Is it Chili in here, or is it just Nick?

FCA Day #13:  Nick's Chili    2621 Lafayette Rd., Indianapolis, IN

"Not Yet World Famous" the sign
"...for good reason" Brad

This place has been renovated, and the result is something that is clean, but feels like a fast food restaurant rather than the unique chili parlor it claims to be. It really felt like an Arby's to me. No real charm or appeal.

Ian, Bob, and Bryan all got the 5-way chili. The five ways are: spaghetti, beans, chili, cheddar cheese, and onions. They all gave it a rousing "...meh" reaction. 

I got a sampling of various hot dogs. From left to right: Carolina dog, classic chili cheese dog, and Chicago dog. The actual hot dog itself had a good flavor. It had nice crispy skin that snapped when I bit into it. It tasted like it was mostly beef. As for the different flavors, the classic chili cheese dog was the best. The Carolina one with chili and coleslaw was also pretty good with its sweet and tangy slaw, bringing it to 2nd place. The Chicago one was a bit odd. Not bad, but that style of hot dog may not be my thing. It's an interesting convergence of various flavors. And ultimately, no chili, of course. It sure is colorful though!

Their chili isn't bad. It has a nice smooth flavor, and is hearty enough. However, for a "chili parlor", I really expected a lot more in the flavor department. I make much better stuff at home. Ultimately it was a bit bland and mild for my tastes.
The onion rings were not special. Probably frozen. They were serviceable, and we'll leave it at that. The order was too much food for one meal - I gave away some rings and didn't finish all the hot dogs. But I'm glad I got a chance to try a few things out in the same visit.

The other guys, while thinking the chili wasn't all that special, seemed to enjoy the hot dogs. They were cooked well and quite flavorful. Bob says "The place is mis-labeled. It shouldn't be called a 'chili place', it should be called a 'chili dog place'!"

Verdict: better than fast food by a bit. Stop by if you are in the area and are hungry for a chili dog. But don't go out of your way for a special trip.


The Scale:
  Ian: Meal: 6, Experience: 5
  Bryan:  Meal: 7.5, Experience: 7
  Brad: Meal: 6, Experience: 6
  Bob: Meal: 7.5, Experience: 7

Maxine brings us chicken worth waiting for

FCA Day #12:  Maxine's Chicken and Waffles    132 North East Street Indianapolis, IN

"Vert de Ferk! Dis good Ferkin Cherken!" bad impersonation of a fictional Swedish Chef

This powerhouse of edibles is housed adjacent to a gas station downtown. It's fairly nondescript, but definitely not scummy. We were somewhat surprised to see it relatively empty. It was high noon on a work day, and it has a great rep. What gives? An hour later, while still waiting on the delectable fowl to appear, we figured it out. This place is SLOW. But for a good reason. They fry fresh batches of chicken up, and it runs out fast. Then they do it again. So we wait.
And it is SO worth it!

Spot the pimp, win a frisbee.

(not pictured: fried green tomatoes appetizer. They disappeared before I remembered to photograph them)

I ordered the titular chicken and waffles. Duh.
Amazing! Succulent enormous wings, it was like poultry in motion. I refuse to apologize for that joke. The blueberry waffle with gooey peach butter and breakfast syrup was a substantial sweet counterpart to the savory chicken. I'll be honest, I don't think I have tasted better chicken in the city. It may even be better than my southern grandmother's! Totally worth waiting for.

Ben's meal comes with a free angioplasty.
About a million giant chicken chunks, mostly white meat, fried to perfection. And mediocre onion rings (probably from the freezer). And some potatoes. Ben couldn't finish the banquet, but accidentally left the doggie bag behind. When he realized the mistake, he turned the van around and went back for it. Yep.

Bob fails at Chicken 101.
Pro-tip: the waffler sandwich contains NO chicken.

Go when you can spare the time. Order chicken of some sort. Thank me later.

Goodbye, Maxine. Your chicken is the best around. Too bad it takes so damn long to arrive.

The Scale:
  Ian: Meal: 8, Experience: 6
  Bryan:  Meal: 9, Experience: 7
  Brad: Meal: 9, Experience: 6
  Bob: Meal: 6, Experience: 6
  Ben: Meal: 9, Experience: 9

The best pizza in the state. No joke!

FCA Day #11:  South of Chicago Pizza    619 Virginia Ave Indianapolis, IN

"I feel like I just ate a large baby."  Bryan

This little gem of a pizza shop has flown under the radar of most people in Indy, but we are bringing it to the masses!!  The concept is not new, but the pizza.... oh the pizza is as good as the deep dish I have had in Chicago!

The buffet is simple, usually 1 veggie (or cheese) and 2 with meat.  The salad bar is small, but adequate.

Their sauce is superb, with that little bit of bitterness that says "yes, I am made from fresh tomatoes!".  We ate way more than we should have and so we all left in pain.  Bryan did not eat for 18 hours afterward.  Brad was so impressed he threw down the unprecedented 10 score!

The Scale:
  Ian: Meal: 10, Experience: 7
  Bryan:  Meal: 9.5, Experience: 9
  Brad: Meal: 10, Experience: 8
  Bob: Meal: 9, Experience: 9

Ralph's Great Divide succeeds in dividing opinions

FCA Day #10:  Ralph's Great Divide    743 East New York Street, Indianapolis, IN

"Nothing beats a good cream pie."  Ian

This place has some history. Located downtown in the Lockerbie area, Ralph's Great Divide provides reliable food for reasonable prices to loyal patrons. The talkative waitress gave us a history lesson when I asked about the place. Apparently, the older part of the building pre-dates the Civil War. It had been a carriage repair shop. The "newer" portion was added on around the turn of the 1900s, and became a pub. Then in 1982, it morphed into its current state, a restaurant names "The Great Divide". Neat.

Cool history is great and all, but how's the food? So glad you asked! I started with a serviceable salad:

In the ongoing quest to find low-carb options at such establishments (yeah, I know, shut up), I opted for the rib tips and a cup of loaded chili. The skewered tips were only okay. Not a lot of flavor, and not very filling. The chili was good, not great, but made slightly better with onions, jalapenos, cheese, and sour cream.

Vishal started with some macaroni salad. His review was "is okay".

Then Vishal's main course came out. An enormous club sandwich. I was jealous. He seemed happy.

Bryan and Ian ordered the German potato salad.  Both agreed it was different than expected (served warm and with a tinge of vinegar), but pretty tasty nonetheless.

The other fellas mostly got Tips and Aug, which is the rib tips served with an apparently amazing tasting potato soup/stew concoction.
  

Except for Bob. Bob got some sort of blurry bleu cheese burger on what bread that was apparently quite tasty.

For dessert, Ian and Bryan both got slices of the signature Coconut Cream Pie. I sampled a taste of Ian's it was phenomenal. I agreed with Ian's assessment, truly, nothing beats a good cream pie. Yeah, I said it.
I was still hungry at the end, so I, uh, ordered another cup of loaded chili. For dessert. Don't judge me.

Overall I thought the food I ordered was slightly above mediocre, but it looked like the others had better luck. The place itself is pretty awesome. Loads of character.

The Scale:
  Ian: Meal:8, Experience: 8
  Bryan:  Meal: 7.5, Experience: 8
  Brad: Meal: 6, Experience: 9
  Bob: Meal: 8.5, Experience: 8
   Vishal: Meal: 8, Experience: 8