Some Guys Pizza Pasta Grill

To see it from it's strip mall location off of Allisonville, one would never expect the great decor surprises inside. Dark interior, with brick accents and the very visibly bustling kitchen makes for a cozy venue for the brick oven pizza and pasta joint. Fred has been going there for lunch on and off for the last several months, and today the FLO in it's entirety was finally able to see what all the fuss was about.

First off, our waitress was pure positive energy with a real passion for her work. Her sincerity was unwavering through the whole experience...even when our "beer eliteness" reared it's ugly head and discovered our Brugge White pitcher was flat and tasteless. She went the extra mile to get another server's opinion, and then while trying to pour another, the keg gave it's last explosive effort before emptiness...ahhh, beer-snob-chops validation! Gotta love the Brugge!

What to choose? What to choose? Hmmm, well, there are 7 cheeses, 7 sauces, 10 base toppings, 10 specialty meats(from meatballs to clams to Cajun shrimp!), and 13 specialty veggies/toppings(fresh garlic, basil, capers or pimentos?)!!! Help!

Ozzy, as we know, must have carbs...and carbs a plenty there are, but today, Ozzy chose the angel hair with the surprisingly zesty tomato basil marinara from their pasta selections. Only a direct quote will do..."This is delicious... and tasty!" 'Nuf said. Libby decided to try a concoction Fred had sampled on an earlier occasion...the personal with roma tomato, basil, and goat cheese. Wow. It was fresh and light. The crust was thin and had that perfect brick oven crispness. Fred decided to create another masterpiece, and that he did! A personal with pepperoni, anchovy, and gorgonzola...oh... mah... gawd! The best palate pleaser pizza to date! Libby was impressed with Fred's ingenuity and Some Guys' superior ingredients/product. It paired perfectly with the now- fresh Brugge tap.

All in all, the FLO is ready to say....drumroll...this is Indy's #1 pizza!...until proven otherwise.
A word to "toppings pizza joint" skeptics(a-hem)...this is more than a great toppings pizza. There is a thin, perfectly baked crust, with a mild and well marrying marinara. Unlike so many pizza places, this crust is solo. There is no deep dish, hand-tossed and whatnot, just the perfect woodfire crust. We didn't even detail the other sauces available(7 total to choose from). And lest we forget to mention, the menu is very extensive, including several sandwiches, pastas, salads and signature pizzas. These people have been doing it for over 17 years and it shows.

http://www.someguyspizza.com/

Wrap Up
Price-$$, very reasonable...especially when there's a pitcher of Brugge for $9!
Atmosphere-***, not much curb appeal, but once inside, one can easily see the love poured into this hidden treasure
Service-****, perky, happy staff that understand the importance of service...will keep bringing us back!

Overall
Fred - A, Just need to figure out the combo to take advantage of the capers...
Libby - A-, Although Indy's best in my humble opinion, among the pizza world, Chicago will never be outdone(deep dish rules me)!
Ozzy - A, Half an adult size portion of pasta gone. And did we mention the vanilla bean ice cream sundae?...please see quote above.

Hoaglin To Go Cafe & Marketplace

So, it's Sunday morning and Libby just got off of work...what is the first thing on her mind other than a margarita???

Breakfast!
Or in this case, brunch.
And what a brunch it was!

Hidden deep in the heart of Mass Ave, this eclectic cafe was already abuzz with an equally unique clientele and staff.
First off, we were happy to see another youngster there as there was definitely an initial impression of an artsy singles establishment. Dress code: cut offs, Sunday best, and everything in between.

Now to the important stuff...the coffee! Wow, talk about smack yo mama brew, this is it and it's only the house standard. We were so blown away, we didn't attempt any fanciness from the coffee bar. Folgers lovers need not apply.

As we were sipping out delectable coffees, we started to really pay attention to the dishes surrounding us...quiche 4 inches tall, eggs benedict done right, crispy fried potatoes and an abundance of fresh produce and house baked goods. In what appeared to be the standard, they had 3 "quiches of the day" and "the big O" which immediately caught Libby's attention! In this case, the reference was to the omelet of the day. This was serious business, no denver, no frozen veggie...today it was asparagus, gruyere, tomato, and broccoli with some herbs we can no longer recall, but wow...that was some mouth popping flavor.

Libby enjoyed "the big O" with a side of augratin potatoes and heavily buttered wheat toast. Fred decided to go with a triple cream brie, tomato and spinach omelet, a side of rosemary roasted potatoes and some incredible butter dripping sour dough toast. A word about the triple cream brie--OH MAH GAWD!!! It is what made the omelet. Smooth texture and mounds of it! Each bite was 50% creamy goodness! Ozzy, the carbovore we know and love, chose the thick stack of pancakes with strawberries! Yummy.

How did this brunch measure up? With the best! It is conceivably on the top five breakfasts/brunches of our lives! Not only were the potato sides tasty and perfectly cooked, but the omelets were fresh and spectacular. Even the toast, usually an afterthought, was worth every single fat gram and calorie! Ozzy, the man who hardly ever eats, finished more than HALF of the hungryman sized flapjack stack!! Even at our urging that he should stop, he kept saying "not done yet" and continued to press on. The whole way home he complained of his belly was full and that he needed to lay down! Hilarious!

Did we mention the size of these omelets? Fred barely touched his potatoes--not for lack of want, but due to the attention the omelet demanded. Libby loved the augratin so much, she had to finish that and left a third of the omelet...toast was too good to leave behind and two cups of coffee gave Libby a rough day of sleep, but again, so worth it!

It's rare you can say that a meal is one of the best in your life and has also made you miserable from it's side effects...too full, to0 awake, too good!

Not to be left unmentioned, the menu board made decision making most difficult...next time, it will either be the eggs benedict or the vanilla challah french toast (or perhaps, the cherry chocolate). And going by the outstanding fresh bread/toast we were able to sample, there is no doubt that will be an experience to remember as well.

http://www.hoaglinfinecatering.com/

Wrap Up
Price-$$, worth every penny
Atmosphere-***,decor was acceptable with local art on the walls, a coffee bar, the bread/pastry counter and modernish design, but the real attribute to the ambiance were not only the staff, but the diverse clientele.
Service-***, polite, but with a little appreciated attitude of "yeah, you're gonna love what I serve you, but are you worthy?"
Overall
Fred - A+, It's hard to turn down anything that involves a triple cream, BUT next time it's eggs benedict!
Libby - A+, Can I just say after I ordered I saw the vanilla challah french toast and knew I would be back again and again and again.
Ozzy - A+, it's not often that Mommy and Daddy have to wait for OZZY to finish eating! "tummy too full"