Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant - Indianapolis, IN

I am not a foodie.  I'm not some hipster douchebag with my jeans rolled up like manpri's, some clever form of facial hair combined with some thick framed, non-prescription glasses.  I don't sit around waxing philosophical about the culinary world as if I am a food expert.  Don't get me wrong, I am all about culinary innovation, but I also recognize if my dessert wasn't prepared with liquid nitrogen so I spew a fog of vapor out like a dragon with each bite, then it doesn't mean my dessert isn't cool or good.

I am about real people cooking real food and sharing their love and passion through their menu and ambiance.  I am about supporting hard working individuals that work tirelessly to provide for their families instead of corporate conglomerations that seek to profit while watering down the American culinary experience. 

Despite my aversion often times to the trendy parts of town, I found myself recently in the Broad Ripple section of Indianapolis.  Broad Ripple is often considered the youthful, trendy part of town.  The nightlife in Broad Ripple is the place to be generally.  So with some trepidation I set out to find my kind of place in what I feared would be a hipster stronghold.  On north College Avenue, I spied the Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant.  The signage proudly advertised the place had been in operation since 1933.  That sounded like my kind of place.  I was a tad concerned it may be a hipster enclave since it resides next door to a vinyl record shop, however I promised to give it a shot. 

What's that?  Vinyl records are vintage, you say?  They are and I have plenty of them from my younger years, however I know what they are and how they sounded back in the day.  Not this new trendy way of listening to albums by kids who never smelled the aroma of a freshly opened vinyl album.

Inside the pub, I was greeted by a wealth of warmly-stained woodwork.  I elected to seat myself at the bar.  The bar was well lit and bright, which helped showcase the beautiful woodwork, which includes wooden booths and an all-wood square beam ceiling right out of the 1930s period.  The bar itself was an expansive u-shaped wooden monster allowing for plenty of seating and showing off the 60 beer taps available.  I was at a seminar so I wasn't able to sample the selection, but I took a look and there is something for any beer lover.  Stouts to lagers to IPAs to cider and beyond. 

Some of the Aristocrat Beer Selection

The menu provided by my attentive bartender was ample, however not overcrowded.  It was an eclectic mix of international and American cuisine.  I decided to try the egg rolls as an appetizer.  The portion was large with three full egg rolls and fairly priced at $9.  The egg rolls at the Aristocrat also have chicken in them.  Large chunks of chicken actually and they are served with two different sauces.  The soy-ginger and sesame-garlic sauces are similarly Asian, yet distinct in texture and flavor.  I spent time sampling back and forth and I like the soy-ginger the best in the end.  It was salty with a good bite from the ginger and the sesame-garlic was good, but seemed a little too thick and sweet for me.

The veggies in the egg roll were crisp and fresh and the chicken was juicy.  Everything played well with the sauces.  My only criticism was that the middle portion of each egg roll wrapper was a little soggy.  I would have preferred the wrapper a bit crispier.  All in all, the dish was great and the meal was off to a good start.

Egg Roll Appetizer

I chose a sandwich for my entrée and decided to go with the Smokey Reubenson, a cleverly named twist on a traditional reuben.  The Smokey Reubenson consists of smoked turkey breast and swiss cheese piled between grilled slices of marble rye.  The sandwich also gets a generous slathering of a tangy slaw.  The portion was large and everything worked fairly well together.  The turkey had some crispy signs it spent some time on the flattop and the cheese was equal parts ooey and gooey.  The slaw was crisp and finely chopped, although I didn't care as much for the dressing.  It was essentially a 1000 dressing, however it was a bit bland without much bite or flavor to it.  The dressing certainly didn't ruin the sandwich, however the side of kettle chips stole the show.

A heaping mound of kettle chips came with the sandwich and they were delicious.  The chips were warm and extra crispy as a good kettle chip should be.  The chips showed evidence of a salty, garlicky, peppery adornment on them making them impossible to stop eating.  I definitely considered ordering some on the side to take home.  The bartender told me the chips were not made in the restaurant, but sourced locally from a small batch chipmaker. 

The Smokey Reubenson

All in all, I was very impressed with the lunch I had at the Aristocrat.  The sandwich was ample to eat alone and was affordable at $9.  If you crave a wide selection of domestic, craft and international beers paired with a solid menu of food, then I think you will enjoy the experience.  The staff was also knowledgeable about the menu and took great care of me, checking in often and refilling my drink regularly.  The current staff are doing a good job of maintaining the traditional appeal of a place that has been around 80 years in an area where the new seems to be preferred over the old.  The distinct lack any signs of hispters present during my lunchtime visit let me know they have been doing things right for some time.  As a matter of fact, the two gentlemen dining on my side of the bar were old enough to have dined at the bar when it first opened.  Hopefully I will be dining there in another 70 years as the tradition continues.

The Scottish Arms - St. Louis, MO

When you think of the culinary scene in St. Louis, Missouri, most people often think of the great Italian food on The Hill.  Perhaps even the great barbecue in town may come to mind as well.  Certainly most would not think of traditional English and Scottish cuisine.  Tucked away just west of the Saint Louis University campus on the west side of downtown, is a traditional pub serving great dishes and great beer.  And unlike so many of the "pubs" in America that are owned and operated by "Yanks" who like the idea of a pub and go do their research, this pub is owned by an expert.  Straight from Aberdeen, Scotland, the owner grew up knowing what traditional pub food was firsthand and now shares it with the St. Louis community.

Admittedly, I had been searching for some traditional pub grub for a long time and it's not easy to find.  The weather was near perfection on the day of my visit so I sat outside on the back patio.  We were greeted by our server and the authenticity continued as our server was born and raised in London, England.  She knew the menu, could vouch for its authenticity, and her accent made it seem like we were in jolly ole England. 

I began my journey with a pint of Filler's London Porter.  Served warm in traditional fashion, it had a smoky, sweet flavor that made it very enjoyable on a cool summer evening.  We ordered the Highland Gathering appetizer sampler and settled in to enjoy.

Highland Gathering Sampler

The sampler offered a full selection of traditional fare.  the Scotch eggs were hands down my favorite.  Hard-boiled eggs wrapped in haggis and tolled in breadcrumbs before being deep fried.  The velvety texture of egg yolks was so well balanced against the crispy outer coating and savory meat.  What a great balance of textures and the honey, dijon mustard sauce was a great dipper.

The platter also featured haggis fritters.  Similar to the Scottish eggs, the haggis fritter is a ball of haggis meat coated in breadcrumbs, deep fried, and made to dip in a sweet, whiskey sauce.  I will admit that this was my least favorite part of the dish, simply because haggis is not a favorite of mine yet I was adventurous enough to try it.  the meat was well seasoned and perfectly fragile inside.

Baby Birdies came next.  Minced, seasoned beef was tucked away  inside of puff pastry.  These were great little treats.  A crispy, flaky crust with juicy meat inside.  How could you go wrong?

Last but not least, the plate featured smoked salmon with capers on crustini.  the crispy, crunch of the bread, the saltiness of the capers and the smoky flavors of the velvety salmon all melted together into one delicious bite.  I love salmon and especially smoked salmon.  So this was a pleasant pre-entree treat.

For my entree, I refilled my pint of London Porter and ordered up the fish and chips.  You can't get much more traditional than that.  My co-worker ordered Bangers and Mash and Squeek.  My fish and chips arrived piping hot with a huge haddock filet tucked inside of an ale batter.  The batter was crispy and the fish inside was soft and juicy.  The best part was that the dish wasn't greasy at all.  The sign of a great, traditional dish of fish and chips.  The lemon caper dipping sauce was tart and refreshing, while I also had the malt vinegar I wanted add that extra bit of tartness.

Fish and Chips

My co-workers entree arrived and it looked equally scrumptious.  He had a large portion of potatoes surrounded by two handmade sausages and a few fresh carrots.  We traded samples and the sausage was well spiced and juicy, while the potatoes were firm yet fully cooked.

Bangers N Squeek

The food at The Scottish Arms is authentic and the servers know their stuff.  The males on staff wear kilts and the beer is served traditionally and compliments the meals.  Food is affordable given the portions.  The entrees we had were $13 each and we were there for happy hour so the beers were $1 off each pint.  The Scottish Arms exceeded my expectations in nearly every way and aside from all of their traditional fare, they have a great farm fresh menu comprised of dishes that rotate based on the locally sourced, farm fresh ingredients that are available.