The Hungry Hoosier

Burgers and Dogs: If These Foods Could Talk

Published in red hot newspapers on Febuary 28, 2008

I’ve got a feeling that if hamburgers and hot dogs could talk, each might confess their jealousy of the other. Maybe it kills the burger that hot dogs are “All-American” and stadiums everywhere are filled with fans devouring lots and lots of hot dogs. The ESPN-televised contests where competitive eaters gorge on dogs, probably drives the burger crazy.

Even though the hot dog has it so great, there’s lots to get worked up when it comes to the high-profile status of the burger. In most places in the U.S., the number of burger restaurants outnumber hot dogs joints by at least ten to one. Hamburgers even have an ever-present sidekick. The simpatico relationship between burgers and fries probably leaves even the most popular hot dog feeling a bit lonely. What is life without a best friend?

I’m not sure what we eat most of here in the Hoosier State. We probably eat our fair share, and perhaps more, of both. In Northwest Indiana, the spillover of Chicago’s love for meat in a tube, has made hot dogs a long-time stand-by in “d’Region.” In the rest of the state, finding a great hamburger has been a much easier task than procuring the top dog. That, however, is starting to change. Every few months, a new hot dog place is staking its claim into the our state’s mid-section. It is an exciting time in Hoosier hot dog history.

There are three relatively new eateries offering terrific hot dogs and one place where even health- and eco-conscious locavoires can find wieners made from locally-raised beef that has been grass-fed and is free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

Sweet Home Chicago, Brownsburg
Chicago native Barry Neary had been a Hoosier for 18 years before he decided to bring a taste of the Windy City to his new home town. Sweet Home Chicago in Brownsburg serves lots of Chicago mainstays but his dogs are the real deal all-beef Vienna beef served on poppy seed buns. The Chicago-style is just like it should be with neon-green relish, sport peppers, and the rest of the trimmings. Sweet Home Chicago is located at 680 E. 56th St., Suite 1 in Brownsburg. They can be reached by phone at 317-852-7581. They are open Monday - Saturday from 10:30 am to 9:00 pm and Sunday from 11:30 am to 7:00 pm. More information, including their full menu is available at www.sweethomechicagofood.com

King David Dogs, Indianapolis
Long time Indianapolis-area residents might remember the King David Dogs brand of hot dogs, made in Indy by the Hene brothers and available at retail outlets all over the city at the time. King David Dogs went away but was recently resurrected by Brent Joseph, grandson of one of the brothers. Recreating the original hot dog recipe, Brent and business partner Matt Hursh now feed downtown diners with loads of hot dog options. The Chicago influence is evident here too with steamed poppy seed buns, and a Chicago Dog on the menu, but the choices go way beyond that. This place is a hot dog lover’s dream come true. King David Dogs is located at 15 N. Pennsylvania and they are open Monday through Friday from 11 am to 4 pm. They can be reached by phone at 317-632-DOGS. More information, including a full menu, is available at www.kingdaviddogs.com.

Chicago Red Hots, Lafayette
Family obligations brought George and Judy to Lafayette from Chicago but they just couldn’t their favorite Chi-town eats of their minds. About a month ago they opened Chicago Red Hots serving dogs, Italian sausage, and Italian beef, all made the Chicago way. This is a true “stand” with no seating. They do, however, have a drive through. They are all set for this Fall’s Boilermaker tailgate season with party packs that will feed a hungry crowd. Chicago Red Hots is located at 350 and Concord Rd. They can be reached by phone at 765-474-8500 and they are open Monday through Saturday from 11 am until 8 pm.

Goose the Market, Indianapolis
Goose the Market continues to be the go-to place for all sorts of locally-raised meats and poultry including all-beef hit dogs. If you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your dog, pick them up from Goose and make your own. Goose the Market is located at 2503 N. Delaware St. They can be reached by phone at 317-924-4944 and online at www.goosethemarket.com. They are open Monday through Friday 10 am to 8 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm.

Frozen Custard Igloo, Lafayette

This may be the most food I have ever had for $4.99 and at the time they had a buy a basket get another 1/2 off! I was alone so I could not take advantage of the extra bargain. The Igloo's basket meal comes with a giant sandwich (a tenderloin in my case) an enormous serving of fries, and a 32-ounce drink. The tenderloin was made of ground pork (which is not my favorite) but, hey, I'm not complaining for the price. Talk about a Value Meal! The Igloo location where I ate was 1817 Troxel Drive in Lafayette. They can be reached by phone at 765-474-4566. Their other location is 4909 Tazer Drive and the phone number is 765-449-0100.

Beutler Meats, Lafayette

Last weekend, I was making a rather nice dinner for some friends and a whole beef tenderloin was going to be the entree. This dinner for six was actually something I auctioned off for charity and it went for a significant amount of money so I wanted it to be of the highest quality. My description of the auction indicated that I would be using fresh, local ingredients. You can see the menu here. I ended up using products and ingredients from 11 different Indiana farms or businesses.

I really debated with myself about the tenderloin. The best case scenario would have been a grass-fed, local, fresh piece of beef but I couldn't find anything that met all of those criteria. All the grass-fed beef I could find was frozen. The only fresh grass-fed beef I could find was at Wild Oats and when I asked where it came from the answer was an origin that required a boat, a planes, several trucks, and loads of fossil fuels to get it to Indiana. Not exactly local. I ended up with a tenderloin from Joe's Butcher Shop and Fish Market. It was not grass-fed bit it was free of antibiotics, and growth hormones. It came from a few states away and the price was great - $13.99 a pound.

A few days later I learned that I would have had another option had I known about them. Beutler Meats in Lafayette carries only Indiana beef and they have both fresh and frozen. It comes from conventionally raised cattle. The dinner party was over but once I learned about Beutler, I wanted to check them out. I stopped by a picked up a rib steak. I had not heard of this cut before and the helpful staff gave me the 411. What I had in-hand was a large-end rib steak which is a cut from very near the ribeye. I grilled it last night and found it a very good steak. Beutlers knows what they are doing, having been in business for over 50 years. If fresh, local, conventionally-raised beef is important to you, visit Beutlers at 801 South First Street in Lafayette.

BL(FG)T

A mid-week visit to the Lafayette Farmer's Market yielded green tomatoes, garlic, green leaf lettuce, gooseberries, and sour dough bread. For dinner that night I decided on the following - Bacon, Lettuce, and Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic Aioli on Sourdough and a Gooseberry Pie for dessert. More on the pie later. The sandwich was pretty simple. Here are the ingredients and instructions.

BL(FG)T

• 8 slices of thick-cut bacon
• 1 head of garlic
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Kosher salt, pinch
• Cracked black pepper, couple turns
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green tomatoes
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• Kosher salt, pinch
• Cracked black pepper, several turns
• Cayenne pepper, pinch
• Sweet paprika, two pinches
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 2 large leaves of green lettuce

The long list of ingredients makes this look harder than it is. Like most sandwiches, there are several components involved. The only potentially tricky part of this recipe is that fried green tomatoes have a VERY short window within which they are at their penultimate condition. They tend to get soggy very quickly. So, get all the other components of the sandwich ready to go before starting on the tomatoes. This recipe makes for two sandwiches.

Tomatoes - you want to look for the firmest green tomatoes you can find. Wash them and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place the slices on a plate and add a pinch of salt to each one. This will draw out some of the moisture. Let these sit while you do the steps below.

Bacon - cook the bacon as you normality would. When I have the time, my preferred method is to cook in the oven using a wire roasting rack atop a cookie sheet. Bake this at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. You need to use the oven for the garlic anyway, so you may want to try this.

Garlic - using a knife, cut the top off the head of garlic just exposing the cloves inside. Place the head, cut side up into a square of foil. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic head and add a pinch of salt and a couple turns on the pepper grinder, to add pepper. Bunch up the foil to completely cover the garlic. Place in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

Aioli - I'm not brave enough to make my own mayonnaise so I cheat a bit for the aioli. Put the mayo in a small mixing bowl. Squeeze out a couple cloves of the roasted garlic and use a spoon to smash into the mayo. Next, drizzle in the tablespoon of olive oil whisking with a wire whisk. Now you've got your aioli. Refrigerate until ready.

Dredging Flour and frying oil- in a shallow pan (I use a pie plate) mix together the 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, and the paprika. In a cast iron skillet add the canola oil and heat to high heat.

Bread - lightly toast the sourdough bread. Once toasted, spread each piece with the aioli, break bacon slices in two and put half on one piece of the toast and the other half on another. Put the lettuce on the remaining pieces of toast.

Frying the Tomatoes - use a paper towel to dab the tomatoes to remove any excess moisture. Dredge both sides of each tomato in the flour mixture, shake off the excess, and place in the hot oil. Let cook for about 30 seconds or until browned. Flip over each tomato for an additional 30 seconds or until the second slide is brown. Transfer fried tomato slices to paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Add the fried green tomatoes to the toast and assemble the two sandwiches. Serve immediately.

McCord's Candy Shop, Lafayette

When we moved to Indiana from Chattanooga, where we attended college and graduate school, a Chattanooga friend of ours, who had attended Purdue, ask us, occasionally, to stop by McCord Candy Shop in Lafayette to pick up and send her a half-gallon jug of vanilla syrup which she used to make "Vanilla Diet Cokes." OK, that was a long convoluted sentence but hopefully it got the point across. Anyway, she obviously loves the stuff. For some strange reason it took me 11 years to stop by McCord Candy Shop to sample some of their goods for myself. Big mistake! This place is incredible!

In operation since 1912, McCord not only sells candy, but they also serve breakfast and lunch. The most notable feature, in my opinion, is that they still operate an old fashioned soda fountain. Besides the aforementioned vanilla syrup, they make over a dozen other flavors, to be added to carbonated water, stirred by hand, and served to thirsty patrons. They even serve their Coke products this way. I ordered a Caffeine Free Diet Coke and was amazed to watch the soda jerkette (it was a woman) pour a little Caffeine Free Diet Coke syrup into my cup and add the ice and carbonated water and whip it around with a frenzied long-spooned stir. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time I've ever been served a Diet Coke mixed by hand. It was delicious.

The menu (available here) is extensive, with loads of sandwiches, soups, and lots of ice cream treats. My eyes were drawn to a sandwich called an Olive and Nut. I inquired as to the nature of this odd sounding item and learned that it is their own sandwich creation consisting of a spread made with cream cheese, green olives, and cashews served on whole wheat bread. Sold! It came with chips and cost an amazingly low $2.00!

I was blown away by my McCord experience. I didn't get any candy on my out this time but checked it out for next time. I'll definitely be back. McCord Candy Shop is located at 6th and Main in downtown Lafayette. Their phone number is 765-742-4441.

South Street Smokehouse

I really want to love South Street Smokehouse in Lafayette, Indiana. I like the feel of the place and the people are friendly but there is one little problem - I taste absolutely no smoke in their BBQ. It's in the name for cryin' out loud yet I don't taste a trace of smoke. The meat is tender, moist, but smokeless. I'm sure many people like this type of BBQ but it leaves me a bit unsatisfied. Still, it gets a thumbs up from the Hungry Hoosier.

The Hungry Hoosier Rides Again

Originally published in the Lebanon Reporter on January 19, 2005

Occasionally in this column, I file a field report of my travels around the state in search of food, family, and community. So just in case you find yourself out and about in various parts of the state, you’ll have dining options that will be much more interesting than the standard Interstate fast food. Today’s field report includes Texas-style BBQ; to-die-for tamales; some good, fast soup; a hearty bowl of chicken and dumplings; amazing cheesecake; and mile-high coconut pie.

Crescent Moon Cheesecake Company

Ric Spaulding has been baking cheesecakes for over 20 years. His Lafayette-based Crescent Moon Cheesecake Company offers about 16 different varieties at any one time. I’m a cheesecake purist, so I’ve only tried the traditional plain version and I can honestly say it is some of the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. Cheesecakes range from $28.95 - $36.95. These five-pound cakes serve 12-14.

Taste of Texas

This is one I go out of the way for. There are many things I love about Indiana but one thing I really dislike is the lack of great BBQ. I’ve lived in both Texas and the Southeastern US and have an appreciation for both pulled pork and beef brisket. I’ve found a couple of places that do an adequate job with pork but only one place that can do justice to brisket - Taste of Texas in Upland, Indiana. Their brisket is as good as any I had while living in the Lone Star State. It is tender, smoky, and amazing. Taste of Texas will soon be opening a second location in Muncie. Taste of Texas is located at I69 & State Rd. 22 in Upland, Indiana. Their phone number is 765-998-7000.

The Other Place

I found myself in Winamac, Indiana a couple of months ago with an empty stomach and only 15 minutes to find something to eat. There are not too many choices in this small town so the first restaurant I found was The Other Place. On the special board was Stuffed Green Pepper Soup. That sounded good and quick so I placed my order. It showed up in no time at all and really hot the spot. If you find yourself in Winamac with 15 minutes to eat, The Other Place is a good bet. The other place is located at 103 South Monticello Street in Winamac, Indiana. Their phone number is 574-946-7250

Windells Café

If ever in Dale, Indiana stop for a meal at Windell’s Café known for their chicken and dumplings and coconut cream pie. I tried both. The dumplings were in a very thick sauce and the chicken was shredded and placed on top of the bowl of dumplings. These were not the chicken and dumplings with which I grew up, but there were flavorful and certainly satisfying. The pie was a big hit. They use coconut in both the pie and the meringue for a double shot of coconut flavor. Windell's is certainly worth checking out.

The Tamale Place

Who could have predicted that the Northwest side if Indianapolis would become a melting pot with family-owned restaurants representing multiple nationalities. One of the best is The Tamale Place. There unique eatery offers 8-10 types of tamales each day. They are listed in a dry-erase board where they also keep a tally letting customers know how many of each is left. My favorite so far is the chicken chipotle. The chocolate tamale has me curious. They open at 9 am so you can even get a tamale for breakfast if you want it. The Tamale Place is located at 5242 Rockville Road in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their phone number is 317-248-9777.

Crescent Moon Cheescake Company

After about my third birthday I began requesting cheesecake instead of the traditional birthday cake. If I never have frosting again my life would be just as complete. Try to take away cheesecake, however, and you might have a fight on your hands.

For me, the ideal cheesecake is thick and dense - none of this fluffy whipped stuff. I'm also a purest. I think cheesecake with a hint of lemon is an abomination and on the rare occasion when I bite into a lemon-laced forkful of a post-dinner cheesecake, it just about ruins the entire meal for me. I'm also not a fan of cheesecakes pretending to be Oreo cookies or snickerdoodles or anything else. I'm of the plain-cheesecake mindset and keep your fruit topping to yourself, thank you. My beverage of choice with cheesecake is an ice cold Diet Coke (they cancel each other out right?). Coffee is a close second.

Anyway, I have found the cheesecake mecca in Lafayette, Indiana. The Crescent Moon Cheesecake Company makes one of the best commercial cheesecakes I have ever tasted. Owner Ric Spaulding has perfected his craft over the last 20 years. He also makes a great cinnamon roll. Give Crescent Moon a try. You'll be glad you did.