1784 N. Riley HighwayOur day go off to a late start on day #3 in Indianapolis. We didn’t have any assignments until late in the afternoon, so all three of us took advantage and slept in.
When I woke up at just a little after 11:00, I had two text messages on my phone….one from each colleague. Both of them were the same and both were only two words long. “Waffle House?”
While we were quite a ways from Indianapolis, we were at least very close to a Waffle House. Not quite walking distance, but pretty darn close.
The Waffle House in Shelbyville, Indiana is just off of I-74 on North Riley Highway. I can’t say I’ve ever actually eaten at a Waffle House in the past, but from what I have seen, they all look to be pretty much the same. The small rectangle building bears the familiar yellow and black paint scheme while the inside is a classic diner layout. The kitchen is out in the open and there’s a small mix of tables, booths, and lunch counter seating.
The place was pretty packed when we walked in, but there was one open booth in the back corner so we took it. We all grabbed a menu while our waitress brought the drinks and even though it was almost lunch time, we all ordered breakfast.
I love a good steak for breakfast, so my eyes went straight to the T-Bone and Eggs. The hunk of meat is a 10oz. t-bone cooked on the well used flat top and damnit, it was delicious. It had a nice salt and pepper crust on it with just a hint of carmelization around the edges. It was a pretty lean cut of meat that required no steak sauce.
The rest of the breakfast was typical breakfast foods with two over-medium eggs and toast plus a pile of hash browns which I got “chunked.” All that means is it came with little chunks of hickory smoked ham. I thought at first they looked a little under cooked, but like the rest of the meal, it was actually delicious.
Both co-workers ordered the All-Star special. The plate is all your favorite breakfast foods including a waffle. It comes with two eggs, toast, and choice of meat. Both of them chose the bacon and one of them added on a side of grits.
Again, we all paid separately and my bill came out to about $13 and hell, I’m not afraid to say it was worth every penny. I’m still amazed at just how good that t-bone was.
Waffle House is something we don’t have up here in Michigan and that’s too bad. While I’m sure it wouldn’t be as special if I had access to it all the time, no trip to the south is complete without a Waffle House stop.
10 oz T-Bone Steak
Two Eggs Over-Medium, Toast, and “Chunked” Hash Browns
