HISTORIC STEER IN

I WOULDN'T STEER YOU WRONG

 
The definition of steer is to guide, show the way, or direct.  Last Saturday I still had visions of a good tenderloin sandwich in my head and when my husband asked where I'd like to have lunch, I immediately thought of a place not too far away called "Edwards Drive In".  We hadn't been there since we were newlyweds and lived in the area nearby.  We have since moved further south and we've also been married 42 years, so that was a long, long time ago and things may have changed over the years.


We set out on our quest and when we were about a block away when the traffic started to back up and I saw flashing lights.  We creeped forward bit by bit for half a block and then I saw on the marquee sign for the restaurant that they were having a Charity Car Show and the place was packed and security was trying to manage traffic and there was no way we were going to get in the middle of that.  Well that idea was a bum steer!

My husband suggested we head a few more miles north to what we knew to be Harold's Steer Inn.  The name is now known as Indy's Historic Steer Inn.    My initial thought when I started writing this blog was that I would write about our new experiences but as far as the Steer-In goes, I've known about this restaurant since the 60's when I went to high school close by.

At that time the thing to do was cruise in before or after a game or maybe even a first date. I have moved away from that side of town but on occasion have returned to check things out and my husband even had a meeting there not to long ago to help with the planning of a reunion.

We started with mushrooms which I thought were a little greasy and there was something about the breading, it just not as crispy as I normally like.  You could tell, though, that these were fresh mushrooms they were hand breaded and not some commercial frozen appetizer.

I am glad to report that I did have the tenderloin.  It was a little different from what I'm used to because you could really taste the pork. The meat was thick and the sandwich was not just a lot of breading. It was accompanied by a lot of fries that were crinkle cut not those thin shoestring kind.  There was plenty on the plate to share with my husband. The service was friendly and quick, even though they had a large lunch crowd.

This establishment was featured on Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives. 
There was a lot of history in this place and it was good reminiscing over lunch.  I would hope every city or town had a place like this.










INDY'S HISTORIC STEER IN
5130 East 10th Street
Indianapolis, IN

Visited on Saturday, 10/26/13

THE BANK - PENDLETON, IN

YOU CAN TAKE IT TO THE BANK
                   -or-
       DON'T BANK ON IT

The origin of the initial phrase probably came about when banks were strong, making them a place where people felt secure in keeping their money.  Regulations were put in place to protect the funds that were deposited.  The meaning could expand to mean trustworthy, strong and true.  A place that you would rely on, and feel confident.  Then, of course, there were derivatives like the second phrase.

The sign with"Wait" turned out

to be the theme on this visit

I had a day off, so my husband and I were out on an exploring expedition to visit some new places. We ended up in the Pendleton, Indiana area, and after reading a few reviews, we decided to have lunch at The Bank.



I truly enjoy restaurants in historic locations and the building obviously met this criteria. As you walk in, the hostess station was the façade of a teller's cage, but there was no teller or hostess to greet us for several minutes.

A lady came over and said "just a minute" and proceeded to wipe a off a nearby table by depositing the contents onto the wood floor.  We were then told we could take a seat. After we were seated, the young lady left menus on the table for us to look over.  After waiting too long, the server finally came to take our order. Since I had read so much about the tenderloin, I knew what I was going to order before I sat down. I also probably had the subliminal message from Gary having a tenderloin the week before when I had my coney dog.  Disappointingly, I was told they were out of tenderloins. We were there after the lunch hour, about 1:00, so maybe they had a rush; but you would think if they're known for something, they would make sure they would have enough on hand.



I ended up getting the BBQ Burger, which was fine. It came with a side and I chose coleslaw.  A few more minutes passes and I didn't say anything, but my husband spoke up saying ... "well, I guess the coleslaw comes with the meal.  Within a couple minutes, it was delivered on its own.  I thought it was exceptionally good and now was looking forward to my sandwich.  When the plate finally was sat in front of me, I noticed the serving size was more than an ample and you could tell it was a hand shaped burger, not something pre-made and frozen.



My husband had a club sandwich, of which the appearance was a little different than the typical triangular shape a club usually comes in but he said it was good. I had to flag down another waitress to get a refill on my drink which in my opinion should never happen. The food was enjoyed enough for a repeat visit but the personnel may cloud my decision



So in conclusion, we found a restaurant  with good food and lots of history "you can take to the bank".  But, our opinion of getting good service --- "don't bank it"!










THE BANK RESTAURANT
110 W State Street
Pendleton, Indiana

Visited on Friday 10/25/13

DAWG HOUSE DINER, GREENSBURG, IN

HOT DIGGETY  DOG

Hot Dogs rank right up there with Apple Pie when you think of "All American Eats", even though they originated in Frankfurt, Germany.  You may also know them as weenies, wieners, red hots, or just dogs,  

Some different ways to serve this gastric goodie would be Franks N Beans, Pigs in a Blanket, or Hot Dog Casserole.

I have been doing some research on restaurants in the various counties of Indiana and came across this place that sounded like they were well known for the their "Dogs" in Decatur County.

We were on our way to Cincinnati on I-74 and I knew we'd be passing Greensburg, where they're famous for their Tree in the Courthouse roof.  Since I'm always on the lookout for a good hotdog, we thought we'd stop for lunch, giving this place and their hot dogs a try. I prefer ones with natural casings but those are hard to find in Indiana, and anything else just seems to be pretty generic to me, tasting pretty much the same with no wow factor.

Even though Hot Dogs from Dawg Haus Diner didn't meet my first criteria, they were actually very good . Maybe it was the quality of the dog or the coney sauce (I got a dog with chili and cheese) but I would rate it up there with my favorites.

My husband passed on their namesake, but they also had tenderloins, so he ordered one of those and said it was good, as well.  While I mentioned previously of having a coney, there were also many other different variations of hot dogs to choose from.

This is a small place and you have to place your order at the counter. I would prefer to have a server take my order but it wasn't crowded when we were there so there wasn't a problem in getting tired standing in line. I like the personnel to be friendly and glad you're there and didn't quite get that until just before we left, an older lady stopped by and ask how things were which raised my rating.  I don't know where the origin of "Hot Diggety Dog" came from but the definition I saw was explanation of excitement and that about sums it up.  All in all a good experience.

DAWG HOUSE DINER
116 East Washington Street
Greensburg, Indiana
(ON THE SQUARE) 

Visited on Friday, October 18, 2013