Commentary by Mike Gillis
Where to go: Fat Dan’s Chicago Style Deli
City: 840 W. Main St., Carmel
What to get: Fat Dan’s OG Smoked Jumbo Wings
Price: $12
Mike G’s take: Think big! This menu is widespread, with Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef, burgers, deli sandwiches with corned beef, loaded tots and homemade fries. Fat Dan’s smokes different meats like pork, brisket, ribs and, my favorite, jumbo chicken wings.
Fat Dan’s atmosphere has a neighborhood feel, a place to hang with family and friends while enjoying great food. The Carmel restaurant is different than the Broad Ripple and downtown Indy locations in that has a stone oven where fresh calzones, pizza, breadsticks and other items are prepared. The original location is in Broad Ripple. The other is on Mass Ave.
What to try: Fat Dan’s OG Smoked Jumbo Wings – Dry rubbed and hickory smoked for three hours, you get to top them with the sauce of your choice: BBQ, hot BBQ. Fat Dan’s hot sauce, teriyaki, blue cheese or honey dijon. In each bite you can taste the hickory flavor and it’s so tender that the meat comes right off the bone.
Italian Beef — Juicy, thin-sliced roast beef on Italian bread with giardiniera peppers served dry, dipped, or wet, just like you get in Chicago.
Stove oven pizza ($11-$17) – Like many places, Fat Dan’s has specialty pizzas. You can also build your own. For the first time I would suggest that you select one of the combinations and then venture off to your own thing.
