Tastings has been on my list since it opened—unfortunately I
missed the first chef, but recently a couple of different people have
recommended it again, so I took one of my girlfriends and we did a lunch date
there the other day.
My first thought was I was sort of surprised it was open for
lunch since there was no one in there when we got there (a few people showed up
later, but that was it). I guess since
it is connected to the Conrad, maybe they have to be open? We chose a comfy couch to settle into and
then got our little card to try some wine tastes. This place has these fancy machines hooked up
to various wine bottles and you put whatever amount you want on your card and
then go try 2 ounce portions of whatever wine you want (the 2 ounces range from
about $2 to over $10 for a few). When
you figure out how much they are making on a bottle of wine with these 2 ounce
prices, you realize they are making a large profit here, but it was still fun
to try several things, and it was fun to be with a very wine knowledgeable
friend to help pick some interesting choices.
Also, if you get lucky, they will offer you a couple of free end of
bottle pours as they did with us (they were putting the new bottles in the
machines).
Food-wise, we got quite a few different things, and again,
it was fun to sample various plates (it generally is a small plates type of
menu). We started with the blue cheese chips ($5) which were very crisp kettle
style potato chips topped with melty blue cheese and a creamy sauce. Honestly,
even though it was basically just a fancy chip and dip, it was probably my
favorite thing of the day. The chips were
crisp enough to stay that way the entire lunch and there was enough of the blue
cheese for all of them. They were nice
and hot when we got them and I would order them again.
Next we had the Mediterranean Sampler platter ($12) which had
red pepper hummus, a white bean and sundried tomato dip and a tomato and mozzarella
bruschetta-type topping. They served it
with a bunch of pita and toasted bread.
It was really a portion for way more people than just the two of us, but
we enjoyed trying all the different things anyway. We both liked the hummus the best—the roasted
red peppers gave it a deeper flavor than just plain hummus and it had a nice garlic
flavor as well. Neither of us was as
sure about the white bean dip. It was
really thick—not so much of a dip as it was a spread. The beans weren’t really mashed up that
much. It had a slightly strange flavor
that I couldn’t put my finger on. Not sure if it was from the tomatoes or
vinegar or what. The diced tomato
topping was seasoned decently with basil and a vinaigrette type dressing with
little chunks of mozzarella on top, but the tomatoes had little flavor on their
own. I also wished the toasted bread
pieces had more flavor on their own and were toasted a little but more. I can’t say I would order the white bean dip
or the tomato topping again. The hummus
was pretty good though.
We also shared a filet mignon flatbread pizza ($11). They are little square pizzas and this one was
topped with a tomato sauce, gorgonzola (we both love our blue cheese), caramelized
onions, and pieces of steak and drizzled with balsamic glaze. This was probably
my least favorite of all the things we had. There was just too much going on,
and I definitely could have done without the tomato sauce—it really conflicted
with all the other flavors to me, especially the balsamic on top. The beef was little tiny pieces and after
being warmed on top of the pizza became overcooked.
We also shared some of the “Best Chocolate in Town” truffles
as well ($10). At this point, I was pretty stuffed, and we ended up taking some
of them home, but I really liked the flavor of the Wee Mac truffle. Didn’t
think I would dig beer flavor in my chocolate, but it was good—really good. I like that the restaurant is using truffles
from a local maker too.
Our server was really nice—explained how everything worked
and even though he obviously wasn’t busy with lots of customers, was around
when we needed him and left us alone when we didn’t. And the free wine tastes didn’t hurt. Even though the food didn’t blow me away, I
think this might be a fun place to return to with a group of friends—I enjoyed
trying the different wines--even if you just ordered some cheese to go with it off the menu.
It’s been open awhile—so who has been? Have you had menu
items that you really enjoyed?
Tastings
50 West
Washington Street
Indy 46204
317/423-2400
Great place to try wines. Also, Thursdays are 1/2 price flatbreads. It can be quite busy when there is a convention in town or after work.
ReplyDeleteWhat you didn't mention is that they sell the bottles at 'near' retail price, which means they have bottles for as little as $18! We started going there this summer and tend to stop by for a bottle when we are downtown. The service, when they are busy, is spotty, but you really don't need much when enjoying a bottle of red. :)
ReplyDeleteThat wines and food. I really want to try.
ReplyDeletenuvali
I used to go all the time when they had the pairings on Wednesday with the old chef. The restaurant chained operations with the menu, which is why we didn't go back after the switch. Good selection of wines though, that is for sure!
ReplyDeleteI know, I wish I would have gotten there before the chef left.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I stopped in last week and were disappointed with the food. Neither us were very hungry, so we ordered kind of light and didn't feel like wine at the time. I ordered a sweet iced tea to drink, and the server seriously opened up a bottle of Gold Peak Sweet Tea and poured it in my glass. What restaurant doesn't brew fresh iced tea?? We ordered the shrimp ceviche to share. The shrimp was overcooked and had way too much acid in it. It was served in a martini glass, and we could only take a few bites of it. I ordered the Campaloto Salad that had artichoke hearts, over salad greens with fresh mozzarella. The balsamic vinaigrette that came drizzled on the top was VERY vinagar-y--to the point that I could barely eat half the salad. My husband got the Margarita Flatbread Pizza. I had a bite and it was delicious! If we ever return, I will definetly stick to the pizzas. Possibly try some wine, as well.
ReplyDelete