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.

O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers, West Lafayette

Some of my fondest memories of our two trips to the UK are the lazy hours wiled away at pubs. Several hours of our first day, in fact, where spent at a small pub in Cambridge. It was cold and rainy and we were jet lagged. A quite corner in the pub, travel guides to consult, a few pints, a Ploughman's Platter to nibble on and we were ready to take on the Old World. The rest of that first trip found us visiting many more pubs across the British Isles. They were sometimes busy and sometimes not, but always warm and inviting.

American bars just have a different feel and most attempts at recreating the pub ambiance come off a bit too Disney-esque. You expect to see an animatronic leprechaun in the corner, and sadly sometimes you do.

This is what I expected as I watched the construction progress on a new "Irish pub" being built in West Lafayette. A few days ago, I had some time to kill between the end of the workday and a dinner appointment later that night - not enough time to go home but I didn't feel like staying in the office. I decided I would check out the pub, confirm my pessimistic notions, do some reading over a beer, and then head to my dinner meeting.

Thank goodness I was wrong about O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers. Jerry and Jan O'Bryan have really pulled it off - the perfect hybrid of an Old World pub and a top-notch, up-scale/casual American restaurant. First of all, with a last name like "O'Bryan" they have birthright to lay claim to an Irish theme. Second, as long-time West Lafayette business people they know the community and what will work for the local clientele.

The place is warm and comfortable with seating at the bar, at high tables with stools, or at upholstered window seats - places where you can be right there in the action or off in a quite alcove. I found one of the secluded corners and took a seat. My server showed up immediately to bring me a menu and take care of my beverage needs. The selection of draught beers is exceptional. I settled on a Smithwick's but other choices include Guinness, Murphy's (Stout and Red), Killian's, several other non-Irish imports and a few domestics. I was pleased to learn that O'Bryan's pours 20-ounce "Imperial Pints" because, for me, a 16-ounce glass isn't quite enough. They also offer a best-in-the-region selection of Irish Whiskeys. 

In spite of the aforementioned dinner meeting later that evening, I had worked up quite an appetite due to a post-lunch visit to the gym. As I consulted the menu, a half-order of Guinness Stew ($4.99) caught my eye. I make a pretty good Irish Stew (see recipe here) and was curious as to how O'Bryan's would hold up to mine. I ordered the stew to find out.

The menu is impressive and includes lots of pub favorites like fish and chips ($11.99 or $6.99 for a half order), Bangers and Mashed ($8.99), Shepherds Pie ($8.99 or $6.99 for a half order), and a Full Irish Breakfast ($6.99) served all day. A few other Irish-inspired fish, chicken, and beef dishes round out the entrees. The menu also includes a nice selection of sandwiches, salads, and appetizers.

The stew showed up at my table amazingly fast. It came in a lovely earthenware crock with a generous scoop of mashed potatoes resting on top. It was exceptional, even giving mine a run for its money - tender beef, potatoes and carrots, and a deeply flavorful stout gravy.

I don't have plans to return to the U.K. anytime soon but I do plan frequent visits to O'Bryan's. Actually, I've already been there more than once. With a big screen plasma TV and quiet corners O'Bryan's is the perfect place to both watch the big game with the gang or to quietly melt away a cold January rain with a good book. I look forward to future visits to do both.

O"Bryan's is a non-smoking, 21-and-over establishment and is open 11 am to 1 am Monday through Saturday and 11 am to Midnight on Sundays. They maintain a website and blog here where you can get lots more information including the menu.

Congratulations to Justin Miller

Justin Miller of West Lafayette  is the winner of the September "Where in Indiana" contest for correctly identifying the location of fountain drink recipes. This can be found at the Discount Den in West Lafayette. Justin will win an item from the Hungry Hoosier Store.

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.

Vienna Espresso Bar & Bakery, West Lafayette

Porter, Coltrane, Armstrong, Parker, & Redding - It sounds like a standards-jazz-soul lover's answer to the question, "Who do you want to meet in heaven?" but it is actually the sandwich line-up at the Vienna Espresso Bar and Bakery. This place has been an institution in West Lafayette, Indiana for as long as I've been around the area, so at least ten or 11 years. The sandwich selections have been the same that whole time as well. The Cole Porter, the John Coltrane, the Louis Armstrong, the Charlie Parker, and the Otis Redding. They don't print a menu, so I snapped the photo of the whiteboard to give you an idea of what they have to offer. Besides the sandwiches, they've got a few salads, some great baked goods, and a full espresso menu.

They also offer free WiFi so it is a great place to semi-escape and still get some work done. On my last visit I took some work-related reading material and settled in with a lemon bar and a mug of java. This place is laid back and you can while away the hours with no pressure to vacate your seat. You'll see an eclectic mix of students and faculty of all ranges and seating is available at tables, couches, or outside.

Vienna is located at 208 South Street in West Lafayette, Indiana. They are open Monday - Friday from 8 am to 1 am and Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 1 am. They can be reached by phone at 765-743-4446.   

Basil Thai & Bubble Tea, West Lafayette (Lunch with Bubbles)

"Bubbles" is neither a chimp nor a burlesque performer. You'll have to keep reading to find out about my lunch with Bubbles. One great bonus of working on the campus of a large university is the access to a great variety of inexpensive ethnic foods. Basil Thai & Bubble Tea is one of those great places. On a recent visit I enjoyed a spicy Pad Kee Mow (stir-fried Thai noodles with basil, onion, bell pepper, brocolli, chicken, and lots and lots of heat.) This is a great bargin for just $6.50. Nothing on the menu (available here) is over $7.95.

To cool things off I ordered a Mango Snow with Bubbles ($3.25). This blended drink includes mango, ice, and cream. The "bubbles" refers to the tapioca pearls resting on the bottom of the cup. These bubbles are made with grass jelly and cooked in honey. The result is as much about texture as it is about taste. The extra-wide straw is just roomy enough to allow the quarter-inch sized pearls to zip up the straw into your mouth. This is great stuff. The bubbles are also available in slushes (a Snow without the cream) flavored milk, and flavored teas. All total, there are over 50 varieties of drinks available.

Basil Thai & Bubble Tea is located inn West Lafayette, Indiana at 135 S. Chauncy Ave (Chauncey Hill Mall). They are open Monday - Saturday from 11:30 am to 10 pm and Sunday from noon to 9 pm. Take-Out and Catering is also available. They can be reached by phone at 765-743-3330.   

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.