MincyBits wrote:One of my workplaces is very near Dickey's, and honestly, I'd love to like them. I've heard great reviews. But my experiences haven't been good there. Perhaps my issue was I made bad picks? The turkey was alarmingly damp -- not moist and juicy, but damp and springy, as if it'd been sitting in liquid. The chopped brisket was dry and flavorless. The sausage was pretty good, actually, so no faulting them there. I maybe should try the ribs? I couldn't tell the difference between the three bbq sauces they had on tap. Even the free soft-serve isn't worth going for, though the bottomless pickle barrel is admirable. It smells delightful when I park to go into work; I just haven't had a great experience for what they are charging.

I heard their baked beans were supposed to be great too and stopped there to try them. They tasted like they were right out of a can with maybe some spicy BBQ sauce or ketchup added.

MincyBits wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:

MincyBits wrote:They do loose-meat burgers, which I have not tried, but also great standard fare.

Arnie's Dog House
8125 Calumet Ave,
Munster, IN‎

Hi,

Are you sure they do a loose meat sandwich? I recall Rene G suggested stopping there one evening specifically for the loose meat sandwich. He ran in and came back empty handed. Unless my brain is on fuzz mode, I'm pretty sure he didn't find it there.

Regards,

I'm not sure why you may have come back empty handed - I just called and the girl on the phone confirmed that they do, indeed, make loose-meat burgers. I saw a Whiting address up there somewhere - could we be talking about two different locations?

Stopped at ...

Arnie's Dog House
1503 Indianapolis Blvd, Whiting
(219) 659-3004

... and asked about the hamburger (loose meat) and it is only available at the ...

8125 Calumet Ave, Munster
(219) 836-2867

...location. That location is larger with a bigger menu.

At the peak of business Arnie had 4 locations open but he is now down to two with the Whiting location being the original.

Meanwhile back to lunch... I ordered the Chili-Cheese Hot Dog and a Corn Dog. The chili had beans (subtract a point) but the dog was perfectly done. A nice snap and bursting with flavor. There had been mention of an overabundance of fries being served but I had gotten a fairly standard amount.

The corn dog, while not being house-made, was also very good! Also cooked perfectly with a nice crunch to the batter and nice and juicy inside.

Nice simple restaurant. Counter with about 12 stools. No sign of Arnie.

With my order coming up quick and a lot of time left on my lunch hour I did consider dashing down to the Munster location but I will save that for another day.

Panther in the Den wrote:

MincyBits wrote:[Stopped at ...

Arnie's Dog House
1503 Indianapolis Blvd, Whiting
(219) 659-3004

... and asked about the hamburger (loose meat) and it is only available at the ...

8125 Calumet Ave, Munster
(219) 836-2867

...location. That location is larger with a bigger menu.

Thanks for getting to the bottom of this. It's too bad the people Rene G spoke to did not know to advise this.

Regards,

DKriv wrote:

Woodbutcher68 wrote:Anybody been to Dickey's BBQ in Schererville? It's part of a chain that started in 1941 in Texas and is now in 31 states. The Schererville location is the first in Indiana and their website says that there is one in Wheaton, IL.

They're supposedly opening one in Hammond as well, but I have no idea where.

I talked to Sonny, the co-owner about this. It was going to be at the old K-Mart location on the Blvd, but he said the developer is hard to deal with and the he wasn't getting any help from the Redevelopment Commission.

To MincyBits, I haven't had the Turkey, Chicken or Ham. I do recommend the Pulled Pork and ribs. Sorry you had a bad experience with the brisket. I've had it three times and it was juicier than I get at BBQ competitions.

To Artie, I'm not impressed with their beans either. I'd rather open a can of Bush's Grillin Beans!

Artie wrote:From Southland Savvy
Papa Damiani Pizza, a fixture in Dolton from 1957 until its closing in April, reopened a few weeks ago inside the North Woods restaurant at 8101 Wicker Ave. in St. John, Ind. For more information, visit http://www.northwoodsdining.com/ or check out their page on Facebook.

Lou Damiani shows off the sign from the original location.

HI,

For those thinking you may see a Papa Damiani sign from the street, you need to look for North Woods restaurant instead. Don't bother looking for Wicker Avenue either, because there is no street sign. This restaurant fronts on Indianapolis Boulevard. I nearly rear ended a car last night seeking this place out.

Maybe it was the pre-Valentine's Day decorations draping everything in red or a jubilant crowd of diners, but I couldn't tolerate waiting 30 minutes for a pizza last night. Since the menu is quite broad, I wasn't able to easily eyeball anyone's pizza to see what it may be like. I will return sometime, though I may order the pizza in advance to keep the wait time to a minimum.

Has anyone tried Papa Damiani's pizza since they moved? I have nothing to compare not having visited the Dolton, IL location. If it is different (good or bad), that is valuable information, too.

Northwoods Restaurant
8101 Wicker Avenue
Saint John, IN 46373
(219) 558-8130

dramisino wrote:Was at Freddy's today with my bride. We both got garlic poor boys. A bit gristly. Place was freezing. Sad that there were only 5 tables at lunch time. 15-20 years ago you could not get a table there this time of the year.

Freddy's was packed to the gills and very lively yesterday evening. Live music too! I need to get back sometime if only for the time-warp vibe of the place.

Freddy's Steak House
6442 Kennedy Av (at 165th)
Hammond IN
219-844-1500

Panther in the Den wrote:Stopped at ...

Arnie's Dog House
1503 Indianapolis Blvd, Whiting
(219) 659-3004

... and asked about the hamburger (loose meat) and it is only available at the ...

8125 Calumet Ave, Munster
(219) 836-2867

...location. That location is larger with a bigger menu.

Thanks for the further information, Panther and MincyBits. After being denied several years ago at Arnie's in Whiting I finally got a "loose hamburger" ($2.05) at the Munster branch. Having now tried four different versions (also Madvek's, Lafayette Coney Island and Maid-Rite) I have to say I still don't understand the allure of the loosemeat.



Arnie's frankfurter fresco is really something to see.





Arnie's Dog House
8125 Calumet Av
Munster IN
219-836-BUNS (2867)

Hi,

Doesn't the mural of the hot dogs remind you of a nudist camp? Naked and smiling!

Loose meat sandwiches are not particularly easy to eat. This loose meat sandwich was split in half, then eaten. Loose meat was falling out of the sandwich with as much left in the basket and laps as reached our mouths. Is a loose meat sandwich best eated while wrapped in paper to keep the contents together? Is cheese not merely an option, but a must have to keep the contents together? Experienced loose meat diners, please divulge your eating methods.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

I've never understood loosemeat either.

There are similar, though less risqué, murals at a few other hot dog stands in the area. The only one that I can remember right now is Demi K's on Ridge Road in Munster. I've only been in there a couple of times, but they have some really good italian beef and gyros.

Demi K's ‎
437 Ridge Road
Munster, IN 46321-1530
(219) 513-0674

The chicken shishkabobs at Demi K's are great as well.

I never got the loose meat thing either. It really had no flavor.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Doesn't the mural of the hot dogs remind you of a nudist camp? Naked and smiling!

Loose meat sandwiches are not particularly easy to eat. This loose meat sandwich was split in half, then eaten. Loose meat was falling out of the sandwich with as much left in the basket and laps as reached our mouths. Is a loose meat sandwich best eated while wrapped in paper to keep the contents together? Is cheese not merely an option, but a must have to keep the contents together? Experienced loose meat diners, please divulge your eating methods.

Thanks in advance.

In Michigan (at least in Ypsilanti), most Coney Island places sell a thing called a "loose burger" which is served on a hot dog bun (with onions and other coney toppings). I wonder if one could special order a "loose meat" sandwich on a hot dog bun instead of the traditional hamburger bun. It seems it would be much easier to eat without making a mess.

Polish deli to open in Dyer,In

Taste of Poland is slated to open May 8 at 1058 W. U.S. 30, in a strip mall just east of Calumet Avenue and U.S. 30.

"There is no store like this in the area," said Marlena Aleksiejew, spokeswoman for the deli.

The shop will offer fresh meat and hot food available for carryout; there will be no in-store dining.

Taste of Poland will sell a variety of items imported from Poland, including grocery products, dairy, cosmetics and magazines. Polish bread will be shipped in from a Polish company in U.S., Aleksiejew said.

Region's first Chick-fil-A to open this summer in Hobart,Indiana

HOBART | Plans are in place to open the area's first Chick-fil-A sometime this summer, a restaurant spokesman said.

The new 4,500-square-foot restaurant will occupy the U.S. 30 property formerly occupied by Uno Chicago Grill, Jason D. Hill said.

I went to the Teibel's website yesterday and noticed that the lake perch is now the staggering price (to me) of $28.95, up $4 since a couple of weeks ago.

As much as I love them I stopped at $25 and opted instead for the AYCE froglegs at the relative bargain price of $20.

Just a heads up for those heading out this way.

http://www.teibels.com/dinner-menu

Wow, that's crazy.

Da Beef wrote:Romano's Pizza
3808 Ridge Rd
Highland, IN
219 838 1731
opens @ 430p

It looks like Romano's has moved. Here's their Facebook page...
http://www.facebook.com/romanospizza51

DKriv wrote:

Da Beef wrote:Romano's Pizza
3808 Ridge Rd
Highland, IN
219 838 1731
opens @ 430p

It looks like Romano's has moved. Here's their Facebook page...
http://www.facebook.com/romanospizza51

Their former space is now occupied by:
Amici Grill and Pizzeria
3808 Ridge Rd, Highland, IN 46322
(219) 923-5980 ‎

They've spruced up the outside considerably. No drive-in service though

PJ Murphy wrote:I went to the Teibel's website yesterday and noticed that the lake perch is now the staggering price (to me) of $28.95, up $4 since a couple of weeks ago.

Cogito wrote:Wow, that's crazy.

Note that the "moderate" dinner portion is listed at $20.95 and perch is $15.15 at lunch. I don't see the Coffee Shop menu online but a plate of perch might have been $12.95 at lunch earlier this year. It was very good and not a bad value I thought.



Teibel's Restaurant
1775 US 41
Schererville IN
219-865-2000

Artie wrote:

DKriv wrote:

Da Beef wrote:Romano's Pizza
3808 Ridge Rd
Highland, IN
219 838 1731
opens @ 430p

It looks like Romano's has moved. Here's their Facebook page...
http://www.facebook.com/romanospizza51

Their former space is now occupied by:
Amici Grill and Pizzeria
3808 Ridge Rd, Highland, IN 46322
(219) 923-5980 ‎

They've spruced up the outside considerably. No drive-in service though

Tragic! I wonder how many order-from-car pizza drive-ins are left in this country.

Romano's, 2009

I actually ate at Amici's this week--and it wasn't bad. Seating is only bar stools along the order counter and a few tables outside so clearly they're geared towards takeout/delivery. The family who owns it (a mom and son were working there when we were there) is half greek, half italian and the menu reflects that. I had what was a better than average greek salad, with nice sliced artichokes, as well as good olives, feta and pepperocini for about $7.00. And the homemade vinaigrette was MUCH better than I was expecting--quite interesting actually.

My dining companion had a turkey burger which didn't look very appetizing to me but he liked it (not something I would necessarily rely upon for a recommendation --to me it looked like food service frozen patty all the way). The pizza coming out looked good and they had some interesting combos. It was thin crust, crispy and nicely browned cheese that looked decent.

Given it's proximity to OLG and the ballpark, I'm guessing we'll be back.

I was thinking about stopping by John's Pizza in Whiting to pick up a pie so I gave them a call to make sure they were open. Got an answering machine saying the mailbox was full. Has anyone been there lately?

Cogito wrote:I was thinking about stopping by John's Pizza in Whiting to pick up a pie so I gave them a call to make sure they were open. Got an answering machine saying the mailbox was full. Has anyone been there lately?

I was there on 5-13...

I can do a drive by.

I called the Munster location to see what is up and there was no answer at 11:18 pm? I imagine they should of been open.

John's Pizzeria
247 Ridge Road, Munster
(219) 836-8536

They have the same owners.

I checked their website and saw this...

07/14/2011 - Ken C. Wins + Half-Off Pizza or Pasta or Salad Deal

There is some kind of recent activity on the website at least.

Panther in the Den wrote:I called the Munster location to see what is up and there was no answer at 11:18 pm? I imagine they should of been open.

John's Pizzeria
247 Ridge Road, Munster
(219) 836-8536

They have the same owners.

Hi,

Unless something has changed, they do not have the same owners.

John's Pizzeria in Whiting is a franchisee of John's Pizzeria on Ridge in Munster. John's in Munster is the son of the founder of John's. When the Whiting location first opened, the pizza we tried was the closest to the John's Pizzeria mothership in Calumet City. Not even John's in Munster quite captured it.

There are a number of John's Pizzerias in NWI with everyone claiming they are THE original and everyone else is an imitator. I cannot imagine they all gather for Thanksgiving.

Regards,

Probably closed down for a vacation.

Cathy2 wrote:Unless something has changed, they do not have the same owners.

Yup! Same owners!

http://www.theoriginaljohns.com/l-choice.html

These are the only two (of the many in the region) owned by the 'Original' owners.

HI,

Why don't you inquire about ownership while you are there? Unless there has been a change in ownership since 2007, John's in Whiting is a franchisee of John's in Munster.

I have talked to Phil at the Ridge Road location who explained Whiting was his franchisee. I would certainly expect they would cooperate on advertising.

I will admit to spending too much time, thought and money on the John's Pizzeria pedigrees and family tree.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

Why don't you inquire about ownership while you are there? Unless there has been a change in ownership since 2007, John's in Whiting is a franchisee of John's in Munster.

I have talked to Phil at the Ridge Road location who explained Whiting was his franchisee. I would certainly expect they would cooperate on advertising.

I will admit to spending too much time, thought and money on the John's Pizzeria pedigrees and family tree.

Regards,

Yup! I did inquire on my first visit to the Whiting location (back in April) and they did say Whiting and Munster were the only two 'Original' locations and the others were imposter's.



Also... I did do a drive-by today after work (12:30 pm, prime lunchtime)... Actually more than a drive-by as I got out and rattled the door knob and it was locked up tight as a drum. While I was looking longingly in the window a pair of gents also walked up and rattled the doorknob too. Their guess was a death in the family (just a wild-a$$ guess on their part).

No notes in the window or anything that might indicate why they were closed.

Next week I will try to do a drive-by (and maybe even a doorknob rattle) at the Munster location.

As promised I did stop by the Munster location.

He did not know that there were any issues with the Whiting location. Speculating that it was their evening to be closed when I first stopped and on Saturday they do not open until 3 pm. He did mention the relationship with Whiting was strained.

He also did confirm the 'paired' connection with Whiting and that the others were, well, 'others'.

I will give Whiting another drive-by. I am in the mood for another pie.

Whiting location open 10:30 'til 9:00 today!
I'm in the mood for a Chubby! (Italian Beef and Sausage Combo;The "Original Chubby Sandwich")
The Whiting location has disappointed us a few times since it opened;the "Sautee Shrimp" used to come with a basket of bread,etc. at the Cal City location but that's not the case at the Whiting location.The seating is the strangest I've ever seen in a restaurant;it is a sort of triangular shaped room and the seats are very close together. Let's say the service has improved,our last visit was one of the better ones but I prefer take-out for most occasions.

Strange days indeed. I just talked to a girl at the Whiting store who said they were open when I called last week, and did not know of any recent closings. Anyway, she says they are open for biz, c'mon down!

DKriv wrote:Has anybody here ever been to El Taco Mariachi in Highland? I just found out about this restaurant today, and I'd like to hear something about it before I try it. Thanks.


El Taco Mariachi
8620 Kennedy Ave.
Highland, IN
(219) 923-6000

I'm pretty sure this place is closed. I haven't been by in quite some time, but I tried calling a few weeks back, and the phone has been disconnected. I recently found their FB page, but nothing's been posted to it since November.

boudreaulicious wrote:I actually ate at Amici's this week--and it wasn't bad. Seating is only bar stools along the order counter and a few tables outside so clearly they're geared towards takeout/delivery. The family who owns it (a mom and son were working there when we were there) is half greek, half italian and the menu reflects that. I had what was a better than average greek salad, with nice sliced artichokes, as well as good olives, feta and pepperocini for about $7.00. And the homemade vinaigrette was MUCH better than I was expecting--quite interesting actually.

My dining companion had a turkey burger which didn't look very appetizing to me but he liked it (not something I would necessarily rely upon for a recommendation --to me it looked like food service frozen patty all the way). The pizza coming out looked good and they had some interesting combos. It was thin crust, crispy and nicely browned cheese that looked decent.

Given it's proximity to OLG and the ballpark, I'm guessing we'll be back.

Thanks, I'll have to check it out. It's always tough to start a business, but these days it's as tough as ever. I like supporting the Mom & Pop restaurants.