In the Frig – Queso Blanco

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Dinner at Queso Blanco
102 S Union St
Westfield, IN 46074-9458
(317) 867-5200
http://quesoblancowestfield.com/menu

Friday night marks the end of a very long week – my mood has been as funky as the weather. What I want right now is a little warmth, something rich and something that makes me full and sleepy. Normally that means I want a meal from my mom, comfort food like salmon patties and macaroni and cheese. But on this nite, I wanted to continue the search for good Mexican places while getting my comfort munch on. However, I wanted to stay close to suburbia. My hubby and I had driven past Queso Blanco a million times on the way to visit friends or run errands, so we decided to finally make a stop and check it out.

Queso Blanco, which means white cheese, is a small family-owned Mexican restaurant.  The restaurant is owned by a husband and wife, Terrall from Georgia, and Yolanda, who is from Oaxaca, Mexico (pronounced WAH-HA-CA).  Terrall was in the construction business for many years until one day he decided to lease the restaurant in downtown Westfield, IN. Forty five days later, Terrall and Yolanda had the restaurant up and running. That was two years ago, and apparently they haven’t looked back. The restaurant is fairly typical in decor – sombreros and panchos, small tables you would find in a small diner. Fall has fell, so the decor also included pumpkins and scarecrows. It has a very family- familiar vibe.   The patrons were largely groups of families, and they seemed to know each other. There was a lot of camaraderie between tables and it just felt, I don’t know, like home.

FoodieGal – Quit Waxing Philosophical and Get to the Food
Let’s get this out up front. Queso Blanco is not Pancho’s Taqueria. It’s a typical Tex-Mex place. You won’t find tongue, cabeza, menudo or pozole on the menu. I don’t know that this absence of the more exotic foods makes Queso Blanco less authentic. I just think it makes it more of what most Americans expect from Mexican fare; cheesy, saucy foods. On the menu you will find chimichangas, burritos, enchiladas, chalupas, fajitas and other familiar dishes. There are several dips, nachos and quesadillas for appetizers and the menu also includes items for the gringo in your group. Translation: you can get a taco salad and grilled chicken salad. The menu also lists several vegetarian items, which was surprising to me, as it seems rare to see Mexican restaurants emphasize this offering. This tells me they have an audience, so vegetarians reading this review, there’s something for you!

 Queso Fundido!
Queso fundido is Spanish for melted cheese (spanish fondue). The “fundido” part can include jalapenos, beef, chicken, or pork. In my experience, in most restaurants “queso fundido” is a thick white cheese fondue with chorizo, which is a spicy salty pork sausage.  The queso fundido was what I had come to expect, with one major exception: CHORIZO baby! If you cannot tell from the photo above, it’s loaded up with chorizo. I can honestly say I have NEVER EVER had a queso fundido with so much sausage. It was refreshing to see so much meat. Of course, the down side, if carnivores can find a down side, is the saltiness. I admit, I love me some sodium. I would rather eat savory rather than sweet any day of the week.  But a little chorizo goes a long way. I think it still tasted good, but the generous helping of chorizo made the dip very rich and filling. In fact, you could get this as your entree with a few tortillas, pico de gallo and a side of refried beans and you have dinner! We still managed to polish it off, dredging the very crispy chips through the slickery sausage fondue (add some of their fresh salsa to cut the salt) – but I have a feeling the wedding ring won’t slide on so easily tomorrow!

The Entrees
As always, our hungry eyes were bigger than our stomachs, as we ordered enough for at least four people. However, the best way to sample is to get a sampling, right? My hubby and I have always wanted to try homemade tamales, so we ordered two ala carte tamales, pork and chicken. For our dinners, I ordered tacos de azada con chorizo and my husband ordered pollo loco con chorizo (notice a theme?).

 First, the tamales. Terrall shared that it takes 3 hours to create these little packages of meat and I believe it.  They are delicate, but complicated and sensitive to cook. We loved the chicken tamale. You really taste the chicken and the ingredients. It was delicious and, as I said, delicate. The pork tamale was less impressive. If you were asked to guess what meat was in the tamale,  you might guess beef or pork simply because of the color, but not because of the taste. You really just got a meaty, almost a little overdone taste. If you dine here and order tamales, order the chicken (actually identified by the waiter as his favorite tamale) and skip the pork.

 

CHORIZO -PALOOZA!
First, you get big helpings here, so if you leave hungry, it’s not their fault. Second, um, yum! My dinner was tacos de azada con chorizo, or tacos with meat and chorizo (duh!). Four tacos were served in silver foil to keep them warm and “together” (so they don’t spill their guts on the plate) and came with a side of their fresh pico de gallo. If you cannot tell, the oil from the chorizo coats the outside of the corn tortillas making them a little messy – and delightfully E-VIL! They were really good. The steak was well cooked. It definitely was not rare, but it was not overcooked and it had a great snap along with the chorizo. Again, the chorizo makes these steak-loaded tacos very salty, so if you don’t like sodium, then you shouldn’t order them. To cut the saltiness of the chorizo, spoon some of the fresh pico de gallo over top and you will really enjoy these. WARNING: the pico is fresh which means they use fresh jalapenos! Most times when you get jalapenos in a Mexican restaurant, they are pickled. And if you order a side of jalapenos at Queso Blanco, you will get pickled jalapenos. BUT, in the pico, the peppers are fresh which means they retain their heat and their bite. If you don’t like spicy, avoid the pico. But if you are feeling rather food-naughty, indulge! You’ll definitely feel the heat.

 

My hubby’s dinner was pollo loco con chorizo! It was a very tasty meal. For some reason most restaurants struggle with cooking chicken. It’s usually an over-cooked, rubbery impersonation of chicken. But in this case, it was tender and moist.  It wouldn’t be “con chorizo” if you didn’t have that lovin’ ladleful of that salty, spicy chorizo.  Believe it or not, you could still taste the chicken even in the wake of the chunky chorizo topping. NOTE: not for the faint of heart (meaning, do you take cholesterol medicine?). Chorizo is not known for its’ low fat properties. In fact, I believe it’s sacrilege to use low-fat and chorizo in the same sentence. At any rate, you will have a deep orange-red oil slick on your plate. Close your eyes and savor/ The treadmill can punish you later!

A Family-Owned, Family-Run Mexican Restaurant with  Great Service
 The restaurant was bustling when we arrived – both rooms of the restaurant were filled and the staff was on the hustle from the moment we arrived until we left. Our waiter was the owner’s son and he warned us up front that they were a little behind in the kitchen. I love it when waiters (or other staff) are honest and up front about the hitches in the giddy-up! I find it refreshing to have someone warn me so my expectations are set. He was very friendly and while he was hot-footing it the whole time we were there, he always smiled and he kept our drinks refreshed and apologized for the delays. The co-owner/wife Yolanda was also busy; bussing tables, running to the kitchen and serving food. The same can be said for the daugher-in-law, who had her 14 month old little girl on her hip as she bussed tables. Terrall, co-owner/husband was also busy, serving food, bussing tables. However he still took time to chat with this guests. He proudly introduced us to his grand-daughter (after removing her from mom’s hip) and spoke fluent spanish to her, which made her giggle and wink at us.

Overall it was a very lovely experience. The vibe was very friendly – moreso than any other place I have ever visited.  The first visit and you are on a first-name basis. What’s that song from that popular show from the 80s? “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your na-a-ame!” I think I have underestimated how nice it is to have someone be so friendly, but not sickeningly friendly – but genuine. The food was good, some things were great, others were ok. Again, if you are looking for the more bizzare or adventurous cuisines of Mexico, you likely won’t find it here. But the familiar foods will be comforting. Just make sure and take a diuretic before you go, because, wow, it’s salty!

Our dinner came to $40, which is a good deal considering we had queso fundido, two entrees and two tamales, ala carte, a diet coke and iced tea. Oh yes, they do not serve alcohol and you cannot bring it in. If you are thirsting for a margarita, don’t go to Queso Blanco, they are teetotallers! If you really want to enjoy a drink, have dinner at Queso Blanco, then venture a couple doors down to Keltie’s and have a drink at their small bar.

If you are on in the Carmel/Westfield or Noblesville area, check out this little place. And if you are from Indy, be adventurous and take a road trip to greater northside of Indianapolis. Ok, the northside of Carmel. Either way, get off that sofa and check out something off your beaten path.

Directions
You should totally google-map this depending on where you live. But here are some quick and dirty directions. Follow 31 North through Carmel, past Clay Terrace Mall, Best Buy, Marsh, Don Pablos and the WalMart, just keep going until you get to State Road (SR) 32. Turn right on SR 32 and follow a couple of miles to Union street. It resembles mini-downtown Carmel or Zionsville. If it’s after 6pm, you can park in the pharmacy parking lot across the street.

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In the Frig – Bub’s Cafe

Breakfast at Bub’s Cafe
220 2nd Street SW (Right off the Monon, around the way from Baxbeaux’s)
Carmel, IN 46032
www.bubsburgersandicecream.com/cafe/about.html

One Saturday morning I convinced my husband to join me for a walk on the Monon. I thought it would be a great, healthy way to start the day. It never crossed my mind that we would stop and eat. After all, it was walk done with ”health” in mind. However, while walking back from the Farmer’s Market, my husband persuaded me that we needed sustenance for the journey home. So we stopped at Bub’s Cafe. (NOTE: since I had no plans to stop for breakfast on my “healthy” walk, I did not have my iPhone, so the above picture is the only one I feature on this post, sorry! I will give you some verbal cues when it’s time for you to imagine the food! See if you can identify them!)

Bub’s Cafe vs. Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream
For those unfamiliar with these two Monon icons, Bub’s Cafe and Bub’s Burgers are owned by the same people (no way, get out!). Bub’s Cafe specializes in breakfast and lunch while Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream specializes in burgers and ice cream. Bub’s Cafe is only a block or so south of her sister on the Monon. Now, when Bub’s Burgers is open, you smell it before you see it.  The smoke from their grill permiates the air with that intoxicating burger smell! Bub’s Cafe emits no such odor, but simply advertises its’ presence with a friendly red awning and a sign with a stack of pancakes.

My husband and I were in the mood to battle bees, so we opted to dine on the patio. (We watched a father dutifully kill the bees buzzing around his daughter’s fruit-topped pancakes). The patio is set far enough back from the Monon so passers-by don’t smell any pancakes, but they can still catch a glance of you – so make sure and take a oversized bites of food so you can make the passing joggers green with food-envy!

The Menu
The Bub’s Cafe menu is reminiscent of the menu at Cafe Petitchou (Clay Terrace Mall, Carmel IN), without some of the French-osity! (sorry…but French-osity sounds cool to me. If you adopt this word, give FoodieGal props). It features the standard breakfast fare: eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc. Bub’s also has daily specials, like pumpkin pancakes and quiche of the day.  There were also a couple of interesting items on the menu like Elk Sausage and Bub’s Holes.

Eyes Bigger than Stomach?
 My hubby ordered the pumpkin pancakes, link sausage and Bub’s holes and I ordered Quiche Lorraine and Elk sausage. Ok, so we ordered a lot. But we did it for you, the reader. We took one for the team because we are givers! Well – and - because things smelled good and we wanted to try a lot of stuff. Walking made us hungry!

What are Bub’s Holes?
Bub’s Holes are basically donut holes. They come in four flavors: cinnamon-sugar, powdered sugar, glazed and chocolate (if you put some French-osity on it, it’s SHOH-CO-LAH!). But these donut holes are a little bigger, more dense and look like hush puppies!  They were not bad. And by that I mean, I liked some more than others. The cinnamon-sugar ones were really the best, mostly for the lovely crunchy sugary coating. After that I favored the glazed. Believe it or not, the chocolate one was my least favorite. It didn’t taste bad, but to me, it reminded me of getting a too-dry cake donut with chocolate sauce in the box of expired pastries from a supermarket bakery.  I took a couple of bites, just so I could give back to you. They smell awesome and look pretty. I don’t think you will slobber yourself over them, but they are enjoyable. Besides, it feels good to pick up these little doughy golden-brown confections and eat them slowly as the runners labor down the Monon!

The Food, Get to the Food!
If you are not familiar with Quiche Lorraine, it’s like egg pie with swiss cheese, bacon and onions. The serving size of quiche at Bub’s Cafe is HUGE! When the waitress brought out my quiche, I thought it looked like a monster piece of cheesecake! The waitress commented that the slices of quiche had grown considerably since she had started working at Bub’s.  Either the chef is just an exceedingly generous guy or some country in the axis of evil is conspiring with him to keep Americans jolly. Yeah, it’s that big!

In the case of the quiche at Bub’s cafe (sounds like a Scooby Doo mystery, doesn’t it?) I think less would have been more. It was too big and dense for me to get a great bite of egg, bacon and crust. I finally gave up trying to cut a piece of the quiche in the “upright” position and rolled it onto its’ side, eating the crusty bottom and the middle. When quiche gets that big, you tend to taste more egg than the other ingredients. I used a little extra salt and pepper to season the egg and it wasn’t terrible. However, I didn’t finish it (neither did the lady sitting at the table next to us). I would not order the quiche again unless I just had an out-of-control egg-pie craving.

Pumpkin Pancakes and Elk Sausage
For most of us, pumpkin pancakes conjour up images orange-tinted stacks of dough with that familiar sweet pumpkin flavor (you know, your co-worker Sally’s pumpkin bread at the annual pre-Christmas pitch-in). These pancakes are not “pumpkin-y” sweet. They taste like, well, pumpkin. It’s a nice flavor.  Add the butter and the sweet maple syrup and actually, not too bad. If you have kids and they think they are going to dig into a huge pancake and get a mouthful of sugary sweetness, you better doctor up the pancakes first or they will be disappointed. It’s more about the pumpkin flavor than the sugar! If you like pumpkin, you will probably like these pancakes.

Now, here’s the deal with Elk sausage: there’s something to be said for fat!! I have had reduced fat Jimmy Dean’s sausage in gravy with biscuits and in sausage-egg biscuit sandwiches for dinner (one of my favorite winter dinners). Reduced-fat sausage is not at all similar to its’ full-fat cousin but it’s not bad. But Elk Sausage? You can taste what is missing. If that pattie could talk, it would say “please, I wanna be a sausage!” It’s the Jan Brady of sausage! If you are a carnivore, but are inflexible on eating fats, then get the elk sausage. It will “look” like you are eating sausage, but it will remind you that you really just want pork!  To really get some flavor out of this meat, you need to douse it in maple syrup and take a deep breath as you fork the meat into your mouth. Only then will you get more of the sausage effect. If you love breakfast meat, skip the elk and the links and get the bacon! Bacon dredged seductively in a glossy amber pool of maple syrup will drive those Monon Running-Junkies crazy! (Oh yeah, and make sure and eat it like one of the models on the Hostess cupcake commercials – come on, you know what I am talking about. Really ENJOY that bacon).

So, What About Bub’s?
You know, nothing was bad. The service is friendly, the view is nice and Bub’s has that friendly neighborhood vibe going on. I would go back, but would stick to the traditional breakfast fare or opt for the Belgian waffles (smelled awesome). I personally think it’s hard to make breakfast a memorable and extraordinary meal, but I think maple syrup is a great accoutrement to any breakfast. Plus watching those sweaty spandex-clad race-walkers lust after your breakfast makes everything taste ever so sweet! 

Be adventurous!  Get off your couch, throw on those sweats or pack yourself in the car, and try something on the beaten path! Right off the Monon, just south of Carmel Drive in downtown Carmel. Check out the website for directions: http://www.bubsburgersandicecream.com/cafe/contact.html.

RUNNERS, WALKERS, GYM RATS AND FIT PEOPLE: I consider myself a member of this group. I love to walk and jog on the Monon. I train at least 4-5 times a week. The reference in my blog to making runners jealous, well, it’s more about aesthetics than it is snarkiness – although I do feel a bit of a snark coming on. Since I don’t have any photos, I thought references to dredging bacon in glossy amber syrup was a great cue for a visual image. All those commercials of people eating those big Hardee’s Angus burgers lovingly, well, it does conjour up images of gluttony. So again, I opted for the images of jealous joggers eyeing greedily the plates and syrupy mouths of Bub’s patrons to provide visual stimulants to my readers! Remember, because I am a giver!

Bon Appetit!