2021 Week 21 – Burritos and Onions

If you’re a fan of Barstool Sports you might be interested to know they are the latest company to partner up with an Indiana casino (Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg) to provide sports betting. They have a couple of decent “free money” promotions available once you sign up. I ended up with $15 in free bets to try out. I’m still a big fan of DraftKings but the Barstool app looks promising.

Chris’s Ice Cream is one of those places I’ve driven by for years and, as someone who isn’t a big ice cream fan, I never really gave it a second thought. While they don’t have much of a presence online you can view the Yelp Profile and get an idea of what they have. Here is a pic of the menu from a Yelp Review. I’m hooked on the Chorizo Burrito & haven’t explored the menu any further. If you want to try some really good scratch made Mexican food you should give this place a shot!

Speaking of food… The New York Times had a great article last week called “Know Your Onions (and Shallots and Leeks and Ramps)“. I’ve been a subscriber of the NYT Cooking section since they put it behind a paywall. For $5 a month it’s a wealth of information and a great way to find new recipes.

Finally, although we’re not technically in the south, it can get pretty humid in the summer in Indiana. I thought this short on YouTube summed it up perfectly!

Fishers – Riviera Maya

Located in the heart of Fishers Rivera Maya has found a way to be successful in a building that’s changed hands no less than 5 times in the past 10 years. There’s no shortage of Mexican restaurants in the area and they all pretty much look and server the same thing.  Riviera Maya does set itself apart in a few ways.

Upon entering you are immediately greeted with a friendly staff member who will seat you right away (if there are tables available of course).  This place has been known to get very crowded on Friday/Saturday nights and I recommend reservations if you are going to have a big group or limited time.

Overall the place feels really big.  It’s very open with high ceilings and plenty of decoration in the Mayan motif.  In typical Mexican restaurant style, you are immediately served tortilla chips and salsa while looking over the menu and picking out your food.

The chips and salsa are pretty standard and always fresh.  I always have to watch myself because it’s easy to ruin your appetite on the free appetizer.  I always equate the chips & salsa to the bread basket at other places (and it’s usually better).

No veggies here, just meat, seafood & cheese!

The very first thing I tried at Riviera Maya is the dish I’ve been loyal to,   The Burrito Loco.  The $9.99 dish is one of the things I think sets it apart from other Mexican restaurants.  Take a 12″ flour tortilla, stuff it with grilled steak, chicken and shrimp, roll it up and smother it in cheese sauce.  That’s it, no vegetables, no beans, no rice, just a big burrito on a plate.  I’ve had this dish probably a dozen times and it’s been very consistent in both preparation and flavor.

Each ingredient in the Burrito Loco is seasoned and grilled just right;  the shrimp are especially tasty and good-sized.  Something you don’t get very often in Indiana.

22 oz, it was a "school night"

A”nother great thing about this place is their Dos Equis XX Dark in 16,22 and, 34 oz sizes.  I like the 34 oz served in a huge frosted mug.  I have never had beer so cold as I’ve had at Riviera Maya.  I always like to say if you can’t lift the 32 oz mug you’ve had enough to drink.  My wife says the Margaritas are very good as well.

We’ve dined at Riviera Maya several times and have always had good service.  You get a lot of food for your money and the atmosphere is a lot of fun (although it can get a little loud at times).  This is the only Mexican restaurant we go to in Fishers.  I’m already looking forward to my next Burrito Loco!

Another great review (with much better pictures) can be found at the “Would I Buy It Again” blog.  These guys are covering the city at a quick pace and their reviews are always top-notch.

Riviera Maya on Urbanspoon

Fountain Square – Tortas Guicho Dominguez y el Cubanito

I’ve lived in Indy for about 30 years & have never been to the Fountain Square area of the city.  I had the opportunity to check out “Tortas Guicho Dominguez y el Cubanito” for lunch last week & I’m already planning to return this weekend.  The name is a mouthful so I’m just going to refer to it as the “Torta Place”.

The place is small but bright and clean.  The food is all made to order so it might take a mew minutes longer than you would expect (it’s totally worth it!).  All of the sandwiches are named after celebrates (or you can order by number).  I had the #12 named after the Mexican Footballer Rafa Marquez.

The #12 has Breaded Steak, Mexican Sausage, Ham & Mozzarella.  Unless requested differently All Tortas comes with mayonnaise, tomato, avocado, homemade jalapenos or chipotle.

Two sauces and a small bowl of pickled vegetables come with the order and you can order a Mexican Coke (with cane sugar) or a Jarritos (carbonated, flavored soda).  I opted for a Diet Coke but I’m thinking about getting a Mexican Coke next time.

The Chorizo on the sandwich was really good with a nice spice and very tender texture.  I was not sure what to expect with the “breaded Steak” but it far surpassed my expectations.  The sandwich alone was enough for lunch but I also want to try their tacos at some point as well.

If you’re already in the area, this place is a must visit.  I drove from the North-East side and I’m willing to do it again.
Tortas Guicho Dominguez y el Cubanito on Urbanspoon

West Coast Tacos

People living on the east and west coasts have had the luxury of food trucks for years. In 2010 this concept, that’s all but unknown in the Midwest, came to Indianapolis. West Coast Tacos, managed by Arnold Park, John Ban & Trent Davis, has hit the city by storm.

The group uses Social Media to spread the word about their ever changing locations and menu items.  The Twitter/Facebook feeds also provide a platform for their growing fan base to sing their praises and communicate with the staff.

The West Coast Tacos truck can regularly be found in Broad Ripple catering to the late night crowd; sometimes staying open as late (or early) as 3am.  Other times they are roaming the city streets setting up at various locations for the lunch crowd.  I wonder how many customers they recognize from one shift to the other…

I was fortunate enough to have West Coast Tacos at my workplace for lunch a while ago & was very happy with their offerings.  In that case it was 3 soft tacos with their ever popular salsa.  My second visit was in Fishers shortly after the debut of the Fried Rice Burrito.  It was even better than expected!

West Coast Tacos definitely fills a niche in the Indy food scene and I hope to see more innovation like this in Central Indiana.  The possibilities are endless for would be entrepreneurs, from BBQ to Pizza to Chinese food.  The food truck has grown up and is bringing some fun and excitement to the area.  Welcome guys & best of luck!

West Coast Tacos (Mobile Food) on Urbanspoon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_truck

Taqueria Guanajuato – Indianapolis, IN

asada-tacoAfter reading a great review from local food blog “Would I Buy It Again?” I had to take a few guys from work to this place for lunch.  Since it’s only about 5 miles from the office it was a quick trip.

Taqueria Guanajuato is located inside the Carniceria Guanajuatoin grocery store at 3110 N. Shadeland Ave Indianapolis, IN.  Their website lists another location on Oliver Ave. as well as Restaurante Guanajuato, which is currently under construction at the Oliver Ave. location.

Just inside the door of the grocery you hear the music and the customers.  This place is hoppin’!  This grocery has the usual assortment of taqueria-burritoMexican staples.  if you are looking for VERY GOOD prices on dried chilies it’s work a trip to this place.  You can get a huge 1lb bag of dried Ancho’s for $4.99! Continue reading “Taqueria Guanajuato – Indianapolis, IN”