That Place in Greenwood-- Dr. Jekyll by Day, Hyde at Night!

I think the official name is now just That Place, since technically it's not in Greenwood now that they moved into the big strip mall on Emerson north of County Line Road.  That's a good thing if you're worried about being stopped by the cops-- The Indy Metro PD is much busier and more thinly spread than the Greenwood constabulary just across the county line, so if you're headin' north you might not even see one copper on your way home.  That Place is a Big Place which looks like it could seat maybe 400 people (wait a minute, the Fire Marshal's sign may read 252, if I remember right.  Anyway, it's big.) It's a true sports bar, with something like 13 satellite TV screens including a movie-sized projection screen on the wall behind the big ol' bandstand, tuned to every kind of sport imaginable. They have NTN game consoles, too, so you can play trivia quizzes if that particular screen isn't being monopolized by card game players.  Damn that Texas Hold'em!  There is something for everyone, like pool tables, arcade games, and a side room that has a two-lane miniature bowling alley! (Remember duckpin bowling?  Yeah, it's kinda like that.)  There is a humidor if''n you like your seegars, and a wall of maybe 15 draft beer taps with brews ranging from the usual Americans to exotic imports and local microbrews (the Sun King Oktoberfest is yummy!).   During the day the spaciousness of the place is rather intimate, like being one of the special insiders who get to roam Disneyworld when the park is closed.  At night, though, That Place is a happenin' place, as in if you aren't careful how you speak to people or whom you bump into, somethin' might be happenin' to YOU!  It gets pretty crowded, and although the high ceilings may mitigate the cigar smoke, the lack of acoustic padding combined with the hard non-carpeted concrete floors make my conversations go something like "HUH?  WHAT?" and that's when the band's not playing. (But then, that's how most of conversations go anyway.)  I understand, though, that you young people kinda like that sort of atmosphere, right?  Ha! Hey, the bar food's good all the time, at least.....

LJ's-- an old traditional watering hole.

LJ's, on Meridian Street south of Sumner (I think) is what you see in your mind when you think of "old fashioned dive bar."  It's kind of dark inside, has a big mirror behind the bar, and has a small dance floor and bandstand for use on the weekends.  Larry Johnson, the namesake owner, sadly passed away recently, but last I heard his wife and a couple regulars who became investors are now running the place. Larry renovated what used to be Lucky's, or Fonza's, or Doc Gainey's, or one of those names, some years ago when he bought it-- put in a number of new fixtures, new restrooms, and a deck/beer garden out back.  The restroom renovation was a little too ambitious:  they put two urinals and a stall in a space smaller than my bathroom at home-- being a 6-footer, when I sit down and close the stall door my knees touch it, and once a drunk at the urinal rocked backward and stepped on my foot!  Otherwise the place is pretty comfortable, with decent beer and drink prices, cheap if not memorable pub grub, and fairly friendly service.  The crowd varies from blue-collar types to some upper middle-class golfer types.  All in all I like the place, but it just doesn't inspire me like some others.... 

Dimitri's-- The Toyota Camry of Restaurants

Dimitri's just opened at US 31 S (East Street) and Thompson Road.  There is another Dimitri's in Columbus, IN just off I-65 that we used to visit for a little road trip occasionally on weekend days when the little woman didn't wanna cook breakfast, so I guess they've become a chain with this new location.  It is one of those Mediterranean restaurants, like the ubiquitous 4 Seasons or Lincoln Square Pancake House, that are known primarily for their breakfast menus. They're the restaurant equivalent of the Toyota Camry-- reliable performers at a good price, but not as exciting as some others.  This Dimitri's opened in what used to be a Denny's, but the new owners have renovated away any greasy trace of that chain in this location:  They competely gutted the place, walled the interior in rich wood boardroom-type paneling, laid down thick carpet, and put in octagonal tray ceilings that must be some sort of Greek tradition.  I had a Greek omelet that was HUGE, with really fresh and tasty gyro meat and feta cheese.  The prices were very good considering the humongous portions, and the waitress was a gracious Southern lady (Southern USA, not Greece) who provided great service.  O-PAH, y'all!

Update:  Ate lunch there on May 4, 2012 and it was reeeeally good.  Portions are huge.  I had the Grilled Chicken Pesto Pannini Sandwich, which was dressed with mayonnaise and red peppers.  It seemed fairly healthy, except for the mayo, of course.  Still a fan, Dimitri!

UPDATE, 09/27/2013:  Sadly, the Dimitri's at East Street & Thompson Road has closed, story from the employees being that the place was really making money so the landlord raised the rent to some outrageous level.  They always seemed to have a big crowd in there.  As I said, there was another Dimitri's in Columbus, IN, but I haven't been by there to see if it's still open. Sigh....

All American Hot Dog Co-- A David to the King David Goliath

The All American Hot Dog Co.  is located at 5558 Madison Avenue.  I give the exact address because you might miss this little place if you don't know exactly where it is, in an ancient little string of shops (too old to be called a strip mall, even) next to the Big Lots store. There is a kind of sandwich-board guy who stands out front trying to get your attention during the day, but he simultaneously waves signs for three different shops on the same stick, so as you drive by you might see only the sign for Chad's Barber Shop or Cash for Gold and completely miss the one for AAHDCo.  It doesn't have the big-city ambiance of King David Dogs downtown, but it has the same high-quality of meats and variety of topping combinations that KD does, and at a lower price. There's no dining room, but there are two umbrella tables out front where you can sit when the weather's not too bad.  The Cajun Sausage dog was new to me;  it had a nice (not hot)spiciness, that the proprietor said was close to a Cincinnati metwurst, but the metwursts I've had were never this good.  My wife had the Chicago dog, which was as good as any we've had in the Windy City, and  finally, the proprietor  (I think he said his name is Dave) is as nice a business owner as you'll ever meet.  I came in right at opening time t'other day, and he'd been late getting in, so he was still cookin' up his first batch of dogs for the day.   He apologized for the wait and gave me a card for a free meal!  Oh, and don't get me started on the TATER TOTS!  I dunno how he fixes 'em but I've never had restaurant tater tots (or any other tots) that were so danged gooooooood, just like everything else I've had there. I know hot dogs ain't exactly health food, but maybe that's why I like 'em so much-- guilty pleasures are the best ones!

UPDATE 12/18/2011:  THIS PLACE HAS CLOSED, DANGIT!   MAYBE HE'LL OPEN UP SOMEWHERE ELSE-- WHERE ELSE CAN I GET MY BOUDIN DOG???

The Crowbar: A Phoenix Has Risen.

It's been a year or so since we visited The Crowbar Inn, in Trafalgar, IN on State Road 135 just north of SR252.  That last time it was a real challenge even for such seasoned adventure drinkers as ourselves:  the only vehicles out front were about 4 motorcycles, and not your garden-variety Shriners' Goldwings, either-- they were choppers of the type usually ridden by guys wearing either denim vests with gang colors on the back or those t-shirts that read "IF YOU CAN READ THIS, THE BITCH FELL OFF."  Well, I was packin' heat (although I dunno what use Sterno would be in a bar fight), so we went on in. ...And we were somewhat pleasantly surprised!  It was dumpy but comfortable on the inside, although you wouldn't have wanted to eat there due to the grunginess.  The floor had carpet that puffed up little dust clouds when you walked on it, at least the parts that didn't stick to your shoes.  Shortly after that the Health Department actually closed the place down and the bar's operator defaulted on her lease, so it reverted to Brian, the son of the folks who founded the place years ago....

Which is the best danged thing that coulda happened to the place:  Brian spent 3 months and I imagine a substantial sum remodeling the ole' Crowbar, and it is now a FANTASTIC place for ordinary non-biker folks to eat and drink, a great cross between a roadhouse bar and your basement rumpus room.. Three big-screen TV's can be seen from anywhere in the place, there are 4 choices of some of the coldest draft beer around, and the food, beer, and drink prices are amazingly reasonable. On this night, tacos were 25 cents and wings (like 5 varieties) were 3 for a buck, and both were deeeeelicious!  Brian has hired a guy who knows how to cook and ain't afraid to try new stuff.  Anyway, the next time you drive (or bike, or bicycle) from Indy to Brown County, plan a stop along the way at the Crowbar:  it's easy on yer eyes and yer wallet, whatever's in it!

UPDATE, 09/05/14:  Went there with The Little Woman and had a great time.  We split a grilled tenderloin sandwich and 4 hot wings (now 50 cents each).  That was one of the best if not THE best grilled tenderloin I've had-- it was only moderately pounded out, but was still tender and nicely browned.  They had seasoned the meat deliciously, and the lettuce and tomato were farm-fresh.  Dang that was good!

What Makes a Good Bar? Schneider's and The Shanty

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.

Windows on the World: The End of a Tradition

Windows On the World is a little eatery that I never got the opportunity to visit, and ten years ago today it ceased to exist.  At that same time, 2,977 other people also never got to eat and drink there, or anywhere else ever again.  Just as the one episode of Band of Brothers that deals with the Holocaust is titled Why We Fight, so should the tragedy of Windows on the World's demise remind us what the Global War on Terror (GWOT) is all about.  I know there is some controversy as to whether Operation Iraqi Freedom is rightfully part of GWOT or not, but I do know a goodly portion of the young men and women who joined the armed forces right after 9/11/01 did so with the aim of achieving just what was accomplished a little while ago when the evil (or misguided, or crazy, or whatever adjective similar to evil you want to use) Osama Bin Laden was killed. And to state the obvious, the GWOT ain't over, folks.   I'll take my soapbox and go home, now....