Sapporo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar

Recently I had an unbearable craving for sushi. I would like to take this moment to thank Google Places finding this place, which is pretty close to work. 

Calling up I asked first if I could order out and then if I could order out for sushi-which you can! Woo!

So I ordered Chirashi (19.99) which comes with an order of miso soup. I carried out my order before taking the picture, so the food being jostled around is my fault as I wasn’t very careful with it.

Several pieces of raw fishes are served over a bed of sushi rice with pickled radishes, fish eggs, scallions, sesame seeds, ginger and wasabi.

The soup was good; I would have liked a bit more seaweed in it. 

The sushi itself was thick, raw and fresh. I plan on returning to try their other fare, but I’m still a bit iffy on the price. $20 and I didn’t really felt like I got a lot. Yes, I walked away full but not overly stuffed and for the amount I paid and for the amount of fish I got, I could of gotten 2-3 rolls from their menu which might be a better deal.

I’ll have to see.

The environment was friend from what I saw. They have a few koi ponds and one has a bridge so you can watch the very fat fishes. It’s not just a sushi bar (but they do have a sit down sushi bar) they also do hibachi (where they cook your food in front of you), ramen, udon, bentos and much more.

I recommend checking out the menu if nothing else!

Website: http://steakhouseindy.com/

Buca di Beppo

Buca is a widely known restaurant in Indiana; known for its large portion and friendly staff, it has earned its wonderful reputation.

Recently I visited the downtown location to meet up with friends. I showed up early and told the seating staff my name and the number I was waiting for. For once I wasn’t seated in the back but instead in the bar area and the change in décor was refreshing.

Almost immediately after being seated my waitress came over, introduced herself and took my drink order. While waiting for my drink, I browsed the menu, surfed the web (they have wifi!). Seeing as I had a lecture to attend later on that day, my Sangria was promptly brought to me on my but it made lecture that much better! The strawberry tea was for sips in between.

While waiting for the rest of my party to arrive I decided to go ahead and order a side of Italian Wedding Soup (bell pepper, meatballs, parmesan, and peas) so that I wouldn’t be drinking alcohol on a completely empty stomach.

I love the staff. Seeing as I was sitting by myself and the staff knew I was waiting for others to arrive, I expected that I would be asked if I needed anything maybe once or twice and forgotten until the rest of my party arrived-after all, I’m not going to order until they show up and if they don’t I’m very unlikely to tip. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised that my waitress did not forget about me, but would ask how everything was or if I needed anything almost every time she passed me.

She was a very friendly and nice person and I desperately wish I remembered her name as she was an excellent waitress, alas, I don’t remember what I wore yesterday let alone her name!

But back to the food!

They of course serve you fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar dipping dish. The two flavors of bitter and smooth mix surprisingly well, giving it an extra zing.

My company finally arrived and I ordered my favorite dish there-Linguine Frutti di Mare. I love seafood and this particular dish is loaded with the sea! Shrimp, baby clams, mussels and calamari in a spicy red clam sauce over linguine.

 

I would lick the plate if I could! One time I should actually reserve enough room in my stomach to try desert. As it was, I manage to devour my meal and my companions took home leftovers. 

For those of you who don’t know Buca has two sizes-catering large and large. It’s done in ‘family’ sizes, where the regular is the size of a small sauce pan and the large is literally catering size. This makes it great for families and dates-you can share each others, or only order one and split it or order something you’ll want for a few days and live off of leftovers. 

It’s a very friendly atmosphere and good for any crowd, but if you plan on going on later in the evening, you’re going to want to make reservations as they fill up quickly even on weeknights. 

Pricing: Tip + meal + soup + alcoholic drink+ regular drink = ~$25

Website: http://bucadibeppo.com/locations/

Bazbeaux Pizza

I'm not a large pizza fanatic. Anymore, pizza is overpowered by either sauce or cheese and you can't taste anything else. Now this isn't to say that I don't enjoy the occasional pie, it's just that I'm -very- picky about my pizza and whatever goes on it.

I tell you this so that when I say I could eat Bazbeaux on a weekly occasion and never get bored, you understand the full meaning of my words.

Bazbeaux has been declared Indy's best pizza since 1986, a tag line they proudly display and a badge they wear with the honor it deserves.

For this particular review, I went to the one in Broad Ripple, but they have several locations and I hope they continue to expand.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of my awesome pizza. When I went, I went with a friend and my mom and we sat outside. It was around 9pm and therefore too dark for any pictures to really catch.

I've ordered several different pizzas when going to Bazbeaux and tonight's choice was the Genova.

Now, I hate meat on my pizza. I don't know why but I just do and Bazbeaux caters to this dislike. You don't like something on their pizza? Substitute! In this case, there's no need. The Genova comes with cheese, light sauce, crunchy crust, eggplant, basil, mushroom, tomato and they recommend you add goat cheese-I second this recommendation.

All ingredients are fresh and you can tell. Nothing is mushy or has that 'thawed' texture (you know what I'm talking about, where the skin of the veggy is all wrinkled and stringy and...yuck!). The tomatoes are thick and firm, the mushrooms mix well with the modest sauce, the cheese strings when you pull it and the eggplant is melts in your mouth. Now with every Bazbeauz pizza, everything blends together well-you can pick out individual flavors but only if you try otherwise they blend together into one unique taste BUT one ingredient usually is the -seventh note-. That is, it stands out not matter what and is kinda like a kiss to the tongue.

For the Genova, this would be that basil. I can always taste it over the other flavors, not overpowering but more of a gentle 'hey there'. At least, the basil -would- be the sixth note if the pizza is ordered in it's default but I love goat cheese and goat cheese is a very strong cheese. Being a very strong cheese and that they just load it on the pizza, the goat cheese becomes the sixth note in this case.

I love goat cheese, I love the texture and the flavor(kinda of like a really strong ricotta) and I love it on my pizza. Bazbeaux is not stingy with their ingredients and more often then not it's falling off the crust since it's so heavy. Oh the crust! Bazbeaux has ruined me for anything then flat, crunchy crust! The crust is just a tool to get the actual pizza to your mouth for a Bandeau pizza-it's thin, crunchy and a light bread flavor that doesn't interfere with anything. The crust is not a filler like some delivery joints will do-you get three inches of crust and one inch of toppings. No, the filler here is the toppings.

Now the atmosphere. Like I said, we sat outside but I've been inside before. The decor is warm and colorful, a nice mix between positive and festive. That don't have much in the way of alcohol-it's either bottled beer or wine. The service is always superb. Everyone is very laid back but not to the point of where they're slow. They're casual and joking with their customers and will stop to chat readily.

Our own server with very attentive and friendly. I was surprised actually, seeing as we came so close to closing time that she still had energy after a full day's work, but she was sweet and attentive. I've never had a complaint about their staffing, and most likely never will.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some leftovers to warm up!

-Slash

Website: http://www.bazbeaux.com/index.html