Chick-fil-A – South Bend, IN

7 10 2009
  • 4555 S. Michigan Avenue
  • South Bend, IN 46614
  • (574) 968-0351
  • Website
  • Menu
Chick-fil-A on Michigan Street in South Bend, IN

Chick-fil-A on Michigan Avenue in South Bend, IN

Getting closer.  The final day of our honeymoon started awfully early in the morning.  We got up and got going because we wanted to go apartment hunting in Kalamazoo.  Since it was still a four hour drive from Indianapolis to Kalamazoo, we got on the road early. 

 

Around South Bend, we started getting hungry.  All week we had been saying we needed to top at a Chick-fil-A for lunch.   We hadn’t up until this point and South Bend was probably going to be our last chance.  J took out the GPS to see if there was one close and there just so happened to be one right near our next turn

Let me backtrack a little bit with the whole Chick-fil-A thing.  For whatever reason, a couple guys I used to work with loved the place.  There was one location in Bloomington, IL on the campus of Illinois State University in one of the resident hall dining rooms.  We had a recent college grad working with us who lived in Bloomington and periodically, she would treat the guys to Chick-fil-A.  I never got it.  It’s like Sonic to me.  It looked, smelled, and tasted like fast food. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Chains, Chicken, Fast Food, Indiana, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, South Bend

Skyline Chili – W. 86th St., Indianapolis

7 10 2009
  • 3524 W. W. 86th Street
  • Indianapolis, IN 46268
  • (317) 872-2266
  • Website
  • Menu
Skyline Chili on W. 86th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Skyline Chili on W. 86th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Our trip was winding down and we needed one more hotel before making our way back to Mid-Michigan.  We initially planned on driving the whole way back to Lansing because I was supposed to work on Friday.  That got cancelled so we decided to break the nine-hour trip into two parts with a stop over in Indianapolis.

 

I really didn’t want to spend a lot on a hotel, so I did Priceline.  I said I wanted a hotel for $30 and someone took the offer.  It wasn’t a four star in downtown, but all we really needed was a place to sleep. 

As we were driving to our hotel, we passed a Skyline Chili.  Neither of us had ever eaten at one and the only reason I had ever heard of it is because of the Big ‘n Rich song Coming To Your City which has the lyric…

Well we blew through Cincinatti
And we all got really happy
Grabbed a bowl of that Skyline Chili along the way

Since our trip was essentially a country music/BBQ experience, it makes sense that we headed back for some chili.

Skyline Chili has six locations in the Greater Indianapolis area.  The one we chose was the location on West 86th Street on the northwest side of town.  It’s in a little strip mall just off Michigan Road with a number of other fast food and chain restaurants.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Fast Food, Indiana, Indianapolis, Restaurant, Reviews

Triple XXX Family Restaurant – West Lafayette, IN

1 10 2009
  • 2 N. Salisbury Street
  • West Lafayette, IN 47906
  • (765) 743-5373
  • Website
  • Menu
Triple XXX Family Restaurant on Salisbury Street in West Lafayette, IN

Triple XXX Family Restaurant on Salisbury Street in West Lafayette, IN

If you’ve figured out J and I, it should come as no surprise that we chose to take a honeymoon that revolves around food. After the wedding, we loaded up the car and headed to East Tennessee. It was too far to make in one night, so we decided to stop in Louisville for the night. Since we were in no hurry, the first stop on our culinary excursion was in West Lafayette, IN at a place we saw on Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dives.

The Triple XXX Family Restaurant is on the hill in West Lafayette just down the street from Purdue University. It’s a 24 hour place that serves good, cheap grub for those late “study breaks.” It’s been so long since I saw the segment on Triple D and the building we found was not what I was expecting for some reason.

Triple XXX (named after the Root Beer brand they serve) is an old drive in on the corner of State & Salisbury. The car stalls have turned into parking and the only business they do is inside. The building itself is not huge, but it’s bigger than you think. There are no tables, only lunch counters. They weave around the building so there are a lot more seats than I thought there would be. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : 24-Hour Diner, breakfast, Diner, Indiana, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, West Lafayette

South Side Soda Shop and Diner – Goshen, IN

20 06 2009
  • 1122 S. Main Street
  • Goshen, IN 46526
  • (574) 534-3790
  • Website
  • Menu
The South Side Soda Shop & Diner on South Main in Goshen, IN

The South Side Soda Shop & Diner on South Main in Goshen, IN

A couple years back, J and I were watching Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dives and we saw a segment on an old soda shop in Goshen, IN.  When we moved to Lansing, we pulled out a map to see where in Indiana Goshen is.  The map showed it just being outside of Elkhart.  It also showed the town as being pretty close to the Indiana Toll Road.  We figured it would take us about a half hour out of our way to make a stop on our way home from Chicago one weekend. 

So, one weekend, we made the detour and stopped.  Problem was, stupid me forgot to see if they were open on Sunday.  They’re not so we made the trip for nothing.  J wasn’t very happy with me. 

On our most recent trip home, we headed back towards Lansing on Friday.  As we were sitting in traffic on I-94 near Portage, IN, J asked if we missed the exit to get to South Bend.  We had, but I had her turn the GPS on because I knew there was a road from Michigan City to South Bend that we hadn’t missed yet.  As we waited to get through traffic, we made the decision to try again.  This time, J called to make sure they’d be open…and they were.

The South Side Soda Shop and Diner is on South Main Street just south of Downtown Goshen.  It’s sits on the corner an the only parking is in the neighborhood on the streets.  We pulled up near dinner time on Friday night, so there was already quite a crowd of people packing the small diner.  We parked a few blocks down and walked back. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Diner, Goshen, Ice Cream, Indiana, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

The Venue – Hammond, IN

3 05 2009
  • 777 Casino Center Drive
  • Hammond, IN 46320
  • (219) 473-6060
  • Website 
The entrance to the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.

The entrance to the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.

I know it looks like I have a gambling problem, but really, I never spend much.  Maybe twenty bucks tops.  We just seem to be having a lot of luck lately at finding shows we want to see at casinos. 

Back in March, I stopped at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond to pick up four tickets to see Joel McHale.  J and I watch The Soup every Friday night and really like McHale’s comedy, so I thought this would be a great birthday present.  J’s mom is also a fan, so I picked up two more tickets for her and J’s step dad.

The Venue is on the second floor of the Horseshoe Casino which sits near I-90 on Indianapolis Boulevard in Hammond.   There’s a large parking structure as you come upon the complex and the elevator takes you back down to the first floor where you enter the casino.

The gaming floor is huge.  It’s not as big as Soaring Eagle, but it’s much bigger than the riverboat casino’s in the area.  It’s a large, open area with a high ceiling.  You have to go all the way to the back of the gaming floor to find the escalators that lead up to The Venue. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Entertainment Venues, Hammond, Indiana, Live Entertainment, Reviews

Hardees – Howe, IN

4 02 2009
  • 7 North – Ernie Pyle Plaza
  • I-90/I-80 MP 126 Westbound
  • Howe, IN 46746
  • (260) 562-9163
  • Website
  • Menu
Hardees at an Indiana Toll Road Travel Plaza near Howe, IN

Hardees at an Indiana Toll Road Travel Plaza near Howe, IN

It never fails.  If we’re planning on going home for a few days, of course, it is going to snow.  Tonight was no different.  J and planned weeks ago to take a short vacation and go see our families in Illinois.  We thought we’d be out of the worst of winter and things would be ok.  Once we started looking at the forecast, we were convinced that someone, somewhere didn’t want us to leave Michigan.  The weather looked terrible.  Over fifteen inches of snow in a line that was hovering over Southwestern Michigan and Northeast Indiana.  We had to go right through it to get home. 

I started looking at the map and saw we could go down to the Indiana Toll Road and skip a lot of the stuff in Southwest Michigan.  It would add about twenty minutes to our trip, but we could be stuck in traffic for a lot longer than that.  This way, we wouldn’t hit the snow until we got about an hour from Chicago.  The problem with this route, is we’ve never taken it before and we didn’t know where the rest stops were.

Usually, we hit the Rest Stop east of Kalamazoo which is a little over an hour into our trip.  By then, I’ve already drank a Pepsi and J’s had a Rockstar.  An hour into our trip this time, all we found was darkness.  We were both getting to the point where we had to pee so bad it hurt, but there was nowhere to get off.  We hit the Indiana Toll Road and not long after getting on in Angola, I saw a sign for a travel plaza ten miles down the road.  Turns out, that was the only place to get off. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Indiana, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis

29 08 2008
  • 500 S. Capitol
  • Indianapolis, IN 46225
  • (317) 262-8600
  • Website
The new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

The new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

I got to admit, I was surprised when I got an e-mail asking if I was available to shoot a Colts vs. Bengals preseason game at the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  I do a lot of college football, but I’ve never done professional football.  After thinking about it for three seconds, I realized football was football and I would not only get some NFL football to put on the resume, but I’d get to check out the new stadium.

Lucas Oil Stadium sits right across the street from the RCA Dome which is in the process of being demolished.  The new stadium is huge.  The footprint for the RCA Dome sits on seven acres.  The footprint for Lucas Oil sits on 13 acres.  Even from the outside, the stadium is impressive and a huge improvement.  The RCA Dome looks like a generic basketball arena.  Lucas Oil looks more like Conseco Fieldhouse.

The old home of the Colts, the RCA Dome

The old home of the Colts, the RCA Dome

Once inside, I was taken to the field for a pregame meeting with the crew.  We went right out on to the turf and just about everyone I was working said “Wow!” at the same time.  Standing on the field and looking up at the rafter is impressive.  I’ve never been to a football game indoors before.  The only games I have been to have been at Soldier Field in Chicago…both the old and the current “alien invasion” incarnation, so it was a weird feeling.  The seating area reminded me more of a basketball arena…just a little bigger. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Indiana, Indianapolis, Reviews

Ah Barista Cafe – Indianapolis

29 08 2008
  • 201 S. Capitol Ave.
  • Indianapolis, IN 46225
  • (317) 638-2233
  • Website
  • Menu
Ah Barista Cafe in Indianapolis near Lucas Oil Stadium

Ah Barista Cafe in Indianapolis near Lucas Oil Stadium

I kind of surprised myself with this one.  I went to a cafe for lunch and my girlfriend wasn’t even with me.  I was in Indianapolis to work a Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium.  I got to Indy about an hour before my call time, so I decided to look around for lunch.  I parked in a garage across from the RCA Dome and went for a walk in the immediate area hoping to find a sandwich shop or something quick.  I didn’t really know where I was going once I got to the Stadium, so I didn’t want to cut it too close.  After walking around about 10 minutes, I ended up back at the garage where I parked.  Right next to the door I came out of was a little cafe called Ah Barista.

Ah Barista is located on the ground level of the Pan-Am Plaza.  It’s not very big with just a counter inside that runs along the wall to eat.  I got there around lunch time and the demolition guys working across the street at the RCA Dome had the same idea that I did.  There were six or seven of them in line so I had enough time to look over the menu and not feel rushed.  The menu board is high above the counter which makes it a little hard to read if you’re not standing right at the cash register.  They did have a couple paper menus posted on doors and windows, so that’s what I used. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Cafe, Indiana, Indianapolis, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches