Today:
Get "steam food" at all hours of the day and night. Bagel business is steady during daylight hours, and bar patrons storm the shop in search of sandwiches and kosher franks to soak up beer in the wee hours.
My fiance has been raving about Chicago Bagel Authority since moving here - steamed bagels this, steamed bagels that. When we finally made it to the Bagel Deli, she stopped short and said, "This is exactly like CBA." She asked the counter guy if the Deli patterned itself after CBA and he said no, it was the other way around. Score one for Indy, haha!
Ken & Susan have really put their hearts and energy into this place. I've been waiting for years since I had a steamed bagel in college for Ripple Bagel to open. I no longer live in Broad Ripple, but I think I miss this place more than anything! :)
My soon-to-be 25-year-old son William, now a New Yorker and something of a big-city food snob, turns up his nose at most Indy eateries -- but loves to eat here at least once per visit. It's just a neat coincidence that he grew up next door to Brian Hacker...
Smokin' Joe, how I love thee
At first I was a fan of the David Letterman. Then it was the Ga Ga Gabor. Sometimes it's the biscuits and gravy, but more often than not I'm craving the Smokin' Joe, thanks to the recommendation of Brian Hacker one day. Smoky and spicy chipotle cream cheese with turkey, smoked cheddar and ground pepper on a plain steamed bagel. Perfection. Plus, the names are fun to say. Oh, and they've got free Wi-Fi. A nice alternative to Starbucks, for Ripple-ites looking for free wireless.