Flatwater - Revisit

It has been literally years since I have been to Flatwater, and people keep recommending it to me, so we took the kids one of those lovely early summer nights we had before it was too hot. Of course, we weren’t the only ones thinking this, and ended up having to eat inside (or wait an hour for an outside table).

So we started with an order of pulled pork poutine ($12) because my daughter is obsessed with poutine. If it’s on the menu, she has to have it. She even makes her own at home quite frequently. Anyway, theirs is an interesting version with fries, pulled pork, pork gravy, cheddar cheese curds and scallions. For some reason it doesn’t seem as poutiney as some, more like loaded fries. I think because the pulled pork, which isn’t traditional is more dominant, and the gravy wasn’t very noticeable maybe. They were good cheesy fries though. And enough to feed an army. Their fries are hand cut and quite tasty.

For my main dish, I was excited to try the tuna tartare ($14) because a couple of people had mentioned it to me, and I had a version of it years back that wasn’t so good. This one was really, really good though. The cubes of tuna were tossed in a marinade with lime, Sriracha and soy (and a lime on the side that I squeezed on top too) and then a drizzle of avocado cucumber puree was across the top. The tartare was on top of crispy wonton chips and some sesame slaw. I thought it could use just a touch more soy, which they brought me, but overall this is one of my favorite versions in town now. And although it is listed as an appetizer, it is a very nice dinner for one. I will definitely be ordering this again (and hopefully next time we’ll get to sit outside).

My daughter, who is starting to love tuna as much as I do, ordered the seared tuna appetizer ($14), which is sesame seed encrusted and served on top of chunks of avocado, lettuce, carrots and daikon and surrounded by a lemongrass ponzu. This is a bit lighter, simpler tasting version of the tuna that is slightly cooked if that is your preference. I liked the ponzu sauce with it. I appreciate that both make nice light entrées. While the menu has a lot of heavier, meatier sandwiches and such, there are several nice options for something else—and they still taste really good. I liked the tartare better though, just because there was more going on.

My son had a burger with cheese, bacon and mushrooms with a side of fries ($14). He asked for it medium rare and they served it that way. It was a very good burger with a very nice pretzel bun. He really enjoyed it as did hubby, who snuck in several bites. It was tender and very juicy—almost too juicy but that I think was mainly the fault of the mushrooms. My son said he probably wouldn’t order mushrooms next time just because they made it a little soggy, even though he liked the taste of the mushrooms.

Hubby had a brisket Reuben sandwich ($13). They smoke their own brisket and then use the rest of the traditional accompaniments on the sandwich—sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese. Hubby thought the brisket was really good, he only wished there was a bit more of it. But I kind of liked that the sandwich wasn’t enormous. The bites I had were very tasty.

We didn’t get a dessert here because the kids had their hearts set on Nicey Treat, but we really enjoyed everything we had. It was one of a few places that I think everyone would be just as happy to return to. And hopefully, we can sit outside next time.

Flatwater

832 East Westfield Blvd

Indy 46220

317/257-5466

www.flatwaterbroadripple.com 

Flatwater Restaurant

As far as I can tell, Broad Ripple has an apparent inability to support more than a couple of decent restaurants (now bars on the other hand, apparently are another story). So when something new comes along that seems like it might have potential, of course we want to try it... And hey, there’s a deck, and it’s on water (ok, it’s the canal, but it’s still water).

We started with an appetizer of tuna tartare. Unfortunately (for Flatwater), it had not been that long since we enjoyed a delivered meal from Brad Gates Catering in which his tuna tartare was involved, and comparisons were going to be made. Although, there really was no comparison, they really were in a completely different league, or stratosphere, or universe. You get my drift. To start, this tuna was inherently not the best quality. I don’t know, my guess is they don’t sell a lot, but it looked and tasted a little mushy. But even if the tuna had been beautiful, there was no flavor on it. I could make out a couple pieces of cilantro mixed in and possibly a hint of sesame oil and that was about all. There was a lime on the side which was promptly squeezed across the fish by me, but was not nearly enough. I got the server’s attention, asked for a bunch more lime, doused it with some salt and pepper and finally, it became nearly edible. Scratch this off the list for sure. Again, if you don’t have the turnover for a high quality raw dish, take it off the menu. Please.

For my main dish, I had the shrimp tacos, which actually were probably the best thing we had. The shrimp mixed with the pico de gallo and a small amount of cheese actually had a nice fresh flavor—the shrimp were actually perfectly cooked and seasoned, and after squeezing the teeny piece of lime served with each one (as well as the lemon garnish), they were bright and tasty. There was maybe a little more tortilla to fillings ratio than I would have liked, but if pressured into going again, I might actually order these again.

Hubby had the salmon sandwich with fries. The sandwich consisted of smoked salmon, greens, avocado, bacon and a dill sauce. Let’s just say, he was not pleased with his sandwich. The fish was so overcooked, it was completely dry. He asked for the dill sauce on the side and was glad he did because he didn’t really care for it that much. Honestly, the fish was so unappealing (and salmon isn’t my fave anyway) that I didn’t even try a bite. I did eat some of his fries though—they were the other best thing we had there. Could have used some sort of interesting sauce to dip them in. I mean, in Broad Ripple, you have some kick ass fries and sauces around (e.g. Brugge and Taste) so come up with something. That’s all I am saying. The fries aren’t getting me back there on their own though, that’s for sure.

So basically, this little spot, which is location-wise, a little gem in Broad Ripple, needs to amp up the food if it wants to be known as a good restaurant. Right now, it’s a friendly looking bar with a great location and food that is okay. But maybe that’s enough for them. Sigh…

Flatwater Restaurant
832 East Westfield
Indy 46220
317/257-5466
www.flatwaterbroadripple.com