The Oceanaire Seafood Room
30 South Meridian St. #100
Indianapolis, IN 46204

If you're looking for the best seafood restaurant Indianapolis, then The Oceanaire Seafood Room is the place for you! This fine dining restaurant is located a block south of Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, and sets the standard for seafood restaurants from coast-to-coast.

http://www.theoceanaire.com/Being seafood lovers, my boyfriend, Justin, and I chose this restaurant for a date night on Thursday night.  From the moment we walked in the door, the service was wondering.  We were led up to our table on the second floor by a staircase that looked much like the one in Titanic leading us upstairs.  The atmosphere had a "seafood chic" feel.  People were there for all different occasions.  Mind you, this was the same night as the Indianapolis Colts preseason game.  So some people were there in their Colts jerseys, while others came from work in business suits.

Our waiter was great - friendly, professional, and a seafood connoisseur.  He suggested the Halibut Cheeks and King Salmon.  Justin went with the Salmon, I got the Halibut, and we shared a side order of mashed potatoes.  Everything was delicious!  The fish was very fresh and didn't have a "fishy" taste at all, and the mashed potatoes were great as well. 

The portion sizes were very generous - I ate leftovers for three days after we went!  Side orders are served "family style," so just make sure that everyone in your party can agree on something!  Definitely take a look at their extensive wine menu as well!

The Oceanaire is also known for its oyster bar, coining the phrase: 

http://www.theoceanaire.com/Location/OysterBar.aspx?id=5


"To eat an oyster is to kiss the sea on the lips"

- Leonard Beck



 
So if you're lookig for an AMAZING dinner in downtown Indianapolis, definitely try The Oceanaire!

I give it two thumbs up... and would go as far as calling it: "The Oceanaire Extraordinarie!"




 




http://full.indy.com/forums/restaurants-dining/thread/two-for-20-stars-sandwich-marketStars Sandwich Market
116 N. Delaware St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204


Looking for a great place to get a sandwich in downtown Indianapolis?  Stars Sandwich Market is a great place to stop for homemade soup, a premade sandwich, or a premade salad.

Stars Sandwich Market offers a traditional lunch menu - although the "menu" is a display of sandwiches and salads that you can choose yourself.  It is a great Indianapolis lunch restaurants and is within walking distance of Monument Circle. It's a great way to support small, local restaurants. 

The atmosphere of the restaurant is a mix of modern and retro.  As you can see in the picture, seating consisted of tall tables with bar stools. 

Overall the atmosphere was fun, pricing was very reasonable, and the food was great.  It's a great restaurant to eat in, or grab your lunch on the go.




When thinking of great food cities, how often do you think "Steakhouse Indianapolis Indiana" ?

The simple fact is that we are really fortunate to have amazing Downtown Indiana Steak from places that range from old time St. Elmo's to quality chains like Ruth's Chris, Mortons, Shula's as well as young upstarts like Mo's a place for steaks.

Mo's is the only restaurant in Indy I know of that has Kobe steaks...a little pricey but I'm sure for a speical occasion they would be well worth the money.  For the happy hour crowd in Downtown Indy, Mortons the Steakhouse offers complimentary Petite Steak Sandwiches to the after-work crowd from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Monday - Friday in its bar area....I've never been to Mortons but this seems like a great idea for a light dinner.

Buffalo may have wings, Memphis may have barbeque....but Indianapolis has great Steakhouses.










Alcatraz Brewing Co.
49 W. Maryland St
Indianapolis, IN 46204






Question
: What does the Alcatraz penitentiary and Alcatraz Brewing Company have in common?
Answer: Big.
 

The penitentiary held over 450 prisoners at one point, and a meal at the downtown Indianapolis restaurant could probably feed about 45 people (ok, slight exaggeration, but the meals were huge!)

The most outstanding feature of Alcatraz would be the portion sizes.  The nachos were stacked a foot high and could easily be an appetizer for 5-6 people, and nearly all of us left with an entire take home box full of left-overs.

The food was great, the atmosphere was fun, and the service was very good.  The menu listed as many beers as many other Indianapolis pubs and drink specials made many of them very reasonably priced. 

If you ever go, plan on splitting a pizza and an appetizer and make sure to show up hungry!  Alcatraz is a solid choice for anyone looking for the best restaurant in Indianapolis!
 






O'Reilly's Irish Bar and Restaurant
36 S. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.974.0674





For our marketing team lunch last week, we make the quick trek down Pennsylvania Street to O'Reilly's Irish Bar and Restaurant.  This was Abby's first restaurant selection since joining  the Compendium team, and she definitely pulled through when the pressure was on!

O'Reilly's fits in well with other Indianapolis pubs, but definitely has it's own feel.  It does a great job of combining the atmosphere of an old fashioned pub, with the modern day set-up that sports fanatics and business workers would be looking for. 

The menu at this downtown Indianapolis restaurant is also one of their great selling points.  They have many different variations of burgers, salads and wraps to choose from, as well as Irish specialties and a group of meals the offer as $5 lunch specials everyday. 

For the most part, the portions were generous.  Some of the salads were even overflowing off of the plates and I couldn't keep my BBQ sandwich intact because it was so big.

Most of us agreed that the biggest draw-back of the restaurant was the very smokey atmosphere.  Also, what seemed to be a refreshing, chilly environment upon first walking into the restaurant turned into an ice-box feeling as we could hardly use our utensils because our hands were shivering due to the frigid temperature.  

All in all, if you're looking for Indianapolis lunch restaurants, O'Reilly's possesses plenty favorable characteristics that make it the perfect location, be prepared to wait for a table if you want to eat outside, and bring a jacket if you're not a fan of the cold!






Front Page Sports Bar & Grill
310 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.631.6682






Apparently we loved the hike to Mass Ave enough last week to return there this week. Friday's destination: Front Page Sports Bar & Grill.  One of the better known sports bars Indianapolis, Front Page provided all of the necessary features to create a very enjoyable lunch atmosphere.

Front Page has seating both indoors and outdoors, which makes it perfect on a warm afternoon.  You better get there early on a nice day, or else the outdoor seating will quickly fill up.

The menu at this Indianapolis restaurant was fairly typical for a sports bar & grill.  A cheeseburger and fries was the popular choice, with Mikey & Meghan getting the Blue Bella Burger (which Mikey describes simply as "heavenly") while I went for the classic BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger.

Chandra thoroughly enjoyed the GIANT tenderloin, and Megan opted for a delicious seafood entree.  Abby, the newest addition to Compendium's marketing team, landed on the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.  She thought the portion sizes were favorable and the sandwich had good flavor.

Like most of the places we've stumbled up in the past few weeks, the atmosphere makes this downtown Indianapolis restaurant an enjoyable place to eat.  The wait staff was very helpful, the outdoor seating was perfect for a sunny day, and the multiple big screen televisions inside make it a perfect place to watch a game with friends!






MacNiven's
339 Massachusetts Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.632.7268







For the Friday lunch, Meghan landed on MacNiven's Restaurant and Bar as the selection.  MacNiven's has the feel of a Scottish pub, with the menu and atmosphere to match.   It had a similar feel to other Indianapolis pubs, with quality food and fun service.

We all agreed that the atmosphere and wait staff gives MacNiven's a very "fun" feel, especially on a beautiful afternoon when they open up the windows.  We were able to sit at a table facing Mass Ave while enjoying the fine Scottish cuisine.

Chandra and Meghan both ordered the Angus burger, which is a cheeseburger prepared in a very unusual way.  They flatten out the patty until it is very thin and the size of the plate! Both of the ladies thought the burgers were top-notch.

Megan's grilled cheese was, quite possible, the "best grilled cheese ever," and Mikey claimed that his fish & chips was golden delicious. I went for the chicken curry with fried rice and was very pleased with the great flavor!

Although the menu was varied in its selections, it still seemed fairly limited.  If you're not willing to get outside of the "norm" with food selections, this might not be your perfect fit.  However, for a quick lunch break on a nice day, or an after work drink with friends (it is known to have an ample beer selection) MacNiven's should be the perfect downtown Indianapolis restaurant for you!

 



 







Red Robin
(multiple Indianapolis locations)
13215 Harrell Parkway
Noblesville, IN 46060
(317) 773-8150

After a few hours of trying to decide which Indianapolis restaurant my lovely girlfriend, Melissa, and I should have our date night at on Monday, I landed on Red Robin.  And I don't mean to brag, but it was a solid choice.

Red Robin is known for their gourmet burgers, and they do not disappoint.  Their menu is almost overwhelming at first glance and you have to ask yourself, "How can they actually make this many variations of the cheeseburger!?" 

The atmosphere is fun and very family oriented (for example, at 9:00pm on a Monday night, Nickelodeon was on half of the TV's, ESPN on the others).  If you want to bring the whole family, they have plenty of seating for you, as well as a bar area if you're trying to avoid the occasional screaming 2-year-old.

The food itself would easily compare with some of the best restaurants Indianapolis.  For myself, I went with the Whiskey River BBQ Burger, a massive burger topped with BBQ sauce and onion fries (and if you need your bacon fix like me, you add that too). It was a very... very good burger.

Melissa had the Banzai Burger, marinated in teriyaki and topped with grilled pineapple and cheese.  She thoroughly enjoyed it and was very happy with her choice.  The Banzai Burger did leave us both stumped at the question: "Do you put ketchup on a burger with pineapple on it?" (she decided not to...)

All in all, Red Robin was great.  There's no denying that it is a little pricey as far as burger's go, but when you're paying for a gourmet burger, they provide gourmet quality.  (Also, the waitress told me that adding bacon was an additional $.99 and threw a curve ball at me when it was actually $1.29!) But besides the bacon incident, I have no problem claiming that Red Robin will provide some of the best hamburgers Indianapolis. 





A few weeks ago, the Marketing Team here at Compendium decided to celebrate our successes and go out for food, drinks and some fun. We went to Jillian's downtown and it was a great way to wrap up one quarter and kick off the next. We grabbed some food (typical bar food) some drinks and then we went upstairs to try our hand at bowling.

As for the food at Jillian's, I can say that it was really really good. Although it was typical bar food, it was still very good. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with Fries which was a chicken breast covered in their medium spicy sauce with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. It totally fulfilled my hot and spicy craving that day. However, I wish it was almost drenched in the sauce. I like a lot of sauce on my sandwich.

Meghan ordered the same thing, the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with fries (copier). She said her food was really good, but the sauce was a little hot and the fries were "awesome" and were seasoned nice and crispy!

We can't for the life of us remember what Mikey ordered, but he said he remembers is being good.

Megan ordered the Chopped Salad which is romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, bleu cheese, grilled chicken and some other "healthy" junk. She said she was surprised by the food, because it was very good. She had only been there for drinks and to play games previously.

Then we went bowling, which is always fun. Mikey thought it was awesome how there was huge TVs above the pins, so you would never miss an instant of the game. The atmosphere is a fun, party atmosphere. The afternoon we were there, was during the night that Louisville was playing in March Madness here in Indianapolis. Therefore, Jillian's designated themselves as the "Headquarters" of Louisville. It was packed!

So I would recommend anyone to go there. It is a great place for a department outing to relax, eat, and have a few drinks to celebrate a victory!





A few weeks ago before I left for my spring break, we decided to grab lunch at this little place just north of the circle on Pennsylvania. Elbow room is a great Indianapolis restaurant that everyone needs to stop by at some point.

When the marketing team here at Compendium went, we all happen to order something different, which was good to give us some insight on their expansive menu.

Mikey ordered a veggie burger. When I asked him what he thought about it he did the "Raise the Roof" motion. He said that it was good and his burger had a lot of flavor. Also he really liked the bar and thought it might be a good place to check out. Maybe for a game? or just to have a couple drinks with friends?

Meghan ordered the strawberry chicken salad and was very impressed with the fact that they had Fat Free dressings for a healthier alternative. She said that her food was very flavorful, even with it being a more health conscious meal.

Megan had the Turkey Bourbon sandwich and found it to be very good. She mentioned that it was a bit crowded, but if you are going to grab lunch with co-workers, you have to commit and make sure that you have enough time.

Chandra at the cob salad with chicken and found it to be tasty as well. She said the staff were very friendly and very efficient. However, she said that the place was small, "hense the name 'Elbow Room'" Also she mentioned something about her dressing being soupy... so watch out and be prepared!

As for me, I ordered the American Burger. It was a harty meal consisting of a burger, with American cheese, red onions, lettuce, and bacon. And to go along with it, I ordered the fries... oh how i love fries.

I think we all would agree that it was a great downtown Indianapolis restaurant. However, the rush comes around noon, so if you are going there for lunch, just get there a little early.

So if you are looking for a good downtown Indianapolis restaurant, you should think about going to Elbow room, located at 605 N. Pennsylvania. You can check out their website and their menu online!




Recently there is a newer establishments in Broad Ripple. It is probably one of my favorite places to go when I need to get away from my roommates, or just campus in general, Brothers.

Brothers is a chain of restaurants located at almost every large college or university in Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Illinois. It is a great place to grab a bit to eat or a couple of drinks when you need to get away. It is probably one of my favorite restaurants in Broad Ripple, just because of the atmosphere. They have several TV's around so if you want to grab the big game of your Alma Mater, or just to watch any game... it's the place to be.

One of my favorite things about Brothers is that througout the week, they have tons of specials. Tuesday nights, they have 2 dollar drafts!


So if you are looking for a great sports bar in Indianapolis, I would recommend Brothers.

*Also, it is non-smoking... so that is another perk that I love!






This week for the Marketing Team at Compendium's Friday lunch, we decided to keep it simple and check out the new location of Buffalo Wild Wings (it was my choice).

This new location just recently opened up and we were all having a craving for some hot wings.

When we got there, we were immediately seated and asked for drinks. Mikey and I both opted for the water because we both are trying to stop drinking pop (or soda, or "coke", or whatever you call it). Meghan and Chandra ordered their diet cokes (they serve Coke Products) and we put in our orders.

Meghan ordered 6 boneless wings with the "Asian Zing" sauce along with some onion rings. She said her food was delicious and the onion rings were perfectly cooked. The only thing she had against the place was the service was a little slow for the lunchtime hour (which all of us thought was a bit odd).

Mikey ordered the Big Jack Daddy burger. It was a massive burger with BBQ, onion rings, and pulled pork on top of a burger. He mentioned today "I wish I got wings becuase it is a wing place, but next time... I'lll get wings"

I orderd the Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich. It was a large chicken breast with a piece of swiss cheese, ranch dressing and the Medium sauce that you can get on wings. I was really excited to eat when i ordered it. It did meet almost every expectation that was causing my mouth to water. However, I do wish that their was more of the Medium sauce smothering the chicken breast. MMMMMM... so Good!

Chandra ordered the Ultimate Nachos, (which is supposed to be an appetizer. However, it came out it seemed like an entire meal! It was huge!
She had to share some of it with the rest of us.

As for the atmosphere, it was a sport bar type place, with TV's all over the place showing different sports channels so you won't miss an instant of any game if you go there. Also, if you aren't so much of a sports fanatic, you can play trivia games on some of the TV's! So if you are in town, the new location is almost on the corner of Pennsylvania and Washington street downtown Indianapolis. So go check it out!





If you are finding this post because you typed steakhouse indianapolis into a search engine, let me tell you about Mo's.   Suprisingly, (to some) we have a lot of great steak restaurants in Indianapolis. 

Anyone looking for a steakhouse in Indianapolis can choose from lots of national chains like Ruth's Chris or Sullivans Steakhouse, or even local favorite St. Elmo's Steakhouse.  

Mo's however offers a different steak indianapolis experience.  As steakhouses in Indianapolis go, Mo's is my favorite environment.  Even full it never feels crowded, the food is great and includes some terrific seafood options.  The service is first class and the bar is terrific.

If you really want to satisfy your search for the best steakhouses in Indianapolis, try Mo's located at 47 South Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204




So the other day I was talking with Compendium's creative designer Mikey about places to grab a bite to eat in indy. He has mentioned a place that I hadn't had since I was a kid. Arnie's pizza, located up on 96th street is a great place to grab some pizza at a reasonable price.

After Mikey had mentioned Arnie's, I had to ask what he thought about it. He first said that the variety is a lot wider than he expected. Arnie's has an extensive menu including not only Pizza, but subs and salads as well (there is something there for everyone). Mikey also said that he liked that the pizza was thin crust (my favorite!!) Also, the ingredients are chopped up in smaller pieces (which allows for more toppings!) On top of the great pizza and the wide variety of food, Mikey said that there is a big bar. So it is a great place to grab a bite to eat and a few drinks before a night out.

There are several locations where you can get your fix of Arnie's pizza. The on in Indy is on 96th street (it recently moved up there from it's previous location on 86th street in the strip mall next to Wal-Mart). You can call in or order on-line and get carry out for those nights that you want to pick up something on your way home from work!




During the holiday season we are always running late in making our group reservations for department or company parties.   Usually all the best Restaurants in Indianapolis are sold out months in advance.   So I really was pleased to get this email today from McCormick&Schmick's Seafood Restaurant Downtown Indianapolis today.  Located just one block off the circle in Indy there is a ton of great parking all within a few steps to their front door.   

M & S's isn't just for Seafood but also is a great steak restaurant and the bar has one of the best great happy hours,   complete with a huge Hamburger for about a dollar.

 According to this ad, they still have room for holiday reservations...not bad for one of the Best Restaurant Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Seafood Restaurant




Best Burger In Indy, Indianpolis, HamburgerWorkingman's Friend
234 N Belmont Ave
Indianapolis IN 46222
(317) 636-2067

DO NOT FEAR Workingman's Friend.   This is a classic Indianapolis Lunch Restaurant that in spite of it's appearance serves one of the best burgers in Indy.  Close to Downtown Indianapolis Workingman's friend is full of the white collar types as well and a lot of physicians for some reason...probably because it's close to IUPUI and the Med Center.

Workingman's Friend is an old fashioned Indianapolis Pub and nothing more.  The kind of place your dad would go after the 3 to 11 shift at the plant.   Take my advice, great burger, great bar and great people is why this makes the cut in my Indianapolis Menu Guide.



Irish Pub Indianapolis, eastside indy bar, musicMcGinley's
Golden Ace Irish Bar
2533 E Washington St
Indianapolis IN 46201
(317) 632-0696

Still owned by the McGinley family makes this the oldest family owned bars Indianapolis.  Just outside of downtown Indianapolis on the East Side, you'll find this Pub just two blocks west of Rural St.

The Golden Ace is tops in Indianapolis Nightlife if you like cool pints and lots of great Irish music.  In my quest for the Best Burger in Indianapolis I was really impressed with the "Ace" burger.   A traditional hamburger that puts the FOOD in the idea of barfood.

My father-in-law loves the Braunschweiger...and like good Irish everywhere, this is a seafood restaurant on Friday's.  Finally, I recommend the bean soup.  Nothing like a pint of Smithwick's and some bean soup on a cold winter night.   This is one Indianapolis Restaurant that I'm thrilled to and to my Indianapolis restaruant reviews.





Deano's Wine Bar&RestaurantIndianapolis Downtown Restaurant, Deano's Wine Bar
1112 Shelby St

Indianapolis, IN 46203
(317) 423-3154

Indianapolis Nightlife, Wine, fine dining?   OMG thank you for Deano's Wine Bar & Restaurant!

Located just off Fountain Square this is sincerely one of the best restaurants in Indianapolis.   Just about a mile from downtown, owners Dean Wilson and Jody Bryant have created something that is truly unique.   With a motto of "Good food, good wine and good friends"  these guys have really come through in creating a great Indianapolis date restaurant.

Oh...did I mention they have music on weekends?  How's that for those of you looking for some Indianapolis Nightlife that's for adults?

The dinner menu has lots of seafood like a smoked salmon platter appetizer or a "more crab than cake" Crab Cake.  What Indianapolis fine dining restaurant review would be complete without a shrimp cocktail?  (Shrimp Cocktail is to Indianapolis Restaurants like wings are in Buffalo...available everywhere)

The appetizer menu even includes an Italian restaurant touch with four different Pizza's and a portabella & pistachio salad.    Entrees cover seafood to chicken to beef.  As an Atkins eater who is trying to eat more locally produced food, I was thrilled to see Indiana Bison Steaks on the menu...pared with a suggested Petite Sirah......perfect.

Writing this Indiana Dining Guide is makeing me hungry...







So this week the M-Team here at Compendium Blogware didn't want to walk too far for our meal, so we went around the corner to Dicks Bodacious Bar-B-Q. If you want to see whats new at Compendium, go ahead.... Click Here.

When we got there it was pretty empty and we walked right up to the counter... no line at all. I ordered the Pulled Pork sandwich with a side of potato salad. What you have to remember is that the pulled pork is just pulled pork... no BBQ. Also, the meal comes with potato chips and a pickle spear, which makes for a full meal. After I was done eating it, I felt like I should go ride a bull or something. As for the BBQ, it's at the table so you can put as much mild or spicy sauce on it as you wish. Mikey ordered the Beef Brisket and dumped a lot of spicy sauce on his. He said that the spicy sauce provided a lot of "kick". He also mentioned that it was a good place, but he prefers Pepsi products and the ice from "across the street". (He means the kind of ice that King David Dogs has). He suggested that you check into the side of the day because that day it was Sweet Potato Casserole, which he enjoyed. Monica ordered the Pulled Pork sandwich as well. She felt that the sauces were "OK" and her side, cole slaw, was too sloppy. She said they should have "held the mayo". (I didn't even know that cole slaw had mayo in it... who knew?) She said that she really enjoyed her corn muffin, but it could have been a little bigger. Oh and she said that she was not impressed that she didn't get the pickle spear along with her meal. Meghan had the Pulled Chicken Sandwich with a side of Mac&Cheese. She felt that it was a lot of food and if you are looking for a hardy meal on a cold day, that is a good place to get it. She was really happy with the alternatives of chicken and beef, because she isn't a pork person. Megan had the Pulled Chicken as well and had nothing but good things to say about it. She said she was trying to eat healthier that day, so she was appreciative that they had chicken.

As for the overall atmosphere, I think you will walk away with a little southern swagger and a full stomach. The people there are very friendly and very quick when you order. They even came and cleaned up our plates right after we were done eating. Make sure that you get there before 12:30 because that is about when the rush come in. We barely beat the large rush so keep that in mind. So if you are looking for a hardy meal and you are in a hurry, check out Dick's Bodacious Bar-B-Q located at 50 N Pennsylvania St. here in downtown Indianapolis. There is another one in Noblesville if you are up in that neck of the woods located at 2295 Greenfield Ave.



Once again my good friend Nicki Laycoax of Squish Designs has come up with a fantastic review of another place to go under the category: best restaurant Indianapolis.

14 West Restaurant at 14 West Maryland

www.14westindy.com

14 West Maryland Street
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204
Telephone: (317) 636-1414
Email:     customerservice@14westindy.com

A colleague of mine that I met as a result of blogging, treated me to a nice lunch at 14 West Restaurant. It was my first visit, but had heard great things about the restaurant and the suites that are  above this downtown Indianapolis restaurant, from multiple people.

The restaurant has a great wine list, exciting menu, and very able catering
staff. (I thought I saw a full bar, but I can't confirm from the website)
Ashley Sorenson, the very sweet and professional Hotel and
Banquet Manager made certain that our dining experience was great!

In the picture, you are looking at the Caesar Salad topped with
Seared Tuna as well as the Crab Cakes. We also had the Red Garnet
Yam Soup and the Lobster Brie Macaroni&Cheese.

This restaurant is recommended for those on a professional lunch or
dinner meeting and would also be a nice spot for a romantic Indianapolis date restaurant. At lunch, the music playing in the background was modern adult contemporary.  It was a nice change from what I normally hear in restaurants.

Summary: Food was absolutely excellent. Prices were moderate. Service was perfect.

Reserve your table now!



 

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