Belated Post >> What I'm Eating: Pizzology in Carmel

My birthday is January 21st and my younger brother's is February 3rd so we typically go out to dinner annually with my mother to jointly celebrate.  He's 2 years younger than me, married, and the proud father of 2 adorable kiddos.  They live in Noblesville so I don't get to see him and his family quite as often as I'd like. 

Aw, wasn't he such a stinkin' cute kid

 

When my mother suggested just ordering pizza and eating at her house, I quickly chimed in to proclaim that Pizzology was on my restaurant bucket list and wasn't too far from her place in Fishers.  

Pizzology is another brainchild of Indy restaurateur, Neal Brown, located at 131st and Hazel Dell Rd in Carmel.  It is described as "Neapolitan Craft Pizza. Local, artisanal ingredients"  Sounds intriguing enough to me.  It also boasts a nice local craft beer list, too.  But most importantly, for this occasion, the key was to find a place that was kid-friendly.  My niece is 1 and a half and my nephew just celebrated his 6th birthday.  As much as I'd love to enjoy an upscale birthday dinner, convenience was necessity.  

It is located in a small shopping center on the west side of Hazel Dell Rd and is located a little ways back from the road so we accidentally drove past it the first time (just be on the look out).  The interior space is artfully designed.  To the right is a bar area that, on a Tuesday night, was completely empty and then to the left was the main dining area.  This is not a humongous space but I think that it works since it's supposed to be a neighborhood joint.   The focal point of the restaurant is the open kitchen with eat-up bar so that you can sit and watch your pizza being assembled and then tossed in the wood-burning, brick pizza oven.  

My nephew with "Oma"

Couldn't put his Nintendo DS down

We were quickly greeted by our delightfully wonderful and knowledgeable server, I want to say her name was Maria but I'm having a bit of a brain-fart.  None of us had dined there before so we all intently listened as she named off the specials and added some personal recommendations including Sun King Brewery's Malus Pi.  Excellent choice.  I call it cider beer on steroids with wintry, spice notes.   

I had done a little research prior to going and was told by a few people to ask for the bread sticks that are not on the menu.  We got a couple orders of those while we perused the rest of the menu.  I don't know why they aren't on there because they are insanely delectable: doughy yet not too much raw flour flavor; crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside; and finally, sprinkled with sea salt and Parmesan.  I can't forget to mention that they're served with house-made Parmesan cheese sauce and fresh marinara.  Both orders were eaten quickly and enjoyed by all!

 

The Tony's Fritters immediately caught my attention so we also put in a order of those, as well. 

You betcha I added a poached farm-fresh egg to that thing!  I first must say that I am salivating reminiscing about this unique appetizer that I ate almost a month ago. 

 

When it came out, I immediately smelled the earthy, warm aroma of the truffle.  I quickly broke open the poached egg so that the warm, creamy yolk served as an additional dipping sauce.  They utilized the truffle as a oil drizzle and as a lightly whipped truffle butter (heavenly).  This small plate was so decadent, boastful and completely unexpected.  Lucky for me, the kids and a few others weren't interested so I got to eat most of it.  BRAVO!

For our entrees, we ordered 2 pies: 1 for the adventurous eaters (CARNI) and 1 for the tame eaters (PEPPERONI)

When I think of my perfect pizza here's how I construct it in my mind:

1. Hand-kneaded dough that is thin and crispy
2. House-made tomato sauce was is slightly chunky, sweet and lightly seasoned
3. Layer of rich, salty white cheese, not too much, and not so rubbery that it all comes off in one bite
4. Local, fresh, seasonal ingredients
5. Baked in a brick wood-burning oven

This is how I ultimately describe the Carni pizza.  I call this the "Perfect Date" pizza: Porchetta, Mortadella and Pepperoni for the man and arugula, thinly sliced rings of white Spring onions and salty, briny capers for the lady.  This is a knife and fork kind of pizza that encapsulates all the flavor basics: crunchy/melty, salty/sweet, fresh/baked.

 

The Pepperoni pizza was equally crafted.  Even my picky-eater nephew ate some.

I think my brother polished off most of it, though.  That guy can eat anything, at any quantity and gain 0 pounds.

Although I was completely stuffed and slipping into a bit of a gluttonous food coma, I riskily ordered some Pistachio gelato.  I knew everyone else would take a little bite and that in the end, a sweet cap is always a good call.  Of course, I was right again.

I just love the rich, creamy, slow-churned quality of gelato.  Then mix it with the saltiness of the pistachio and  it's just divine.  We easily polished it off and took a moment to let the digestion process begin.

The Birthday Boy with a variety pack of K-cups

Amateur photographer

My Mama and I

Smile, D!

I must give another huge congrats to Neal Brown in creating an experience quite different to that of The Libertine downtown.  Both equally share an obvious love of cooking, thoughtfulness in crafting a full bar and food menu, and ingenuity of doing so by utilizing local resources.  Pizzology caters to a more suburban and family-oriented crowd at very family-friendly prices while not sacrificing quality.  

I sure hope that it won't be long until  talented, Indy restaurateurs venture down to the south side of Indianapolis which I think is just dying to be tapped! (wink, wink! hint, hint!)

PIZZOLOGY (on Twitter @pizzology)

www.pizzologyindy.com

13190 Hazel Dell Parkway  Carmel, IN 46033
(317) 844-2550

What I'm Cooking: Asian (Cooking) Invasion

It's no big surprise that I'm Korean!  Let's take a quick ride in my time machine....

  

Hipster circa 1984

I look like a baby doll

How presh!

Striking a pose with my little brother (He's not so little anymore)

I'm thinking this is when I was in 6th or 7th grade

Here are some fun facts: 

• 1) I was adopted. I was born in Seoul, S Korea and lived with a foster family until I was 3 months old. 
• 2) I don't speak the language, at all. I actually have 2 Caucasian cousins who have lived and taught English in Korea that speak the language fluently.  Also, I love (sense the sarcasm) when creepy, old Korean-war vets come up to me and try to say something to me in Korean. (Met with a blank stare)  It's often followed by "When I was over there...blah blah, I loved the food...blah blah, I loved the women..." (OK, time for me to go!)
• 3) In college, I briefly lived with another Korean girl who tried her best to help me learn the food. language and culture.  Hey Sandy! (if you happen to read this)  It was her who first introduced me to Korean barbecue (and Koreans' love for Karaoke).  

Thanks to this eye-opening introduction into Korean cuisine, I have had a major love affair ever since.  The flavors are so indigenous and unique and so far-removed from Chinese or Japanese cooking with the use of sweet sesame oil and the sour pickling of anything they can get their hands on.  

In my free time, I've been collecting recipes that I lie to tell myself I'll get around to trying. One.of.these.days.    

So I decided to try my hand at one of the more well-known Korean dishes: KALBI (Korean marinated short ribs).  I found a great recipe from Food Network.  

Kalbi Flank Steak - original recipe can be found here

2lbs flank steak

1 cup brown sugar

For the marinade:

1 small onion, peeled and finely grated

1 small Asian pear, peeled and finely grated

4 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup rice wine

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:

2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

To start, I generously massaged the flank steak with the brown sugar and set aside in a large bowl.  

To make the marinade, I decided to make my life a whole lot easier.  I took my onion, pear and garlic and tossed them together into my food processor.  All the fine chopping and dicing is done in a matter of seconds.  

In a medium sized bowl, I whisked the soy sauce, water, rice wine, sesame oil and black pepper in a medium sized bowl.  Then I combined the minced veggies.  I poured the marinade over the flank steak (still in the large bowl), covered it with saran wrap and stuck it in the fridge.  To make the most of the marinade and to really tenderize the steak, I let it marinate for 24 hours.

D was in charge of grilling it up.  I recommend searing it for 3.5-4 mins on each side to get a perfect medium rare.  Once it's done, let it sit and rest for 5 minutes.  

(I know the meat doesn't look like a true medium rare.  The pictures are from our first attempt.  We corrected ourselves when we made this meal again 2 days later.)  

I poured the remaining marinade back into a plastic container to use again at a later time.  This stuff is not something you let go to waste. 

Prior to finishing the Kalbi Flank Steak, I looked for some more recipes of side dishes that I thought would really compliment the beef.  Thanks to my love of other creative, magnificent bIoggers and websites, I discovered interesting recipes for Steamed Egg Cup Soup and Egg Fried Rice.  

I found the Steamed Egg Cup soup on the blog Escapades in Cookery.  This is based on a Japanese recipe called chawan mushi (steamed tea cup).  This was a risky recipe because I had to improvise the preparation based on the recipe I found and the equipment I had to work with (I don't own fancy tea cups).  

Chawan Mushi (Steamed Egg) - original recipe can be found here  

4 eggs

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 tsp rice wine

1/2 tsp soy sauce

pinch of salt

2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced into strips

1 green onion, chopped

I like to start all recipes by getting the veggies chopped so I sliced the shiitake mushrooms and chopped the green onions and set them aside.  

Then I whisked the eggs, chicken stock, rice wine, soy sauce and salt in a medium sized bowl.  

 The author of the original recipe had a wok with a steaming rack which I don't.  Instead, I used my rice/vegetable steamer and just prepared it in the steamer bowl.  I combined all of the ingredients and placed them in the steamer.  I just had to watch and continuously monitor how the soup was doing.  This took about 8-10 mins in all.  Once I poured the soup into 2 separate bowls, I topped it off with fresh, ground black pepper.

And lastly, I found the easiest Egg Fried Rice recipe from All Recipes.  I didn't want anything overly complicated because at this point, the marinade aroma from the flank steak was invading my nostrils and I was starving!!

• Egg Fried Rice - original recipe can be found here
• 
  
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium sized sauce pan, I combined the first 3 ingredients and brought them to a boil.  I added the instant rice, stirred and then removed from heat and set it aside.

In a large, deep skillet (I NEED a real wok), I heated  the vegetable oil to medium heat and sauteed the onions and green beans for a couple minutes.  Then I poured in the lightly beaten egg to fry up and scramble (approximately 2 mins).  I introduced the rice into the skillet and let the whole combo mix and heat up together.  Lastly, I added freshly ground black pepper.

And finally!!...we were ready to chow down!!

I think my night's dessert was seeing D's face of complete enjoyment and satisfaction.  This was a team effort and we totally hit it out of the park.  


To my fellow bloggers, does your significant other get annoyed by you not letting them dig in until you've been able to capture a few glamour shots of the food? 


Luckily for us in the Indianapolis Area, if you're ever not in the mood to cook, there are quite a few Korean places around town.  I definitely recommend you try them out. Click on links for more information.

• Cafe Korea 
• Naked Tchopstix
• MaMa's
• Bando (no website) (317) 897-8277

My Best Friend's Wedding

I cannot believe today is September 1st.  Where did the summer go?  Where did August go?  It was all a blur.  I was so consumed in wedding mania that I haven't had time to blog.  I've missed it.  But I'm back, so here's a recap from last weekend's wonderful soiree...

The Bride's beautiful wedding was perfect, held outdoors at The Historic Ambassador House and Gardens in Fishers, IN. 

All of the bridal party got airbrushed make up done by Kathy Moberly of Faces by KLM.  She did a marvelous job.  We all (and most importantly The Bride) looked like movie stars.

I found the perfect photographer for The Bride: Jeff Dillow Photography.  He was the epitome of professional: creative, playful and insightful.  I can't wait to see the results.

The ceremony was beautiful but the reception is where all the fun was had.... 

The food was provided by Edwards Catering (Edwards Drive In).  It was served buffet-style including fried chicken, potato wedges, broccoli salad and these out-of-this-world dinner rolls.  No pictures but just imagine the perfect home-cooked meal and voila, there you have it. 

The cake was made by Fefe's sister.  Beautiful!

As the Maid of Honor, I had to make a speech and toast the newlyweds.  I was so nervous but nothing a little bit of champagne and whiskey couldn't smooth over. 

I am so happy for the two of them.  I wish them many years and years of happiness.  I might've lost my partner in crime but I've gained a friend (The Groom) and a special niece (their beautiful 1-year old daughter).  I love you, sister!

What I'm Drinking: Weekend Update:Part 2 - Places for great drinks and conversation

Friday and Saturday both involved quite a bit of drinking with my friends at various locations in the city; my liver and wallet are a bit upset with me.  Here are some places I visited:

• Chatham Tap (downtown, 719 Mass Ave): small, neighborhood bar along Mass Ave. An English-style tavern with European Football memorabilia on all the walls.  Great beer selection and nice little outdoor patio. 

Seasonal Bells Oberon

•  Kilroys (downtown, 201 S. Meridian St.) Large, sports bar right along Meridian and across from Conseco Fieldhouse.  This is where I and most of my friends, sadly, watched the Colts lose to the Saints 2 seasons ago. It is a gigantic, non-smoking restaurant/bar with plenty of TVs and indoor & outdoor seating similarly fashioned like the original Kilroys in Bloomington.  It definitely has a college bar feeling with a massive chalkboard wall of shots.  Our server, my friend Ashley, was awesome (duh!!)!  We drank and my friends noshed on a BBQ Platter and App Sampler.

VI and "Bob D" (haha)

•  Sahms Tavern (downtown, 433 N. Capitol) One of my fave spots downtown.  The newest of the Sahms restaurant group.  It is a bit swankier than their other neighborhood bar and grills on the north side.  It has a wonderful view of the city which you can enjoy inside or on their nice outdoor patio.  The staff is always prompt and friendly.  Say hi to my buddy, Marcus, if he's working.
• Granite City (N Indpls, 150 W. 96th St.) D and I stopped here to say hello to our friend, Drew, who is a server (a quite hilarious one).  This is an American-fare restaurant and brewery.  D and I grabbed a beer each: he tried the American Wheat and I tried the Brother Benedict's Bock as well as a cup of their French Onion Soup (which was a recommended choice to go with my Bock).   The BB Bock was delicious; a medium body brew with hints of coffee and chocolate.  It definitely paired well with the saltiness of my soup and the melted, cheesy goodness.  Drew also let me try their Creamy Tomato Basil soup which was amazeballs!!  I was sad we didn't enjoy a full meal but we had other places to go and people to see.  Looking forward to trying their Sunday Bruch sometime soon.

Brother Benedict's Bock



French Onion Soup

• Joe's Grille (Fishers, 11640 Brookschool Rd.) This bar is right at the corner of 116th St. and Brookschool Rd and has become the Cheers bar for many of my friends who live on the north side.  It is a small, quaint neighborhood bar with a separate area for pool, darts or video games like Golden Tee.  There is usually some sort of live music.  Saturday is Karaoke Night.  They serve typical bar fare food until late and offer daily drink specials.  This is the perfect spot for a mellow night away from the craziness of Broad Ripple or Dtown.

Love it: Creative growth in Indiana

When I was younger, I always thought that Indiana was sooooo behind the times (in comparison to bigger cities like LA, NYC, Miami and Chicago) and lacked artistic expression, a sophisticated palette and an eye for fashion.  Boy, was I so wrong!  Indiana is fast becoming a contender in every genre.  We've already shown the nation we're a force to reckon with when comes to sports--football, basketball, racing.  But we're also showing a great emergence in fashion, food and drink, music, fine arts, media and I'm loving every second of it.  Recently, I've seen several Indiana restaurants featured on shows like Diners, Drive-ins and Dives as well as Man vs. Food.  Events like Midwest Fashion Week and First Fridays are more and more frequent. 

This morning, I slept in til 5am this morning after staying up too late catching up with D.  So that meant I ran out the door this morning without eating breakfast; just a glass of nonfat milk.  Although there is a cafeteria not too far from where I am, I'm going to try and hold off until lunch time (munching on Breath Savers).  Instead, the masochistic side of me decided to torture myself by reading through local Indianapolis-based food and lifestyle blogs.  I love finding talented, interesting and inspirational bloggers, make it a local or Midwestern one and I'm even more smitten.  These amazing men and women do such a wonderful job educating the public about everything that is great about Indiana or sometimes not so great.  Eventually they will land a permanent spot on my BlogRoll but until then, I want to take a moment to highlight some of my faves:

• Indianapolis Amy
• The Fitted Apron
• Thrifty Decor Chick
• The Daily Claire
• Indy Restaurant Scene
• Random Dude Eats Random Food
• Circle City Style
• FLOEats Indy

I am always on the lookout for others, so contact me if you host a blog or know of any others.  Going grocery shopping today so I hopefully will have some yummy meals to share.  Have a wonderful day!

What I'm Eating: Cafe Korea (A place for Seoul Food)

After reading a review of Cafe Korea, I knew I had to check it out for myself.  So when I was done tending to some wedding errands in Fishers, The Bride and I decided to grab lunch.  She had already eaten lunch but decided to come along anyways to keep me company and just chat.  It is located about 2 mins from my mom's house, another plus, in a busy shopping center on the corner of 116th and Allisonville Rd.  We walked in and were immediately flooded with the delicious aromas of the food.  It was virtually empty at 1pm which was a little sad to me.  It is a small space but it is set up nicely with simple decor and quiet music playing.  We were warmly greeted by a smiling Korean woman who was our server (Unfortunately, I never caught her name).  I ordered a water and Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop ($13.99).  The woman brought out what I think was Bindaetuk ("traditional Korean pancake with mung beans and veggies") on the house!!  Such a nice gesture.  It was light and super yummy.  Kind of like a potato hash with thinly sliced veggies (zucchini, red bell pepper, onion) and topped with melted cheese and soy sauce on the side.  It was perfect for settling my huge appetite as my entree was being prepared.

Bindaetuk
(Very sloppy pic: I was starving and ate some before I took this)

My sizzling order of Bi Bim Bop arrived shortly afterwards and the noise of the rice still cooking in the cast iron bowl it is served in caught my attention and got my mouth watering.  It comes with thinly sliced ingredients: beef, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts and then topped with an egg.  Spicy chili sauce can be added to your specific taste.  And if that wasn't enough, some tradition sides were brought out (kimchi, pickled cucumbers, spicy marinated bean sprouts). Korean food is not like any other Asian cuisine.  They use a lot of sesame oil and love to pickle all of their veggies.  I would have enjoyed a little bit more beef, as I found it to be on the skimpy side.  The rice crisps up on the bottom of the bowl and it is crunchy goodness of texture.  It was every bit of awesome that I was hoping for and I ate til I thought I was going to be sick. 

Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop

Sides

Our server cleared our plates then dropped off a bowl with about 5 bites of fruit.  Another gracious touch and just the right amount of light, sweetness to cap off a great meal.  I tried my best to say thank you in Korean (one of about 3 sentences I know), paid my bill and I went on my way.

It is so great to see the expansion of interest in ethnic cuisine.  I've been a fan of Korean for several years and the fact that the town of Fishers has 2 Korean restaurants shows such tremendous progress.  I had an amazing experience at Cafe Korea with scrumptious food and genuinely friendly service.  I will definitely go there again and again and again!

The Verdict: Out of 5 stars
Location/Atmosphere: **** (not close to where I live but luckily in walking distance from my mom's house)
Service: ***** (super sweet server and little freebies)
Food:***** (Great flavors and textures)
Will I eat there again: You bet your ass :)

Cafe Korea
7262 Fishers Crossing Drive Fishers, IN 46038
(317) 578-1987