Quote of the Day 2.28.13- Frank Lloyd Wight

"While being young is an accident of time, youth is a permanent state of mind." -Frank Lloyd Wright

 

Quote of the Day 2.27.13- Fedrico Fellini

"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -Fedrico Fellini

Earth Shakers 2.27.13- Mike Reynolds

When people talk about living "off the grid", they generally mean living green, raising their own food and maybe installing a solar panel or two to offset rising food and utility costs. Mike Reynolds takes it a step further.

Mike is the designer of houses that supply their own water, electricity and food. Over the last 40 or so years he has become the Pied Piper of the Green Movement.

Through the use of recycled goods like tires, aluminum cans and plastic soda bottles, Mike has designed homes that are fuel efficient, self sustaining and unbelievably cool looking. He calls these homes Earthships.

To learn more about Earthships and how you can live a self sustained lifestyle follow this link to Mike Reynolds website. http://earthship.com/

A great example of an Earthship

Walls made from recycled cans and plaster

The homes provide their own Eco-systems capable of growing most of the food needed by the residents.

Quote of the Day 2.26.13- Bo Jackson

"People ask me if I could go back and change anything, would I? The answer is no. I danced to my own drum,  I enjoyed everything that I did. No regrets" -Bo Jackson

Quote of the Day 2.25.13 -Anthony Bourdain

"The question for me is always — Was it fun? Answer. Yes."
-Anthony Bourdain

Quote of the Day 2.24.13- Chinese Proverb

"May you live in interesting times.

  May you come to the attention of powerful people.

  May you find what you're looking for."

  -Ancient Chinese Curse

Epic Home Meals- Low Country Boil

A Southern Style Low Country Boil in 8 easy steps.

Want to impress your guests? Well, this is one of the easiest but more impressive meals that you can make.

Prep time:15 Minutes
Cooking time: 45 Minutes Max
Skill Level: Moderate to Easy

Ingredients:
1 lb Mussels

1 lb Shrimp

1/2 lb Kielbasa- Cut
1/2 lb Andouille Sausages- Cut 

1 lb Small Red Potatoes- Halved

3 Ears of Corn- Halved

1 Medium Sweet Onion- Chopped

1 Red Pepper- Sliced

1/2 Cup Celery- Chopped

4 Cloves Garlic- Crushed

2 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Beer

1/2 Tbs Shrimp Boil

Recipe:

1. Warm stock pot and add Olive Oil. Medium heat.

2. Add Celery, Onion and Peppers. Sauté until translucent.

3.Add Garlic. Stir in.

4. Add Stock, Beer and Shrimp Boil. Let ingredients blend. Turn up heat to a low boil.

5. Add Sausages and Potatoes. Cook 10 minutes.

6. Add corn and cook 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

7. Add Shrimp and Mussels cook  until Mussels open and Shrimp are pink.

8. Drain liquid and serve with wine, beer, bread and laughter.

Quote of the Day 2.23.13- Mozzi, White Collar

"It's not about the stuff.  It's about doing what I want to do. Who cares about nine-to-fives and 401-Ks? Playing by the rules only makes... borders. They just... take away.....everything that's good about living life. As long as I don't have to live under anyone else's time or dime, I'm a free man. I can do whatever I want."- Mozzie, White Collar

Quote of the Day- 2.22.13- Tecumseh

"When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."
-Tecumseh

The Chicago Hot Dog Company

I stopped into the Chicago Hot Dog Company with a craving and a hope that it wouldn't just be another dog in a sea of imposters.

The store front is inviting but can get lost in the shuffle on Michigan Road. It's located at 8320 N. Michigan Road, Indianapolis.

Their website:http://www.chdcompany.com/index.html

When you walk in you get a clean and fairly hip place. Chicago urban, bricks and morter.

Which is to be expected. What's not expected is the friendly and attentive service that is blinding fast. When I placed my order, my food was ready before my change was given.

I ordered the Chicago Hot Dog (Of Course) which is a Vienna Beef Dog served with a savory relish, chopped onion, sport peppers, tomato, celery salt and a pickle spear on a poppy sead bun.

Here is what it's supposed to look like:

When mine came out, it looked like this:

Yep, that's a damn fine version of a Chicago Dog. It was unbelieveably tasty for $2.99. It was served up fast and my only "complaint" was that the dog might have had a bit more snap to the casing. Not everyone likes that snap, so... I defer to the method.

Overall, a nice experience and the best dog I've found a hundred miles south of Chicago. 

Union Brewing Company

This brewery, located in a strip mall in Carmel Indiana may just be making the best beers north of 465. Cask conditioned. Real ingredients. They call themselves an artisan brewery and they are.   They truly do very small batches, two barrels at a time.... and they are very good beers.

Located in Suite Q, 622 S Rangeline Rd, Carmel, IN 4603.

You walk into a store front and see the usual stainless steel and such, but as you walk down a hallway you find a hidden gem.

A lovely hidden bar done up in reclaimed barn woods, and during warm weather months you'll have an open air pub because the walls are designed to open like garage doors providing a much larger feeling place than would be thought possible.

Their website

Definitely worth checking out. The staff is nice and they answer any question that you may have.

86th Street Pub

A true neighborhood sports bar, The 86th Street Pub is a great place to watch the Colts play on Sundays. The Colts score and you get free Jello Shots... what could be bad about that?

Good Food. Nice place. Clean.

Their Website

Until you run head on into their week day "Day Bartender", Andrea.

My recommendation, just don't go there during the week. This server is nasty and will treat you according to how much she has had to drink. In my case that means very rudely and aggressively.

I'll probably never go back and if you do I wish you well.

That Tamale Place

For over a year I'd heard talk of a restaurant on the West side of Indianapolis serving Tamales, Tacos and chips. It was supposedly good and I was told that most times you'd have to wait on a table.

I must admit going into this review that I am not a fan of Tamales. I've always found them bland and boring at best. Indiana is not exactly the Tamale capital of the world.

So, that lead me to That Tamale Place 

5226 Rockville Road Indianapolis, Indiana

Their website

We decided to give it a go last Saturday and could have not been more pleased. The menu is limited and they may be sold out of your selections, so get there early. The seating is sparse at best but this madhouse turns out some of the best food you'll get anywhere in town. This is not a traditional sit down and hang out kind of place but the staff is friendly and "get" that they are difficult to understand.

Everything is homemade. Hand made chips. Homemade salsa, fresh black beans..... excellent stuff.

We had the Chicken in Green Sauce and Pork in Green Sauce Tamale combos. For $8.00 you get a handmade Tamale, fresh chips, a tub of salsa, black beans and a drink. You just cannot beat it for value.

Brugge Brasserie

A recent trip to Brugge reminds me of why I come back to this hidden away spot again and again.

A traditional French and Belgian ale house that offers the best Fries and Mussels in the city of Indianapolis.

The restaurant is located at 1101 E. Westfield Boulevard in Indianapolis.

Their website

The Frites: Deep fried in duck fat, served in a paper cup. Hands down the best in Indy. You can pick your dipping sauces from a list of twelve.

Fresh mayonnaise, homemade ketchup, roasted garlic aioli,  horseradish, sweet chili

sea salt & sherry vinegar, blue cheese, aioli, poplar syrup & French Dijon, hot curry,

sauce andalouse, and fresh herb pesto.

I highly recommend the roasted garlic aioli, the herb pesto and my favorite the poplar syrup and French Dijon.

The Charcuterie: A wonderful plate of meats, cheeses, nuts and fruit served with crostini. We chose a selection of three meats.

*Capacollo di Dorman salame: Cured w/ chiles, paprika, black pepper, coriander, & white wine

*Tasso: Rich, dense pecan wood-smoked ham spiced with white pepper, allspice, chiles, & marjoram

*Coppa: Dry cured pork rubbed with sea salt, cane sugar & chiles then aged in natural beef casings; balanced with a spicy kick.

The Charcuterie plate was a great mix and the meats from The Smoking Goose did not disappoint. 

The Mussels: The best place in Indianapolis for mussels, Brugge offers mussels served twelve ways. On this day we had Moules Frites, 2 lbs. of Prince Edward Island mussels served Belgian classic style with wine, stock and herbs.....quite lovely

The Beers:

Tripel de Ripple: A blonde Belgian-style tripel with tons of flavor and a kick,  10% alcohol by volume (limit of 2). One of my favorite local beers, this will make your day just a bit more palatable. 

Their staff is excellent; attentive and can talk you through the menu if you are wondering what to order. 

The Cause

This blog will be done for no other reason than to celebrate life's great moments. Good restaurants, special places and people.

We'll cover great meals, amazing places that don't get the publicity that they deserve and truly special people that are doing really interesting things in our community and beyond.