Hi,

I am an extra onions person, because what is served by default at most places is not enough onion for me. At Powers, 15 cents worth of extra onions is too much onion. They offer a good hamburger with hefty onions already, extra onions throws off the balance.

Regards,

Here is another Fort Wayne recommendation, which Mrs. JiLS and I discovered this past weekend: Saigon Restaurant. Saigon Restaurant is on the Asian ethnic corridor of Ft. Wayne, South Calhoun Street. Others have noted the unique Burmese food culture in Ft. Wayne, but this Vietnamese spot was really remarkable and, if one is in Ft. Wayne, definitely worth checking out, and not just for Vietnamese food. Saigon is that rarity of a neighborhood place that remains uncompromisingly ethnically focused while serving a clientele that is highly diverse and clearly there because this is "their" neighborhood restaurant (which just happens to be Vietnamese/Chinese/American). In addition to pho that is pretty much on par with what I've had in Chicago, they serve a decent diner American breakfast at stunningly low cost ($7.50 for two of us for a ham & cheese omelette/toast and an eggs/bacon/hash brown cube/toast, plus two bottomless cups of decent diner coffee). Just to put a face on it, over breakfast we listened to two Hoosier farmers discuss how they were dealing with the drought (making a lot of silage, as it turns out) while they ate pho and bacon and eggs for breakfast, joined in the dining room by a mostly African American and Latino clientele doing the same. A very refreshing experience - a restaurant serving its neighborhood and serving them excellent food at a good price - and if it were possible to nominate a GNR in Fort Wayne, this would be my nomination.

Saigon Restaurant
2006 S Calhoun St
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Cash Only

Hi,

I have passed this place a few times with the hand painted bowl of pho on the marquee. I'm glad you found it worthy and will give it a try sometime.

What else did you try in Fort Wayne?

In retrospect, I am still kicking myself for not visiting the now shuttered Lincoln Museum. Had I realized what a fun food destination it is, I would have hightailed it there far earlier.

Regards,

Rene G wrote:I look forward to trying some breakfast items if I'm ever in Fort Wayne early enough.

Breakfast at Powers is served only to 10:30am so it's necessary to leave Chicago before 6. We finally made it to Fort Wayne in time for biscuits and gravy, a garbage plate and an egg Rollie.









Oh, and a cheeseburger too. I'm happy to have tried their breakfast but I think only the garbage plate would be worth ordering again. It's really all about the burgers at Powers.

Rene G wrote:Keep in mind Powers is no longer open all night; I think the hours may vary by season and according to the TinCaps' schedule so be sure to check ahead.

Powers is again open around the clock, from early Thursday morning to early Sunday morning. I'm not sure if this change is permanent.



Now you can have a proper Powers experience, after midnight with a belly full of beer.

Powers Hamburgers
1402 S Harrison St
Fort Wayne IN
260-422-6620
Mon-Wed 5am-10pm, Thu 5am through Sun 4am, closed Sun

The Karpeles Manuscript Library is always worth at least a quick stop. This small museum (not really a library) is one of about a dozen located in smaller cities across the country.





The current exhibit (until the end of August 2012) is a nice selection of Darwin manuscripts.

Karpeles Manuscript Library
3039 Piqua Av (just east of Calhoun)
Fort Wayne IN
260-456-6929
http://www.rain.org/~karpeles/ftwfrm.html

When needing coffee in Fort Wayne, I can't imagine one could do better than Old Crown.





The beans are roasted in small batches at the back of the store and several brewing methods, including Clover, are available. Two pre-made drip coffees are listed each day for $1.35, one of the best deals anywhere. Beyond caffeine, Old Crown has a pleasant bar with a well-chosen selection of alcoholic beverages including some local distillates you won't find in Chicago.



Good people, good place.

Old Crown Coffee Roasters
3417 N Anthony Blvd
Fort Wayne IN
260-422-5282
http://www.oldcrown.com/

Rene G wrote:
The Karpeles Manuscript Library is always worth at least a quick stop. This small museum (not really a library) is one of about a dozen located in smaller cities across the country.





The current exhibit (until the end of August 2012) is a nice selection of Darwin manuscripts.

Karpeles Manuscript Library
3039 Piqua Av (just east of Calhoun)
Fort Wayne IN
260-456-6929
http://www.rain.org/~karpeles/ftwfrm.html

Mr. Karpeles just purchased an old Christian Science Church in Fort Wayne near the old one and has TWO museums in the city. The new one is much larger and has some Egyptian arts in the choir loft.

Last week the boys laikom and Da Beef and I hit the road to explore the Burmese scene of Fort Wayne and soak in a little history while we were there. Firstly, I’ll keep it brief on the other spots, maybe the other two will chime in, and then focus mainly on my thoughts about the Burmese offerings that we checked out.

We began our tear with some of the worst tacos the three of us, collectively, have ever eaten. I guess don’t trust a taco spot with Amish in its name. Who knew a follow up of a braunschweiger sandwich on squishy white with mustard and pickles could provide such a palatte cleanser at our next stop at the cute-as-a-button soda counter at the historic Lincoln Tower. On our way out I spied these gorgeous art deco murals adorning the walls of the bank in this wonderful 1930’s building. This was a non-food highlight of the trip for me.




Next stop was the dark, cozy, and frozen in time Oyster Bar where we ate one of the better shrimp cocktails I can remember enjoying in recent past. Oysters in Fort Wayne? Based on the freshness of the cocktail, I’m guessing these Hoosiers do it right. For next time. Good local drafts on tap too.

Fast forward to our last stop, Power’s, was requisite. I was surprised by the postage stamp sized griddle at the equally diminutive lunch counter. I liked the burgers fine. I’d never actually had a slider from anywhere but Whitey’s or some lame-o mini pulled pork sandwich from an airport bar. Not really like either of these two slider varietals, these are smallish griddled burgers, smashed fresh and piled with onions. With a hawk’s eye view of the griddle, I noted one iffy practice that I thought came through in the final product. The onions go on the griddle raw and are very hastily scattered around the grill, picking up their color from the meat grease and seasoning of the grill, resulting in what might look like deeply caramelized onions, but are cooked quickly to a just-soft consistency. As an onion fiend, I still dug these, but wished for a more developed, Big Baby- level sweetness.



My experiences with Burmese have been limited to a few trips to trendy joints in the Bay Area and cooking recipes from Naomi Duguid’s “Rivers of Flavor” with friends. So what did we learn about Burmese in Fort Wayne on this sunny afternoon?

1. Apparently Tuesday afternoon is not the best time to hit Fort Wayne to check out their Burmese restaurants. Our first stop, Mahnin was closed on Tuesdays. Though we were hoping to sample a range of places, laikom had recently visited and seemed to prefer their Thai offerings to the Burmese. And then the second spot, Sone Sea Yar closed at 4 and were closed up already when we rolled up at 3:45.

2. Most of the Burmese restaurants are not Burmese owned. The one we finally landed at, A Kaung Zarr is Thai owned as is Mahnin and Sone Sea Yar is Indian owned.

3. There are more Burmese-catering grocery stores than restaurants. We visited three and passed another two. All three were stocked with pretty common items to any SE Asian grocer. The one laikom had recently visited, Mon Asian Store, where he picked up fried grasshoppers and non-commercially packaged fermented tea leaves was out of all that good stuff that particular day. I did score a jar of tea leaves and the non-English speaking shopkeep was eager to grab me a bag of assorted fried legumes to complete my fixins for a salad of lahpet thoke. Our second stop, Little Burma, actually had a dedicated Burmese aisle, which was stocked with a pretty wide assortment of supplies to make lahpet thoke. There were plenty of unusual packaged goods like acacia leaves and cryovac packs of dark, sticky looking pickled mango. Many of the products were produced by Yoma Myanmar brand.




I liked this trippy label design

The very friendly woman at the counter here was quite easy to communicate with and she guided me through stacks of pint containers full of locally made ngapi, some with big old chunks of preserved fish sitting right on the counter at room temp. I opted for a quite fragrant balachuang, which once I opened at home and sampled a bite, was treated to an intensely savory, funky, and creepingly spicy mouthful. I can’t wait to whip up a light summer meal of crudite and this shallot/shrimp/chile paste to go alongside my tea leaf salad.



We also learned from the counter lady at Little Burma that the restaurants in Fort Wayne don’t regularly serve lahpet thoke. Though we found one that did…



The one restaurant we found open that day, A Kaung Zarr, was just a bit out of town in a neighborhood where we saw folks wearing brilliantly colored folk dress; women, presumably Muslim, with their heads wrapped. The restaurant was nearly empty. And the menu, which deduced from Matt’s limited experiences at the other spot, had quite a few more strictly Burmese offerings. We ordered all the Burmese dishes except a light soup and a noodle dish that seemed very close to another one we opted to order.


Clockwise from upper left: Samusa dipping sauce, Samusas, Khot swea tok, Lahpet thoke

I loved this meal! Everything was vibrantly fresh and perfectly seasoned. Not once did we reach for any accoutrements from the spice caddy. The off menu special of Lahpet thoke might have been a shade too ferment-alicious to wantonly inhale, but it was intense in all the right ways. It differed from the versions I’d had in the Bay Area in that it was pre-mixed rather than presented with separate quadrants of ingredients on a platter, mixed tableside. It also seemed to have a higher ratio of tea leaves to other ingredients, contributing to that funk. Crunchy lentil bits, raw garlic, and decent early summer tomatoes rounded it out.

I was really impressed with the cold noodle, salad-like dish of Khot swea tok- (lomein salad in burmese style), which Matt warned us might be overcooked slop like something he’d had at the other place. Not at all– the noodles weren’t quite toothsome, but played a supporting role to crunchy cabbage and cucumber and rich strips of egg and fried tofu. It was tossed in a slightly tangy, just-chile-hot, and peanut-based creamy sauce. It reminded me of the kind of un-specific-ally Asian cold peanut noodle dishes I whip up at home on a hot summer night. Comfort food I guess I would call it, but prepared deftly.

Samusas were a hit at the table, brittle crisp, oily, and packed with curried veggies that each maintained their individual integrity. Addictive dipped in the vinegar-y hot sauce they were served with.

Finally a requisite bowl of Mohinga (on this menu translated as Moke hin kar) (also, not pictured). I know the fish is typically almost pulverized into this stew, though I forgot entirely about fishiness eating this. I suppose it may have contributed to the thickness of the broth, which was quite creamy and I may have misinterpreted as peanut- fortified. The rice noodles were on their way past soft, but no worse than most a bowl of pho in Chicagoland. Banana leaf piths were in the house and to me had an eggplant-like consistency. I also loved the textural contrast of a garnish of fried clusters of lentils. Creamy, aromatic, and spicy, a pretty wonderful bowl of soup. Had I not overlooked the bowl of limes on the table, I probably would have given a squeeze to cut the richness a bit. At the end of the meal I realized it had been almost entirely vegetarian. The pairing of rich legumes (fried bits and peanutty sauces) with complex and aromatic spices makes for very substantial and soul satisfying stuff.

A repeat of this meal alone would be worth a trip back to Fort Wayne for me, if nothing else. Burmese food, I know so little about you, but I love your humble, yet complex flavors.

Tacos Arandas "El Amish"
2012 Broadway, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 420-2731

Lincoln Tower
116 E Berry St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Number for Soda Fountain: (260) 422-6688

Oyster Bar
1830 S Calhoun St, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 744-9490

Power's
1402 S Harrison St, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Phone:(260) 422-6620

Mon Asian Store
3030 S Calhoun St, Fort Wayne, IN 46807
(260) 444-2161

Little Burma
3230 S Calhoun St, Fort Wayne, IN 46807
(260) 745-3721

Mahnin
2701 S Calhoun St, Fort Wayne, IN 46807
(260) 744-3584

Sone Sea Yar
5527 S Anthony Blvd, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46806-3317
(260) 441-8881

A Kaung Zarr
5205 Decatur Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46806
(260) 203-9056

Great report--good work guys!

Jefe wrote:Last week the boys laikom and Da Beef and I hit the road to explore the Burmese scene of Fort Wayne and soak in a little history while we were there. Firstly, I’ll keep it brief on the other spots, maybe the other two will chime in, and then focus mainly on my thoughts about the Burmese offerings that we checked out.

Always good to hear about Fort Wayne, a city seriously underappreciated by many. I really need to post one of these years. Since 2010, I've made over a dozen visits, exploring the Burmese scene as much as possible. I ought to get to work and write about it (I suppose this is a start).

Jefe wrote:We began our tear with some of the worst tacos the three of us, collectively, have ever eaten. I guess don’t trust a taco spot with Amish in its name.

Sorry to hear that. I'm more than a little surprised. I've visited El Amish twice and both times had surprisingly good food. I haven't been since April 2013, though, so I wonder if something might have changed.

Jefe wrote:Who knew a follow up of a braunschweiger sandwich on squishy white with mustard and pickles could provide such a palatte cleanser at our next stop at the cute-as-a-button soda counter at the historic Lincoln Tower. On our way out I spied these gorgeous art deco murals adorning the walls of the bank in this wonderful 1930’s building. This was a non-food highlight of the trip for me.

I usually aim to be in Fort Wayne on a Saturday (the best day for Burmese markets). Looks like I might have to plan a weekday trip so I can visit Lincoln Tower.

My last trip, I was finally able to check Cindy's Diner off my list. Fried bologna & cheese on rye hit the spot, but it was the homemade rhubarb pie that really made the stop worthwhile. The famous donuts, made by the old Murphy's Dime Store machine, were a bit of a disappointment, unfortunately.

Jefe wrote:Next stop was the dark, cozy, and frozen in time Oyster Bar where we ate one of the better shrimp cocktails I can remember enjoying in recent past. Oysters in Fort Wayne? Based on the freshness of the cocktail, I’m guessing these Hoosiers do it right. For next time. Good local drafts on tap too.

I only had a couple drinks at The Oyster Bar's cozy bar, but left with a good feeling about the place. Happy to hear a positive report about the food.

Jefe wrote:Fast forward to our last stop, Power’s, was requisite. I was surprised by the postage stamp sized griddle at the equally diminutive lunch counter. I liked the burgers fine. I’d never actually had a slider from anywhere but Whitey’s or some lame-o mini pulled pork sandwich from an airport bar. Not really like either of these two slider varietals, these are smallish griddled burgers, smashed fresh and piled with onions. With a hawk’s eye view of the griddle, I noted one iffy practice that I thought came through in the final product. The onions go on the griddle raw and are very hastily scattered around the grill, picking up their color from the meat grease and seasoning of the grill, resulting in what might look like deeply caramelized onions, but are cooked quickly to a just-soft consistency. As an onion fiend, I still dug these, but wished for a more developed, Big Baby- level sweetness.

Sliders can only wish they were Big Babies! I love the whole Powers experience though.

Jefe wrote:1. Apparently Tuesday afternoon is not the best time to hit Fort Wayne to check out their Burmese restaurants. Our first stop, Mahnin was closed on Tuesdays. Though we were hoping to sample a range of places, laikom had recently visited and seemed to prefer their Thai offerings to the Burmese. And then the second spot, Sone Sea Yar closed at 4 and were closed up already when we rolled up at 3:45.

Ma Hnin is certainly worth a visit. I've had some great off-menu Burmese stuff, but it seems they're usually not interested in doing that sort of thing. Sone Sea Yar closed permanently, I believe a few months ago (I wonder if the old sign might still be up). In its place is Nawarat, a halal Indo-Burmese restaurant. It opened on May 24, 2015 (I know that because I was there the day before!). I was sad to see Sone Sea Yar disappear, with one of the most intriguing menu entries ever—cow facial skin salad (unfortunately not available when we tried to order it).

Jefe wrote:2. Most of the Burmese restaurants are not Burmese owned. The one we finally landed at, A Kaung Zarr is Thai owned as is Mahnin and Sone Sea Yar is Indian owned.

Hmm, as I understand it, Sone Sea Yar was run by Burmese Muslims (not Rohingya though). I think the owners of Nawarat told us they were Burmese Muslims as well. And Ma Hnin herself was born in Burma (she's Mon), though she spent significant time in Thailand. It's second hand information, but someone at one of the markets told us the new owners of A Kaung Zarr are Muslim (don't recall if she said where they're from). Does that fit with what you know about the restaurant? For what it's worth, at least one of Fort Wayne's Thai restaurants (Pad Thai, now closed) was owned by Burmese and would prepare Burmese food on request (the owner used to cook at Ma Hnin).

Jefe wrote:3. There are more Burmese-catering grocery stores than restaurants.

The Burmese markets alone are reason enough to visit Fort Wayne. I think there are about 15 now, on both the north side as well as south. You can find lots of stuff you'll never see in Chicago. Just to pick one example, fresh banana stem is carried at most of the markets. Try to find that in Chicago.

Jefe wrote:The very friendly woman at the counter here was quite easy to communicate with and she guided me through stacks of pint containers full of locally made ngapi, some with big old chunks of preserved fish sitting right on the counter at room temp. I opted for a quite fragrant balachuang, which once I opened at home and sampled a bite, was treated to an intensely savory, funky, and creepingly spicy mouthful. I can’t wait to whip up a light summer meal of crudite and this shallot/shrimp/chile paste to go alongside my tea leaf salad.

Yes! A couple summers ago, I practically lived on the stuff (at least during the hot spells). I guess I lied when I said I'd write more about the balachaung.

In another thread Rene G wrote:For lunch I had an international cucumber sampler plate (can't remember which is which) with blanched purple long beans and some balachaung. I'll post a bit more about this Burmese chili and dried shrimp condiment later.

Jefe wrote:I loved this meal! Everything was vibrantly fresh and perfectly seasoned. Not once did we reach for any accoutrements from the spice caddy. The off menu special of Lahpet thoke might have been a shade too ferment-alicious to wantonly inhale, but it was intense in all the right ways. It differed from the versions I’d had in the Bay Area in that it was pre-mixed rather than presented with separate quadrants of ingredients on a platter, mixed tableside. It also seemed to have a higher ratio of tea leaves to other ingredients, contributing to that funk. Crunchy lentil bits, raw garlic, and decent early summer tomatoes rounded it out.

I'm really happy that A Kaung Zarr is open again. I first went in 2011 (when it had a Grand Opening sign), but it's been closed on all my recent visits. Tea leaf salad used to be listed and pictured on the menu. I think the restaurant may have new owners, but for whatever it's worth, the salad I had four years ago looked very similar to what you were served.

Rene G wrote:

Jefe wrote:Last week the boys laikom and Da Beef and I hit the road to explore the Burmese scene of Fort Wayne and soak in a little history while we were there. Firstly, I’ll keep it brief on the other spots, maybe the other two will chime in, and then focus mainly on my thoughts about the Burmese offerings that we checked out.

Always good to hear about Fort Wayne, a city seriously underappreciated by many. I really need to post one of these years. Since 2010, I've made over a dozen visits, exploring the Burmese scene as much as possible. I ought to get to work and write about it (I suppose this is a start).

Jefe wrote:1. Apparently Tuesday afternoon is not the best time to hit Fort Wayne to check out their Burmese restaurants. Our first stop, Mahnin was closed on Tuesdays. Though we were hoping to sample a range of places, laikom had recently visited and seemed to prefer their Thai offerings to the Burmese. And then the second spot, Sone Sea Yar closed at 4 and were closed up already when we rolled up at 3:45.

Ma Hnin is certainly worth a visit. I've had some great off-menu Burmese stuff, but it seems they're usually not interested in doing that sort of thing. Sone Sea Yar closed permanently, I believe a few months ago (I wonder if the old sign might still be up). In its place is Nawarat, a halal Indo-Burmese restaurant. It opened on May 24, 2015 (I know that because I was there the day before!). I was sad to see Sone Sea Yar disappear, with one of the most intriguing menu entries ever—cow facial skin salad (unfortunately not available when we tried to order it).

Jefe wrote:2. Most of the Burmese restaurants are not Burmese owned. The one we finally landed at, A Kaung Zarr is Thai owned as is Mahnin and Sone Sea Yar is Indian owned.

Hmm, as I understand it, Sone Sea Yar was run by Burmese Muslims (not Rohingya though). I think the owners of Nawarat told us they were Burmese Muslims as well. And Ma Hnin herself was born in Burma (she's Mon), though she spent significant time in Thailand. It's second hand information, but someone at one of the markets told us the new owners of A Kaung Zarr are Muslim (don't recall if she said where they're from). Does that fit with what you know about the restaurant? For what it's worth, at least one of Fort Wayne's Thai restaurants (Pad Thai, now closed) was owned by Burmese and would prepare Burmese food on request (the owner used to cook at Ma Hnin).

Yes, you're right, Sone Sea Yar was replaced by Nawarat. Matt did the intel here and now I remember him noting the change in name. I think when we were pulling up to the restaurant I was distracted by my iPhone . And I suppose that, overall, my chatter here about ownership of these places was anecdotal amongst our crew. I hope the others chime in. I do know that the women customers we saw at A Kaung Zarr wore head scarves. And Matt asked the server if the cooks were Thai, which he confirmed. And Rene G, please do report in on your intel about the Fort Wayne Burmese scene. Can't wait!

I've been getting together with friends for dinner in Fort Wayne every few months for the past several years.

Early on, we went to Joseph Decuis (see previous quote, copied at the end of this post), a restaurant where I had previously dined. It was again absolutely outstanding, one of my best dinners of the year and IMHO the best restaurant in the state of Indiana (I've been to most of the prominent ones around the state, including Oakley's Bistro, R Bistro, Tallent, LaSalle Grill, etc). However, we decided it was a bit on the pricy side for us to keep going there on a regular basis.

We ate a couple of times at a location of a local chain of Italian restaurants called Casa Restaurants. It was okay, not really memorable in any way, but the food was decent, and relatively inexpensive.

Then we found the "holy grail": BakerStreet. BakerStreet serves steaks, seafood, and other American fare. But it's not your stereotypical steakhouse. The food is consistently outstanding, and offers far more variety than most steakhouses. Even though it's been a few months since my last visit (I'm going again next week), I still remember so many of many favorite dishes: the mussels steamed in a lemongrass-ginger broth; the blackened scallops garnished with candied walnuts and bleu cheese crumbles; one of the best wedge salads you'll find anywhere; great Alaskan king crab legs; and tableside flambéed donuts. Their prime rib is not on the regular menu but they almost always have it (even on Mondays, when we usually meet) and it too is one of the best you'll find anywhere. Another "hidden" menu item is their gigantic beer battered onion rings, which are only on the lunch menu but can be ordered at dinner as well. And they have weekly specials that are consistently excellent too. The service is extremely friendly and competent and professional, always trying to please. We've been so happy that we've discontinued any discussion of going elsewhere. Highly recommended.

BakerStreet
4820 N. Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
(260) 484-3300
bakerstreetfortwayne.com

Oh, and here's the previous quote about Joseph Decuis, which I recommend if you are looking for the very finest food and service, such as for a special occasion meal:

Holly of Uptown wrote:A notable place outside of Fort Wayne is Joseph Decuis http://www.josephdecuis.com/. It's in Roanoke, a rather backwoodsy (I'm trying to be tactful here) small town (pop. 1495). It's my impression that most people in Roanoke would find it totally crazy to spend the price of an appetizer there for a whole meal. For whatever reason, big-name sports agent Eugene Parker's office is in this town (clients include Emmitt Smith, Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders, etc.), and this restaurant is across the street. Very strange. There was an article about the restaurant in the Tribune's Tempo section a while back. I haven't eaten there, but folks apparently come from far away to do so.

I'm sure I'll go back to Joseph Decuis one of these days; it was superb. But BakerStreet keeps making all of us so happy to dine there, it may be quite a while longer!

Thanks to Rene G for the detailed recommendations I received before my first trip to Ft. Wayne.

My biggest takeaway was, as silly as it sounds, how great the fresh white breads from the Aunt Millie's Bakery. It was seen everywhere packaged bread was served. The dinner rolls used on the sliders were the best part, I wasn’t a huge fan of the meat quality or the onions. The sunbeam bread at the lincoln tower soda fountain also really hit the spot. It is similar to the way chicago’s fresh made tortillas really enhance the taco experience in Chicago.

I agree on the Burmese at Akaungzarr, it was a bit of an eye opener for me. My favorite bites of that meal were definitely the samosas. They were clearly rolled fresh, had no signs of being frozen. The wrapper was extra crisp and the fresh vegetables had a nice crunch. The spicing was bold but not overdone.

Unfortunately those tacos at el amish were as bad as jefe says, and not at all like the ones posted over here, as is apparent from the gray lifeless meat seen in my pics. There is no doubt that it was either an off day or something must have changed, since I know for a fact that Rene G has impeccable taste. I was actually in wonder about the absolute lack of flavor in the meat. It must have been difficult to suck that much flavor out. It’s sad to knock a place this hard after one visit, but I can’t in good conscience recommend anyone go out of their way for it.



The Oyster Bar was one of my favorite moments of the trip. I loved the old bar, the cheery neighborhood vibe, and indeed those shrimp were impossibly fresh, and huge. As Jefe mentioned, I'd love to try some Oysters, and maybe some fisn 'n' chips next time. They had a respectable beer selection with at least a few beers from Indiana breweries.





A week prior to the trip with jefe and Beef I actually made a quick pass through ft wayne and hit up a couple other places. Coney Island dogs was one of them. The place was great to see, and the dogs were decent junk food. Again, the freshly baked bread was notable, very soft and pillowy especially after being stored in the steam table. The chili was fine, but the dog was textureless mush. In fact, in retrospect, textually, the whole package isn’t far off from a mother in law…







I also stopped by Mahnin. There probably about 4 Burmese items on the menu. I inquired and was told that the cooks were Thai. While I liked everything we ate, and the Burmese food we tried was delicious, I was more smitten with the Panang curry than the Burmese dishes. It was murky and oily and overly spiced with a lingering heat. It tasted flavors in it that I haven’t tasted since traveling through SE asia. I loved it so much that I brought another order of it home.

How y'all gonna leave the lesser known regional eat of Fort Wayne out of the roundup! Haha. While doing a little digging around before we hit up the town I kept seeing places advertise sausage rolls, thus I was intrigued. It seems like every pizza place and even some bars around town like to serve whats basically a rolled pizza. I mentioned to the bartender at the Oyster place that we were seeking one out and she verified my hunch as she proclaimed Laycoff's to serve the best in town. We enjoyed some cheap brews there with the bartender and had a sausage roll in the traditional Fort Wayne way. That's with BBQ sauce. Let's just call them interesting and something that can only get better as the day turns to night while your blood alcohol level rises. Unfortunately some schmuck stole my bag pack out of my car and got some dirty gym clothes and my camera to go with it. So All I have is a cool pic of Laycoff's awesome neon that I took with my iPhone. It's a classic Midwest tavern and I guess on top of the sausage rolls they're supposed to do a good oven baked grinder but the other guys weren't feeling up to the challenge as far as trying one. The Burmese eats were fantastic. I thought Powers was better the first time but still love them. Next trip in I plan on further exploring the soda fountains of the area. Fun times in Fort Wayne.


Signage

Laycoff's Tavern
3530 N Clinton St
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
(260) 482-1122

Da Beef wrote:How y'all gonna leave the lesser known regional eat of Fort Wayne out of the roundup! Haha. While doing a little digging around before we hit up the town I kept seeing places advertise sausage rolls, thus I was intrigued. It seems like every pizza place and even some bars around town like to serve whats basically a rolled pizza. I mentioned to the bartender at the Oyster place that we were seeking one out and she verified my hunch as she proclaimed Laycoff's to serve the best in town. We enjoyed some cheap brews there with the bartender and had a sausage roll in the traditional Fort Wayne way. That's with BBQ sauce. Let's just call them interesting and something that can only get better as the day turns to night while your blood alcohol level rises. Unfortunately some schmuck stole my bag pack out of my car and got some dirty gym clothes and my camera to go with it. So All I have is a cool pick of Laycoff's awesome neon that I took with my iPhone. It's a classic Midwest tavern and I guess on top of the sausage rolls they're supposed to do a good oven baked grinder but the other guys weren't feeling up to the challenge as far as trying one. The Burmese eats were fantastic. I thought Powers was better the first time but still love them. Next trip in I plan on further exploring the soda fountains of the area. Fun times in Fort Wayne.


Signage

Laycoff's Tavern
3530 N Clinton St
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
(260) 482-1122

Aw snap, my bad!
Indeed, a great sign! And the BBQ sauce should not have worked so well on that sausage (pizza) roll. Any fans of hot pockets out there will love these!

We had to save something for you to write about!

Here's my artsy cell phone pic.


They split the pizza roll into 3rds, so it's not so photogenic, but here it is!

I'm here for the weekend for baseball--anything new?