one would you recommend?

I would say Facebook. A Facebook fan page (business page) is the most important place to be.

If you could only drink one wine for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

Probably Salon Champagne. It is great stuff.

It has been said that you are notorious for returning every email you get. Is that true?

Yes I do. Although I am very behind on them right now, but I try to return them all. I am flying to Utah soon and I am excited to answer a couple hundred emails.

Do you fly first class when you fly or are you okay sitting in coach?

When I fly,  I do both. I end up traveling a lot of times with business so much is taken care of with the people I am doing the business with. It is funny; I almost never wanted to sit first class. I didn’t want to seem like a sell out. Just take care of yourself when you travel. I don’t think one way or the other is good or bad.

When should we expect the new book?

The next book is coming out in February. It is called The Thank You Economy. It talks about the return on investment (ROI) of social media and manners in marketing.

Please tell me you are carrying an iPhone 4.

No, not yet. It was crazy busy when it came out, and with the antenna thing happened I wanted to wait to see how it flushes out. I hate AT&T already with the number of issues they have. I didn’t need another one!

How cool is it being a New York Times best selling author with your first book?

Pretty intense. It is so humbling and awesome. I was a terrible English student and I could just laugh at thinking what my teachers think about it now!

You have been on a ton of television shows. Does any one appearance mean more than another?

I would say the first Conan appearance. It was my coming out party.

Is there such a thing as a social media expert?

I think it’s abused and that’s terrible. Every subject matter has people that are more knowledge about it than others. I do think superlatives are being thrown around too much. Things like expert, life changer, stuff like that. The truth is undefeated. I think anyone who is getting paid that doesn’t deserve to get paid will ultimately not get paid. The ones that suck and are cheesy will chance the next trend, and I think the people who have chops will work around the new marketplace.

What do I have to do to get a guest spot on Wine Library TV? If not a guest spot, at least a follow Friday on Twitter or something!

I stopped doing guests. I am going back to basics. I want it to just be the bottles, the camera and me. You have to patient first and foremost. Secondly, I think you are in the running. I appreciate your patience for this interview. You have been beyond gracious, that alone give you a shot!

Do you play golf?

Never. I want to. It’s so funny you brought that up. I better start learning now. Most people learned much younger, so if I don’t start soon I won’t be very good. I might never do it if I don’t start soon.

Explain a typical Friday night for you.

Spending time with Lizzie. You will find us doing things like seeing a movie or having dinner, that kind if stuff. It’s all about family time now. It has been that way for the last eighteen months. Prior to that it was heavy email work.

Not all press that you receive is positive. How do you handle the folks that have negative things to say about you and what you are trying to do?

I think by ratio it has been more positive than negative. That is good! But I would say I respect it and that I listen to it. Then I try to figure out why people feel that way. I understand I am over the top, high energy, and I respect their opinions. More than anything else actually. I try to wrap my head around why people feel that way. I hope I get the chance to meet them again and make them realize who I really am. I hope that if I get my head down and work I will win. Anyone that thinks I don’t have depth will be wrong, and if I don’t, then I won’t win. It’s not too difficult . You are good, or you are bad. You win or lose. I don’t spend my time trying to convince people I am winning player, I go out and let the chips fall.

What was it like being on College Humor with Jake and Amir.

I love those guys. They are crazy talented. I am a big fan of their work

Why do you always say, “sniffy sniff” when you smell a glass of wine?

Not really even sure. You know what, I have no idea how it started. I just started saying it one day. I think that is why it works. It came from a natural place. It wasn’t researched or anything, I just did it.

Do you ever go back to your hometown and visit?

No, because it is really a mess of a place. It still has a dictator. It doesn’t allow me to go back and experience it. I was three when I came to the USA and I have not been back since.

What is the Vook platform all about?

Vook is awesome. It is like having a Kindle or an iPad, but with videos thrown in through out. It is really cool. I am a big fan of it.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I don’t. I don’t think about it that way. I am not very focused on that short term. I think about being happy along the way and I think about buying the New York Jets, and that is kind of where that ends.

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

That nobody wanted to work harder and to do better and to care more than I did. I want to be known for all of my crazy DNA. That I was a good guy. I always say that there are two ways to be the biggest building. One is to tear down the other buildings. Or two, just build the biggest building. I just want to build the biggest building. I want every other building to be big, just slightly smaller than mine.

I always let the artist get the last word. Go.

Love your family because no matter what you accomplish financially, nothing tastes better than having love from your family. When you are 90 years old that is the thing you will wish you did more of.

I don’t believe in magic. I never have. I remember when I was little watching David Copperfield on television performing magic tricks. He would make things disappear or saw a woman in half, and the crowd would always go wild. But I knew it was all an act. Of course it was an act. There was no way that someone could actually perform these tricks in front of a live studio audience.

Never having seen a magic act before, I was a little nervous to attend the Mind Tripping Show. I had no idea what to expect and was curious if it was really a magic show, or more of a psychological thriller type of show. Either way, a good friend of mine had introduced me to it, and his brother was actually one of the main performers. Mind Tripping is brought to you by Christian Painter and Katalina Absolon.

Before I get into the show itself, let me tell you a little bit about the relationship I have with not only Christian and Katalina, but also his brother, Harrison Painter. I first met Harrison on Twitter. After coming to a handful of tweetups we became friends. Then I showed him to my blog and the rest is history. Harrison was actually the one that started telling me about his brother’s venture with magic. So I took immediate interest and started doing my own research.

Christian and Katalina actually met back in 1994. They were both soldiers in the United States Army and it seemed like love at first sight. Katalina was a captain in the military. Her focus was on intelligence, and after seeing the Mind Tripping show, you will see why. Christian, however, was a platoon sergeant. Because of his position in the military, there was a lot of yelling involved. That too is obvious during the show.

The two have been married now for fifteen years. During the show itself you can see how well they play off of each other. They tell jokes, they banter back and forth, and they just look like a couple that is meant to be together. They love each other off stage, and you can just see the love they have together on stage.

Part of what makes the show so enjoyable is their passion for the art. Christian studied psychology in college and became obsessed with the way people think. He also learned to watch people, to pay attention to small details, and to be able to spot someone who was telling the truth versus someone who was lying. He claims that the mind, and the way people think, has been a passion of his since his youth. This adds one more level of validity to this Mind Tripping show.

Katalina, while not having studied psychology in school, comes from a long line of Hungarian mystics. Based on her upbringing and her desire to follow her heritage, she has learned to be very smart, witty, and sharp. That, matched with Christian’s abilities to practically read minds and to understand the way people think, make these two a perfect match for a show of this magnitude.

The show itself has toured all over the world. They have played in living rooms and exhibit halls, and also play a lot of resorts and cruise ships. During our meal at 120 West Market Fresh Grill, I had the chance to chat with Christian about their résumé of shows. He says they like being on a cruise ship and staying at resorts, but miss being home. They live here in Indianapolis, Indiana, and travel more than they are home. But they are back, for at least six weeks anyway, and will be performing two shows every Friday and Saturday night at the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites.

Speaking of 120 West Market Fresh Grill, if you are going to the show, make sure you stop in for dinner. As a part of your ticket, you get a buy one get one free entrée in the restaurant. Sheryl and I decided to go to the later show, starting at 8:30, so that we could grab dinner after work. It was perfect timing making our dinner reservations for 6:30 and managing to sneak in a couple of filets before the show. You can also get discounted parking with your ticket purchase.

After dinner we headed upstairs, to the sixteenth floor, for the show. Seating only forty people or so, it provides for a very intimate experience. We sat in the back, hoping to not get involved in any of the action. Apparently this show includes a lot of audience interaction. Could that possibly be why all of these tricks work? Was it the audience interaction that does it? Who knows? But there was indeed a ton of audience interaction.

The show got started a little late. It was actually their very first showing, and they were still getting rid of some of the kinks. In the process of getting started, Christian started talking and telling jokes and keeping the crowd entertained. He told us where they had been the last few months, about their residency at the Hilton, and how we could all expect for our minds to actually be tripped that evening. About ten or fifteen minutes later it was time to get started.

When the show began, they did some introductions and told us all a little bit about where they came from. Then it was time for some magic. And while I won’t tell you every magic trick they did that night, I wanted to touch on a few of the ones I felt were the better tricks.

One of the first acts they did was basically reading minds. It started slowly, but eventually worked into the audience for some more detailed mind reading. Katalina put on a blindfold, walked to the front of the stage, and began answering questions thrown out by Christian. He walks over to an unsuspecting audience member and asked for his cell phone. Christian asked, “What do I have in my hand?”

“A cell phone,” Katalina claims.

“Yes, correct. What color is this cell phone?” asked Christian.

“I am getting a darker color, grey is the color of the cell phone.” Katalina sounded positive in her declaration.

“Yes, the cell phone is grey.” Christian was proud of his wife. The crowd clapped, the owner of the cell phone was impressed, and they went on to the next trick.

The evening went on like this with one trick leading to another. My favorite was either the guessing game or the numerous card tricks. I have always been impressed with card tricks, but for some reason, Christian had a way with cards. Sheryl and I were actually asked to stick around after the show for some personal card tricks, right in front of our faces. I was impressed through and through, and can honestly say that my mind was tripped during the show.

Another thing that excites me about these folks is their branding. With the help of Harrison on their side, they are all over Facebook, Twitter, and more. Even gaining ad space on sites like NUVO and Metromix and getting radio spots doing interviews and commercials. If you live in the Circle City, you need to see this show. If you live within driving distance of downtown, I highly suggest checking this out. You can buy tickets online, at the door, or just contact them directly for a true VIP experience. They have sold out every show since opening night, so make sure you pick a date and get your seats. You won’t be sorry.

Pizza might be the greatest thing to ever happen to food. Think about it for a second. Not only can you get any number of toppings on your pizza, you have so many different restaurants serving it up. From Pizza Hut to Papa John’s, there are so many choices. There are also smaller places serving up these pizza pies. Places like Mellow Mushroom and Arni’s Restaurant even put their own little twist on pizza. I recently had the chance to visit Arni’s here in Indianapolis.

Being overweight has its perks. Besides the fact that I can eat just about anything I want, I get to indulge every now and again. That is what I did when I visited Arni’s Restaurant. My date and I had reservations for 7:00 PM but we arrived a little early. We had been out running errands and figured we would just head on over. Before we walked in, while sitting in the parking lot, I grabbed my phone to check in on the popular social networking site foursquare. Before I could get to my location, I noticed they had free Wi-Fi. I hadn’t even stepped foot inside the restaurant and they were already off on the right track.

Speaking of the free Wi-Fi, I would later learn that Arni’s is now doing online ordering. So not only can you go in for lunch or dinner and enjoy your meal in their restaurant, you can just hop online and order your pizza, subs, sandwiches, and more. It is nice to be able to have that option. It saves time, money, and allows me to order on my schedule. I wish that more places would start using online ordering. Consider Arni’s to be a thought leader in that regard.

Before I get into the food, let’s chat a bit about the history of the place. Arni’s was actually started a long time ago by a man named Arni Cohen. The first Arni’s Restaurant opened way back in 1965 and they have been growing ever since. As a matter of fact, when the first location opened, it could seat one hundred and twenty guests. Now, after several expansions on the property, the same restaurant can seat five hundred.

Later, after seeing so much success from the restaurant, Arni felt that he was spending too much money on food costs. So he developed Linarco Distributing as a way to have a little more control over the ingredients he used and the distribution of those ingredients. Since this venture began many years ago, they have begun shipping and servicing many Arni’s locations as well as other local stores and restaurants.

Back in 1992, Arni’s son joined the team. His job was to increase sales for the restaurant, and to begin opening more locations. Since then, nine Arni’s Restaurants have opened in and around the city of Indianapolis, with eight of those locations still open to this day. Arni was able to see his business grow, and while I am sad to say that he passed away back in 2002, his legacy still lives on and I am excited to be able to share my experience with you here today.

When you first walk in to the restaurant, two or three happy and smiling hostesses will greet you. It is a warm welcome that makes you feel right at home. You might notice, when looking at the Arni’s logo on the building and the menu, that it says, Meet you at Arni’s. From the atmosphere inside to the staff on duty, you truly do feel that you could just call up some friends and meet for a drink, an appetizer, or a full meal.

We were taken, even though we were early, to our table in the bar. We had a booth that could seat up to six people, but the table would soon be filled with food so it would be all right. Josh, the witty and talented bartender for the evening, was actually our server as well. He was nice, created a lot of conversation throughout the evening, and was quick to ask if everything was okay if we seemed sluggish.

As a matter of fact, Josh began the evening, after grabbing us a couple of waters, by asking us if we were allergic to any certain foods. He said that the menu for the evening was already planned out, but he wanted to make sure that we could enjoy everything that we would later consume. It was a nice touch, and one that I had never experienced before while dining out.

Our dinner reservations were on a Saturday night, and by the time we got there a little before 7:00 PM the place was pretty busy. You could see plenty of servers hustling around the restaurant and coming in and out of the kitchen carrying plates. It actually made me think of when I used to be a server. It didn’t matter which restaurant I worked at, all of the managers would always say, “Make sure you are full hands in, full hands out.” That means that you have your hands full when you walk into the kitchen, and when you leave. It didn’t matter if you were bussing tables or carrying ice to the server stations, your hands always needed to be full.

I said before that there are now eight locations in the state of Indiana. We visited the location on 96^th Street, just before you get to Scotty’s Brewhouse going west. When you are going west on 96^th, on your way to Arni’s, make sure you turn before you get to the restaurant, because if you miss it you are going to have to make a u-turn at the next light. There is no direct entrance to the restaurant headed west. I learned that the hard way.

After we sat down, our server then began to explain the evening to us. He said that we would be getting a lot of food sent out and that he would do his best to match each and every item with something from the bar. He claimed he was a master at making martinis, and he said we were in for a treat. I was ready to get this show on the road. (I had been to Arni’s in the past, and was never disappointed. I knew it was going to be good!)

Kicking Things Off

The first thing to hit the table was their Magnificent Mushrooms. These little guys are huge, and come in a bowl served with a spoon for your convenience. These are fresh mushroom caps stuffed with a cream cheese, sausage, onion, and spices blend and then baked. And when I say baked, I mean baked to perfection. These little guys smelled good and tasted even better. They were sprinkled with even more spice and hit the table steaming hot. And I would much rather eat these hot because it keeps all of the flavors together nicely. After a few bites, I began to get more mushroom flavor than anything else. The stuffing is great, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted more of it and less mushroom. The caps were huge, but a lot of the flavor was boring. You better like mushrooms if you order these. They are good, and I would even consider this one of their signature appetizers.

To drink, we were served two different martinis. The first was a homemade Savannah Peach Martini. This, like most of the drinks we would later consume, were created by Josh. He claims to have been the creator of over one hundred different martinis and has studied drink recipes for years. His résumé proves it. I asked him how many restaurants he has worked at and he said the list of places he has not worked at would be shorter.

The drink, when it first hit the table, looked thick and almost like a smoothie rather than a martini. And it was, in fact, quite thick upon tasting it. The drink calls for heavy cream and it shows when it hits your lips. But it is so good. The flavors in this drink reminded me of an orange popsicle or something similar. It made me feel like summer, sitting outside with my pinky in the air drinking my adult beverage every so delicately. And you might not think so, but the peach flavors went quite well with the mushroom caps.

The next drink I did not like as much. It was called the Blue Raspberry Martini and tasted almost rushed. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable – it was, but it was boring compared to the first one. This drink was indeed blue, and you could taste that it had more alcohol in it. It almost reminded me of Kool-Aid for a moment. It drinks very smooth as well, even through that heavy alcohol taste, and surprisingly went well with the mushroom caps too. I would not order one, but am glad I got to try more than one martini from this master of drinks.

Trying to Eat Healthy

Now it was time for a salad to try. Out came the Arni’s Famous Jr. Salad. And yes, it is famous. And yes, it is delicious. This salad, after you have eaten it once, will give you cravings late at night for another bite. Not to mention the five dressings that are all made in-house that you can order with it. But really, this salad is incredible. It is so good that I wish we had just been served this and a gallon of dressing.

The salad is served with lettuce, turkey, ham, and mozzarella cheese and garnished with green onions, croutons, and radishes. You even get a thick slice of garlic bread on the side of the bowl to help you scoop up the last bite. And out of everything on this salad, the only thing I picked off was the radishes. Never been a fan of these, and probably never will. But when you see this salad, you just want to hang out with it for a minute. It’s that pretty and it tastes so much better than it looks.

The dressings made their way to the table next. First we had the bleu cheese, then the thousand island, the herb vinaigrette (think balsamic), celery seed (does not taste like celery at all) and the sweet and tangy French. This dressing alone could be a meal. I am telling you people, the French dressing on the Arni’s Famous Jr. Salad will be my last meal. Epic would be the only word you could use to describe this salad. All right, enough about the salad. (If you want to get a slightly larger salad, for just a couple of bucks more you can order an Arni’s Famous Senior Salad. This is the same great salad, just served in a larger bowl.)

With our salads we were served a couple of glasses of wine. First was the house cabernet. Next came the house Pinot Grigio. Nothing special here, a house wine is a house wine. However, after taking a few sniffy sniffs (you can thank Gary Vaynerchuk for that one), I was intrigued. The wines, from the nose to the finish, were much deeper than a typical house wine. A lot more body in the cabernet and a crisp, almost pepper after taste with the Pinot made me want another glass! Considering these are around $5 a glass, they make for a nice choice before your meal, after your meal, and even during.

Time for the Good Stuff

It was now time for the entrees! This is my favorite part of any meal. The first thing to hit the table was their famous (they have a lot of famous menu items it seems) pizza. Remember I talked about how much I liked pizza? This is why I came – this right here! It was even my favorite, a supreme. The more toppings you can pile on top the better. I love the meats, the cheeses, and the veggies just the same.

The pizza was their seven inch version (also served in ten and fourteen inch pies), which is perfect for lunch if you are in a hurry, or even for dinner with a side Jr. salad. We were also served two sandwiches. The first was the hot Sicilian served with sweet potato fries. The other was their Havana stack with onion straws. As Sheryl and I sat there staring at all this food, already starting to get full from the appetizers, salad, and drinks, we crossed our fingers and dug in.

I started with the pizza. I have to tell you, the pizza is not typical. The crust is thin (which I usually hate) and it gives you a familiar taste that you wouldn’t associate with pizza necessarily. Do you remember the little pizzas you used to get growing up that came in the red box and took maybe five minutes in the microwave and ten in the oven? If you don’t know what I am talking about, never mind. But if you do, then this is what you are reminded of. I don’t care what you say, those pizzas are good. And this one not only tastes like that childhood memory, it takes it to a whole new level. Oh so good.

By the time I had eaten half of the pizza, I had almost forgotten there were two huge sandwiches waiting for me. I started by grabbing a handful of the sweet potato fries. Wow is about all I can say about those. Just wow. They are truly that good. I have heard good things about the sweet potato fries at Scotty’s Lakehouse, but I don’t know if they can stack up to these suckers.

The sandwich was good but it was almost too much. This sandwich had ham, salami, pepperoni, onions, banana peppers, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, lettuce, tomato, and was topped with a good helping of sun-dried tomato dressing. By the time you take a bite you are confused to what you are even eating. But in my first bite, I got a ton of banana pepper and an over load of ham and pepperoni. But the second bite gave me a hint of the dressing and a more subtle, bread-heavy flavor. Each bite tasted different and was based on where you are in the sandwich. It was good, but I’m not sure I would order it. Maybe just an order of the sweet potato fries!

The other sandwich was about the same in terms of enjoyment. This is Arni’s version of a Cuban sandwich and is a pile of pulled pork, sliced ham, provolone cheese, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, and pickles. But what made this sandwich unique was the mustard. This is not your momma’s mustard. This stuff is fire in your mouth. Holy crap is this stuff hot. And oh so good. It is stone ground, and tastes like there is a heaping pile of peppers in every bite. My eyes were watering after the first, second, and third bite and all I wanted was more of that mustard. I have heard warnings about their signature mustard, and I must say, it is true. It’s hot and I like it.

Leave Room for the Sweet Stuff

I am out of room by this time. I can’t eat another bite. Oh yeah, we have dessert coming. Like I have room for ice cream. Well, I guess there is always room for ice cream. But we didn’t start there, we started behind the bar. First up was a drink titled The Toffee. It was a hot beverage, which I dislike right off the bat, and was said to taste like toffee. Go figure, hence the name. It’s not coffee…it’s toffee. And it was good, after it cooled down, but not something I would ever order. It fits more into the hands of a female if you ask me.

Being the martini master that he is, next came a Cappuccino Martini. There are two versions of this, one made with Godiva Light and the other made with Godiva Dark. This one was made with Godiva White. The drink was a lot prettier than it tasted. It was terrible. And I am not trying to degrade his ability to make a martini, but this tasted more like water than it did a martini. It was boring, bland, and quite frankly weak on every accord. I had Sheryl taste it, and she said the same. We drank half, and left it for the birds.

Out came the desserts. First was the apple pie ala mode. See, I told you there would be ice cream. Next to that was a huge slice of red velvet cake. He sat down two spoons and we were off. I started with the red velvet cake and about threw up when I took my first bite. I took a second just to see if there was something wrong with the first one, but no, the cake was just bad. I pushed it to the side for Sheryl to try. She takes one bite, and was in love. She finished the whole thing up. But she, at the same time I pushed the red velvet to the side, tossed the apple pie to the side. So I took a stab at that. Now that is what dessert is supposed to taste like. The ice cream matched with the apples and the pie crust was a perfect way to end my meal. And it was a good thing it was over, I was stuffed. There wasn’t room for another bite.

Arni’s might not be the best restaurant in Indianapolis, but it is one of my favorites. They take simple things, like a slice of pizza or a piece of pie, and make it their own. You have a ton of talent behind the bar, years of experience in the kitchen, and an undying passion from every server walking the floor. In speaking with the general manager after our meal, it became evident that this is not a job for these people. It is fun, enjoyable through and through, and something that everyone working there looks forward to.

I could not have been happier when I left there. We waddled our way to the car and headed home for a night lounging and relaxation. Arni’s is a great place for a lunch meeting, a dinner date, or just a beer after work. I have been to Arni’s before, and I will definitely go again. It was too good not to. I need more of that French dressing and that Jr. salad! Thank you to everyone at Arni’s Restaurant, it was a pleasure working with such a fine establishment like yours. I look forward to seeing you all at Arni’s soon.

Have you been to Arni’s? What did you order? Did you have a good experience?