chain bars are bad.
i went here once soon after it opened in hopes of finding a fun place right downtown. it sucked. the music sucked. the waitstaff sucked (im sure its changed since then) and my drinks tasted funny (not in a good way). as far as the above review says, i dont know how many times ive heard of this place being fined for underaged drinking and having minors INSIDE the establishment. jail bait city.

out of date color scheme and insultingly dumb theme nights keeps me away not because im old or cynical, but because i want my good time to be something i dont have to drink hard and fast to get to.

not the worlds best coffee, not the best tasting chicken salad, not a great idea for a date, but if youre hung-over, want some greasy breakfast food in the middle of the afternoon, or just need a place to sit and read a book with little to no distractions, this is your spot. well, maybe not the best place to read a book.

youve got the usual breakfast menue of eggs (prepared to order), a meat (their bacon is AWESOME), and home fries or hash browns (so crispy!) @ about 2/3 of the cost of a dennys.

AND THE DONUTS!!!! classic american flavors – dutch apple, jelly, plain yeast with chocolate icing. none of them good for your arteries, but all tasting like jesus is in the kitchen, loving what he’s doing.

croissant sandwiches with gooey cheese and sausage? you got em. a steak and eggs that costs less than $15? you got it! yummy crinkle cut fries? have at it.

but be warned; it gets packed on the weekends (only seating for about 50 customers) and parking is a chore (tiny lot and the subway next door frown on you using their spaces) but its worth the trip. its right on keystone near 56th, so its on your way somewhere else. stop in for a kruller sometime soon!

every other review is pretty close to what i have to say about N&C. the portions are nice, but maybe a little unbalanced for the price. variation in what you can order is, well, limited. its strange to think that with a possible 27 variations of what to order that you would want to go back again and again…..but like many others say, it gets old. the tastes of the proteins could be kicked up some – the chicken is always just chicken and the tofu is just tofu. i stay away from ‘steak’ in places that dont really care about meat.

the sauces are tasty, just a little scarce, the pasta itself is, well, pasta. no glorious moments of “wow, ive never tasted this kind before” or, “i think this is my new favorite dish” but you will leave knowing that at least you didnt eat pizza or a burger. as it is with any non-chain, watch your liquid intake if its not soda; 2.50 for a bottle of anything is kinda ridiculous, but hey, youre serving pasta too.

so im not totally down on N&C, but like benjamindy says, thai cafe is only a block and a half away. get some real tasty noodles and real spicy sauces for maybe a buck or two more.

-and if you have parents that are afraid of broad ripple, this is one of the better places to go for a quick cheapish meal.

there used to be a stream of reviews just like this one: the service can range from cruddy to really really bad. i can understand why diners would feel comfortable in a place just like all of the rest, but when it comes to the variance of mistakes that can be made in preparation of the SAME FOOD is astounding.

after ordering your first drink, service can take anywhere from a half hour (just fine) to an hour and a half (no good) & if you order appetizers, look forward to eating them with your meal.

your meal will contain preperation mistakes that are both obvious and subtle. take a look before your server walks away!

chances are that if you are at or near an applebee’s there is another place to eat nearby. do yourself a favor and go there instead.

everything on the menu tastes fried which is ok for a menu that is 85% fried. the classsic american drive in still exists on the west side! greasy burgers, frency fries and shakes to die for. oh yea, they have fried cheese.

not always the best or nicest service, but rest assured you are eating at an Indy legend. great to stop or just drive by on a summer saturday night to see the car shows, or just run by for lunch is youre anywhere nearby. good eats, they just all taste fried.

this place belongs downtown near mass ave or in broad ripple. really fair priced middle eastern eats in the midwest a la every other corner place in chicago, philly, or nyc. solid eats and lunch specials.

i used to go here about once a week when i was working on the west side. it became an obvious choice over the ci-ci’s only a few feet away when i had a few bad experiences having to choose between taco pizza or AN AWESOME GYRO. needless to say, after i threw down a few bucks for the roasted meat and flatbread sandwich i was hooked. their fries never taste over cooked or rushed and the seasoning they use gives em just the right amount of kick. their tahini sauce has nice fresh chunks of cucumber and never tasted sour or watered down.
always populated mid day with your average west side crowd _ union workers, ladies out shopping, thugs that just got up at 1pm for lunch…. always speedy and at least tolerant of your business, this place would be a regular stop if it werent so far away from home.

check it out for a bit of tasty food in a bit of a grungy spot of town.

went a few weeks ago on a perfet night of warm, light winds and a well lit downtown within reach. seated on the terrace facing our fair city, i and a co-worker split a bottle of pillar box red wine. it was a great wine at a good price. the conversation was easy and enlightening without the feeling that we were interupting anyone around us. the same could be said about our surrounding guests, none of whom got in our grill. the food i saw but didnt eat looked pretty awesome and the menue had enough combinations of tastes that i could go a few times.

parking IS an issue but really, in what city is it not an problem to park and eat at someone near a city attraction (the cannal)?

housed in a very beautiful building, im sure i will return soonish with family or friends to try more of what they have to offer.

american burger joint that charges too much for too little. everything is cooked exactly the same way every time and the service is what you expect from a 24/7 resturant that pays their employees better than mikkey d’s….

from the perfection of their shakes to the cripsy first bites of a steak burger with relish on it, S&S is what your belly needs. once, i had four single steak burgers in one day (one for breakfast @ 2pm, two for band practice @ 7pm, and one more around 1am for a midnight snack.) and if you can believe me, i weigh under 200 lbs.

i dont know how alfredo sauce can be authentic out of a bag, or how pizza can be sold by the slice with spaghetti as a side, but i can tell you the fazoli’s on north keystone has been a constant in my families life since it opened years ago. tasty lemon freezes when the air outside is humid and gross and a pile of cheap breadsticks when theres snow on the ground.

solid grub for very little cash.

a cheap place downtown that serves both the overpaid yuppies of dwntwn and the homeless of the city. they know how to price their tasty lunch specials and always have drinks for the paying customers. THEY MAKE FRENCH FRIES!!! if you live downtown, this is the winner of only two choices, the other being the great wall on 16th and ill. st. which changed ownership recently….. this is your better bet.

its a chain that knows that people like the simplicity of an egg and bread. wow.
its kinda hard to mess those things up, so concentrate on wait and serving times, right? forgetit….. long waits, crap service (waiting around for a cup of coffee there reminded me of Reservoir Dogs. really) and the genius of crispy hash browns is misunderstood as just hash browns.

without many other choices besides your other chain breakfast places, its a hard choice, but dont think that price dictates quality by any means.

spend $2 at home and make it right.

listen up. this is another in a long line of semi-real mexican restaurants thats serves the american idea of authentic mexican food. the prices are right for BR and the service is pretty solid if not above the average for broad ripple in general. the beef/steak is always cooked all the way through without getting rubberish, and the chicken is moist without tasting soaked.

their sauces fit the plate, and really, thats what matters when youre ordering, in gaffaga’ns words, meat, lettuce tomatoes, and a tortilla.

…now pizza hut has squandered its image and tastes for a never ending changing menu that never seems to get to offering good pizza. the old pan pizza with buttery, crunchy crusts and toppings that were fresh(ish) and tasty. now its “hand tossed” silly crusts with tasteless cheese and ‘pizzones’ which are more insulting to the stomach than eating cigarette butts out of a venetian gutter. yuck.
not to mention that if you have tried to order olives or ask about olives, many times, over the phone, the person on the other line has never heard of such a topping. wow.

high ceilings, English beers on TAP, and yea, a Ruben Pizza! service was ON IT when it came to 1/3 full glasses and suggestions on starters. the tables could be bigger, but then you wouldnt be able to hear the awesome conversations next to your table, would you? the price is right for the quality of food.

and really, you cant go wrong with a bar that plays Futbol matches. even in indiana.

sometimes its great, sometimes its good. the spicy is spicy. the eggrolls arent just grease and cabbage. the rice is NEVER over or under-cooked.

the general tso’s could be crispier, but for the cost and the time and the decor, this joint is worth it.

Birdys is a weird place. it can be totally full and sound great, totally full and sound awful, empty and sound incredible, or empty and just bad…. its a weird room. the ‘barn-ness’ of the space is kind of endearing, but then when you think of barn parties you think of cheap beer. well, $3.25 for an’ Old Style isnt quite my idea of fun, but the food is good bar food – the chicken fingers are always fresh and crispy and the fries always taste good.

the variance of acts that come through to play this small/mid-sized venue make it both a great place to see a band you wont see anywhere else while at the same time being an ill fit for the talent that could very well never come to the city again.

its up to you to have a good time. go and see if you can!

sure, $3 for a cupcake seems steep when you can go to any larger grocery store and get a dozen for the same price, but the flying cupcake is about treating yourself to something special. they DO taste better than the flour/shortening/sugar ones that can be bought at any time, but these little (and larger) baked goods are worth the drive and cost for the utter joy of getting something that looks and tastes good in your mouth.

many a graduate of Catholic high-schools in indy have come here not to say hail marys or learn of their spiritual vocation, but to have a beer with friends. great beer selection and plenty of wiggle room to talk with old and new acquaintances, Conner’s is the dive across the river thats worth checking out.

i like this place, a LOT!!!
sure its an earth toned coffee house in the “hip” part of town, but really, its the best coffee house in the city. sorry abbey, you’re not as awesome.

from a tight little espresso to the most mouth-watering of fruit smoothies, the monon has got what it takes to make you a fan. the bakery items always taste fresh (because they are) and the fruit is somehow never bruised. its kid friendly, elderly friendly, punk friendly, yuppie friendly. where else are you going to find a friend like that? nowhere.

skilled baristas (some of the most creative people this city has to offer) serve you amazing drinks you can only wish you could make at home. yea, they’re cooler than most people, but that comes through in your beverage. delicious, fantastic, and way better than that chain up the street.

you can be having the worst day in your life. if you eat Yat’s, everything melts away. authentic, honest food that makes you feel good. is it good for you? i dunno. maybe for your soul.

cheap, fast, and always pitch perfect.