What is your favorite "Hole in the Wall" memory?

[Pat Coyle]

What is the secret ingredient?
On the surface, the Hole in the Wall Eating Club is merely as group on Smaller Indiana. But to its 364 (and growing) members, it is a whole lot more. If you like greasy spoons, out of the way joints and well kept, down home secrets, this might be the group for you. Check it out. Kudos to Rae Kridel for starting such a popular group!

Questions for Hole in the Wall members: What is your favorite "hole in the wall" memory? Please share why you like the group, new friends you've met or the best dishes or joints you've discovered through the group. Dish up your stories here

[Shelly Arens]

I grew up in the Mother of all Hole in the Wall eating places in Indy... Anyone old enough to remember Weiss Delicatessen? That was my father's business and my baptism into hard work and great customer service at the tender age of 14. As there were only 2 places to get a great sandwich downtown (back in the 80's and before) - Shapiro's and Weiss', we got a lot of free press and TV special interest stories from local news (thanks especially to channel 6 news). We also saw our fair share of celebrities during the month of May. I served Meryl Streep a meatloaf sandwich on bun when she came in. Our customers were the best and I have years of great memories.

[Michael R.]

I love Meryl Streep:) Nice story, Shelly.

[Karen Mangia]

"Hole in the Wall Eating Club" is a great way to make sure the money you spend locally is used and reinvested locally. It's amazing to read about the diverse, independently owned places in the greater Indianapolis area! My favorite "Hole in the Wall" dining experience in Indy was walking into Zydeco's in Mooresville and flashing back in time to trips to New Orleans. The food is fantastic, and the owners are a hoot! Before that experience, I had a hard time picturing myself ssaying, "Hey, everyone, let's go for a fun night out in Mooresville!"

[Nicki Laycoax]

Zydeco's is great! They're on Twitter too! @zydecos

[Nicki Laycoax]

I've only been a member for a little over 4 months... but off the top of my head, what stands out the most is watching the group grow from my first lunch in December at Barringer's of 10 or 12 members to last month's lunch at La Piedad of 30 HITW'ers!!

This group has some of the best people in Indiana that join us, and we're getting to the point that we are going to have to find a destination and the lunches be catered!

If you haven't been to lunch with us yet, please join us soon!

[Erik Deckers]

I think my favorite Hole in the Wall moment was the April lunch, when about 30 of us gathered at La Piedad in Broad Ripple. I talked to people I hadn't seen in months, introduced a few new people to the HITW group, and got to witness the historic meeting of Nicki Laycoax and Amy Stark, thus putting together all the wild theories I'd had about why we never saw them in the same room together, much in the same way we never saw Clark Kent and Superman in the same room.

[Nicki Laycoax]

Amy is so great! I'm glad I got to meet her!

[David Mark]

You guys just met in April? What? I would not have guess that. I echo Erik's comments above. It was a blast. I sat next to Hazel Walker - enough said!

[Nicki Laycoax]

Yes, that is all that needs to be said. Hazel is a riot. :)

[Andrew Ball]

At one of our early lunches (2nd one, maybe?) at Vi's (a true HITW) there were 3 of us- Rae, Doug Theis, & yours truely. We had a great lunch and a great time. To see 30 at our last lunch was something special for me.

[Michael R.]

I don't have one yet, but I forsee a Yats experience in our future:) Yats is great, and the owner, Joe Vuskovich is even better.