My Favorite Restaurants

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a food critic.  I like food.  I enjoy food.  Food fills my belly and makes me smile (or groan), but I am not a critic.  However, last week, Katie and I had a conversation about our favorite restaurants, and this got me thinking about some of my favorite restaurants, and I thought I’d share them with you.  So, in no certain order.

1. Besh Steak, New Orleans – You are going to see a bit of a theme in some of these restaurants.  Katie and I had the good fortune of going to New Orleans last year to help out her mom’s office at a conference.  We got to eat on the office for a couple of days, and then spent a good chunk of our vacation money buying nice meals for ourselves.  I had the 38 oz Cowboy Steak, which was a giant bone-in ribeye that was perfectly cooked.  Sometimes, when it is quiet, I still think about that steak.
2. Domenica, New Orleans – While I’m at it, I might as well go on to mention all of the New Orleans places.  Domenica was the first place that we ate in New Orleans, and it was a sign of things to come.  I decided here that I was going to try something different at each place we went to eat.  I had goat.  It was awesome.
3. Mr. B’s Bistro, New Orleans – This was not a restaurant that we had originally planned on going to.  There was an oyster house not far from here, but the line was out the door and around the block.  Mr. B’s just happened to be on the corner where we noticed.  Phenomenal.  I had the red snapper (I think, it may have been the red grouper, I don’t really remember).  This is the first place that I ever had grits that I actually liked.  Katie had some barbecue shrimp, but I’ll let her tell you about it another time.
4. Court of Two Sisters, New Orleans – The new thing I had to eat here was turtle soup.  Not too bad.  I had a turtle once, but got tired of taking care of it, so I let it go free at the creek near my friend’s house.  It probably died, but I’m going to assume it had a long, happy life, and he is chilling out near the creek with a wife and 30 kids by now.
5. Brennan’s, New Orleans – The place for breakfast in New Orleans.  At least, if you want to drink for breakfast.  It’s the only place I’ve ever been that had cocktails on the breakfast menu.  I ended up getting the Oysters Benedict, which we all right.  The real star of the show, however, was the Bananas Foster.  Maybe you’ve heard of Bananas Foster.  You can thank Brennan’s for it.  This is the place where Bananas Foster was originally created, and it is amazing.  Don’t know what it is?  Look it up, and be prepared to drool.
6. Bacco, New Orleans – Katie and I were out walking in the French Quarter when it started to pour.  We had reservations at Bacco, and ended up getting there early and soaking wet in our jeans and t-shirts.  Surprisingly, they didn’t put us in a back room.  In fact, we were sitting right next to the window, so everybody passing by could see us in our “drowned rat” glory.  Anyhoo!  Bacco Shrimp.  Amazing.  Four sticks of butter per order.  Maybe it’s a good thing we don’t live in New Orleans.
7. Charlie’s Seafood, Harahan – We still lump this together with the New Orleans restaurants, but it is actually outside of New Orleans.  Katie and I were visiting with a friend of hers who lives in New Orleans, and this is where we went for lunch one day.  It looks like a total hole-in-the-wall, but it is incredible.  We had a crawfish boil that blew me away.  I also had my first Po’ Boy here.  The owner is a James Beard Award winning chef, and we met him.  He is a friend of Katie’s friend, which practically makes us related.  Someday, we’re going to have a crawfish boil at our house.  It will be awesome.
8. Chiefs, Greencastle – Moving a little closer to home here, but still staying with the New Orleans theme.  Chiefs is located just a few blocks from Katie’s office.  After I received word that I was approved for ordination, we went to dinner here to celebrate.  We had been there before and it was pretty good.  This time I got the Voodoo Strip Steak and had an explosion of flavors in my mouth that ranked right up there with the Besh Steak experience.
9. Cheesecake Factory, Las Vegas – I believe this is the first chain that’s one my list.  The first time we went to the Cheesecake Factory was in Las Vegas on our honeymoon.  As boring as it sounds, I had the meatloaf, and it was really, really good.  We have since been to the one on the north side of Indy a couple of times, and the hardest thing about going there is that the menu is massive and it all looks delicious.
10. ESPN Zone, Las Vegas – Another honeymoon memory here.  We went for lunch one day.  The place is amazing.  There are televisions everywhere, and you have a box at your table where you can tune into any of the ESPN stations.  There are two things that I really remember about this place: 1) the nachos were fantastic, and 2) Scott Rolen had just been traded to the Cardinals, and the press conference was on.  Guess what we watched.
11. The Beef House, Covington – This is what really started the whole conversation.  Katie and I had just finished eating at The Beef House, and she mentioned that she liked it, but it wasn’t in her Top 20 favorite restaurants.  I couldn’t believe it.  My wife is seriously looney.
12. The Claddagh Irish Pub, Plainfield – I’ve been here a few times, and every time, it was really good.  I can’t say the same for the downtown Indy location though.  I’ve only been there once, and it was pretty disappointing.  If you are headed out to Metropolis in Plainfield, though, you won’t be disappointed… except by the fact that your stomach can’t hold more of it.
13. B.J.’s Brewhouse, Greenwood – I love this place.  They handcraft their own root beer, and it is amazing.  It actually got me interested in micro-brewed root beer in the first place.  The food is also top notch.  I can’t say that I’ve ever been disappointed by anything that I’ve had to eat there.  But, seriously, get the root beer.
14. Gloria’s, Arlington – We went to visit some good friends in Texas a couple months ago, and they took us out to this place.  It was really good.  It was the first time that I had quail, and it didn’t disappoint.  In fact, the quail were so small that I ate two of them – that’s how it came from the menu, I didn’t eat two meals.
15. Sonny’s BBQ, various – Not a high class place, but always a good meal.  I love barbecue, and Sonny’s is some of the best that’s out there.  On our way back from Knoxville recently, Katie and I stopped at the Sam’s Club on the west side of Lexington and bought three giant bottles of Sonny’s sweet BBQ sauce.  Probably the best sauce around.
16. St. Elmo’s, Indianapolis – The restaurants in Indianapolis have this thing called Devour Downtown, and they offer special deals during this time.  That’s the only way that Katie and I could have gone to this place.  It’s pretty expensive.  There’s an inside joke for people that have gone here.  It’s to try to get other people to get the fiery shrimp cocktail.  That stuff will clear your sinuses all the way back to 1845.  Be prepared to cry.
17. Scotty’s Brewhouse, Indy area – On the website, they say that there are five locations.  I’ve eaten at four of them, and the food is just as good at every place.  The menu is varied enough that there is something for everybody.  The only real complaint I have about Scotty’s is the decor.  Seriously.  There’s Cubs paraphernalia everywhere.  It makes it difficult to eat there at times.  Plus, you can follow the owner on Twitter (@brewhouse), and he’ll reply to your tweets about being there.  Very gracious, and the service is always good.
18. Boston Market, various – Okay, I can’t go this far without extolling the virtues of one of my favorite “fast food” restaurants.  Unfortunately, Boston Market is becoming scarce in these parts.  The only one that I know about now is on 86th St in Indianapolis near St. Vincent’s Hospital.  But, if I ever make a hospital visit around lunch time, I know where I’m going.
19. Bella Note, Lexington – One of Katie’s favorite places in Lexington.  We ate there just a couple weeks ago, and it is still just as good.  It’s an Italian restaurant, and they make their own sauce.  It’s really good.
20. My House, Veedersburg (but subject to relocation at the discretion of the bishop) – Seriously.  Some of the best meals that I have ever had have been made at home.  Whether it is from the oven or grill, there are some things that I just like to make and eat right at home.  Plus, it doesn’t hurt that my wife is an awesome cook.