Thursday, August 2, 2012

Broad Ripple Brewpub


I can’t believe we have lived (back) here 6 years now and this is our first trip to Broad Ripple Brew Pub in that time.  I have been in the past, years and years ago, but I can’t even begin to tell you what I thought of it then it has been so long.  Someone recently told us the Scotch eggs were good though, and we really enjoyed them at MacNiven’s, so we wanted to try them.

We also had the kids with us and they are pretty kid friendly as well, although our server didn’t bring us a kids’ menu until we asked for one.  Honestly, the service, or lack thereof, was actually the first thing I noticed about the place.  There was no one around anywhere, just a lot of signs saying “enter through other door” and “seat yourself” and a pile of menus on a center table.  After we did seat ourselves, it took awhile before anyone approached us too.  I wouldn’t say service is a strength, that is for sure.

We started with the Scotch eggs though ($6.75) and they were good.  It is a boiled egg covered in sausage, breaded and quickly deep fried.  The sausage was a little different from the MacNiven’s version—it was more like country sausage—not quite as spicy.  They also served them with a garlic ranch dipping sauce.  The sausage part was nearly as thick as the egg, and honestly I prefer my egg ratio to be a little higher, but the flavor was good and the outside crust was good and crunchy.  The ranch was very garlicky, and that was a nice change of pace from your traditional ranch.  If I had to choose which one I liked better, I would probably choose MacNiven’s, but these were very good too.

Hubby and I were a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of the menu—there are a lot of options on there—and ended up splitting a 12" specialty pizza ($11.50).  It was the portabella pizza and had portabella mushrooms, provolone, mozzarella and feta cheese (we had them skip the roasted red peppers).  The flavor of the pizza was very good—again, lots of garlic and the different flavors of cheeses made it more interesting than a lot of pub pizzas.  The mushrooms tasted like they were roasted and had a deep earthy flavor.  The feta was a good addition because of the saltiness it added—especially once it is cooked.  The crust tasted good—it was seasoned more than your standard pizza crust. The only problem was the classic soggy in the middle problem.  You really had to eat it with a knife and fork because the middle was so gooey, if you picked it up, the topping would have slid off.  It was kind of a shame, because if it had a solid crust, it would have been a pretty darn good pie.

The chicken fingers that my son had were not impressive (they rarely are). They seemed pretty foodservice to me.  He mainly just finished up the Scotch eggs instead.  My daughter had a half order of nachos off the appetizer menu and was perfectly content.  All in all, for a pub, the food was pretty good (at least the adult food was).  The service was pretty lacking although our server perked up a little when I asked her opinion on some of her favorite things.  The menu is large though—really large.  I know a lot of you guys eat there, so let me know about your favorite things.

Broad Ripple Brewpub
842 East 65th Street
Indy  46220
317/253-2739



Broad Ripple Brewpub on Urbanspoon

8 comments:

  1. The Spinach Melt and Nancy's Nutty Burger are my two stand-by favorites at BRBP. However, I like to order off of their weekly specials menu, too. Never had their pizza; never even thought of trying it because there are so many other unique things on the menu. Hubby likes the bangers & mash.

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  2. Ah, the Brew Pub. I like the pizza and the Herdsman's chili, but always look at the weekly specials. Even though it's a big menu, I have to say, in general, I'm not in love with the food here. So there are a lot of things you can order, but I feel like I have more misses than hits.

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  3. I have had the Herdsman chili and it is good, however, the lack of service and the frat-house smell do keep me away....

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  4. I usually get a half order of fish-n-chips. One of the best in town. I have also had some very good specials.

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  5. I went a few years ago for the first (and only) time.

    The atmosphere was not appealing to me, nor was the beer that the server recommended for me.

    I had a scotch egg pizza, ad I wanted to try two of their specialties. It was pretty awful (yeah maybe I ordered "the wrong thing" but I think only good things should be on a menu). Sampled what my family had and was not impressed either. I doubt I will ever go back.

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  6. Weekly specials. That's where it is at. And the rare occasions they have they chorizo and potato tacos? lookout! That can be the best taco in town. The specials are usually quite current on their website, but I cross-reference their Facebook page to make sure. I had a great, light lunch the other day of elotes loco and a Tart Lizzie.

    http://www.broadripplebrewpub.com/brbspecials.html

    The beers from the cask/beer engine is also recommended...

    The deserts are pretty darn good, too (a number of them have usually been made by Rene's bakery - the brewpub is where we discovered the flourless chocolate torte)

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  7. A few of our faves: Plowman's platter; turkey manhattan; fish and chips; bison burger; vegan dolmades

    Agree with the others - the weekly specials are the best bets. You must've been there at an off time (or for lunch). The service has always been fine for us at dinner, and I'd guess we've eaten there at least 50 times since moving here in 2004.

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  8. Went last night for dinner around 6:30–7 PM. Huz wanted to eat outside to enjoy the spring weather and suggested Broad Ripple. Google misinformed me that Monon Food Company was closed on Mondays; we like the tacos there.

    Huz said he could go for a burger so he chose a Brewpub Burger (special hand-pattied burger grilled medium to well-done on a kaiser bun,$8.50 + $1 up-charge for cheese). Asked for it cooked medium and it came out practically well-done. He also got a draft beer ($3) that he wasn't crazy about but that's not their doing.

    I ordered off the specials menu—Parmesan Crusted Grouper Cheeks (the sweetest, most tender cuts of the grouper are dredged in seasoned cornmeal and grated Parmesan cheese, flat grilled, and served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce, $ 9.75). The fish was okay but didn't cover the bun and the veg included pickles, which I don't like. I asked for pub fries instead of potato chips and, while good, not worth the $3 up-charge.



    Overall we felt the food was fairly generic, food service-type options, especially for the price. The buns weren't special and the patties didn't stand out. Service was sufficient—not exemplary, not awful—but the environment was noisy (and we ate outside). We won't go there again.

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