Our first Tastecasting event of the new year may have fallen right in line with some health-related New Year’s resolutions.

The Georgetown Market Eatery boasts options of vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and more daily. Their selections can vary based on the needs of their guests.

A tour of the market, where they sell healthy foods and other products, introduced us to many ingredients that we’d soon be eating. Pamela Reilly, Georgetown Market’s in-house Naturopath and Living Foods Life Coach, showed us some fresh, organic produce that looked as gorgeous as the bulk herbs and spices smelled. Georgetown Market sells bulk grains, beans, rice, and even peanut butter!

Back at the eatery, Adam Zeigler, the eatery manager, started us off with a Carrotopia (a smoothie made with carrot, apple, ginger, pineapple and banana). The color was so vibrant it was hard to believe there were no artificial ingredients at all. The taste was memorable, with just enough ginger to make it a very interesting drink.

Next a smorgasbord of entrees including a Buffalo Burger, Avocado Melt (vegetarian), Stuffed Portabella, Zucchini Cashew Patties (vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free and sugar free), and Broccoli Cauliflower Salad (vegan).

I have to say the Portabellas were my favorite with the smooth, creamy filling and bubbly, browned mozzarella on top. The Zucchini Cashew Patties, though, were also quite good. A hint of fresh sage reminded me of Thanksgiving stuffing.

Finally, we dove into Georgetown Market’s award winning Vegan Almond Butter Bars. If you make it to Georgetown Market, do not miss out on these. They were fabulous.

Overall, a wonderful experience was had by all. The Indianapolis Tastecasting Team would like to thank Lisa Patterson (the store manager), Pamela Reilly, and Adam Zeiglar for the hospitality. Georgetown Market wants to thank their customers by offering them 10% off any eatery purchase during the week of Jan. 7th-16th, just for mentioning Tastecasting. They also run weekly specials on Wednesday just for their facebook fans and twitter followers.

If you are interested in joining a TasteCasting team or are interested in hosting a tasting click on the links below to apply.

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-Rocky Walls, Indianapolis Tastecasting Team

@RockyWalls on twitter

TasteCasting receives tastes of establishments food and or beverage at no cost in exchange for Conversation Creation, and promotion.

Dave Clark, owner of Brickhouse Burger Co.has set the bar high for Indianapolis Tastecasting!  Clark, who also owns the Irish-American McCarthy’s, wears his passion for great food and attractive plating on his sleeves.  Nestled right off I-465 and Kentucky Ave., the location is not too far from any side of town.

Brickhouse Burger Co. opened their doors in July 2009, but hasn’t had their official Grand Opening Party yet (we’ll be on the lookout for that – you can check their events calendar for updates).  Already, though, it seems like Brickhouse has the maturity and authority of a permanent fixture.  Our Tastecasting Team was provided a myriad of very unique dishes, including sweet potato fries, stuffed burgers, award winning BBQ Ribs, and funnel cake straws.

The venue is a perfect setting for groups who want to enjoy a ball game, whether at the bar or at a table.  There are several flat screen televisions, not to mention four huge projection screens that can be seen from almost anywhere in the restaurant.  They have daily food and drink specials that can also be seen on the website.

The first thing our team noticed: the portion sizes were more than generous, they were huge (especially for the price).  Next, not only did we have unique, well-plated dishes in front of us, but everything so far was actually very good – not just unique.  Comments about crispiness, sweetness, and deliciousness (especially when combined with the maple citrus dipping sauce) kept coming as we passed around the plate of sweet potato fries.   One Taster, suggested that the fries were nearly sweet enough to be a dessert, but were perfect as an appetizer.

Once the stuffed burgers came out, we realized we were in for a stuffing ourselves.  The burgers were big, and each one was stuffed with goodies like jalapenos and cream cheese or mozzarella and pizza sauce.  They didn’t fall apart when the server sliced them into more manageable size, but they were a little sloppy (as a good burger should be).  The flavors stuffed inside married well with the beefiness of the thick patty.  When asked how the burgers were stuffed, Clark said that all their burgers are “hand-packed” and never frozen, even the burgers that aren’t stuffed.

The ribs, oh the ribs.  They came next, each rack on a plate with either a stuffed sweet potato or a loaded baked potato.  The ribs were tender, juicy, and meaty.  The whole Tastecasting Team agreed that they were much better than those at most of the more popular chains.

Finally, dessert was served.  There were cheesecake half-moons, seven-layer carrot cake, and funnel cake straws.  By the time all was said and done, the servers were standing by ready to roll us out the doors.

So, head out to Brickhouse Burger Co. and be sure to mention Tastecasting (you get a free appetizer with any entree purchase if you do). 

Our Indianapolis Tastecasting Team would like to thank Dave Clark and his staff at Brickhouse Burger Co. for a fantastic Tastecasting experience.  If you are interested in joining a TasteCasting team or are interested in hosting a tasting click on the links below to apply.

Request a Tasting

Join a Team

-Rocky Walls, Indianapolis Tastecasting Team

@RockyWalls on twitter

Talk about a full-service restaurant…Scotty’s Brewhouse in downtown Indianapolis has everything you can dream of and more. We’re talking flat screens at every table, an amazing menu with something for everyone, more beers that you can shake a stick at, one of the coolest outdoor seating environments downtown Indy has to offer, and one of the craziest hand dryers we have ever seen, the Dyson AirBlade (you have to see it to believe it). But what’s even more unique than all of these things? The man behind the whole operation, owner Scott Wise.

Our TasteCasting event at Scotty’s Brewhouse didn’t leave anyone with an empty stomach. They made sure we were going to try everything they had to offer. From the famous “Shewman Burger” (peanut butter and jalapenos) to there famous “MoFo” sauce which is great on your wings or in your Bloody Mary, we sampled just about everything…even the fried pickles (you have to try these!)

Upon arrival there was a smorgasbord of all the famous appetizers that Scotty’s has to offer. You name it, they had it. After warming up their stomachs for the main course Scott Wise talked to the group of TasteCasters a little bit about his motto as well as his social media strategy.  He does a great job of keeping in touch and communicating to his customers. You have questions and he has your answers. The personal touch that Scotty’s Brewhouse offers its customers is something rare that is sure to keep you coming back.

Scotty’s Brewhouse has locations in Indianapolis (downtown and 96^th street), Muncie, Lafayette, and Bloomington. You can find their full menu, directions, beer listings, and more at www.ScottysBrewhouse.com. You can also join their fan page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ScottyBrewhouse or follow them on Twitter, username @brewhouse.

Want to learn more about Tastecasting?
The TasteCasting Team Members are not professional food critics. TasteCasting combines socially networked people and the social media platforms and applications they use to help establishments build awareness, announce grand openings, introduce new menu items, distribute special offers and encourage people to visit the establishment.

With a name like “The Best Chocolate in Town,” owner Elizabeth Garber had quite the reputation to live up to. Luckily for our TasteCasters (and Indianapolis residents), Garber’s shop at 880 Massachusetts truly does provide some of the best chocolately creations we’ve ever tasted.

Upon walking into the shop our TasteCasters were greeted to the sweet smell of what was to come. The shop’s chocolatiers were pouring, mixing and molding the smooth ganache as Garber gave us a brief history of how she fell into the chocolate business.

An art major from a small liberal arts college in Michigan, Garber made chocolate treats out of her own home in her spare time. But soon the business took off and demand was so high that she made the move to quit her day job and work full time toward her goal of owning her own chocolate shop. Eleven years later, The Best Chocolate in Town has been successful enough to open up a second location in the Chase Tower. Their chocolates are sold at several stores and restaurants in Indianapolis including R Bistro, The Indiana State Museum and the Chatterbox Jazz Club. A full listing of where to find the yummy treats can be found on their Web site.

After getting a history of the company, Garber started rolling out the goodies. Our first plate of truffles included traditional best-sellers and exotic new comers. We all agreed the chocolate chip cheesecake truffle was perfection – the smooth creamy filling with tiny chocolate chips inside had us all wishing we had seconds. The sea salt caramels were a surprising hit; the chunks of real sea salt cut the chocolate caramel sweetness, resulting in the same balance you might get from a chocolate covered pretzel. The Gorg (dark chocolate with gorgonzola cheese) had the group split. Some of enjoyed the sharp flavor of the cheese alongside the truffle, but others weren’t fans of mixing strong cheese and chocolate. Perhaps the most surprising treat of the day – The Jack Daniels BBQ truffle – was the most memorable. The crushed Kettle chips on top provided a nice crunch and the BBQ sauce and Jack Daniel’s liquor were milder than we initially thought.

On round two we sampled the cinnamon basil truffle (smooth and just sweet enough – deemed the favorite by two of our TasteCasters), the Guinness truffle (just a hint of stout flavor), the rosemary truffle (this too had the crowd split), the fiery pepper truffle (a little too hot for a few of our TasteCasters but great for fans of the heat) and the white chocolate truffle.

TrendyMinds recently hosted a TasteCasting at Au Bon Pain (translated as, “The place of good bread” for those of you who have long since forgotten high school French!). While some of us were already familiar with their fresh and yummy offerings, we were all excited to share our favorite dishes with other and try out some newer menu options.

Matthew Jensen, manager of the Indiana Avenue location, treated the TasteCasters to an assortment of their classic sandwiches, pastries, salads and more. Our favorites: the grilled chicken pesto sandwich (just the right amount of kick without being too overpowering), the Caprese Sandwich (creamy mozzarella with that same delicious pesto had us going back for seconds) and of course the indulgent pastries.

Even though our TasteCasting was early, we made sure to make room for a chocolate cherry tulip (an amazing combination of gooey chocolate brownie and tart cherry filling), crumb cakes and the classic chocolate chip cookies — moist and chewy perfection!

Even though we may not have looked like we were dining with our waistlines in mind, we appreciate Au Bon Pain’s commitment to healthy eating. Nutritional information for all of their items is readily available in-store and on the Web site, including an easy-to-reference key for people with allergies. They have 11 different food allergy symbols, from soy to shellfish, making sure that everyone can find something on the menu for their dietary needs. All of this makes Au Bon Pain the perfect place to eat smart if you’re so inclined — or to indulge your sweet tooth in their more “sinful” offerings.

The Indiana Avenue location was big, bright and cheery and even had a conference room toward the back that can be reserved for meetings, get-togethers and large parties. I think we all came away knowing where we wanted out next company meeting held!