Pat Flynn's Irish Pub and Murphy's Steakhouse: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

We ventured away from Indy's Southside to the State Fairgrounds to watch my wife's great niece compete in a gymnastics meet, but as it turns out we arrived two hours before her part of the program, so we went in search of a cocktail or two nearby while we waited.  Pat Flynn's at 52nd & Allisonville Road (I think) is in a little strip mall and looked really inviting from the outside....  the inside wasn't bad, either, with lots of real-wood paneling and a substantial well-stocked bar.  There was a rather peculiar smell in there, though, and not a pleasant one. Now, I've been in a lot of smelly bars, but the smells can be differentiated between those of the remnants of good times past at one end and beginnings of a ptomaine incubator at the other, and Flynn's seemed to lean toward the incubator end.  From my seat at the end of the bar you could see behind the bar, and the view wasn't pleasant-- I mean, how much time and effort does it take when you're clearly not busy to pick up a handful of bottle caps, a fork, and some dirty napkins off the floor?  The barmaid had a cold, and she was constantly wiping her nose with the back of her hand-- she made a big deal of washing her hands before giving us our check, but I wished she'd done so before making our drinks!  Still, there were a number of regulars streaming in who really seem to love the place, and a few minutes later a pub crawl from a Hurling Club arrived, so maybe we just hit them on a bad day.  The Hurling Club was not a drink-till-you-puke organization as I had first thought, but was a sports team- Hurling is an Irish sport that is like a cross between field hockey and Lacrosse I guess.  On the plus side, the place has a good selection of draft beers: Guinness, Smithwick's, Bass, Stella Artois, and Bud Light.  The drink special was also good: Bombay gin for $3.25, although my bill included a 50-cent upcharge for having it "on-the-rocks".... WTH?  This barbaric practice unknown to us southside savages, Kimosabe!

We fell in love with Murphy's Steak House, on Keystone just south of Fall Creek Parkway, almost as we came through the door.  It is the epitome of the old Sinatra-era steakhouses, with a dim, heavy wood ambiance and delicious meaty aromas that put you in a hungry swoon even if you've just eaten, as we had.  We had drinks at the elegant bar behind the dining area while we lustfully checked out the menu like sailors at sea reading a Playboy.  I broke down and ordered us an appetizer of fried lobster bites, which, to quote my hip young niece, were THEBOMB.COM.  Drink prices were nothing special but the food was quite reasonable for such an upscale casual steak restaurant-- entrees range from $15 to about $30, and we each decided to each try a $21.95 two-entree Combination Dinner when next we visit.  Oh yes, there will be a next visit... and there will be BLOOD! (Although not much, 'cuz I get my steaks medium well.)