Koreana II - Louisville, KY

If you're ever in Louisville, KY and want some really good Korean food, you should try Koreana II. It's a little scary from the outside. It's in the same outlet as a western wear shop and a plasma center, but the food is definitely worth it. I loved how much panchan (side dishes) they gave, and the food tasted fantastic. If you've never had Korean food before, then I recommend getting dolsot bibimbap. It's a mixture of rice, veggies, and usually an egg on top. It comes in a hot pot that makes the rice on the bottom crispy. Mix it all together with a little gochujang (hot pepper paste) and you're good to go. If you're lucky enough to eat at the Koreana II, get it with seafood. mmm....

If you're in the mood, this place also offers Korean BBQ and karaoke. ;-)

The Rating

The Info

Koreana II

5009 Preston Hwy

Louisville, KY 40213

502-968-9686

Sushi on the Rocks

For me, sushi restaurants really don't have a chance. I compare everything to Sakura on Keystone. And I specifically judge them based on how good their soft shell crab roll is compared to Sakura's. Even though I know no other place is going to compare, I still order the soft shell crab every time I try a new restaurant.

This is actually the 4th time I've gone to Sushi on the Rocks. 3 of those times were because of a Groupon. You'd think since I've been there so many times, I really like the place, but I don't. I just think it's ok. And usually when I go, the service is TERRIBLE! But I have to admit, this time was different. The food was decent. (I didn't order the soft shell crab. I'm starting to learn my lesson.) My server was awesome. She was attentive, quick, and very friendly. Since we sat at the sushi bar, I got to see a lot. That included how long it took other servers to get the sushi delivered. I have to say I was really disappointed to see how many servers would just look at the ticket, see that it wasn't their table, and just leave it. What ever happened to helping each other out? When i worked at The Cheesecake Factory, the servers (well, the good ones) were always helping each other out by running other dishes if their dish wasn't up yet. Another thing I was really disappointed by was that my miso soup lacked tofu. The tofu is my favorite part. :-(

The Rating

- It's no Sakura, but it's ok as long as you have a good server.

The Info

Sushi on the Rocks

235 S. Meridian St.

Indianapolis, IN 46225

317-536-1500

www.sotrindy.com

Their website claims to have coupons at www.coupons4indy.com, but I did not find them.

El Rodeo

It's tough to believe that so soon after having the best Mexican in Indy I was ready to eat more. I actually wasn't, but my boyfriend really wanted some so we went. One of his favorite places is El Rodeo.

It's not as unique or special as El Sol de Tala, but it was definitely better than La Piedad. I knew I would be disappointed with their tamales, so I actually ordered something different. Shocking, I know. I got the chorizo tacos, and Mike got the Acapulco with steak. It had lettuce, cheese, onions, steak, guac, salsa, and sour cream, all over a tortilla. Mike mixes it all together so that it's basically a giant opened soft taco. Not a bad concept. My favorite part of the meal dish was the rice and beans. Not only did I get a generous portion, the rice had veggies like green beans and peas mixed in. Healthier than your average mexican rice. ;-) My health conscience felt better, or was just fooled, about eating extra rice. I should mention that I ate a basket and a half of the tortilla chips. The servers were very attentive when we got low, and the chips were crispy, hot, and fresh.

Overall, this was an above average Mexican meal.

The Rating

- Solid

The Info

El Rodeo

9546 Allisonville Rd.

Indianapolis, IN 46250

317-913-7897

I couldn't find a website, but if you go to Urbanspoon someone kindly posted pictures of the menu.

El Sol de Tala

What's Cinco de Mayo without Mexican food?! Since my trainer conveniently cancelled our session that day, I was able to fully enjoy this holiday. :-) Abby and I visited El Sol de Tala at the recommendation of one of my favorite local food bloggers, The Chubby Eater. (Read her blog! It's good!) If you read my previous post about La Piedad, you know that no Indianapolis Mexican restaurant has stood out to me...until now! Just a quick glance at their menu and you can see it's a gem!

Don't be put off by the fact that it's in the hood (It's 1.5 miles away from where I grew up) because you wouldn't realize it once you stepped inside. The place was huge! There was a little "cantina" area to the left when you first walked in, and there were 2 levels of seating passed the hostess desk. I wondered why they needed so much space until we were leaving and not only was every table filled, but lots of people were in the waiting area!

Since it was a special occasion, we went all out. We started with an order of guacamole and queso. Both were good. The guacamole station was right next to us, so you could see them making it. I liked seeing that the guac was fresh and not from a big jar.

Even though, the Chubby Eater told me to order the #2, the sizzling plate of spiced meat...I'm a sucker for tamales, and the #15, Tequila (Tamale Dinner) was calling my name. It had 3 different tamales: a chicken tamale, a pork tamale, and a sweet corn tamale that really could have been my dessert. And it also came with my favorite: rice and beans. I chose pinto, but you can also get black beans. That's what Abby ordered and they were fantastic. These tamales weren't as good as the ones I used to get from Chicago (via a friend at the time), but they were definitely the best I've had in Indy.

Abby ordered the #14, Ameca (Chiles Rellenos): 2 poblano peppers filled with queso fresco. Abby had never ordered chiles rellenos before, but she really liked it. I liked them too. I stopped getting chiles rellenos because they're usually soggy and unbalanced in flavor and texture. These weren't. I was not disappointed!

Another nice treat is that both dishes came with salads, but salads as sides or appetizers are really just wasted space to me. I rather skip those. This day, I ate my salad so that I got something green in my diet. Sarah, aren't you proud?? ;-)

Getting ready to describe the flan we ordered to dessert, reminded me why I even had to order it! I needed one more course to wait out the buzz I got from my amazing top shelf SMALL margarita! Even though it gave me a buzz, it didn't taste strong at all. Hmm...maybe that was the problem...

Normally I don't care for flan, but this one wasn't bad! The menu said it's an over 3 decade old family recipe. It was sweet without much of an egg flavor. The texture was firm, but still creamy. I enjoyed it.

Go here. To quote the Chubby Eater, "It's in the ghetto, but it might be worth a trip to the Wishard ER to get a taste of this."

The Rating

- Best Mexican I've had in Indianapolis!

The Info

El Sol de Tala

2444 E. Washington St.

Indianapolis, IN 46201

317-636-1250

www.elsoldetala.com

Bombay Garden

Sometimes I think I'm part Indian because of how much I love Indian food. North, south, east, west...did you know it's all different? I think I crave Indian more than Korean food. (Don't tell my parents. They'd be so disappointed.) So when Kara wanted to get lunch one day, my vote was for Indian food! The nice thing about a lot of Indian places is that they offer a lunch buffet. Normally, we go to Udupi Cafe. That's pronounced OOO-du-pi, not oo-DU-pi, like how I've been pronouncing it. This time we tried Bombay Garden across the street. P had heard it was good, and this place serves North and South Indian food, vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

They had my usual favorite dishes: sambar, tandoori chicken, and samosas. And some other things like idli, rice, curries and masala. I ate so much regular food that I didn't leave room for dessert. :-( But they had your faves of rice pudding and gulab jamun. My friend in high school used to call them juicy balls. I know this is a weird thing to say about a restaurant, but I really liked how attentive they were about your naan. It was like Fazoli's and their breadsticks. As soon as we were low, they brought new naan that was fresh and hot. Loved that. We'll eat here again. We may even try their regular menu during dinner.

The Rating

- Can't get 2 thumbs since P thought it was just all right. "Could have been spicier. The lamb was pretty good though." Since she's actually Indian, she knows.

The Info

Bombay Garden

4150 Lafayette Rd. #E

Indianapolis, IN 46254

317-297-3050

www.bombaygardenindianapolis.com