Indigo - Sliders, Nachos, Oh My...

Indigo - 28-50 31st Street, Astoria NY 11102
718-728-0050
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.indigobarnyc.com

I mentioned my visit to Indigo last week for Sunday night football. This past Sunday, we went back again, along with our friend Grant and in-laws, Josh and Diana. We wanted to make a good impression with Indigo, as our "regular" football hangout is Blondies on the Upper East Side. It's hard to break the spell with Blondies, especially since they make the best wings and waffle fries I've ever tasted. But Indigo definitely stood on its own and our friends were impressed. Here are some of the new things that we tried:

Sliders - These were not your typical thin, limp patties that I've seen pass for sliders at other joints. This was real, good beef that was juicy and topped with warm melted cheese and sauteed onions. The fixins made them a lot more substantial and I definitely felt that they tided me over before my entree arrived.

Besides the mini cheeseburgers, the sliders platter also included mini pulled pork sandwiches, which tasted just as yummy as they looked. The meat was of a good quality and I liked the barbecue sauce that was used--tangy but not very spicy. I'd highly recommend splitting this dish between 4-5 people. We were very pleased.

Cowboy Nachos - Another one of our starters, we were delighted to see that the chips, the chili and guacamole were served separately. While I don't mind when they pile everything on top of the chips, they tend to get soggy, which ruins them after about ten minutes.

The first nice touch right off the bat was that the chips were toasted, making them super crunchy and slightly warm. The beef chili, which was presented in a deep porcelain dish was flavorful and the beef was once again fresh and delicious. The mixture of cheddar and jack cheeses was pleasant in the chili and not too overpowering. While it got a little runny towards the end, the flavors were just great and we didn't mind a little drippage. The guacamole was also good but not too remarkable.

Chicken Club Wrap - This was my dish, as I wanted to try something different from last week's turkey burger. Unfortunately, it was a mistake and I should've stuck with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. It's not that there was anything horrible about it, it was just uneventful. The tortilla around the meat was too thick and hard to bite into, while the chicken was breaded too heavily. On top of that, the overall effect was dry and I had to dip my wrap into the ketchup several times. The great thing about this dish was that the side of fresh-cut fries were even better than last week.

Service and Cost:
The waitstaff was very quick and attentive. I liked our waiter and waitress--they were both friendly and took care of us. I never felt as if I was waiting for an especially long time.

We ended up racking up a big bill when we factored in all of the beer. For the above appetizers including fried mozzarella sticks and 4 entrees, we paid about $35 each, including tip. Not unreasonable in my opinion. I'd suggest to check it out for football Sunday.

2 Mmmms