I wasn’t convinced that what I had to say was particularly important even after my undersized ego was bolstered by the Indianapolis Star’s decision to print my prose. But after MediaSauce explained teh internetz to me I realized that if you’re marginally literate (which I am) and believe in yourself (which I do for the most part), people will read your blog! So in addition to witty, insightful blogs about our life in Indianapolis I will now post semi-regular reviews of the businesses, organizations and institutions I interact with. Think of it as a user guide to our city, shaped by my personal tastes, prejudices, and experiences. Useful? Possibly. Interesting? Always. And yes, I cribbed the name of the blog from the always informative, often irritating WFYI program.

Last week the wife and I visited Indy’s newest Thai joint Siam Square. If you believe the press releases Fountain Square is on the rebound. But those press releases started going out when I was in high school more than a decade ago and with the exception of First Fridays, the hoped-for flood of urban revival has been more like a slow trickle. So in order to support urban renewal as well as to sate our never ending lust for Thai food, we kicked off a recent date night on  Virginia Ave.

We were surprised to find the restaurant packed with a half dozen diners waiting to be seated. The restaurant seemed to be ill-prepared for the rush so it was some time before anyone arrived to man the reception station. The wait wasn’t terrible and it gave us a chance to admire the Taffy color scheme – two shades of orange – and the photos of Thai people and places. Once seated the service was prompt and pleasant. I was told that the chef smartly delineates between Indiana hot and Thai hot, so we ordered fried spring rolls with chili sauce, Pad Seuw (mild) and Masaman Curry (Indiana hot), both with tofu. The food was excellent but we’re convinced the Masaman Curry was prepared mild and the Pad Seuw was made hot. Either way they were great and I’d be comfortable trying it ‘Thai hot’ next time. If you’re into sweets, the roti rolls are off the chain – Indian flat bread slathered in creamy, sugary goo and served in small rolls.

The prices are reasonable and made more attractive by the fact that I didn’t have to drive to 86th St. or Greenwood to eat.  All in all, Siam Square was a winning experience.

Sunday was opposite day – first, a borderline bad experience at Taste followed up by a decidedly pleasant experience at the new Indianapolis International Airport. Shame on us for showing up at 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday, but it appears that Taste expanded just enough to quickly outgrow its space again.

After a solid 15 minute wait to order we found a table, but that led us to the next conundrum. Taste features a circular self-help station which features water, coffee, napkins, and utensils and there is only enough room for one person to stand in front of it at at any point. Meaning, if person A stands on the north side of it, and person B stands on the south side of it, they effectively block any movement between the kitchen and cash register and the the rest of the restaurant. The problem compounds when person A and B are oblivious to or unconcerned with the traffic jam. The food was great – smoked ham and cheese and roasted turkey and smoked bacon sandwiches, bacon and cheddar quiche – but the first sandwich ordered took five minutes longer to deliver than the rest of the meal. The pommes frites were perfect as usual and the service was friendly, which raises another question – how much do you tip when all the servers do is deliver food and bus tables? The self-service island as conceived now is a clusterf*ck and it probably decreases tips to people who need them.

Harsh? Maybe. But if you set the bar high you get held to it.

Conversely, my experience at the new Indianapolis International Airport was exceedingly easy. Sure, the terminal is sterile, but I’ll take open air steel-and-glass sterility over bad carpet, endless hallways and bottlenecked security lines. Food options in the main terminal and gates are predominantly local vendors so that scores points with me. The ease of use is probably related to the size of the airport but I’ll be damned if I’ve ever been to an airport that is easier to get in and out of.