Like the Darden Corporation (Olive Garden, Carraba's, etc.) and other commercial chains as well as numerous individual entrepreneurs, I've been pondering what magic formula produces a great bar or eatery, and two places I really like to frequent unfortunately do not immediately reveal their secrets of success. Schneider's at Meridian School and S. Meridian Street (State Road 135) has been there for years without significant changes. It's in an old strip mall and has your standard old wood decor with IU and Notre Dame memorabilia on the walls. In a way, though, the aged (but not outdated) atmosphere is part of the place's charm. I'm told that the place is a big hangout for Catholic parishioners of St. Barnabas Church, but other than the occasional haggard "I have 6 kids, Kill Me NOW!" look that I see on some of the customers, I can't pick 'em out. There are few other places, however, that have a such a big crowd where everyone seems to know everyone else. That kind of clubby chumminess makes you feel at home even if you don't really know anyone there. The food is decent and drink prices are reasonable if not a bargain, except for wine, about which I'll whine: $5.95 for a glass of Barefoot in a neighborhood bar means they really don't want to sell wine, doesn't it? But other than that, I love the place!
The Shanty, a little farther down the road in another strip mall at County Line Road and Meridian, is another little place whose charm is difficult to discern and yet we always have a good time there. We used to drink with Heath, the proprietor, at Shigg's some years ago, but beyond his possessing a more than passing familiarity with a typical bar's contents, I did not believe Heath would know anything about running a tavern when he opened The Shanty, but he has happily proved me wrong. The place is light and airy, with light wood & green trim (reminding one of the19th hole at a golf course), and big windows. The staff is friendly, the pub grub is good, and the drinks are very reasonable, with lots of good specials. The clientele, also, reminds me of a bunch of middle-class folks who've just come in off the links at the end of nine holes, and they're congenial if not the glad-ta-see-ya backslappers you meet at Schneider's. I would drink at The Shanty every day I drink (which is NOT every day, I swear!), if it wasn't so darned far from my house. :-'( Waah!
UPDATE, 12/18/2011: Heath, the Shanty's proprietor, fell victim to the occupational hazard of bar owners everywhere-- easy access to free booze. There was apparently a nasty scene between Heath and the Indiana Excise Police, which resulted in the bar being closed down and Heath being arrested for Public Intoxication (in a bar?) at 11:00 AM on a weekday (As Rex always said, if you don't start early you cain't drink all day!) The bar is now called Good Times, not to be confused with 4 the Good Times, a gun-and-knife club near Fountain Square. Good Times apparently retains all the goodness of the old Shanty, so I have great hopes for the new management.
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