Broad Ripple Brewpub
842 East 65th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46220
QISA (4444), Vegetarian-Friendly, $9-$14
Every summer for the last five years, I have celebrated my
birthday by biking the full length of the Monon Trail round trip. The Monon
Trail, for those of you outside Indianapolis, is a former train line, now a
pedestrian/biking trail that stretches 18 miles south to north from the middle
of downtown Indianapolis, past the state fairgrounds, through the trendy Broad
Ripple neighborhood, up into the ritzier Carmel suburbs, eventually ending in
an (as of now) undeveloped section of
Westfield. In total, the ride is about 35 miles.
I started this tradition in 2008 as I was approaching 40 and
feeling old, paunchy, balding, and generally out of shape. I needed a goal, a milestone
if you will that would prove to me that I was not over the hill, but rather
simply extending its length. Maybe I couldn’t do anything about the balding,
but by Jove (or some other outdated expression), I could at least temper the
paunch, improve the stamina, increase the muscle mass…and then finish off the
day with a birthday dinner at the Broad Ripple Brewpub.
And from such humble beginnings did my birthday tradition
start.
I have since upped my game by biking the Hilly Hundred four
times in the past five years. However, despite my successful completion of the
two-day, 100-mile bike tour up and down the hills of southern Indiana, I still
bike the Monon every year. And I still finish the day at the Broad Ripple
Brewpub.
This year, due to lower back surgery in May, I have
not been able to get on my bike. I will not be able to bike the Hilly Hundred.
I may not even be able to bike the Monon Trail. But I’ll be damned if I’m going
to miss out on the Broad Ripple Brewpub. Some things are sacrosanct.
What can I say? It’s my favorite restaurant in Indianapolis.
An Englishman and his Hoosier wife started the brewpub in
Indianapolis 1990. The goal, as stated on their Website, was to, “recreate a
typical English pub with its dark wood paneling, decorative tin ceiling, and
cozy fire place.” What they created in fact was a family-friendly British-style
pub with a progressive Midwest college town twist. And this is not
easy to do.
To begin your dinner, try their artisanal hand-crafted beers, which are what you would expect from a good microbrewery. I typically go for the
Lawnmower Pale Ale and Monon Porter, but I am planning on going back very soon
to expand my palate to the ESB Extra Special Bitter, Wobbly Bob American Pale,
Kolsch, Aussie Sumer…yes, this may take a while.
The menu offers a wide variety of standard carnivorous pub
foods as well as their vegetarian redux cousins. Although I love the thick cut
veggie chips and potato chips, I highly recommend starting off the meal with
the Brewpub Nachos, a hearty mix of cheeses, sour cream, diced veggies,
guacamole, and black beans on tri-colored corn chips. I have never been
disappointed by it.
The most difficult part of your evening will be selecting
your entrée. So many wonderful choices. I tend to go for their sandwiches, and
I can personally recommend the Veggie Stromboli, Black Bean Burger, Baked Falafel, Nancy’s
Nutty Burger, and Spinach Melt. The Spinach Melt, my wife’s personal favorite,
is a creamy mix of spinach, sour cream, and jicama, grilled on sourdough bread,
with Monterey jack cheese and tomato. It’s like a spinach dip sandwich with a
mix of creamy and crunchy textures. My son’s have both fallen in love with the
Drunken Ravioli, a spicy ravioli in a creamy tomato vodka sauce.
I was under-impressed by the Vegan Fish and Chips, which
were too salty for my taste. The Vegan Dolmades look interesting, but I have
not tried them yet. Yet.
If all of the above is too exotic for your tastes, they do
of course have a variety of standard and specialty pizzas, including the Nutty
Garden which contains fresh spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, walnuts,
tomato sauce, and mozzarella and provolone cheeses. I have not tried this one
yet, and I don’t know why. It’s like pizza wish fulfillment for me. Next
time. Definitely next time.
Truth be told, the Broad Ripple Brewpub is not a sophisticated
restaurant for delicate palates, nor does it try to be one. But their vegetarian
food is hearty, tasty, well-made, and creative. And it goes great with my third
porter.
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