Indiana Cuisine: Cultural Wasteland or Hidden Gem?

[CountryBoy19]

I thought yall all ate CORN in Indiana! ... Imagine my surpise with this thread!

We do, but one cannot exist on corn alone. Its been mentioned several times in the thread.

 

[Lex Concord]

There is also Tata Cuban Cafe on Ohio St., literally a stone's throw from the statehouse. I haven't been able to go yet, but am looking forward to my first visit.

I have to resurrect this thread to say that I finally made it to Tata. Though the music was a bit louder than I would have liked for lunch, the food (steak sandwich) was excellent, as was the cafecito.

I'm looking forward to an excuse to return and try something else.

If you're in downtown Indy, check it out.

 

[tuoder]

I realize fully that this is a resurrection, bu I'd like to throw in my 2¢ for Three Floyds Brewpub in Munster. They make and serve the best beer in the Midwest hands down, and compete in the various style categories as some of the best beer in America and the world. Don't believe me?

4 of the top 100 beers on the planet are made in Munster according to suers of BeerAdvocate.
Top Beers on Planet Earth - BeerAdvocate

RateBeer has them as 4 of the top 50.

More:
The best Pale Wheat in the world:
Top Beers - American Pale Wheat Ale - BeerAdvocate
The 6th best Double India Pale Ale (crowded category)
Top Beers - American Double / Imperial IPA - BeerAdvocate
The best American Pale Ale (extremely crowded category)
Top Beers - American Pale Ale (APA) - BeerAdvocate
The 1st, 4th, and 6th best Russian Imperial Stout (extremely crowded category):
Top Beers - Russian Imperial Stout - BeerAdvocate

I could go on all day. If they make a beer, it's likely one of the top 10 examples of the style that exist. They alone are proof positive that Indiana is not a 'cultural wasteland'.

 

[sadclownwp]

I agree, Three Floyds is an Indiana treasure. as far as eating goes there is a place in Muncie, not many people know about it, its called QL's BBQ, that place has the best BBQ chicken and tips in the state. There were many times while i attended Ball State that I had a meal of QL's BBQ with bottle or 4 of Three Floyds Pride and Joy.

 

[garlic_b]

Small town diners are a good bet. I like the variety in Bloomington. 7000 miles away, I still crave a cheeseburger from Nicks. And Blarney Puff Balls at Irish Lion. And Buffalouie's. 6 more days until I come back from China for 6 weeks. Nom Nom Nom.

Assorted Amish restaurants in Southern Indiana. Bogg's Lake. Also one in Montgomery.

FYI. I grew up in Odon then Loogootee. I just kept running away...

 

[ATOMonkey]

Indiana food to me is breakfast. Country fried steak, biscuits and gravy, eggs and gravy, hash and gravy, sausage links, fried bacon, etc etc. mmmmm...

It's also oven fried chicken, dumplings, coleslaw, potato salad, corn on the cob, mashed potatos, greenbeans, watermelon, and apple pie.

Steaks, hamburgers, porkburgers, porkchops, pulled pork, pulled beef brisquite, roast, stew, sausage (pork or venison), and fried catfish are also indiana staples.

People in Indiana don't eat ethinic food, unless we change it to taste like local fare.

 

[Ironjaw's-wife]

Small town diners are a good bet. I like the variety in Bloomington. 7000 miles away, I still crave a cheeseburger from Nicks. And Blarney Puff Balls at Irish Lion. And Buffalouie's. 6 more days until I come back from China for 6 weeks. Nom Nom Nom.

Assorted Amish restaurants in Southern Indiana. Bogg's Lake. Also one in Montgomery.

FYI. I grew up in Odon then Loogootee. I just kept running away...

I served a couple of years in Washington and Loogootee as well...and I'd never live there again..My mom is still in Washington so I do get to go to the Black Buggy and Mason's Rootbeer Stand (good tenderloin and frosty Mug rootbeer) what is the name of the Amish resturaunt in Montgomery?

 

[Scutter01]

as far as eating goes there is a place in Muncie, not many people know about it, its called QL's BBQ, that place has the best BBQ chicken and tips in the state.

There used to be a place in or around Muncie (I think) called Big Bone Lick that had AWESOME ribs. They closed before I moved down here from Detroit, though, so I only got to go a couple of times.

 

[Goosepond Monster]

Small town diners are a good bet. I like the variety in Bloomington. 7000 miles away, I still crave a cheeseburger from Nicks. And Blarney Puff Balls at Irish Lion. And Buffalouie's. 6 more days until I come back from China for 6 weeks. Nom Nom Nom.

Assorted Amish restaurants in Southern Indiana. Bogg's Lake. Also one in Montgomery.

FYI. I grew up in Odon then Loogootee. I just kept running away...

Fish sandwich at the OT and fried chicken at the place that used to be by the railroad tracks in Loogootee. Mathias I think it was.

 

[Goosepond Monster]

I served a couple of years in Washington and Loogootee as well...and I'd never live there again..My mom is still in Washington so I do get to go to the Black Buggy and Mason's Rootbeer Stand (good tenderloin and frosty Mug rootbeer) what is the name of the Amish resturaunt in Montgomery?

The Gasthof?

Reading this thread has sold me on what to get for supper tonight. I'm going to find a tenderloin and hope that it is four times bigger than the bun.

 

[geronimojoe85]

When I think of Northwest Indiana cooking I think of a "steelworker" sandwich from Lincoln carry-outs. And a beer form 3floyds or figure8.

 

[Ironjaw's-wife]

The Gasthof?

Reading this thread has sold me on what to get for supper tonight. I'm going to find a tenderloin and hope that it is four times bigger than the bun.

that's it I think it has a longer name but I can't say it so its normaly dorduskiegostoff

 

[Protest]

When I watch Man v. Food, I ask myself why places like these aren't in Indiana. Maybe they are and I'm just not looking hard enough.

 

[mrjarrell]

When I watch Man v. Food, I ask myself why places like these aren't in Indiana. Maybe they are and I'm just not looking hard enough.

Nope. You're not looking hard enough! Here's an older thread about that very subject. Big food you can get free...if you finish it in time.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/70063-free_food_in_indiana.html

 

[Protest]

Nope. You're not looking hard enough! Here's an older thread about that very subject. Big food you can get free...if you finish it in time.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/70063-free_food_in_indiana.html

Fair enough. But, I'm also not necessarily looking for big food but for good food.

I spent 32 years in Colorado and the Tex-Mex there is incredible. I can't find anything like it out here. I've eaten at Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants in Indianapolis metro area and up in Michiana and none of them even compare. They literally taste like cardboard.

When I first moved here in 2006, I went in El Camino Real in Goshen, IN. I ordered green chile with my meal. The Mexican waiter didn't even know what green chile was!!!!!

Green chile has been on Colorado menus for over 25 years!!!

 

[tuoder]

When I think of Northwest Indiana cooking I think of a "steelworker" sandwich from Lincoln carry-outs. And a beer form 3floyds or figure8.

Lincoln's is pretty great.

 

[mrjarrell]

Fair enough. But, I'm also not necessarily looking for big food but for good food.

I spent 32 years in Colorado and the Tex-Mex there is incredible. I can't find anything like it out here. I've eaten at Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants in Indianapolis metro area and up in Michiana and none of them even compare. They literally taste like cardboard.

When I first moved here in 2006, I went in El Camino Real in Goshen, IN. I ordered green chile with my meal. The Mexican waiter didn't even know what green chile was!!!!!

Green chile has been on Colorado menus for over 25 years!!!

Well, duh! I look for good seafood here, too. Not going to find it. Just like BBQ. Good food is regional, like green chile based food. Indiana does a few things OK, but few places are outstanding, especially when you're talking about regional cuisines. (Kirk will be by any minute to tell us we're wrong, tho. )

 

[Boilers]

Oceaniare had some good seafood when we went.

 

[Que]

Kountry Kitchen on 18th & College has some great food!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAALI4ZtXA4]YouTube - Doing Indy Episode 32 - The Country Kitchen[/ame]

 

[MattCFII]

One thing that I only recently found out was Indiana cuisine that I've loved all my life is Sugar Cream pie. Since I've lived here most my life I never realized this was mainly an Indiana thing until I was looking for a recipe for it for my wife. She has made some pretty amazing pies lately and has added this to her rotation and it rocks!