Fat Dan's Deli

Fat Dan's Deli

815 Broad Ripple Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46220

So, after only a month here I am officially starting to miss my hometown junk food.  More accurately put: I am missing Portillos.   You know when people ask the question: "if you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?"?  9 times out of 10 my answer is Portillo's french fries.  When its not Portillo's french fries, its a perfectly crusty baguette.  Clearly I have a weakness for carbs.

Last week I had a hankering for some Chicago Style carry-out.  As such, I decided to hunt down the gold standard in encased meats:  the vienna beef hot dog.  This was my first such quest in Hoosier -land and I did so with hopes that I would not only be able to enjoy a tasty dog but also some yummy fries.  

Now, before I give my review, let me just preface that the guy behind the counter's first words were that he was hungover and exhausted from working late the night before.  I did not think this would make too much of difference so I went ahead with my order.  

Traditional Chicago Style  hot dog and an order of fries.  

I am sad to report that it did not live up to my beloved Portillo's.   All the right ingredients were there but the dog seemed dry and the bun was ridiculously stale.  You can see in the picture that the right side of the bun was firm as a rock and and not at all steamed like it should have been.




The french fries had a ton of potential to be delicious.  They appeared to be hand cut and were fried to a perfect crisp.  Unfortunately, the seasoning salt they put on was so salty that they were pretty much  
inedible.  Bummer because I like I said before, I have a serious weakness for carbohydrates and I was really looking forward to some fried goodness.

I am willing to believe that this was an off day for Fat Dan's; particularly because of the hungover employee scenario.  But unfortunately it is not close enough for me to give it another try.  My search for GOOD Chicago Style carry-out continues.