BBQ restaurants

Tasty food, good beer and live music at Broad Ripple’s 317 B.B.Q. & Taproom

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On the near north side of Indianapolis is the village of Broad Ripple. It is well known for an eclectic mix of local dining, unique shops and vibrant nightlife. Sher was checking out some of the clubs and found the 317 BBQ & Taproom. It sounded interesting and advertised live music Sunday afternoon. Off we went with our son driving.

The front of the 317BBQ & Taproom

Welcoming entry way

 

 

 

 

 

We were fortunate and found street parking within a few feet of the entrance.  It was pretty hot, but the inside of the facility was wide open with high ceilings and several large fans which made the seating acceptable. The on tap menu was filled with local brews. The two we tried were very good.

Beer on tap menu

The bar

Good, no VERY good beer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the name of “317 BBQ” we were of course curious of what the menu offered. The menu opened from a bar code was rather limited, however we all found items to order. The BBQ baked beans with beef brisket pieces was very tasty. The fried ocra was very hot , crispy and quite tasty. The waffle fries also were hot right from the fryer. Our son really loved the warm biscuit covered with honey butter.

Waffle fries Yum!

Crispy fried ocra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our delicious bar food order, delivered to our table fast

 

While we were enjoying our drinks and food the band was getting ready on the outside patio. There were tables with umbrellas and tents set up for the band to provide a bit of shade. When the band started they played a nice mix of blues, jazz, and as advertised, several Beatles tunes. The heat was too much for us to handle for any length of time, so we did not stay for long listening to the live music.

Outdoor patio seating, tents for the band

Ricks of wood for Pig Pen the smoker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had to get a picture of us and Pig Pen the huge smoker!

All in all, we all really enjoyed our visit to the 317 BBQ and Taproom. The food portions were large, Everything was delicious. The beer on tap that Sher and I had was very good, we would both order again. The staff was very friendly and met our needs completely. Put this establishment on your to do list the next time you are in Broad Ripple. This is the 317BBQ website

Benny’s Pizza and Pub is one of central Ohio’s best

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It is no secret that local non chain restaurants can often be the best places to dine. Benny’s Pizza and Pub in Marysville, Ohio is one such place. It was a classic car hop service Drive In during the 50’s, complete with one of those huge Frostop Root Beer mugs on the roof. The old mug still graces the roof, but Benny’s is now a large facility with a menu featuring pizza, ribs, subs, salads and award winning in-house smoked brisket. There are specialty drinks and 31 taps offering craft beers, some of which are from a local brewery.

You start you culinary adventure at Benny’s with a large basket of freshly popped popcorn to munch while you read the menu. Three of us were dining and it took us a while to decide on our ordering strategy. Pizzas? What toppings? Half and Half’s? Dinners? Subs? Whew! Everything looked so inviting!

Enjoy some popcorn while you read the menu

Delicious Southwest 7 layer salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally decided to order the smoked brisket with the house BBQ sauce and beer battered fries for my side. Sher and our son went with the family sized pizza, half veggie and half “All the way”,  a cute name for lots of variety of toppings. We all ordered a Southwest 7 layer salad as well.

The pizza as delivered!

In a very reasonable time our food arrived. The pizza was huge (18″ according to the menu) and was literally overflowing with toppings! I was amazed at the portion size of my smoked brisket and the fries. Wow! There was enough brisket there to serve two people at least.

Brisket, fries and Texas toast. Look at how much food!

Well, Sher and our son loved the pizza. My fries were very good, hot upon arrival. The brisket was fabulous. Fork tender, you could really taste and enjoy the smoked flavor that came through even with the BBQ sauce, which was also excellent. We ended up with some take home boxes, as we didn’t finish the pizza or the brisket. Including our drinks, our tab ended up being just shy of $20 each. While not inexpensive, the pricing is worth it for the quality and quantity of food.

Benny’s Pizza and Pub is a great place to dine, and we would highly recommend it. The decor is not fancy, and there are some TV’s scattered around. Of interest is the nice collection of old photos on the walls, including some of past visits from celebrities. There is often live entertainment on the weekends, and seasonally there is outdoor dining and large crowds for the bands. Benny’s is closed on Sundays. Go to their website here for full menus and hours.

And if you like brisket, you’ll be making a mistake if you do not order it when at Benny’s!

This photo of Pete Rose and Roy Rogers together caught my eye. There were lots of old photos on the walls

BJ’s Carolina Cafe was a good stop

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My "catch of the day" with cornbread, hand cut fries and slaw.

My “catch of the day” with cornbread, hand cut fries and slaw.

Sher and I were on our way to Kitty Hawk from Va Beach with our family and hit some very slow traffic. Seems like lots of folks were on their way to the Outer Banks that Saturday. We stopped at a place named BJ’s Carolina Cafe to eat and hopefully the traffic would be cleared when we were done.

BJ’s Carolina Cafe was a great stop for us. This family oriented cafe had a diverse menu that had something for each one of our party. The service was friendly, albeit a bit slow. However we were not in a rush and freshly prepared hot food is always worth a little wait.

BJ’s Carolina Cafe is located in Currituck County, North Carolina on Highway 158. Check their website for details.