Steer In - Indianapolis, IN

The Steer In is kind of a typical triple-D restaurant in that it is a quirky, divey restaurant with some good food.  The tables, chairs and everything else looks like it was straight out of the 1970's back when this was probably a nice neighborhood.  Luckily, there were a couple of police cars in the lot to help chase away the bad guys.

They had a map with a bunch of push pins and notes.  The notes were from from visitors from all over the world.  I saw Dublin, Ireland, Germany, Guam, Lagos and several others.  I chatted with the owner who said that a lot of people come in during the Indianapolis 500 races.  Being featured on the Food Network has brought in a lot of business.  She also got me a push pin of my own to add to the board.

She also had some nice things to say about Guy Fiere.  She said that he was as nice in person as he is on tv. What you see is what you get.  Evidently, the Food Network had two film crews in town the day they filmed here and Guy would bounce between the two crews.

They are not shy about publicizing their affiliation with triple-D.  Everyone who works there wears a t-shirt with Guy's head and signature on it.  They even put a little tow-head symbol next to the menu items that were featured on tv.  I tried the meatball parmisian sub sandwich with coleslaw and onion rings.  It was the meatball sandwich that had the little guy symbol next to it but, it was the onion rings that were the best in my opinion.  They were beefy and really flavorful.  The onion was cut thick and the batter was also thick and had a great flavor.

The meatball sandwich was still pretty good.  The sauce kind of like pizza sauce.   I kind of liked the cole slaw, too.  It was very creamy and just a little vinegary.  My lunch partner ordered a chicken sandwich which he said was okay but probably not up to triple-D standards.

I would rate Steer-In a 8.6 because the food was a hit with me but a miss with my lunch partner.  I thought that the owner and the people that worked there were very nice and charming.  The 70's decor was not something a designer dreamed up, it was probably just bought in the 1970's and never updated.

Steer-In

5130 E 10th St
Indianapolis, IN 46219
(317) 356-0996
http://www.steerin.net

Hackneys - Glenview, IL

What kind of a dive has live Christmas carolers in Victorian costumes?  Guy might have visited here but, this was no dive! It was a really good restaurant with very good food and atmosphere.  It was all done up very nicely for the holidays.  So, not being a dive was not really a problem.

The carolers were actually very charming.  I was alone around Christmas time away from home, so I found the music comforting.  You can hear the music by clicking on the video clip below.

I was chatting with a couple at the next table. I turns out that their daughter was singing that night but, they had walked in just after she left the room. The music director was at another table. I thought that they were professional but, they were from the local high school.

I ordered the pretzel burger. The menu says that their own butcher prepares the meat and their own baker bakes all of their bread.  All I can say is that it tasted like they were telling the truth. 

Their beer selection seemed pretty good.  They had Spaten beer but I wasn't in much of a drinking mood.

Kind of an older crowd. Average age in the room was probably in the 60's.  It was very conservative; lots of Christmas sweaters that the kids make fun of but older folks don't care.  This is not very Triple-D like.

Service was good but not great. Nothing worth mentioning. 

I'd rate Hackney's a 7.5 on the triple-D scale.  It was a nice place with good food and mediocre service but, it wasn't really a triple-D restaruant in my opinion.  It wasn't a diamond in the rough.  It didn't have quirky or edgy aspect to it.

1514 E Lake Ave
(b/t Cariann Ln & Harms Rd)
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 724-7171
http://www.hackneys.net/locations/glenview-lake/

Dads Kitchen - Sacramento, CA

Dad's Kitchen is kind of deceptive compared to what you see when you first drive up.  There are neon beer signs for cheap beers and the signage is cheap and hap-hazard.  When you first step in there are some old pinball machines set up.  Who plays those anymore?

It looks like a tiny hole in the wall restaurant but, when you get inside it just keeps going back to the back of the building then out into the little yard in the back.  I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.  Both the food and the service were really good.

I ordered the onion rings with red bell pepper aioli to start.  I had to eat it with a knife and fork.  The onion taste and texture was really very pleasantly strong and crunchy.  It almost was a meal unto itself.  I had some help with me this day to eat it.  The aioli sauce was like something you would get from an expensive upscale restaurant.

I followed it up with dads chili pulled-pork sandwich.  As a Texan, we are not prone to praising anyone else's BBQ but, this was pretty good.  Guy steered us right this time.

Parking was kind of tight, but worth putting up with the bother.

I would rate Dad's a 9.8.  It was a dive but, not too much of a dive.  It had a cool atmosphere and the food was really something special.  I took three other people with me and they were all excited about what they ordered.  So, it was a hit with us.

Dad's Kitchen

2968 Freeport Boulevard 

Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 447-3237
http://ilovedadskitchen.com/

The Tamale Place - Indianapolis

I wasn't expecting much from a Tamale restaurant in Indiana which probably made the experience all the better.  The tamales were probably the best I've ever had.

When you walk in they have their menu on a dry-board.  It looks like the prices next to the menu items but they are not.  Those are the number of each item that they have left.  I ordered the chicken tamales in green sauce.  I thought that it was going to be $11 but right after I ordered she erased the 11 and wrote down 10.  I tried ordering  two things before she decoded the board for me and told me to pick something with a number next to it.

The tamales were fairly large, in the corn husks as you would expect tied off nicely with corn husks.  The flavor and texture were really nice and surprisingly authentic compared to what I get in Texas, if that is any kind of accurate measure.  You get your choice of beans or rice and hot or mild sauce with the combo.  I went with the black beans and mild (wimp) sauce.  The beans and sauce came in little take-out tubs.  The tamale comes with nachos in a styrofoam container.  You won't leave hungry.

The service was okay.  You don't spend a lot of time dealing with the people who work there.  You order then get the heck out of the way so that they can serve the next person.

The atmosphere was also okay.  It was not a diner, not a dive and not a drive-in.  It was an unremarkable restaurant in a nondescript strip mall with white walls and tables.

I would rate The Tamale Place 8.8 just for the quality of the food.

The Tamale Place
5226 Rockville Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46224
(317) 248-9771
http://www.thetamaleplace.com/

Twisted Root - Dallas, TX

There are a few Twisted Root restaurants in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  I've been going to the one in Roanoke since they opened up probably a year ago.  But it was the original restaurant in Dallas which was featured on the Food Network.  So, I've been holding off on my review.

I'm glad that I did because the original restaurant definitely has a different personality.  The one in Roanoke is more tailored to the suburbs where it is.  The Dallas location is more edgy.  It is in the Deep Elum section of Dallas which is a bit more edgy.  The bar tenders are more heavily pierced and tattooed.  The graffiti is harder and funnier.  Except for the silly Chuck Norris comments everywhere.  There was obviously an inside joke that I didn't get.

You can order any kind of food that you want as long as it is a burger.  They have normal beef, ostrich, buffalo, turkey burgers, you name it.  It is all really very good.  The onion rings are perfectly done fresh.

There was a football game going on when I was there on a Saturday afternoon.  The beer was flowing freely and the crowd was really excited.

I would rate the Twisted Root a 9.6.  I almost wanted to rate it lower because I am there all of the time so I am used to it.  But for someone who had never been, I think that they would definitely enjoy it.  The atmosphere was good and the burgers are great.  It is without a doubt a classic triple-D restaurant.


The Twisted Root
2615 Commerce St.
Dallas, Texas 75295
214-741-7668
twistedrootburgerco.com

Jamie's Bar and Grill - Sacramento, CA

Jamie's was a little too much of a dive for me.  It was a little intimidating as I walked up to the front door.  There was graffiti on awning outside of a not particularly nice building.  I was a little weary about leaving my car parked outside.  If it was later at night then I probably would have not stopped here.

It was very dark inside in stark contrast to the bright outside California sun.  It felt kind of dirty.  There were deer and buffalo heads on wall and a picture of Guy hung behind the bar.  I got the sense that even though this was a bar and grill that it was much more bar than restaurant.  It is more of a beer and a shot kind of bar rather than a martini kind of bar at that.

Despite my reservations, I ordered the chicken gumbo with a half-BLT sandwich on sourdough bread.  The gumbo was spicy but pretty good.  The BLT was ordinary.  It was definitely not DDD quality.

I rated Jamie's a 4.0.  I can not say that I recommend it.  Oh well, they can't all be winners.

Jamies Bar and Grill
427 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95818

Dressel's Public House - St.Louise, MO

It was  an exceptionally nice summer evening when I visited Dressel's Public House in St. Louis.  I got a table outside to fully enjoy the weather.  I was there in the early evening in the summertime when the sun was warm and hung in the sky relatively late in the evening.   It was very quiet and peaceful.  Somebody on the block was getting jazz piano lessons which echoed nicely off of the brick buildings.


Dressel's Public House is however on a street in St. Louis that they share with at least a dozen other eateries and bars. I'm guessing that this street is probably a lot of fun after the sun goes down.  I could easily imagine doing a pub-crawl here.  I wouldn't get a chance to find out first hand.


The waitress was very friendly.  She had a trainee in tow.  She was very knowledgeable about their menu and beer selection which was considerable.  I guess that should not have come as any surprise as this is a big beer-town.

I tried the Southside Ale.  This was a locally brewed light and yeasty beverage.  It was the perfect compliment for such a nice evening.

The food was also pretty good.  I got the spring onion and goat cheese tart which was kind of like a quiche except that the cheese was more gooey than fluffy.  It came with a mixed greens salad with bits of chicken.  The contrast in textures was really well done.    

Dessert was strong chocolate coffee flavored parfait.  I think the name was potacreme, but I'm not sure. Waitress said they had to whip up fresh cream.  It was extremely rich and filling. A few bites and I was done.

I gave Dressel's a 9.7.  It was all very good.  I kind of gave them the benefit of the doubt on the atmosphere because of the time that I showed up.  The inside was a really cool old pub.

Dressel's Public House
419 N Euclid Ave
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 361-1060
dresselspublichouse.com

Hildebrandts - Williston Park, NY

Hildebrandts is an old-time diner. There was lots of stainless steel, an old soda bar, the waiters wore black aprons and the drinking glasses had those old-time metal holders.

It was very much a family restaurant.  There was a young mom explaining to her kids how long their family had been coming here. This was a long-time generational thing for them.

The thing that makes them really special is that they make their own ice cream in the back. Watch the DDD video before you go. Having seen them make the ice cream made the shake experience all the better.  I tried the cappuccino chip shake. Wow! You don't realize the extra junk that they put in ice cream until it's gone. They obviously use high quality ingredients. Even the little bits of chocolate were really enjoyable.

I ordered the lobster ravioli in vodka sauce. For a diner, their Italian food was as good as any Italian restaurant in New York.  So, the bar is pretty high.

Service was good but, a little short because they were busy at the time.

I rated them 9.5 because the food was really good and it was a genuine diner. They missed the mark a little on the service side and the atmosphere was kind of ordinary; still well worth checking out.

Hildebrandt's
84 Hillside Avenue
Williston Park, NY 11596
(516) 741-0608
www.hildebrandtsrestaurant.com

Pilot Pete's - Schaumburg, IL

Pilot Pete's is a cool airport restaurant.  It is in the terminal building at Schaumburg Regional Airport (06C) in Schaumburg, Illinois.  There is a bank of windows that overlook the airport and the only runway from the second story.  The restaurant is chock full of aviation memorabilia, signed photos of famous aviators and lots of model airplanes everywhere.

I dined under a real experimental airplane called a breezy because the two occupants sit out in the open wind in this airplane.  I've seen breezy's before but I never had the vantage point and the time to sit there and examine the quality of the welds and the design of the airframe.  I wonder how well this one worked in it's life in the air because the Continental O-200 engine looks like a pull-type that would be in the nose of Cessna or Piper but in this configuration it was in a pusher configuration whereby the engine faced backwards, pushing the air back.  The carburetor intake was also facing backwards.  hmm... Maybe it's better hanging from a restaurant ceiling.

The food was pretty good, too.  I got the Turbulence Salad and a Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy beer.  The shandy is a summer time beer.  It is a mix of beer and lemonade, I think.  Very light, sweet and citrusy.  The salad was a mix of lettuce, onion, cheese, chicken and peperoni all chopped and tossed.  It didn't need any dressing.  I think that there might have been some oil and vinegar added to give it some moisture.   It was all very good.

Service was fine.  They were very busy but the hostess and waitress were both very nice and efficient.  No complaints.  

This place had not been featured on the Food Network but, it had potential.  Just reading over the menu, it looked like they had some creative stuff. One thing that looked interesting was the Grilled Salmon Club.  They described it as "salmon, bacon, tomato, avocado and tomato-chive aioli on Italian Bread."  Guy might like it here.

The atmosphere was pretty lively for a Tuesday evening.  There was a bar area that looked pretty cool.  The only cooler airport bar that I can think of was at the US Navy Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida where they had shipped the old officer's club bar from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean back to Florida and completely reconstructed it.

I rated Pete's a 9.5.  This is a must for the aviation nerd in your family if you are in the Chicago area. 

Pilot Pete's Restaurant
905 West Irving Park Road
Schaumburg, IL 60193
(847) 891-5100
http://pilot-petes.com/