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Have you tried:
Freddy's Steak House
6442 Kennedy Ave
Hammond, IN 46323
(219) 844-1500

I haven't been there lately so I can't comment on their hours, so you'll have to give them a call if you are interested.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

Freddy's may be regarded as an institution, but I was truly underwhelmed with the service, the food was unmemorable, and it hasn't changed since it opened, long long ago. If that's your gig, please enjoy. I can't reccomend it, though. And actually, I don't have much of anything constructive to add to this thread - I have trouble finding good eating on a Sunday, too.

In my experience at each of the Kelsey's locations they will allow you to have the steak "Kelsey Style" sans fee yet the menu now shows that the cost is $1.95. ymmv.

Also, I regularly get respectable coupons in my email from Kelsey's since I wound up on their mailing list. To be honest I used to enjoy Kelsey's years ago but have found the food to be far from where it should be for the price point if comparing Chicago restaurants and even further out of whack when considering the NW Indiana locale. Food service products are very evident in the soup bases, rolls and salad dressings. The shrimp is what I expect from the local big box supermarket and there is nothing of an ambiance or menu harking to the days of supper clubs which would make the mediocre food acceptable to me out of a sense of nostalgia.

I do not mean to say that I think Kelsey is terrible or even less than mediocre, I would certainly go there instead of an Outback, Texas Roadhouse or the ilk any day. I just believe that there is nothing which makes Kelsey's stand out or worth a special trip.

lastly, if I do feel the need to visit Kelsey's I will simply eat the 6lb challenge and dinner is free! Though there is a cost in there somewhere which seems proportional to my age.

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“Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive.”
George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright (1856-1950)

I've eaten there many times, and would gladly eat there again if I was in the area. I've had a couple of tough steaks, but the overwhelming majority were very good. I have never had any problem with service. You can't form an accurate conclusion from one visit, every restaurant has off days.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

I like Cafe Elise...3 minutes from the Calumet Avenue exit. I think it is much better than Freddy's. The hours listing I have is 4-8 on Sunday, but I would verify.


435 Ridge Rd.,
Munster, IN 46321

219-836-2233

The rolls are O.K.. I do like Frech bread a lot better, especially for subs.

Three Floyds is always an option.

Next weekend there is the Pierogi Fest in Whiting, IN.

bike pooling is available.

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

Mrs. JiLS and I had lunch at Three Floyds just this past Sunday (July 12). It was our first experience at this brewpub in a somewhat oddball location, which we had some trouble locating (the brewpub is attached to Three Floyds' warehouse in a large industrial park on the west side of Munster), but it was worth the trip, mainly for the beer and not the food. Reuben and roasted vegetable sandwiches and fries were very good but -- unlike the beer -- not destination-worthy in themselves.

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JiLS

You like cafe elise better than freddy's ? Elise is a cafe/bistro. Freddy's is a oldschool steak house. Your comparing apples and oranges.

Yes, I do like Cafe Elise better than Freddy's. A lot.

I have no idea why you seem to have an issue with that, and even less of an idea about your steakhouse/bistro and apples/oranges analogies.

The original question I was responding to asked what was near the Calumet Avenue exit, in NWI, is open on Sunday, and is decent. Cafe Elise meets the criteria that the poster asked about. There were no other specific criteria asked about that would make Freddy's such an obvious choice over my suggestion, like "North of 80-94" or "old", or "poor service". The question didn't rule out cafes, bistros, hot dog stands, taquerias, or any other food.

Some other places that answer the question better than Freddy's include Cafe Borgia, Edwardo's, and Three Floyds, as others have pointed out. That's just three (among a couple of dozen) on the Indiana side. Since your posting from Lansing, I would add Dixie Kitchen to the list as well. These places are ones I would rather spend my money at in search of a decent meal in "da region" before I went to Freddy's again.

Others in this thread have pointed out the pros and cons of Freddy's. I say go for it if that's how you want to roll. I don't and I pointed out a different path here when the question was asked.

Hi,

The good piece of news here is that Cafe Elise is someplace to check out. It seems to be a personal favorite to renhoek55, which is always good to know.

I am still curious about visiting Freddy's and now know of Kelsey's steak is greatly enriched with their butter-garlic sauce. Maybe go on a steak crawl of NWI, which once had the Hammond Stockyards until 1901.

No need to thumb wrestle which place is better, though the more data points on any and all always helps. Information is king around here, because without nobody would know where to go.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

A steak crawl would be a great idea! I'll get to that, but first something that's on-topic.

The important thing to remember is that when you get to the Calumet Avenue exit of the Borman, you exit SOUTH and not north. Dining options abound in Munster, even on Sunday when two of the better choices (Munster Gyros and Giovanni's) are closed.

Some of the places I'd suggest are the aforementioned Cafe Elise and Cafe Borgia, and would also add Mishkenut Mediterranean, Fortune House, and Arnie's Dog House.

Fortune House is BY FAR the best Chinese restaurant in NWI, and it could hold its own if it were transported to Cass Avenue in Westmont. Just make sure to tell the staff that you're interested in authentic food and want to see their Chinese menu and specials.

Mishkenut is owned by a gentleman who was executive chef of a restaurant in Jerusalem before moving his family to Munster. The food here is an unusual mix of Lebonese and middle-eastern-inspired Italian (hence the Mediterranean in the name). Their appetizer sampler and kabobs are outstanding.

The original location of Arnie's (a block from the Horseshoe casino in Hammond) is a NWI Institution and is in the Vienna Beef hall of fame. The Munster outpost is larger, cleaner, and has a mural on its wall that, well, LTHers who visit will be sure to take a picture and post it. The food is good as are the portion sizes.

OK, now to steaks. Freddy's is NWI's answer to Gene & Georgetti's. Like Gene & Georgetti's, it's fabulous if you're a regular or know someone who works there. Unlike Gene & Georgetti's, it's also good if you walk in without a hint of pretense or snobbiness. But act like you're better than they are, and the results will be predictable. 'nuff said, other than that they serve choice steaks that are consistently good.

I've never been a fan of Kelsey's. Their steaks are also choice, probably on the low end of choice. They also have a strange flavor (to me, anyway) that reminds me of the steaks I used to eat as a young adult at Western Sizzlin'. The place has its proponents. I'm not one of them. Again, 'nuff said.

Much better to me is Gino's Steak House in Dyer. The chef and much of the staff from the fairly-well-known-but-long-since-closed Gino's in Harvey work here. The steaks are wet-aged prime and on average are better than either Freddy's or Kelsey's. The problem here is consistency, both from a steak and service standpoint. Sides and appetizers have been consistently excellent. I've had incredible steaks here that rival the best you'll get anywhere, and I've had steaks that were, well, not good. Prices are very fair, about the same as Kelsey's or Freddy's, but with better steaks.

If you want the single best steak in NWI, you must go to an Italian restaurant! Giovanni's in Munster has a 21-day dry aged strip steak on their menu that rivals the best steaks you'll find anywhere in the Chicago area. And it's under $30. And that includes a salad and choice of potato. Yet again, 'nuff said.

My final comment: for basis of comparison, a 13-16oz boneless strip steak will be roughly $25-$30 at any of these places, and that price includes salad and potato.

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Pi r round.

Thanks for all the responses - greatly appreicated!

The kind of places I had in mind were more "good burger/fast-food" type joints however, before heading back to Chicago - ie the Miner-Dunn, Schoop's, that sort of thing (or even Lincoln-O's etc)... are there *any* of the better ones of these (many mentioned in the previous pages) that stay open on a Sunday? Or are actual sit-down restaurants pretty much the only Sunday-evening option in this area?

Thanks again for the responses though - even if there arent any of the burger-joints.. Three Floyd's or Freddy's etc might well be where I end up when hungry in the area on a Sunday evening!

c8w

I have always enjoyed Schoops

Plenty of locations in northern Indiana.

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

Well if you're looking for good fast food and not really a Schoops person and you've done Miner-Dunn (and Lincoln's is closed Sundays), I second the reccomendation for Arnie's. They do loose-meat burgers, which I have not tried, but also great standard fare. I happen to love their cheese fries.

Arnie's Dog House
8125 Calumet Ave,
Munster, IN‎

Hi,

Are you sure they do a loose meat sandwich? I recall Rene G suggested stopping there one evening specifically for the loose meat sandwich. He ran in and came back empty handed. Unless my brain is on fuzz mode, I'm pretty sure he didn't find it there.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Madvek's is the spot with the loosemeats

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Smokin' Chokin' and Chowing

HI,

I know loose meat is at Madvek's, because we bumped into them early on. There just seems to be this persistent information on Arnie's having loose meat sandwiches, when none was seen by Rene G. His only purpose to walk in was for the loose meat sandwich.

If someone has really seen a loose meat sandwich at Arnie's, then a return visit would be in the works.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Not that I am aware of and I was there within the past year following in y'alls footsteps. So I finally made it over to Johnsen's Blue-Top Drive In for a burger. I've known about it since reading the posts on this thread so it was a longtime coming. I'm a pretty big fan of Miner-Dunn so I was eager to see how Johnsens compared to MD which is right down the street.



It was a nice day but not many people were there, a total of one car in the Drive In but I decided to order inside and sit at the outdoor dining table. They brought out some menus and I browsed the burgers.



There was an interesting selection but what really caught my eye were the prices. It seems to me like a deluxe meal price is a little high for a burger drive In in NW Indiana. They do include fries, soft drink and like Miner Dunn-a scoop of sherbert or ice cream. Still its a steep price for lunch in that area. They do offer smaller sizes of each of their burgers. I had to pass on the signature Big Ben double cheese and instead went with a "Highlander" and my buddy ordered a ranch burger, not my style but he liked it. My burger was much better than I expected it to be. So much so that I would easily go back just for it. The addition of a nice crisped burger patty to a well made BLT was perfect. The bacon was crispy and the bread was toasted to perfection.


BLT Burger aka the Highlander


Ranch Bacon Burger



I assume there talking about MD down the block in that there burgers are bigger.



True story but I think a cheeseburger from MD is still cheaper than sharing a burger from Johnsen's...and who hasnt been on youtube? cmon theres more people and things that are on youtube then those that arent. All in all I would def. go back for another burger if I ever get the chance. Between Johnsen's, Miner Dunn and the Lincoln Burger from Lincoln O's there are three pretty good burgers in Highland, IN.


Lincoln burger

Johnsen's Blue Top Drive In
8801 Indianapolis Blvd
Highland, IN 46322-1553
(219) 838-1233

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Smokin' Chokin' and Chowing

I'm not sure why you may have come back empty handed - I just called and the girl on the phone confirmed that they do, indeed, make loose-meat burgers. I saw a Whiting address up there somewhere - could we be talking about two different locations?

Hi,

It is very likely we went to the Whiting location, because we were near the intersection of Indianapolis Blvd & Calument.

Is this another situation with similar to almost exact same names, but different owners?

I'm glad we discussing this, because I'd like two loose meat options than only one.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Perhaps we'll have to make another franchise comparison adventure out of it, a la John's Pizzeria - not that I've got a craving now, or anything... >.>

Yikes! You're right DB. I used to live in Hammond and have been to the BT many times, but not recently. They really have jacked up the price for a deluxe. What kind of bread is that on your Lincoln burger?

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

On our many drives between Chicago and Louisville, we would often stop for a meal at Fair Oaks Farm. They have a little restaurant in the same spot where they retail their cheese and milk. A soup and sandwich place. Fresh cut meats loaded with their cheeses, and we haven't been disappointed with any so far. The French onion soup is superb, and I typically can't stand that kind of soup. The cheese, the fresh onion, good god, I'm getting hungry just posting about it. Also, some of their milk to wash it all down. For some reason, we have yet to try their ice cream. Too full, I guess.

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I hate kettle cooked chips. It takes too much effort to crunch through them.

Fun thing about the lunch room is there are huge windows overlooking the cheese-making operation. So if you're there during the day, you get a "show."

And if you have time for the tour, they offer one at Fair Oaks, plus a dairy museum, a 3D movie, and the most astonishing milking operation I've ever seen -- a giant carousel that milks 72 cows at a time.

I haven't tried the ice cream either, as I'm usually busy with their cheese, but last time I was there, folks who had their ice cream said it was amazing.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

I just looked this up, because I have been meaning to go out to Fair Oaks Farms, and I thought I'd share:

Fair Oaks Farm
856 N 600 E
Fair Oaks, IN 47943
877) 536-1194
http://www.fofarms.com‎/

I've stopped at Fair Oaks Farm a number of times when passing through that part of Indiana. While the deli meats they use in their prepared food aren't much past cafeteria grade, and all their cheese is pretty uninspiring, they do have one standout dish for me. That's the grilled cheese sandwich served on a cibatta roll. In fact, that sandwich is just about the only thing that makes a stop at Fair Oaks Farm something I would do.

Fair Oaks Farm Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Fair Oaks Farm is about halfway between here and my parents in Indiana, so I've stopped a few times. I haven't had any of their prepared food, but I agree with stevez that their cheese is pretty uninspiring and their ice cream isn't anything special either.

On one recent stop, we decided to do their tour of the farm. I was pretty unimpressed, but in retrospect I think I had unreasonable expectations. The whole thing was very scripted. (In fact, the first thing our guide said after loading onto the bus to go from the main area to the working farm was "As we drive to the farm, I'm going to read this script about what goes on there." I definitely got the impression that questions weren't encouraged.) We drove around the barns and the guide pointed out the cows and piles of feed and such. We got out of the bus once. The bus drove into a building and we went up some stairs into an observation room looking out on the milking area. The cows came in, got onto a giant lazy susan thing to be milked, then went around and got off when they were done. But the window was situated so you could see cows getting on and off the lazy susan, but not really any of the part where they were cleaned or where the milkers were attached or anything. (We did get to ask questions at this point, but it was a different guide for the off the bus part.) To me, the strangest part of the tour was when we drove past the calf huts and the guide cheerily said "And when the cows get too old and stop producing milk, we just replace them with new calves!" as though disposing of older cows was the happiest thing in the world. All in all it was a very sanitized view of a farm. In retrospect, I suppose that shouldn't have been surprising, but I grew up around farms and was expecting something more realistic.

They also have two smallish exhibit areas: one talking about milk and milk products, where you get to put milking machines on fake cows, the other is a walk through talking about a modern farm and how things work (the Cargill logo was shown more than once, if that gives you a clue.) There was also a "4-D" movie. One of those with wind and shaking seats and whatnot. The movie was pretty boring except the 3 times it sprayed a mist of water at the audience. Those were supposed to be a cow sneeze, milk sprayed from an udder and cow poop. My 4 year old completely freaked out when we were "sprayed with poop"...we left the movie then and it took us at least 5 min to get her calmed down. There's also a decent kids play area, the highlights being an area to drive miniature John Deere tractors and a giant inflated rubber bubble bouncing thing.

The one part that looked like it might not have been overly sanitized was the 'watch a calf being born'. (For anyone who hasn't seen them, there are several billboards on I-65 with pictures of happy kids and the slogan "Then I saw a baby cow being born!" or something like that.) No calves were born while we were there, but they had the little theater where it happens open, so we could go in and see the last calf that was born a few hours previously. It appears that they really do have the cow give birth on stage behind a glass wall. The cow and calf were still up there and the cow had about 2 feet of umbilical cord/amniotic sac still attached.

To be fair, I should mention that my daughter loved the whole thing (and I'm clearly not the target audience in any case.) We went about a month ago and she still talks about it occasionally. And it might have a lot more appeal for an adult who grew up in the city as opposed to one who grew up in a town of 1000 people surrounded by farmland.

If you hit up the Pierogi Fest in Whiting, don't pass up Home Bakery. You may well not see the sign, but you'll know it by the enormous line at almost all times of the day. Don't let this deter you - everything they served Llama and I today was delicious, particularly the polish sausage and the cheese pierogi.