On my recent trip to Indianapolis my wife and I grabbed a quick breakfast before heading back to Cincinnati. We walked past the Indianapolis City Market the day before and the next morning I searched there for a breakfast spot. I quickly found 3 Days in Paris and we immediately headed that way.

Indianapolis City Market

We arrived just after 9 AM on a Monday and found the market mostly empty. The market itself opens at 7, but the creperie doesn’t open until 9. 3 Days in Paris is right in the center of the market. After placing our orders my wife and I took turns exploring the other booths while waiting for our crepes to be made. Keep in mind that only two crepes can be made at a time, so if they are busy it could take some time for your crêpe to be prepared.

Market Booth

I’m not a fan of eggs, so I was really happy to see plenty of crepes offered without eggs in the them. I went with the Harvest crêpe filled with ham, Havarti, apples, dried cranberries, spinach, and a cherry chipotle sauce ($8.49). This was an awesome crêpe and it was really filling! My wife was equally as happy with her green eggs & ham crêpe with egg, ham, mozzarella, spinach, and pesto ($7.49).

Harvest Crepe

3 Days in Paris makes an excellent crêpe and I would absolutely go back at any time to sample more. The hot date with bacon, Havarti, goat cheese, dates, onion, and walnuts looks very intriguing.

Prior to the recent Mumford and Sons concert at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, my wife and I had dinner at the nearby Napolese Pizzeria location. I made a reservation for 6 PM a week before the sold out concert. We arrived to find our table waiting near the windows looking out toward Meridian Street. The tables were packed in like sardines at this place, but we made the most of it and enjoyed some conversation with our neighboring table while waiting for food and drinks.

Whipped Goat Cheese Dip

We started with the whipped goat cheese dip appetizer with caramelized onions and served with focaccia ($9). The dip was outstanding and the serving was more than enough for two, but that didn’t stop us from eating every last bit. This is a very hearty spread, and not really a dip, so it is very filling.

Hamaker’s Corner

From there we split the Hamaker’s corner pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, provolone, and mushrooms ($15). Again this was more than enough for two, and though I wish I could have taken the rest home for a late night snack, we didn’t have anywhere to keep it during the show. Overall the pizza was really good. I could have used a little more cheese to really cover the pizza from edge to edge. Otherwise the toppings were plentiful and the taste was good. I would not hesitate to go back to Napolese Pizzeria on a return visit to Indianapolis.

A few weeks ago, Kim and I traveled to Indianapolis to sample some food, some brews, and most importantly to see Mumford and Sons. This was Kim’s first time seeing the band, my fourth. This was by far the closest I have been to the stage for one of their performances. All of the other shows I have attended have been general admission, but for this show I was able to get some really good assigned seats on the side. Here are some photos from the fabulous night!

We hosted a Kentucky Derby party this past weekend complete with mint juleps and fried chicken with all of the sides. As an appetizer I made mini Kentucky Hot Browns that turned out really good, so I wanted to share a recipe.

Before Broiling

After Broiling

Serve with Mint Julep

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices of turkey breast (as thick as the butcher will slice)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar
• 3/4 cup grated romano
• pinch nutmeg
• 6 slider buns
• 2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced in 12
• paprika
• parsley
• 8 slices booked bacon

Directions

1. Cook the butter and flour over medium heat in a pot, stirring continuously for 5 minutes.
2. Raise the head to medium-high and add the milk, whisking until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cheddar, 1/2 cup romano, and nutmeg. Set aside.
5. Separate the bun halves and toast each piece.
6. Place each toasted bun half face-up on a large pan.
7. Divide the turkey over the top (1 slice should cover about 3 bun halves).
8. Layer with a tomato slice, mornay sauce from above, and a sprinkling of romano.
9. Place the pan under the broiler until the sauce is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
10. Transfer to a place and sprinkle with paprika, parsley, and top with crumbled bacon.

I’ve been to Arnold’s Bar & Grill many times before, but most of the time I am just there for drinks. Sometimes that’s just for a quick drink with a friend at the inside bar, or other times it’s for several while watching a band play on the covered outdoor patio. I recently had the opportunity to sit down for a meal before going to a concert downtown.

Covered Patio

Thankfully we were seated on the covered outside patio. I like this a lot more than the handful of dark inside tables. We were meeting my wife’s sister and her husband, who beat us there and ordered the roasted garlic appetizer ($9) with feta, olives, and gluten-free chips instead of the standard pita slices. My brother-in-law has recently discovered a gluten sensitivity and was happy to find many items on the menu available gluten-free.

Roasted Garlic

There were two items on the menu that I had a hard time picking between. Fortunately my wife agreed to try these as well, so we split plates. First up is Arnold’s hot brown with a grilled hoagie roll, fries, Mornay sauce, roasted turkey, bacon, and tomato ($12). This was a very filling take on the Kentucky hot brown sandwich. I liked the addition of fries to the mix and the turkey was top-notch. However I felt that the Mornay sauce was lacking a little in the flavor department, perhaps not the right blend of cheese was used. With that said I still enjoyed the sandwich and would not hesitate to order again.

Hot Brown

Our other selection was Marty’s waffles and chicken with fries ($20). This features a Belgian waffle from Marty’s Waffles truck. The fried chicken was drizzled with a delicious buffalo sauce and the waffle was covered in syrup. The flavor combination was excellent. However the waffle was a little tough to cut, even with the sharp knife that was provided. This was a good dish, but not in the same league as Taste of Belgium.

Waffles and Chicken

Both of our dishes were good, but both had slight issues with execution. I would order both of them again, but I do think there is room for a little improvement. With that said, the dinner was still above average and Arnold’s is definitely worthy of a visit or two.