The Hungry Hoosier

Italian Beef Sandwich at the Sportsman Bar, Monterey

A reader of this site dropped me an email with a recommendation. She granted permission to post her remarks.

Travel the back country roads of Pulaski County to the little jewel of Monterey, population  about 200. Only county roads lead to this area, west of Highway 17, and east of Highway 35.  Monterey was a once railroad town of the early 1900's, even boasting a Limburger cheese factory.  But alas, interstate highways and the death of the rails has reduced this town.  It boasts two churches, a beautiful library, a bank, hardware, and post office.  And two bars -- saloons, if I may, located across from each other at the main cross streets.

Quite by accident, my daughter & I stopped in the Sportsman Bar for a cool drink on a hot day.  We left with smiles on our faces after consuming the best ever Italian Beef sandwich we ever had.  (We once had our own restaurant, and are both very good cooks with a good IB in our repertoire.  Italian Beef has been a regular Christmas Eve fare for years.)

The Sportsman's Italian beef is an excellent sandwich, huge, well seasoned, and served with melted cheese!  The bun is toasted and crispy.  Of course it is served with au jus, and peppers and if you have room, there will be chips on your plate.  And what a bargain -- the 6" sandwich is about $7 and big enough for two.  (But we do not share!)   They also offer a 12" sandwich.  (My son-in-law orders this, eats half, and takes the rest home for dinner.)

They also have a "garbage pizza" which is awesome, immense, and under $20.  Five of us, all adults with good appetites, ordered this, ate our fill,  and took left-overs home.

I believe they do not have a cook during the week, but this is a wonderful weekend lunch and well worth a side trip.  The ambiance is what you would expect in a neighborhood bar -- NASCAR decor, pool table, and loud tv.

We are recent transplants to this area from Valparaiso, and enjoyed varied urban & Chicago dining.  We were skeptical of eating locally when we moved here 3 years ago.  What an awakening we had! My family drives here from Valparaiso when they get hungry for Italian Beef (about 50 miles). - Nancy

Sportsman Bar is located at 6215 on East Main Street in Montery.

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.

Soup IS Good Food

As a kid, when I asked the question, "What's for dinner?" The answer I dreaded was "Soup." At my house that usually meant vegetable soup and that just didn't seem to me like a real meal. I'm still not a big fan of vegetable soup even though Lisa fixes it occasionally (as far as vegetable soups are concerned, hers is good). There are other soups that I like much better. I don't make soup very often. The exception is a Green Olive Soup that I usually make for Christmas. You can find the recipe here. Good old Campbell's Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese is a standby at our house. One of our friends, Eric, says he likes, "Cream Of" soup. Cream of anything (chicken, mushroom, etc.) works for him.   

Last night business took me to Winamac, Indiana (pop. 2,439) for an evening meeting. We arrived in town at 5:45 pm and our meeting was at 6 pm. My boss, who accompanied me, said, "Why don't we get a bite to eat before the meeting." I looked at my watch and said, "How in the world can we find a place to eat, eat, and then get to the meeting in just 15 minutes?" He replied, "O, we'll just find a place to get a good bowl of soup." Well, he is the boss so I agreed. We turned the corner and there was a little restaurant called "The Other Place." We went inside and sure enough, on the special board was Stuffed Green Pepper Soup. "We'll take two bowls." We were served immediately, ate at a moderate pace, and made it to our meeting by 6 pm.

The soup was good - warm and satisfying. I would have liked to spice it up with some hot sauce but none was offered and I didn't see our server again until after my bowl was empty. If you are ever in Winamac, Indiana and need to eat in 15 minutes, check out The Other Place located at 103 South Monticello Street.

Stuffed Green Pepper Soup was not something I have had before but it caused me to think about what other soups are out there that are the soup versions of other non-soup meals. Loaded Potato Soup and Taco Soup are two that I've run across. Can anyone think of others?