Tavern on South - Explosion...

My roommate visted Tavern on South and told me I needed to try it.  First of all the location is right next to Lucas Oil stadium, which is awesome for events!  Second, it has its own parking lot!!!  Yes a free place to park Downtown!

The decor inside has a sports theme to it, and it is very cozy.  As I was seated I noticed the beer line up at the bar....WOW!!!  Great selection of beers!  I didn't know where to start!  The menu is very nice.  I ordered the bison burger with fries.  I had to!  My roommate got it and said it was great, and it is hard to find bison meat at restaurants!  It was amazing!  The meat was very moist and the bacon was superb!  I asked and Tavern on South buys the bacon locally, which is a huge plus in my book!  The fries were good too, nice and crispy!  It came out warm and the fries were seasoned well.

Some people get picky about fries and it makes me laugh!  Like I have said before, fried stuff is all the same!  I think if you can tell a huge different between fries, you are probably eating it too much and need to stop!  Critiquing fried food is like giving an opinion on fast food....it is irrelevant and a waste of time!

I was able to enjoy a pint of the Single Wide IPA, then I had People's Mr. Brown....both excellent!  I haven't found these beers available on tap in Indy!  Hats off to Tavern on South and I wish you best of luck!  I can't wait till the summer to enjoy the rooftop patio either!  I am excited thinking about it!

Lastly, the service was great!  I read some reviews that were a little negative about the service, and my advice is to give a restaurant another chance!  Sometimes servers have off nights, or you can be the table that everything just messed up on; regardless, give places second chances.  Everyone should wait a couple of months after a place is open so it has the opportunity to work out all the kinks.  Each and every restaurant is its own beast.  When you are a restaurant manager, you basically plan for the unexpected and hope things work out for the best.  Unless the staff was spitting on you, or telling you to f*ck off....try it again.  Even though you are being waited on, you are not a princess so relax and try to enjoy the good points!  Again, I am very pleased to see something like this open in Indianapolis!  Cheers!

Mesh on Mass, not a Mess

I have visited Mesh several times since it has opened a few months ago and I haven't been disappointed once.  Mesh has it all!  It has a wonderful and intimate outdoor area that is enjoyable when the weather is warm.  The inside decor is up-beat and cozy, all at the same time.  It is a great place to dine if you have a large group, an intimate dinner, a quick bite before a show, or if you want to grab a dessert and drink after a show!  I would picture someone like Jennifer Aniston dinning here.  It is classy and fun, but not too trendy where most may feel out of place.

The service is always great!  And the menu items are even better.  Mesh offers a happy hour menu from 4-6 and late night.  Everything is $2, and the menu is big!  Great way to grab a snack instead of having fast food or something fried.  Dinner items I have tried were the burger, the wedge salad and the sea bass.  All three were delicious!  The chef does a lovely job on presentation.  I love the variety on the menu as well.  There are lower prices sandwiches or there are higher priced entree items, so it really fits every budget!  And if you want to indugle....get a dessert...you will be in heaven!

Thursday nights are fun!  Mesh offers half priced martinis all day long.  I guess it wants to compete with 45 degrees, and there is a definite competition!  I give many kudos on the Old-Fashion Ginger Martini!  It is excellent!  It is also nice to have a place that is featuring whiskey or bourben based drinks!!!  THANK YOU!!!  I am a HUGE whiskey, bourben and scotch drinker.  With good scotch drinks it is good to sip on it "neat" or on the "rocks", but it feels good to be included in a nightly special every now and then.  Let's be honest too, don't you all get sick and tired of having the same old specials of margaritas and long islands???  Boring.  Mesh is a great addition to the Indianapolis market!  Downtown needed something like this to come along, especially on Mash Ave!

Now, if you are a person that wants to pay $5 for a burger and get endless fries, go to Ruby Tuesday's.  You will be happy there.  The cost of items are priced out well at Mesh.  Good food is not cheap!  I am a big believer in "you pay for what you get".  Mesh is definitely worth the money.  Anywhere that has a chef preparing the meals, and there are good items to accompany it, you the consumer will pay more.  Why?  It takes money to pay a staff that knows what needs to be done.  Second, good sea bass and meat isn't cheap.  I know a lot of you out there live in la la land, but restaurants do not operate as a non-for-profit.  Whoever owns the entity would like to make some money, and be able to pay the staff well.  We are in America!  And I'd rather give my money to someone putting out a good product, and who pays taxes, then someone who has given up and would rather stand on a corner and get drunk.  So if you are that person that likes to b*tch because the Indianapolis area never has anything new, or you are sick of chains...this is the place for you!  Please remember, you aren't going to pay chain prices. 

Also, if you all have noticed I don't post pictures.  Why?  I am not a food photographer, and there is a real art in capturing the quality of a food item.  I'm not going to butcher a beautiful sea bass with my camera phone and a shaky hand after I've had a few drinks!  Also, you have to really take my word on this stuff!  Hopefully I sound believable enough you'll you see it for yourself!  Plus you can't smell and taste a picture and that's the best part about food!