As for this blog, I will continue to post (regularly now).  You will still see some restaurant reviews, but also expect more product reviews, recipes and cooking tips.  Just like Mac Genie, I’m looking forward to the change to the blog and I hope you will too.

If you’d like to stay up to date with Mac Genie, you can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Dig In at White River State Park

Dig In is a farm to fork event–in other words, Indiana chefs, food producers and farmers come together to celebrate Indiana food.  If that isn’t cool enough, the event took place at White River State Park , a great setting on such a gorgeous day.  There were 27 chefs, 11 breweries and 9 wineries offering samples as well as many more producers offering products for sale.  I was determined to taste everything, but had to call it quits after visiting 13 chefs, and even at that I only had a bite or two of many of the dishes.  It simply isn’t possible to leave this event hungry!

A Selection of Tarts by Chef Greg Scheisser

Here are some of the highlights.  My favorite dish was a tie between the pulled pork with baked beans and bacon foam by Chef Brendon Cheney from the JW Marriott and the applewood smoked lamb with grilled peach and poblano relish and corn, wild rice and goat cheese fritter by Chefs Braulio de la Torre and Ryan Evans from the Severin Bar & Grill.  Another stand out for me was the smoked turkey and ginger sausage by Chef Chris Eley of Goose the Market.  As for the sweets, I really enjoyed the peach and frangipane tart by Chef Cindy Hawkins at Circle City Sweets and the toasted salted caramel marshmallows from 240Sweet.

Pulled Pork w/ Baked Beans & Bacon Foam by Chef Brendon Cheney

There were so many more foods I loved, as well as many beers.  And there were so many more things I didn’t get to try!  I’d like to hear from those of you who went–what were some of your favorites?

Save the Date!

Occasions DivineToday’s Save:$25 for a ticket to a mystery dinner and wine tasting with Occasions Divine ($50 value) Expires 11:59 PM – Aug 28, 2011

Here are some more details about today’s save:

• Dinner and the murder mystery show takes place at the historic Propylaeum and lasts about three hours
• Tour the Victorian club house located in the Old Northside neighborhood
• Choose French, Continental or Cajun cuisine as your culinary theme
• Buy multiple Saves to dabble in your crime-solving detective skills with friends

You can buy today’s save by clicking here.  But how can you win it?

First, follow me on Twitter (if you don’t already).  Then, use this link to do the following before midnight on Sunday, August 28:

• Become a member of Eversave
• Become a Fan of Eversave on Facebook
• Follow EversaveIND on Twitter

Then tweet this blog post and mention both @tweet2tj and @EversaveIND.  Want to increase your chances of winning?  Each additional tweet before midnight on August 28th is worth one additional entry.  Winner will be chosen by random drawing on Monday, August 29.

Good luck!

This time I’m looking forward to trying Sensu and Turner’s.  How about you?  What do you think about Devour Downtown–love it or leave it?  What restaurants do it well?

Oakley's Bistro Suckling Pig Starter

Oakley’s Bistro is the restaurant equivalent to a trophy wife–so beautiful you believe it’s worth every penny.  The dining room has a french country feel and the food presentation is beyond artistic–it’s stunning.  You really can’t help but “ohhh and ahhh” over the plates as they come out.  But the over-the-top presentation and menu prices caused me to have very high expectations.  While the food and overall dining experience was good, I left feeling disappointed.

My meal at Oakley’s was rather enjoyable and most of the food was quite good.  In fact, one dish was outstanding.  The suckling pig starter, served with a ricotta crepe and mango puree was heaven.  The meat practically melted in my mouth and the mango flavor was bright and pure.

Oakley's Bistro Suckling Pig

French onion soup is a dish that is often not executed well at restaurants.  After the pig starter, I had very high expectations.  I was a little surprised by the presentation.  Instead of the traditional crouton and bubbly cheese on top, the broth was “naked” and served along-side a small quesedilla-like grilled cheese sandwich.  While I prefer the traditional presentation, I can appreciate that they were doing something different.  Unfortunately, something went horribly wrong with this soup.  My first bite was more fat than broth and left a greasy feeling in my mouth.  Further inspection revealed a large oil slick on top of the soup.  I don’t mean a teaspoon or two of truffle oil, I mean a large quantity of oil.  It was so bad that I’m convinced this is not the way the soup is meant to be served, but rather some sort of mistake.

Oakley's Bistro French Onion Soup

For the entree, our server recommended the meatloaf.  I’ve had some really upscale meatloaf dishes recently (such as the Filet Mignon meatloaf at Tavern on South) so I had high hopes.  I was disappointed again.  The flavor of the meat was bland and the chile jam and white cheddar were overpowering.  Even with the accompanying potatoes and vegetables and the artistic presentation, this quite simply was not worthy of the $22 price tag.

Oakley's Bistro Meatloaf

The tilapia with sweet corn risotto was one of the better tilapia dishes I’ve had.  I really enjoyed the sweetness and texture of the risotto, but it was just a bit undercooked.  And the flavors with the tilapia–sun dried tomato puree, morels and hazelnuts were pure genius.  I could have loved this dish if it weren’t for the fact that the tilapia was a bit overcooked.  The whole thing left me feeling like Goldilocks with nothing being “just right”.

Oakley's Bistro Tilapia

Taking the french onion soup out of the equation, the food at Oakley’s is quite good, but not good enough to justify the price.  I give Oakley’s Bistro an overall rating of 2.25.  Here’s the breakdown:

Deliciousness = 2.25

Ambiance = 2.75

Quality of Service = 2.5

Bang for Your Buck = 1.5

Overall Dining Experience = 2.25

Click here for Dish It Out!

Mississippi Belle Pork, Sweet Potatoes & Fried Chicken

I’m talking comfort food at it’s best.  There’s nothing fancy about Mississippi Belle, they don’t take credit cards and don’t serve alcohol.  But what they do, they do well: soul food that will make your eyes roll back in your head.

Everything is served family style and is all-you-can-eat.  Each diner chooses and entree and the table decides on four sides to share.  All dinners include corn bread, sliced tomatoes and onions and a beverage.  Beverages are soda, lemonade, and regular or sweet tea.  The kind of sweet that makes you think your straw should be able to stand straight up.  And get this–your table’s meal is rolled out on a cart!  Now you know you should’ve worn fat pants when your food has to be rolled rather than carried!

Mississippi Belle Ribs, Green Beans & Macaroni

For me, the two best things on the menu are fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.  In fairness to some other restaurants in the city, I can’t say that Mississippi Belle has the best friend chicken, but that’s because there are a few well-known chicken places I haven’t tried.  But it’s the best chicken I’ve had to date.  The outside is super crisp, yet doesn’t have too much breading–the juicy chicken is the star.

As for the macaroni and cheese, I can’t put my finger on exactly what makes it so special.  I suspect they use a blend of cheese and “cheese product” which would normally horrify me, but all fanciness went out the door when I mentioned fat pants.  All I know for sure is I could make a meal of the macaroni alone.  But don’t do that, because you’ll totally miss out on everything else.

Mississippi Belle Hot Water Corn Bread

Like the slow roasted pork that practically melts in your mouth.  Or the homestyle green beans.  Or the creamy mashed potatoes.  And oh, that hot water corn bread!  Anything that good probably contains lard or bacon grease.  I’m sure that pork fat in some form was involved.

Although there isn’t anything bad on the menu, I do have a couple of critiques.  The ribs were too fatty for my taste–I really wanted more actual meat.  And the sweet potatoes were actually too sweet and a bit over-cooked.

For amazing food and well, not much else, I give Mississippi an overall rating of 2.25.

Deliciousness = 3.0

Ambiance = 1.0

Quality of Service = 2.0

Bang for Your Buck = 3.0

Price = $$

Tacos at Monon Food Co.

I’ve been hearing about the tacos at Monon Food Company for quite some time.  So I finally decided to see what all the buzz is about.  In case you haven’t been to Monon Food Company, you should know they do a heck of a lot more than tacos.  Their dinner menu features sandwiches, salads, pizzas and entrees like salmon, meatloaf, ribs and mac and cheese.  They also serve brunch on the weekends.  But this visit was just about the tacos.

For under $8, you get two massive tacos.  Seriously, these things are more like open-faced burritos.  Unfortunately, some of the tacos really stand out, others are just so-so, and in my opinion one is just awful.  My first bite was of the Chipotle Fish taco, which is Tilapia with chipotle mayonnaise, cabbage, pico de gallo and guacamole.  The Tilapia was really tender and the toppings nice and crunchy–this was my hands down favorite.  The MOFOCO Pork, which is their house-specialty pork with carmelized onions, pico de gallo and a cumin lime sauce was also quite good.  It made me want to try some of the other pork items on their menu.

Monon Food Co. Chipotle Fish Taco

The Carne Asada taco landed in the so-so category for me.  Carne Asada is a highly seasoned beef so I was expecting a really flavorful taco.  It was good, but not great, and really paled in comparison to the fish taco.

Monon Food Co. Carne Asada Taco

Here’s where it gets ugly.  The Jamaican Jerk taco was the worst thing I’ve eaten in recent memory.  It was like eating chicken marinated in perfume.  The only thing remotely Jamaican about it was the mango because it definitely didn’t taste like jerk seasoning.  I even inquired about the perfumy taste and was informed it was the mango.  I know what mango tastes like, and it does have a slightly floral edge to it.  This was not the mango causing me to want to spit my food into my napkin.  It was something in the chicken and it was terribly wrong.

Monon Food Co. Jamaican Jerk Chicken Taco

Everyone has a bad night every now and then and maybe this was just a bad night for jerk chicken.  The rest of the tacos were good, and the fish was really great, so overall I would recommend the tacos at Monon Food Company.  And I’m looking forward to sampling the rest of their menu, particularly brunch.  I’ll let you know when I do!

Monon Food Co. Pork & Carne Asada Tacos

For quick service, a pleasant atmosphere, decent food and huge portions, I give tacos at Monon Food Company an overall rating of 2.00.  Here’s the breakdown:

Deliciousness = 1.75 (would’ve been a 2 if it weren’t for the jerk chicken)

Ambiance = 2.00

Quality of Service = 2.00

Bang for Your Buck = 2.50

Price = $$

Harry & Izzy's Shrimp Cocktail

Although I had never been to Harry & Izzy’s, I had an idea I would like it.  It’s owned by the same people who own St. Elmo Steakhouse and I’ve always been a big St. Elmo fan.  Harry & Izzy’s has the same classy feel as St. Elmo, yet is more comfortable and relaxed.  They also feature the famous St. Elmo shrimp cocktail: jumbo shrimp with a blow-your-head-off, painfully delicious sauce.  This really brings meaning to “hurts so good”.

Harry & Izzy's Beef Carpaccio

The great thing about a horseradish burn is that it’s over quick and your taste buds are restored to enjoy the next bite.  Just as good as the shrimp cocktail, but with more subtle flavors is the Beef Carpaccio appetizer.  For those of you not familiar, carpaccio is paper thin sliced raw beef with a mustard sauce.  Harry & Izzy’s dresses theirs with capers and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  It’s no surprise that the owners of the best steakhouse (IMO) in the city do raw beef just as well as cooked.  It’s just plain delicious and if you’ve never had carpaccio before this is a great place to try it.

Harry & Izzy's Seared Tuna

The Seared Tuna appetizer is quite good, but it doesn’t really stand out from similar dishes at other quality restaurants.  It’s lightly seared, covered with sesame seeds and served with a spicy sauce.  What does stand out about it though is the accompanying seaweed salad.  It’s good enough to stand alone, but pairs well with the tuna.

Harry & Izzy's Wedge Salad

I wanted to love the Garbage Salad just as much as the appetizers, but I couldn’t.  With shrimp, Italian meats, cheese, artichokes, hearts of palm and celery should have been bursting with flavor, but the taste was rather flat.  I did enjoy the Wedge Salad, but honestly it’s pretty hard to screw that one up and I happen to be partial to the wedge to begin with.  It’s exactly as a wedge should be, crisp and crunchy with blue cheese and bacon and I’d probably order it again.

Harry & Izzy's Roasted Beet Salad

My friends ordered the Oven Roasted Beet Salad which has beets (duh), oranges, goat cheese and walnuts over mesclun greens in a tarragon vinaigrette.  They love, love, loved it but I hate, hate, hate beets so my opinion really doesn’t mater here.  I’ll just say it’s a great salad for beet lovers (shudder).

For excellent food, great service and a classy atmosphere, I give Harry & Izzy’s an overall rating of 2.75.  Here’s the breakdown:

Deliciousness = 3.0

Ambiance = 3.0

Service = 3.0

Bang for Your Buck = 2.0

Price = $$$

What kind of cheese is made backwards?

Edam

Thanks to everyone who participated!