R & R Extreme Wings

I have a small back story before I let this one out. My family moved away from Bloomington IN about 14 years ago. In Bloomington there is a wing joint that was always my favorite as a kid. Buffalouies makes this honey garlic sauce that has always stood out in my mind as my favorite and I'll still get it when I make any trip down there. Since moving to Indy I've been trying to find similar wings in both texture and taste. A lot of places have come close but none as close as R & R. If you are ever at the home of the Hoosiers check them out. You can find them on Twitter @BuffaLouies

Back story over.

One of the many reasons I love my office is the vast variety of food trucks that show up. Today was R & R Extreme Wings. You can find them on twitter @rrextremewings . They don't have a website but there is a picture posted on twitter of their menu.

I got 10 of the honey barbeque wings. You all know I can't take the heat and it turns out I was correct to avoid it. One of my coworkers got the sweet and spicy and another got the habanero (because "I am always disappointed by how hot I expect them to be but never are"). They were both sweating when they were done.

The wings were awesome. I mean, really awesome. They fry them before they toss them in the sauce and they come out crispy but still moist. The sauce was sweet and tangy without the saltiness that usually is accompanied by anything fried. Arguably my favorite wings in town. They also came with some fries which were nicely seasoned and tasted good even with my bias against crinkle cut.

Next time I'm ordering 20.

Big Ron's Bistro

It's been a few days since I've run into a truck that I don't see every week. Today Big Ron's Bistro dropped by the List and I ran (literally) to jump in line so I could grab some grub before my shift started. Turns out, good call.

Their Website is super nice, though I had a little hiccup with it today because apparently our server can't handle the heat either. Fair warning if you're on a slow connection or mobile, it's not a tiny site. Twitter is @BigRonsBistro

I got the Rib Tips which I don't see on the online menu. I wanted the short rib sandwich which wasn't on the truck so fair trade I guess.

Rib tips were standard smoke grilled and braised in a Sriracha BBQ sauce which was just hot enough to make me sweat (also, our AC was out in the building today so take that with a grain of salt) and served next to some heavily spiced up seasoned fries. Best food truck rib tips I've had, hands down. I love that BBQ sauce even though Sriracha is not really my thing. I'm fairly certain I would put it on everything.

I don't see anything on the menu that's really a non spicy option so if you're into food with a kick and see these guys around don't hesitate. Their business card says "Go Big or Go Home" and they definitely went Big today.

Naptown Kitchen Kickstarter

Hey guys a quick plug for a Kickstarter that I'm a backer on.

LINK

It's a rentable space for local food trucks to get ready for the day. It's an awesome way for smaller, newer trucks and businesses to get started without so much up front overhead.

Killer idea and hopefully a full funded kick.

Groovy Guys Fries

Good fries are hard to find. I'm not down with crinkle cut. I like the occasional plate of waffle fries. I grew up on McDonalds signature fries. Suffice to say that I'm kinda particular.

Enter: Groovy Guys Fries.

Twitter is @GroovyGuysFries and a general idea of a menu is Here though it seems to change a little.

I got the Steak and Cheese fries. It's about the size of a standard ball park fries, covered in their seasoning, then topped with thin cut steak, mozz, and A1 sauce. It was really good. I was not expecting it to fill me up but it ends up being quite a lot of food. My only complaint about it was the seasoning was pretty heavy (it is good, just a lot ya know?). All in all I'd order it again.

Looking at that menu I'm tempted to find them tomorrow and the day after too. It's rare that I want to try everything on a menu but it all looks good. If you've had the sweet potato fries don't ruin the surprise for me, those will probably be my favorite.

Pho Mi

Today was a lovely day off for me so I went browsing to see who was in the neighborhood.

I love it when things work out! Turns out there were 4 trucks just down the street, waiting for me to be hungry. One of which was Pho Mi (owned and operated by the same guys that brought you Taco Lassi).

Their twitter is @PhoMiIndy and they don't have a website, though if you want more contact info you can probably hit up Taco Lassi's page.

My rule of thumb when trying a new truck is to walk up, look at the menu, then disregard it completely and ask the people on the truck what they like. Today, as always, that worked spectacularly.

I got the beef bahn mi. Bahn mi is a baguette style bread sandwich found in places like Vietnam (brought to you by the French occupation of pretty much everywhere). In this case you can order a couple of different meats with various toppings. The beef was cut into thin strips, covered in a sauce that reminded me of southwest ranch, and then topped with an almost Vietnamese coleslaw. Without a menu in front of me I can't speak to the exact ingredients. The only thing I'd consider adding is some lime but I'm a sucker for the lime flavor.

It really was good and, if you can handle the heat, you can get it with jalapenos too to give it a little extra kick. As we know, I'm not that guy.

Overall, if you like Taco Lassi you'll like Pho Mi too. It might seem foreign (puns) but give it a shot. You never know what you'll love until you try it.

PS.. Sorry the shot is a little weird, it was so sunny out I couldn't see the screen on my phone.

$5 Truck Rib Tips

The $5 Truck is a quaint little truck that, sadly, has no real internet presence.

You can find their Facebook here

The sad part of them not having an internet presence is that I can't tell you where to find them other than the Angie's List office at 30th and Shadeland every Tuesday for lunch.

Everything on the truck is $5. Act surprised.

The menu rotates every week but she almost always has rib tips. These things are delicious. Slow roasted then covered with homemade BBQ sauce, for the price you can't beat them. The mac is fantastic too, though if you aren't into pepper you might try the baked beans instead as she seasons the mac pretty heavily. I like it, your mileage may vary.

I wish I had more info to go with this but there really isn't much else to say. Hopefully the picture below will speak for itself.

Extreme Pizza Drag it through the Garden

Monday is Extreme Pizza day at the office and they had one on the truck I had not tried yet.

Do you consider yourself a salad person? I'm not really one of those guys but I'll occasionally partake in a good salad. Now, you slap that salad on some bread with a little red sauce? Sold!

That's essentially what this pizza is. It looks healthy, it tastes healthy (in a not boring way), and it fits into the list of my favorite foods.

Broccoli, mushrooms, red onions, green peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, the fresh basil they put on everything, and a sprinkling of mozz on fairly thin crust. A huge bonus to this pizza is that it's not greasy in any sense of the word. I think it'll be my go to for guiltless pizza without sacrificing some flavor.

As an aside, I saw a lot of people ordering two slices at a time today then getting confused when it came out to half a pizza. What you see in this picture is only one slice. Order accordingly.

Rollin' Wit Da Roux

Today was a weird food day for me. I stopped by Smoking Goose this morning and when I left I smelled so delicious I couldn't help but be hungry.

I get to work and what do you know, Rollin' Wit Da Roux shows up.

You can find them on twitter @daroux2 and, for the life of me, I can't find a website. I did find that @IndyFoodTruck has their location accurately.

The menu isn't posted anywhere online which is a little disappointing. Ciest la vies.

I got bourbon chicken, creole style.

Yeah, bourbon chicken, like what you go to the mall for. I got it instead of the po' boy because it was a craving. Fair warning, if you want mall food go to the mall. If you want spicy, slightly tangy chicken on real rice, find these guys and give it a shot.

It's hot to me, not to the point that I didn't enjoy it but to the point that I am sweating. Some of you will try this and mock me, no doubt, because it's not as hot as you might expect from a creole truck.

Next time I'll do the right thing and order the po' boy. Today, this worked and really hit the spot. Nice work guys!

Extreme Pizza Pow Pow!

It's not often I get a craving for dessert food but when I do I crave fair food the most.

Anyone that's been around me when I want a funnel cake knows how obnoxious I can be in my attempts to find one.

Fortunately for my friends (and lovely bride) I don't think I'll be wanting one any time soon.

Extreme Pizza was at the office today with their usual selection of delicious pizza and wings. They also carry on the truck, and in the store, these fried logs of perfection.

It's bread, wrapped up with Nutella inside, fried, and covered with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar. I'm not your typical Nutella maniac like a lot of people I know but I do love hazelnut flavors and inside some fried bread it gets pretty subtle. The outside is fried to the consistency of fried ice cream. Crispy, without being too dry inside.

Like fair food? Don't care for crowded spaces with lots of sweaty people? Here is your answer! Plus you can make up for all the calories by ordering one of their healthier pizzas with it. It probably still isn't that healthy but you don't have to tell yourself that part.

PS: They finally got the twitter account @IndyXtremePizza

A quick word about Indy

Last night was a great night to be in Indy. Down at White River State Park just off the canal and next to the NCAA hall of champions it was picturesque.

I used to think you had to go to Chicago or NYC or out to the west coast to find some culture. Growing up in Hamilton County really skewed my idea of what we have to offer. There's more than corn in Indiana, and a lot better options that Applebee's or Olive Garden.

I only say all of this because I don't think its said enough. This city has a lot to offer and I encourage all of you to make the best of it.

Nicey Treat

Stuff my wife likes!

Last night at Shakespeare I got Scratch and the wife got some delicious Spice Box naan wrap that I, unfortunately, did not get a pic of. While I was devouring my food she went to check out the Nicey Treat truck.

This one's gonna be short because I honestly didn't get to try it. My assumption, judging by the fact that she wasn't forthcoming with letting my get a taste, is that these things must be delicious. I'll do my best to find them again soon and give you wonderful readers a run down of my thoughts.

Until then, you can find their website here and follow them on twitter @niceytreat. Not a lot going on on the website but at least you can find them and check out what looked like over 300 flavors of Popsicles. That might be a slight exaggeration but seriously, it seemed like the whole front of their truck was a menu. Awesome idea for a hot summer day guys!

This picture is the closest I got to it.

Scratchtruck's Scratch Burger

I hit up Shakespeare In The Park at White River State park last night to grab a bite of some scratch burger with some uninitiated friends.

As always the burger, cooked to order on a toasted bun with arugula, bacon marmalade, and Gorgonzola cheese, was the best burger in Indy. Can't recommend it enough. My buddy had never had any food truck experience prior to this so I figured I'd start him off right! It worked.

So, Scratchtruck, you've again won my heart with a delicious burger and a mexican coke to wash it down.

Circle City Spuds again

Bet you wouldn't have guess the Irish kid loves potatoes.

Of course Circle City Spuds isn't just about potatoes, it's about awesome, delightful mounds of food that no person should be able to finish. Underneath all of that is the potato.

Twitter and website respectively in case you don't want to go back a couple of pages.

Today I had the Naptown Mac & BBQ Spud. It's a potato with BBQ pork or chicken, mac and cheese, and slightly spicy cheese sauce to top it off. You can get it with sour cream or BBQ on the side. I order the half and usually don't eat dinner afterwards but if you're adventurous or a member of the Colts Offensive Line, order a full. They're huge potatoes and, should I ever remember, I'd like to weigh one with all these toppings.

Half a potato with what I suspect is about 4 pounds of toppings is only $5. Add the other half for $8 total if you want to feed your whole family.

I do love this potato. Their BBQ is sweet but not offensive and the slightly spicy cheese sauce makes it not overbearing. The Mac and Cheese will remind you of places like MCL and the fact that it's so creamy really compliments the potato.

I wish I'd snapped this prior to putting all the sour cream on it but I think you'll still get the idea.

Spice Box

A little back story on this one. My wife went to India a few years back and has adapted some of her cooking preferences to Indian style food as well as pretty much anything with a kick to it. I love the style and the heat, my stomach however does not. I get over this by investing in Tums. All that to say, I've been trying to chase down Spice Box for a couple of weeks now and I finally got the chance to try some delicious food.

You can find their menu on their totally usable website. Pro tip to the rest of you guys, this is a pretty good example of what I mean when I mention that the website is useful to find info on the trucks and menu. Props Spice Box! Twitter is @spiceboxindy

I caught them today at #Clustertruck in the Precedent Office Park. Super easy access for you northsiders.

The guy who took my order was very passionate about his food. Rightly so too, it was delicious. I got the Chicken Tandoori tacos and this awesome Indian cola called Thums Up (spelling off the bottle).

The tacos were like an Indian taste explosion. The chicken, rice, onions, and chickpeas (am I wrong on that Spice Box?) all wrapped up in some Roti bread were exactly what I was hoping for. I feel like I might have missed out a bit by not ordering the spicy rice but I figured I was already going to be worshiping Tums later, why risk it. If you can handle more heat than this Irish guy I'd suggest going all out on it. Fair warning, if you don't care for onions then ask for light or none at all. They came with quite a few on the tacos and they were solid, hot, red onions. Delicious, but not for everyone.

He had me try a chutney made with Thai peppers which was also a solid 10 on the taste factor. It really did add dimension to the flavor but be warned, Thai peppers make your silly hot sauce look like it's for kids.

The Thums Up soda is awesome. Think Mexican coke (the real sugar kind) with a hint of birch beer. My bottle was gone in the 6 minutes it took me to drive home.

If you aren't into Indian food or don't know if you are into Indian food I always say try something new. It's like creole flavors with slightly different spices. Curry is probably the least approachable thing and I'm sure if you ask nicely they'd let you try a couple of things before you buy. Just don't be like me for the first 20 years of my life and avoid something because you aren't sure of it.

All in all, Spice Box gets two Thums Up (my wife thinks I use puns too much). I think I'll go back Saturday when they serve at Shakespeare In The Park at White River. If my wife finds something she likes you'll see the new section of my blog called "Stuff My Wife Likes" which is the most clever thing I could think of. Look for lots of the more spicy options in her section.

Jockamo Pizza

Seriously, pizza. Again. I should just rename the blog shouldn't I?

Check it. My boss took us out for lunch today and the go to place in town is Jockamos. I've heard about Jockamos for years now but have never had the chance to try it until today. You can find their twitter @jockamopizza. I will throw out a quick warning to anyone with an onion intolerance, they put a lot of them on their pizza. If in any level of doubt about loving onions, order yours without.

Their Menu is awesome. We got the Heidi Hernandez, Slaughterhouse Five, and Cheese Louis.

Heidi Hernandez is sausage pizza with chorizo (from @smokinggoose), veggies, and swiss cheese. I've never had swiss on a pizza before and it was delicious. Smoking Goose doesn't make bad meat. I'm normally not a sausage pizza kinda guy but this was fantastic.

Slaughterhouse Five is an homage to Kurt Vonnegut and is absolutely covered in meat. I couldn't even see the cheese through it all. I tried it for the sake of saying I did and it was really good tasting, just not my style.

And Cheese Louis. This pizza is the crowning achievement of what cheese pizza is supposed to be. Fresh ricotta, gouda, and parm? Yeah, I didn't even need the bacon and onions on it. They weren't a bad touch though.

All of these pizzas, subs, and a nice local beer selection made this my new favorite pizza joint in the city. I'll be back very soon.

Pictured is the Heidi Hernandez.

The NY Slice

Can you tell I like Pizza? Seriously, my future cardiologist is just going to print my blog as a good reason to raise prices for me.

The NY Slice has two trucks that roam around offering (what I can only assume) authentic NY style pizza. You can find them on twitter @theNYslice.

The truck only has a couple of types of pizza on board. I got some peperoni because you can tell a lot about a pizza joint by how they handle basic Peperoni pizza.

In short, it was delicious. I mean really good. I've been thinking for about 3 hours how to best describe it to you and I think the closest pizza you could find to this is vendor pizza from the fair. No need to wait until fair time though as the NY slice has a store! They're on 10th St and I spy sriracha flavored wings on their menu. Dinner maybe?

I digress. The point is, this pizza is good and I will try it again. My only complaint is that it's greasy. Like, had to put some paper towels under the plate because it was making a mess on my desk, greasy. If you think greasy pizza is gross and are the type of person to sponge it off, this may not be for you.

Extreme Pizza's Food Truck

Extreme came to me this time in the form of their food truck (who I finally convinced to start a Twitter so you can find them easier, I'll post it up once I find it).

I ordered the Pandora's Box which has delicious sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts on it. If you like fresh and light pizza, this is a good one to start with. The slices are more than enough for a nice lunch and they offer wings and a sub that's different pretty much every week.

I was informed to day that the wings on the truck are actually fried which is different from their store. I'll be trying them next Monday.

$4.50 for this giant slice. Super nice guys too, check 'em out!

Extreme Pizza

Extreme Pizza is a chain pizza joint up in Fishers. They don't advertise, that I've seen, and it took a coworker recommending them for me to even check them out. Glad I did.

Their website is actually useful. The store in Fishers doesn't actually have a twitter that I can find so if you go in hassle them to make one.

Scroll down and look at that pizza. Yes I did snap that picture in my dark living room after I had already started eating it. Yes, it was delicious. What you see here is the Boar'Der pizza. The pork is a nice alternative to the standard chicken pizza. I've also had wings and the screamin' tomato pizza, both of which exceeded my standards.

Check this place out. They have a food truck that roams but I can't tell you how to find it because they apparently don't post that anywhere. I do know they stop at Angie's List office on 30th and Shadeland every Monday though, so if you are on the east side and what some delicious pizza or wings stop on by.

For you northsiders, give these guys a call. They deliver just about everywhere and, if you are out of their area, they'll probably do it anyways.

Scout's Treats

I'm going to preface this post by letting you all know that I am rarely in the mood for sweets. Cake and cupcakes really aren't a consistent desire for me but, when I do get a craving for something fluffy and sugar filled, I check to see if the cupcake lady is here.

Scouts Treats makes cupcakes, popcorn, brownies, and the occasional lemon shake up. You can find her by checking her twitter @ScoutsTreats .

I've had something like four or five different types of  cupcakes and her sea salt brownie. No matter what kind I get I get that 2:30 feeling within about 20 minutes. I really can't exaggerate about the size of these things. You know those soup containers you get from Chinese takeout? These cupcakes and brownies make it so you can't close them.

If I had to choose I would start with the Unauthorized Reeces cupcake but her selection for each day is different so if you have a doubt just ask her. She won't steer you wrong.

KG Slider Station

Mr. Milton L Keys runs KG Slider Station home of the "I can't make up my mind this fast" menu.

Seriously, look at this menu. He doesn't have all of those options on the truck every day as they are on a rotation. He usually posts to twitter @KGSliderStation how many of each category he has on the truck that day.

You will never have a hard time finding multiple things that sound delicious. I've had the Old Timer and the Olympian.

The Old Timer is exactly what you would expect from a perfect burger. It reminds me a lot of small diner style burgers similar to those sold at Hinkle's Hamburgers in Madison, IN. If you haven't had one or haven't had a good burger, find Milton, he will fix you right up.

The Olympian was a whim. I love Greek food, I was craving tzatziki sauce, and I'm impulsive. Lets just say that if all of my impulsive purchases made me as happy and full as this I would be ecstatic. Delicious, though it's cucumber sauce, not tzatziki if you are a Greek purist.

I hope Milton shows up here sooner than later, I want to try more options!

Taco Lassi

I love tacos. I hate Taco Bell. I don't have time to go to an authentic Mexican restaurant on my typical lunch break.

Solution: Taco Lassi

Their website is pretty but kinda impossible. It also doesn't really have a menu so your mileage may vary!

Twitter @TacoLassi

I honestly have not had a bad taco from them. The combinations may not sound like something you would typically order. Chicken Tandoori, beef, fish tacos, the works. They fill them with anything and everything but the menu seems to have been a little varied.

My suggestion, if you see a taco on the menu that day that you think sounds funny (barring any allergies or foods you obviously aren't a fan of), order it. Seriously, some of my favorite tacos have been ones that sounded a little silly.

As an aside, the nice lady who took my order one day earlier this year was nice enough to remind me it was freezing outside while I was shivering. She got a tip for being hilarious.

Mac Genie

Let's talk mac and cheese. Your mother used to make it for you, sometimes with hot dogs cut up in it, and now every time you think of good mac you think of hers. You strive for good mac at buffet places and are disappointed in the runny, watery mess. Am I projecting?

Probably. Enter Mac Genie. These guys get it. Once they got it they also took it to the next level.

Menu, @macgenietruck

I've only had the fortune of being stuffed full of their mac a single time so I went the risky route and had the buffalo chicken mac.

You may say to me; "Mike, why would I pay $8 for mac?" And I would simply reply; "Because I would have paid more than that after I ate it." (Mac Genie, if you're out there, please don't raise the prices. I'm not a good market sample) Seriously, it was about 6 pounds of food. My heart slowed down eating this thing and the heartburn later was not my favorite way to celebrate but I would take that punishment again willingly.

Fair warning, if you aren't terribly hungry I would avoid this or check out their lighter options, I think that pesto salad sounds awesome too.

Scratchtruck

If you guys haven't had it yet, and you get the opportunity, I cannot stress enough that Scratchtruck is my favorite food truck in Indy so far.

Their menu can be found here and you can follow them on Twitter @scratchtruck

I've tried the Scratch Burger, the Scratch grilled cheese, and the poutine.

Scratch Burger is a must if you like a good burger with different flavors. The bacon marmalade brings an interesting taste to the burger that isn't too much (I do love bacon, I just don't fall into the cult following it has). Check it.

The Scratch Grilled Cheese is my favorite. Not too heavy by itself and the braised short ribs on it are delicious. Can't suggest enough though that if you get this and the poutine be prepared for a nap.

Speaking of the poutine, for those of you who haven't had the food of the Canadian gods, it's fries, gravy, and cheese curds. It sounds like a lot and it is a lot. I love it. Whoever invented it needs a peace prize and I'm sure that it will cause me to need a heart checkup.

The price at Scratchtruck can be a little high, sometimes as much as $11 if you order extras and a Coke (real Coke with real sugar, by the way) but I would say it's worth it. I really can't wait for my next scratchtruck experience.

Byrne's Grilled Pizza

Today I had the opportunity to eat from Byrne's Grilled Pizza's food truck (well, food trailer).

You can find their menu on their website at Byrne's Pizza. Or follow them on Twitter @ByrnesPizza

I ordered the personal pizza because it was only 50 cents more than a slice. If you order by the slice you get a more traditional crust but the personal pan crust was very thin, almost pita chip sized. Either way you order it's all grilled and is delicious.

For the price and taste I'd eat there again. They had pesto on the menu which I will try next time (don't forget cash!).

I'll remember to snap a picture of the pizza prior to stuffing my face next time, I promise.