Monday, February 10, 2014

Ale Emporium - Revisit

I had a rare weekday lunch opportunity with hubby the other day, but he needed to stay close to home because he had limited time, and we were a little stumped as usual. As we started to drive somewhere else, we passed Ale Emporium and hubby was excited because he had never been. I wanted to try the wings since so many people recommended them after my last visit. I also didn’t realize that the big room that we sat in last time was not the only room and that there’s a smaller, slightly cozier bar area at the far south end of the building. I liked the vibe in this part of the restaurant a lot better.


Like I said, I wanted wings, but was totally overwhelmed by the amount of choices of types and flavors of them. (I am going to need your help here people). I asked our server about a couple of them but she was pretty vague in describing them so I just went with classic buffalo style. I had the small order, which is 2 pounds ($11.99). I had them with blue cheese dressing (you can choose this or ranch). The wings were outstanding for sure. I was so pleased to discover that something everyone had told me was so good really lived up to the hype. The wings are not breaded or anything—they are just deep fried and have wonderful crisp skin. They are then dipped in the sauce—but not overwhelmed by it, and the wings are nice and meaty and not dried out at all. I’d say they are definitely some of the best in town. I look forward to trying some of the other flavors—so you guys please tell me which ones are the best.

Hubby had the lunch combo of salad and a (large) slice of pizza ($8). First of all, when they say large, they are serious. The large slice of pizza is really like 2 regular slices. He had mushroom and sausage. The pizza is good here—I like the flavor of the marinara and the crust. It’s a pretty bready crust (still need to try the thin crust) though, and very filling. The salad was good—I appreciated that it wasn’t all crappy iceberg lettuce—there was a bit of shredded cheese and some toasty croutons as well. It was the same blue cheese dressing we had with the wings—a little tangier than most and with some big hunks of blue cheese mixed in. All in all, not bad for a pub pizza. 

The service was pretty efficient—we had to get there and back home within an hour and we did --just barely. They certainly do a good lunch business in there. I look forward to going back to try some of the other wing flavors.

Ale Emporium
8617 Allisonville Rd
Indy 46250
317/842-1333


Ale Emporium on Urbanspoon

8 comments:

  1. Their wings are definitely the best in town. They're deep fried and then thrown on the flat top. LOVE THEM. Best way to get them there is Hermanaki style(it's a rub,not a sauce). It's slightly spicy and quite amazing!

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  2. Good lord, did they really send it out of the kitchen with those old, dried up pieces of celery and carrot? Sitting in the bag for way too long.

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    1. yes, thanks for mentioning. The veggies were pretty bad for sure. We did not eat any of them. Makes you wonder if anyone does! :)

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  3. It is kind of an old, familiar haunt (I'm 34 and was pretty much waiting to be allowed in when I turned 21, so it has been interesting to see the changes over the years). I don't really "get" wings - not enough reward for the work - but I'll 2nd the Hermanaki style. These days I pretty much buy my Dad a beer and then we catch up until they're drained. If I'm eating there, I usually go with a small deep dish (and slowly bring up the leftovers to temp in a covered skillet)

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  4. The Hermanaki wings are definitely the best! Also, their deep dish pizza is quite good.

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  5. Jessica in NoblesvilleFebruary 10, 2014 at 10:24 PM

    Ditto Tom and Heather ... Hermanaki wings are the way to go. They are named for the owner (that would be Herman) and have a teriyaki marinade and a spicy dry rub, fried and then grilled. I am not a huge wings fan but I LOVE these. Also really like their deep dish pizza with sausage and spinach, just like my days in Chicago.

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  6. Went there this past Saturday and we sat at a table in the bar area for almost 10 minutes before we got up an left. While busy, the complete lack of acknowledgement to us was sad. Will not go back.

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