Ralph's Great Divide- A Gem on the Edge of Downtown

The first few times I drove by Ralph's Great Divide, on the corner of New York and Davidson Street, I thought the place was closed, as in not a going concern, not operating, an ex-establishment.  It was kind of small and dumpy-looking from outside, old sign, no lights, cars, or people around.  I guess those times must have been in the early morning or late night most of the time, but even after I knew that it was open, I still never knew exactly WHEN it's open until I went there and looked on the little sign by the door, which of course I've now forgotten!  Anyway, Ralph's is primarily open during the daytime and early evening, but is completely closed some days (Sundays, maybe?)  We were  recently surprised, however, when we had just finished a Saturday tasting tour of the near-Eastside breweries at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon (see earlier post, "Beer & Wine Tasting-- Cheap Weekend Entertainment!" from 11/27/2011) and drove by RGD and saw the teeny "open" sign by the door blinking. RGD is open from 2:00 to 10:00 on Saturdays--for now, at least!

If I remember the history right, Ralph constructed his little restaurant & bar by connecting two houses back in the 1950's. At that time, Davidson Street served as the dividing line between two distinct Indy neighborhoods in the ancient days before I-65 existed, hence the "Great Divide" name.  It's a charming little place with two dining rooms of maybe 10 tables each, and a good-sized bar with 6 or 8 stools and a bunch of antique signs and other memorabilia on the walls.  There are no windows except those by the door (my Dad said back in the 60's that there was a law that all bars and restaurants had to have at least one window so the cops could peek in to see what was going on, but I dunno if that was really true).  Unlike a dive bar, which RGD certainly is not, the lack of windows gives the space inside a cozy feel, like someplace you'd take your secretary/mistress or maybe arrange a mafia sit-down. It is, in fact, very crowded with suited business folk at lunchtime on weekdays. Hmmm....

The atmosphere is cozy, but the food is the best part. We ordered the Do-a-Duo, where two of you split a sandwich, you each get a cup of their specialty Hot Pot Aug, Hot Pot Pig, Ralph's Chili, or their Soup of the Moment, and split two sides for $18.99, but there are individual menu items that range from only $3.25 to $8.49   The Aug is au gratin potato soup and the Pig is the Aug with bacon and hot pepper cheese added, and it is reeeeally good!  The Little Woman had the Chili and I had the Pig (or was it vice versa?  We always share so I forget).  The chili was very good if not uniquely outstanding, and as I said the Pig was great, just the thing to warm you on a cold winter day, or to kill a hangover. We split a Dave's Bourbon Ham sandwich, which was large and tasty, and we had German potato salad and coleslaw for our sides.  The potato salad was every bit as good as the canned stuff we're used to (I just hope it WASN'T the canned stuff!), and the coleslaw was extremely fresh but could've used just a little more sweetness for my taste.

The service was friendly and fairly quick.  Beer and drink prices were very reasonable if not a bargain, so in terms of atmosphere, food, and drinks, this place meets my every expectation.  The only bad thing about the joint is that neither dining room is considered "family" dining, so children are not allowed inside....   For us old people, though, that may NOT be a bad thing.  Enjoy, you Geezers!

Beer & Wine Tasting-- Cheap Weekend Entertainment!

Last Saturday we engaged in what is becoming a little (adult) family tradition:  A serial beer and wine tasting! There are a number of microbreweries and wineries around town, but the easiest circuit for us as Southsiders is just short of downtown-- We start at Sun King Brewery, 145 N. College Street, then proceed to Easley Winery, just across the street.  After that we go around the corner to Flat12 Bierwerks at 202 N. Dorman Street, about 6 or 7 blocks away.  Sun King and Flat12's tastings are free and Easley's tasting is just  $2 or so. 

We first heard about Sun King before they opened, from two different guys who were plumbing contractors for the new brewing equipment.  They both took a liking to the owner,  perhaps partially because he offered them free samples, which they both said were GREAT, and they weren't lyin'!  The tasting room ain't much, being a roped-off portion of the brewery floor with a humongous wall of beer taps at one end of the room.  The friendliness of the servers and the yummy goodness of the beer, however, make up for any shortcomings in ambiance.  They have four house brews:  Sunlight Cream Ale, similar to many mainstream American beers; Osiris, a strong pale ale; Wee Mac, a Scottish-style brown ale; and Bitter Druid, an ESB .  I love all of them:  Sunlight is smooth and mild, while the others are full of bold flavor. When you go in for the tasting they give you 4 raffle-style tickets and two bottle caps.  The tickets may be used for 2-ounce samples of any of the house beers, and the bottle caps must be used for samples of either of two wildly variable temporary offerings: last week they had Java Mac, a coffee-infused version of Wee Mac that I didn't really care for, and Colts 444 Malt Liquor, which I found to be absolutely delicious-- rich and smooth, nothing like the malt liquors you get in cans.  A 64-ounce growler of beer to go can be had for between $6 and $13 depending on the variety of beer.

You've probably heard of Easley Winery, since a couple of their wines are available in most local grocery stores, usually either the sweet red or sweet white.  The Little Woman and I prefer the drier reds, though, and Easley makes several tasty ones: a couple of Merlots and a really tasty Chambourcin, to name but a few.  The place has an informal but classy ambiance, with a rustic exposed-brick tasting room and a nicely furnished party room that would be great for a small wedding reception or similar event.  A music trio plays in the party room sometimes on the weekends, and you may purchases glasses or bottles of wine for consumption there.

Flat12 Bierwerks is a quirky gem of a place:  there is usually a food trailer (Byrne's Grilled Pizza, oh my!) and sometimes one or more food trucks parked outside the outdoor patio/deck area, and the tasting and vending rooms are kind of delightfully wood barn-like.  You can sample any of six or more rotating beer varieties and/or purchase pints and drink them while sitting in some funky chaise lounges made from old shopping carts.  Where Sun King's beers are bold and straightforward, Flat12's are subtle and more complex, even the stronger ones.  Flat12's servers are friendly and eclectic, and the only thing that keeps you from wanting to stay there all day is that it gets kind of crowded sometimes.  I can hardly wait for Spring and the chance to eat and drink outside on the patio.  One of these days we're gonna do the circuit on a Friday so we can also do Ralph's Great Divide restaurant/tavern either before or afterwards.  More on that whenever it happens.....  Prosit!

UPDATE: 06/05/2012--  Recently we added the Fountain Square Brewery to our rounds, since they just opened a few months ago.  The bar area is nice, on one side of a cavernous room that had only a few tables.  A bicycling pub crawl group(?) we had just met at Flat12 came into FSB and brought their bikes with them, as there was room enough for all of them and enough space left over to throw a frisbee in there. One wall has some very beautiful art-deco style murals of FSB's various brand logos.  The tasting wasn't free but was pretty reasonable, like $5 for a six-glass sampler.  I found all their beers tasty but rather lacking in carbonation, probably by design, but which was a bit disconcerting to an old bubbly-beer drinker like meself. I think that was made up for, however, by the fact that all but one or two of their varieties have pretty high alcohol content, which is good, but if you're driving, BEWARE THE UNINTENTIONAL BUZZ!  Nasdrovye!