Murphy's @ Flynn's

The family and I used to frequent Murphy’s a fair amount before its move. It was a kitschy space that the kids really liked. And I liked that my son, who loves steak and lobster, could get either or both for a very reasonable price. When the construction at Keystone and Fall Creek started last year, Murphy’s decided to move because they knew their business would suffer. They moved in with Pat Flynn’s at 52^nd and Allisonville. They’ve been there for a while now, but we hadn’t made it over to see what the new “Murphy’s @ Flynn’s” would be like. We were curious as to how they combined the menus etc. 

It appears that Murphy’s is the more dominant theme there, although the menu is much larger, incorporating some of the Flynn’s dishes as well (pizza, sandwiches, etc.). Most of the green booths from Murphy’s have been moved, and they have actually done a decent job of incorporating them into the existing space. Sadly, they’ve lost the wine list they had at Murphy’s, which wasn’t amazing, but had a couple of decent reds on it.

We had several different things, mostly that were from the Murphy’s old menu I think. I had a filet dinner ($17.99), which I split with my son. You still get a soup or salad (I think maybe you got both before?) and they still happily have the blue cheese dressing, which is old school, and really chunky, and hubby’s favorite. The lettuce itself is a mix, and just ok, more of just something to soak up the dressing ( We ordered an extra cup of clam chowder because my son really enjoys it. It’s more of a cream heavy version, but had a decent taste. A little hotter temperature might have been nice, although my son didn’t mind because he likes things a little closer to lukewarm. You also get your choice of potato. I went with the twice baked because I don’t remember seeing it on the menu before. It was fine—mostly some cheese on top of a seasoned baked potato. It didn’t have a lot of additional flavor than a regular baked potato, maybe less without any butter. The steak was the best thing on the plate—it was cooked as we ordered it and was nice and tender. They have a pretty decent quality beef for that price point. I also missed the yummy pieces of garlic bread that Murphy’s used to put on the plate (although my son wanted me to be sure to reassure everyone that they do still have the little baskets of crackers on the table, which he loves).

Hubby had the rainbow trout ($16.99), which is seasoned and broiled. Actually, hubby had requested it pan-crusted (which is an option on the menu) and they didn’t do it. He ate it anyway, but said it was pretty bland and didn’t have the crunchy bits he likes from previous experiences. He was trying to be all healthy and got broccoli as his side, which he then didn’t eat because it was barely cooked. Like I said though, he loves that blue cheese dressing and was greatly relieved it was still on the menu.

My mother-in-law had the fried lobster dinner ($17.99), which has been a favorite of ours in the past. How can you not like deep fried lobster? I would have a hard time eating a whole dinner of it (they used to offer it as a combo with a smaller steak) but a piece from her plate was a nice crunchy treat (they also do offer it as a starter). My in-laws both out-ordered us on the sides—they both had hash browns (which I also don’t remember from the old Murphy’s) and I really enjoyed them. They were more almost like potato cakes; with a softer more mashed interior and a really nice crispy edge. I ate as much of these as they kindly shared and this is the side I would get on a future visit.

I think if you stick with the steak and add these hash browns, and with the salad and that blue cheese dressing, you can get a nice solid meal. I can’t speak too much of the Flynn’s items, but I’d be interested to try the pizza. I saw a couple come out of the kitchen and they were nice and thin and looked pretty good. Ever had one?

Murphy’s at Flynn’s

5198 Allisonville Road

Indy 46205

317/545-3707

www.murphyssteakhouse.com 

Murphy's Steakhouse- A little update

We took the kids to Murphy's again last night for dinner. I am not going to write another review since I got the exact same thing I had last time. But this time I took a picture so I thought I would post it... And I have to say, I enjoyed this meal just as much as I did last time. Although I did not follow my own advice and order my steak rare instead of medium rare which I should have. Murphy's "medium rare" is more like medium to me for sure. But I just thought it might have been a fluke the first time. It was not. Love that fried lobster and drawn butter though.

Murphy’s Steakhouse
4189 N. Keystone Ave
Indy 46205
317/545-3707

www.murphyssteakhouse.com

Murphy's Steakhouse

This place is old school. One of those places you drive by and think, I wonder what that place is like. Not in the best neighborhood (just north of 38th on Keystone) and certainly not your typical men’s club steakhouse that is so prevalent now. This is the kind of place my Grandpa would’ve loved (hell, he might have for all I know, he lived here most of his life and this place has been around in some incarnation since the 50s). Apparently, it started out as a Frisch’s Big Boy (you can see it if you really look for it) and then was converted to a steakhouse in the 60s. It has been under the same ownership since 1977 and it must look exactly the same as it has for at least that long (my guess is nothing on the inside has changed since it became a steakhouse.

I called them up to see if they were kid friendly (“Absolutely!”) and if we needed a reservation. It was Saturday, and they said it wouldn’t hurt, so we made one. At 5:30 (we were eating with the kids). When we got there, the place was jammed. I have never been to a restaurant more crowded at that time of day I don’t think. Anyway, I was glad we had reserved, we got a nice booth (I recommend requesting one). The kids loved the place instantly because of all the shamrocks. We aren’t sure if this was because it was almost St. Patrick’s, or if it was because it is an Irish establishment. They also really liked the cracker basket on the table. It has been a number of years since I have seen that, and it reminded me of the restaurants I used to eat at with my Grandparents. The kids stocked up on crackers, ordered their grilled cheeses and we figured out what to eat. In the meantime, they brought us a basket of garlic bread that was also old school and quite tasty—there was no visible garlic butter, but the bread was definitely garlic-y. One of my favorite parts of the meal.

We decide to go for the “Build your own combo.” You get a choice of steak (out of several cuts). I chose the filet. You also get your choice of surf. I chose the fried lobster. I had to. I mean, fried lobster? For real? Hubby had the ribeye and the fried shrimp (you can also choose crab legs or lobster tails or fried scallops. Then you get a soup (onion or soup of the day) and a salad (green salad with choice of dressing or their “house” which was called the monster. It was romaine and iceberg with a warm bacon dressing. Not bad, hubby had it, but I preferred my little tossed salad with blue cheese (there were some nice chunks of blue cheese in there too!). Finally, you got your choice of a side—the usual suspects, baked potato, cheddar mash, hash browns (with or without onions) and a few others that have escaped me. Oh, and you can add béarnaise or mushroom sauce for free. Ok, here’s the clincher. All this food was $21.95. Crazy. Especially when you consider the lobster mashed potatoes at Eddie Merlot’s (that’s right, just the potatoes) were $18.95. The steak was pretty good—a bit overcooked. After surveying both hubby and my steaks, I would recommend ordering a degree lower than what you want. My medium rare was pretty medium. Next time I will get rare. But honestly, this steak was just about as good as some others I have had recently, and it was certainly cheaper. The béarnaise however, was not very good. I did not eat more than one taste of it. But hey, it was free. The fried lobster was also good. I really liked it as cheesy as it sounds (hubby did too). They served it with lemon and drawn butter and it was tasty. Hubby’s fried shrimp were too food service tasting—they didn’t seem made in house. I would skip those. The soup was a basic onion/beef broth with a few onions and some croutons on top—and my favorite part, who needs fancy cheese on top when you can just sprinkle some Parmesan on top with the shaker? Pretty funny. The meals all come with soup and salad though so, try it if you want. The potatoes were just fine. And a portion for one. And included in the price.

The wine list is, as you might guess, somewhat limited, but overall, not as bad as it could be considering. And the pours for glasses of wine were very generous. They also have a full bar.

All in all, this place isn’t your fancy steakhouse, and it isn’t gourmet by any stretch, but it was fun, and cheap, and they really do welcome kids. Our waitress was a Grandma who was super kind to the kids. And obviously people like it based on the crowds. And hey, in the current economy, it might be just what you need!

Murphy’s Steakhouse
4189 N. Keystone Ave
Indy 462
317/545-3707
http://www.murphyssteakhouse.com/ (and hey, there’s even a coupon on the website)