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/