Ralph and Ava's Public House:a Class Act in Mooresville

Continuing our Valentine's Day weekend, The Little Woman and I went for a (very) little drive and wound up in downtown Mooresville, Indiana looking for a good place for a late lunch.  We went into  Ralph & Ava's Public House at 6 W. Main Street thinking it was your average small-town bar, but it turned out to be a scrupulously clean little cafe with polished old-wood and brass decor that happens to have a full bar along the back wall.  There was a little group of well-dressed women at one of the tables who appeared to be taking a break from shopping...  

When I came to Indianapolis decades ago, Mooresville had kind of a country bumpkin sort of reputation, but it has become, like most of the satellite towns around Indy, a sort of bastion of middle and upper middle class living.  When we first visited M-town 'way back when, we went into a bar where there was a woman in curlers wearing a house coat, pajamas, and furry slippers who was drunk and playing pool.  We left a bit prematurely to avoid a fight when for some reason she took a shine to me and became kind of obnoxious about it! I felt disgusted and a little flattered at the same time.

That bar may still be there, but you would have to search for it among all the coffee and antique shops, tea rooms, and a vintage clothing store downtown.  Ralph & Ava's fits in nicely with them, but that's not to say I didn't like it.  They have an eclectic menu that nevertheless offers the usual pub grub. TLW and I split a Breaded Tenderloin Deluxe Sandwich and a bowl of Chili.  The tenderloin was excellent, pounded out only to about a half-inch thick with a very tasty sort of fried chicken style breading.  Our server thoughtfully split the chili into 2 small bowls: it was quintessential Indiana-style chili with fresh, quality ingredients and very little grease. It wasn't very spicy, but a little Tabasco cured that nicely. They have a number of local and imported craft beers on draft and a wide assortment of bottled beers as well, and the array of liquors on display was quite impressive. Despite all the upscale appearances, the price of our meal was not outrageous, still within $$ range.  SCORE!