Indiana Cuisine: Cultural Wasteland or Hidden Gem?

[Scutter01]

Ever since I moved to Indianapolis, one of the things I miss most about Detroit is the huge diversity of food available. Whole sections of the city are given over to different ethnic cuisines. You've got Greek Town, the Latin Quarter, Hamtramck, Little Italy, and so forth. You can hardly swing a dead cat anywhere in the metro area without hitting half a dozen awesome Coney Island places.

Living in Indiana, I rarely find anything other than chain restaurants, most of which serve tasteless bilge. There are the occasional treats, such as St Elmo's, Fogo De Chao, The Melting Pot, and so forth, but these are not restaurants that I make a habit of visiting on a regular basis, either because of price, proximity, etc.

I have yet to find anything that screams "Indiana!" to me. For example, if you say "cheesecake" or "pizza", you think "New York". For hot dogs, it's Chicago. Jambalaya, New Orleans, and so forth.

In your opinion, what food(s) or restaurants set Indianapolis apart? What says "Indiana" to you? What are your favorite restaurants that you patronize on a regular basis (not just special occasions)? If you had a cosmopolitan friend visiting from New York, where would you take him to eat to prove that Indiana isn't a cultural wasteland?

 

[IndyMonkey]

Mann Grill screams Indiana to me.

 

[hornadylnl]

Chuck E Cheese?

Tenderloin is about the only "Indiana" food that I know of.

 

[AFA1CY]

Steak-n-Shake

 

[Benny]

The Fall Festival rules, but it's only for one week a year.

 

[eldirector]

Two cuisines scream Indiana to me:
State Fair Food (there's your tenderloin, hornadylnl)
Home Cooking (fried catfish, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, ...)

Restaurants:
The Mayberry in Danville
The Bluebird in Morristown
Acapulco Joe's in Indy
Dick and Judy's in Jamestown
Frank and Mary's in Pittsboro

If you want trendy, go to the big city. If you want good food that stands the test of time, hit the local greasy spoon.

 

[schafe]

The breaded pork tenderloin sandwitch ,I believe, is credited as coming from Indiana and many Indiana diners and bars compete for the best in the world. It's a true staple of the Midwest. Go to some states, and you can't get one.

 

[Eddie]

We experienced a similar feeling when we moved from Bloomington to Terre Haute. TH is more of an Outback Steakhouse/Red Lobster sort of town while Bloomington had The Irish Lion, Janko's, Runcible Spoon and Snow Lion; all unique restaurants.

In Terre Haute, about the best it has to offer is German food at the Bierstube or sushi at Tokyo. North of here near Covington is The Beefhouse which is a good steakhouse but it doesn't touch Janko's.

I ate at Freddy's in Hammond this summer and it was excellent. The Millhouse in Jasper is also a fine place to eat.

 

[lovemywoods]

In Terre Haute, about the best it has to offer is German food at the Bierstube or sushi at Tokyo.

Thumbs up for the Bierstube!!

Hadn't thought of them in awhile!

 

[mrjarrell]

Like Scutter, I'm used to having a plethora of options for food that are absent in Indiana. A state which stakes its claim to fame on a single sandwich? Sheesh. There are a few decent restaurants in Indiana, but few that stand out and of those none offer what could be considered to be Indiana Cuisine. Hidden Gem? Nope. Wasteland? Quite probably. Too many chains and too few shiny spots.

 

[XDinmyXJ]

I hear Yat's has some mean Jambalaya! Haven't eaten there yet though! If you are looking for a mean burger, Its worth a drive to the Brick in Jonesville, IN!

 

[JohnR]

In my opinion, although not a restaurant, what screams Indiana food to me is vine-ripe tomatoes and sweet corn.

 

[22rssix]

Scutter,

I feel the same way since moving from the greater metro area a few years ago. My brother and SIL were down not long ago and we had the same conversation. Back in Michigan you can find a coney island just about anywhere.

 

[JohnR]

Kopper Kettle in Morristown, IN is famous for their Pan Fried Chicken. It is excellent. Great atmosphere and they serve family style.

 

[mrjarrell]

I hear Yat's has some mean Jambalaya! Haven't eaten there yet though! If you are looking for a mean burger, Its worth a drive to the Brick in Jonesville, IN!

Yat's is good, but Joe moved his eateries here from Lexington, KY, (where he'd founded Jozo's and Yat's). It's a pretty good etouffee joint, but not outstanding. (Now if Joe would add his infamous Macque Choux to Yat's menu he'd be really talking!)

 

[IndyMonkey]

Iron skillet on 30th street is Indiana cooking.

 

[Scutter01]

I'm not a big cajun eater, but I absolutely love the bread at Yat's.

 

[Leadeye]

South's, just off Binford is a great place. Pulled pork, Brunswick stew, white bean soup that can't be beat. Lots of places in Broadripple but they are mostly small, serving a variety of food, including Indian. Iaria's and Milano's on College for Italian. Yat's on Mass. Ave. for cajun, Rathskeller for German. Naked Chopsticks for Sushi. You guys need to look harder, I'm old and don't get out much but have found these places.

 

[dwh79]

Sorry but Indiana food is home cookin. If you look at the history and settlers of Indiana you will find we are all just country folk who come from small towns. If you want Indiana cookin go to the small towns find a dinner and eat. Now may not be one type of ethnic food but hey Indiana is a hodge podge of ethnicities and our food represents that. Just my .

 

[hornadylnl]

I hear Yat's has some mean Jambalaya! Haven't eaten there yet though! If you are looking for a mean burger, Its worth a drive to the Brick in Jonesville, IN!

Yes, they do have a good burger. Got one there on the recommendation of a fellow rider. Don't expect fine linens, china, and silver though!

What's the name of the place downtown that has the tenderloins they put stew on? That's some pretty good stuff.