Found in Fishers

Our Can't Miss Indy Hits

Seems it's about time we start expanding Found In Fishers to include some of the great things to see and do in around our little neck of the world. So without further ado...and in no particular order...here are some of our best recommendations for things to see and do when you find yourself in the Indy area next time.

Canal Walk: Dating back to the 1800s, the Canal Walk in downtown Indy is home to walkers, runners, lovers, sight-seers...well, you get the idea. The walk stretches north from White River State Park to 11th Street. You can walk, rent a paddle boat or take a ride in a old-fashioned gondelier. Be sure to check out the USS Indianapolis National Memorial which is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Just a short walk from the memorial you can enjoy a bite to eat at the Creation Cafe & Euphoria. Other sites to check out along the canal include the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial, Indiana History Center and the Indiana State Museum. Be sure to bring your camera for some great shots of downtown Indy from all along the walk.

Mass Avenue: Known as the city's Arts & Theatre District, Mass Ave (Massachusettes Avenue) features an eccletic mix of shops, restuarants, pubs and performing arts venues. Beginning at the intersection of Delaware and New York streets, Mass Ave takes off at a  45-degree angle...giving the street it's marketing tag line of "45 degrees from ordinary". We like Comedy Sportz, a family-friendly comedy club...except for its late-night shows and adults-only holiday show.

And for those who'd like to avoid the city you might want to check out downtown Noblesville. Unlike so many of Indiana's small downtowns, Noblesville's downtown district has managed to attract and maintain a vibrant business environment that includes galleries, a wide variety of dining establishments, antique stores and much more. During the summer and fall you'd likely to catch a live music performance on the historic downtown square, take in a parade or enjoy a street dance. Among our favorites is the Noble Tea & Coffee Company where you can sit indoors or out and enjoy a fresh-brewed beverage and free wifi, or Matteo's Ristorante Italiano, where we guarantee you'll be blown away by the food, service and ambiance. And I'd be remiss without mentioning one of my favorite spots in downtown Noblesville: Carmack's Cigar Shop where we regularly solve the problems of the world while enjoying a wide variety of top-quality handmade cigars.

If you happen to have a favorite Indy-area destination or activity be sure to share it with us. And check back next week for more of our can't miss Indy hits.

Bon Appetit

Valentine's Day was my big debut. The debut of my gourmet meal for Juano and Mark. I decided that Valentine's Day would be perfect for me to try my special recipes from my cooking class. (Check out the beautiful flowers I got from my friend Katie.)

Chicken Marbella

Parmiagano-Regiano Mushroom Risotto

Fresh Green Beans with lemon butter

Banana Cream Pie with caramel & chocolate sauce

I did some of the prep work on Saturday, starting with marinating the chicken. The chicken was placed in a plastic bag with an assortment of goodies such as olives, olive oil, oregano, plums, garlic, vinegar and more. It sure smelled wonderful. Next I whipped up my egg yolks and fresh heavy cream into a custard which rested while I made homemade caramel and chocolate sauces. The pie included some fresh bananas and sent to the refrigerator to set overnight.

When I woke up on Sunday I started my day hanging with Katie. We went to breakfast and flea market. I came home to do some laundry and watch a couple movies. About an hour before eating I put the chicken in the oven and started my risotto. Everything was perfect. It turned out delicious. I was quite satisfied with the food and felt it was restaurant quality. I think John felt the same. We were both stuffed but felt we could not have eaten better today.

 I am looking forward to trying other new recipes as well. I have been learning a lot of layering flavors and it showed in my risotto dish. Can't wait for more experimenting. I also want to cook this same meal for company. Come to Fishers, I promise you will eat well!

Escape from pizza purgatory

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Pizza.

Pizza who?

Exactly! Pizza who, indeed...especially living in central Indiana. Or as we like to call it: Pizza Purgatory. Since relocating to Fishers nearly five years ago we've been on a quest to find a great decent acceptable edible pizza. I feel like King Arthur and Patsy riding around the countryside in search of the Holy Grail while my squires bang coconut halves together. It's all been a bit pointless and quite silly.

You see, living in northwest Indiana we took great pizza for granted. But not any more. So while I've been up in Chicago this week I ordered a sausage & mushroom pie -- with double dough -- from John's Pizza in Munster, IN. Tonight I'm picking up a classic Chicago deep dish at Gino's East. If you've never had deep dish think of an upside-down pizza with the cheese on the bottom. What makes Gino's even more unique is that rather than crumble sausage on it, there is a solid layer of meat spread across the dough. Pardon me while I wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth...

To date, the best we've found in central Indiana is -- and all of you pizza purists must forgive us our sinful ways -- is Papa Murphy's take and bake. How sad is that? So we're asking for your help. Send us the name of your favorite central Indiana pizzeria and we'll check it out. The one that gets the highest rating from us will earn it's referrer our undying gratitude and a one-of-a-kind Found in Fishers gift. So whaddya waitin' for? Recommend already...recommend.

Good eats El Rodeo style

What's your favorite restaurant, be it in the Indy area or elsewhere? We've got more than our fair share of eateries that help us keep our bellies full. So beginning here and now we plan to share them with you. So crank up the mariachi music and belly up to the salsa bar, 'cause Found in Fishers is dining Mexican today and there's no better way to kick off the new year than with a visit to El Rodeo.

El Rodeo has locations throughout the metro area, as well as a few other central Indiana cities. Each is designated by a number...such as El Rodeo #12. Don't even ask what number ours is; it's located at the intersection of 116th & Olio on the east side of Fishers. The menu is typical Mexican fare that's been appropriately Americanized. We'd love to see a few more authentic Mexican offerings, but in the meantime El Rodeo has a lot to offer.

The place is packed most nights, with weekends the busiest. No reservations so we suggest getting there before 5:30 p.m. or after 8...unless you don't mind a bit of a wait. Service is remarkably fast and efficient. Chips and salsa are nice and fresh and very plentiful, and meals are served faster than you can sing "Ay, ay, ay, ay, canta y no llores..."

The value for the prices charged are good, with the lone exception being the occasional combination plates listed on the back of the menu. Our favorites include the nachos al carbon, an appetizer that makes a plentiful meal, and includes lots of grilled steak and shrimp served on a bed of fresh chips with salsa, sour cream, guacamole and melted queso. Other dishes we frequently order include steak and chicken fajitas, carne asada, carnitas tacos, and their burrito/enchilada combos.

Expect the average tab to be $9-$11/person with a non-alcoholic drink. El rodeo has a decent bar and great outdoor sitting area that's not too bad thought the view leaves everything to be desired (it's the side of the neighboring Walgreens).

Pizza not that Good for this Fella

Our quest continues for the Holy Grail of food: Perfect pizza. I was a bit excited when I saw an local cable commercial for Goodfellas in McCordsville, not far from Fishers. They announced a great pizza made in a wood-burning oven. I expected that it would be New York style with the big triangular pieces that could be bent in half.

Mark and I were on our own so I ordered a half mushroom/half sausage pizza. The crust was chewy' reminded me a bit of Papa John's. But the rest was nothing special. Rather bland tasting actually. I was very disappointed. Mark said the Italian sausage was good, but he wasn't that sold on the pizza either. Mark left John a piece to try after a long day of taking photos and he agreed: The quest must continue.

Escape from Pizza Purgatory

Today's mission: Find a decent pizza in the Fishers/Indianapolis area. Since moving to Fishers, we feel like we've been living in pizza purgatory. One of our favorite pizzerias in the Chicago area was Colucci's, but they closed a few years back. Mark and Juan like Langels; I prefer Sanfratello's. I also like Beggars in Lansing, and how can you not love Chicago pizza like that at Gino's East in downtown Chicago where you can actually carve your name in the wall or table.

We tried a few places in town and have been underwhelmed. The pizza at chain joints like Donatos, Hot Box, and Pizza Hut all tastes the same: Bland. Nothing like up north. We've actually resorted to Sam's Club or Costco for pizza. Trust me, it's not a treat, but it beats the look-alike, taste-alike pizza chains.

Today, both Juan and I had a craving for pizza. Some people at work talked about Nancy's Pizza and we knew there was a Nancy's in Chicago so we decided to give it a try. When we pulled up an online menu, I must admit the stuffed pizza looked awesome but I decided to go with thin crust. Mark and John got an Italian sausage pizza. I tasted it too. It was not bad. Tasted a bit like a thinner version of Colucci's. I had the Vegitini pizza. It was good. but weird at the same time. It had broccoli on it. I enjoyed it but think next time I'll stick with my usual mushroom and green pepper pizza since I don't like meat on my pies. Nancy's, which originated in Chicago, is to date the best we've had in the Indy area. Send us your suggestions; we desperately need to escape Pizza Purgatory.

Food in Beijing

Today was rather uneventful. We started out at Beijing Language and Culture University to learn more about the assessments for students who are studying Chinese as a second language. We then heard a great lecture on the Forbidden City in preparation for tomorrow's visit. So I thought this would be a good time to share with you the kinds of food we are exposed to here in China. First of all, let me tell you that I have only been eating rice and toast for three days. My stomach has decided to act up, so I have been staying away from the "local" food in fear that I would get sick on our bus while sitting in Beijing's horrible traffic. Add to that...getting sick on a squat toilet and the whole deal doesn't sound too comfortable. My body does not seem to like this style of food. Add to that the heat, humidity, pollution, and my lack of sleep and you can imagine why I might not be feeling myself.

The always popular cicadas on a stick. Talk about a crunchy treat that's great to eat...not! Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my cicadas in a tree, not on the Webber.

The food throughout China is quite interesting. It is amazing to me what the Chinese will eat. Some I have tasted, others...not! I actually like lotus root; it tastes good to me. I also like this potato dish they make with a sweet and sour sauce. It's kinda crunchy. But I don't like heads on my meat and fish. We have had quite the excitement in our food. Today's menu had fish lips and jellied fish skin. Thank goodness our guide didn't order any of those dishes.

In the meantime - and in the time-honored tradition of Siskel and Ebert - I give two thumbs up to: Fried pumpkin, onion bread, dumplings, green beans with garlic, noodles of any kind, sweet and sour meat of any kind, most veggies. However, I give two thumbs, two arms, and two legs down to: 100-year-old eggs, fish with heads, jellied pork, tree ear mushrooms, squid, seaweed, fish head soup, shrimp with heads on them, pigeon, shark fins. What topped it all off was the food I saw at the market. Scorpions on a stick (legs still moving), cicadas, and some kind of larvae. No thanks. Give me McDonald's.

3 days and...

Ooh...everybody's so excited 'cause you-know-who is leaving for China in 3 days. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for her, too. And since it's been quite a while since I've guest posted here, I thought it time to let you all know that I've also been...preparing. Flora went and bought us things like "emergency chicken," frozen burritos, lots of frozen pizza. But it seems she forget some of the other "emergency" items your's truly may be needing. Remember, I'm the one who gets to spend the next 5+ weeks with two teenagers, one of whom turns 18 this week. How convenient one of us will be on the other side of the planet when girly will be found in Fishers exercising her vocal cords to the tune of, "I'm 18 now and do whatever I..." forgeting all the time that I've been standing ever so still with my fingers in my ears screaming "Lalalalalalalalalalala!"

The kids can have the emergency chicken; I'll stick with the emergency Chianti. So tonight I inventoried and will shop Friday afternoon. Your suggestions would be appreciated. Nothing too foo-foo; just the basics. The only thing I want to have to use as a mixer is ice. While I won't get to China, with some proper preparing on my part, I'll at least get to take off.

Chow mein, all!