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!

Joe's Grille: I tried NOT to like it, but....

Joe's Grille at 116th Street and Brooks School Road is definitely not on the South side of Indy, and as a Southsider I have an inferiority complex that compels me NOT to like the place. There's nothing wrong with the South side:  much of it is just as nice as up North and housing is generally a good deal less expensive. The South's worst traffic choke points pale in comparison to most of the Northside everywhere, especially the daily gantlet that is driving I-69 north of I-465.  For natural beauty, however (if you consider the Geist and Eagle Creek reservoirs "natural"), you can't beat the northwest, north, and northeast parts of the county, so most of the prosperous and beautiful people live there, The businesses located there thus generally reflect their clientele, which in my plebeian  mindset means pretentious and overpriced.

Joe's Grille, however, is not that kind of establishment.  It is a relatively small place with a simple but very nice decor.  There are 2 pool tables, a not overlarge area of dining tables, and a fairly long and elegant bar, behind which are 5 or 6 very large flat screen TVs which can be viewed from every part of the pub except the restrooms.   One of the screens is always tuned to iChive TV, which is very entertaining to those of you (us) who don't always want to watch sports.  The employees of all sexes (trying to sound progressive here) tend to be quite nice to look at, too.

There's a nice beer garden out back; I'd hoped it overlooked the creek that runs behind the strip mall but, alas, it overlooks the parking lot. I would still hang out there, though.  Their food is the usual pub grub, but I had some Chislic that was quite tasty. Prices are not a bargain but not outrageous, either, so that destroys my prejudice against drinking up North.  Prosit!

The Corner Pub: Only the Name Has Changed, and That's Great!

The Corner Pub, at the corner (duh) of Old Meridian Street and Epler Avenue, used to be the Old Meridian Pub(see post), which was one of my favorites until squabbles between the multiple owners caused it to be sold. I'm happy to say, though, that the new owner has pretty much kept everything the same.  Steve is back in the kitchen where I like everything he cooks but the chili (which tastes good, it's just not my idea of chili, being more like Brunswick Stew).  Most of the other former employees have returned as well as a new one, Esther, who has probably tended bar at more establishments than I could name.  There was a good crowd in there on the Friday afternoon we visited, including a group of firefighters celebrating a retirement.  I dunno if they were 2 or 3 drinks in and just having a good time, or if 20 years of sirens screaming in their ears has left them all hard-of-hearing, but we listened with amusement to 6 or 7 boisterous, bellowed conversations all at the same time.  It made for quite a festive atmosphere, and hopefully this will be the norm for this nicely reborn watering hole.  Cheers!