Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma (D.N.M.) wrote the definitive visitor’s guide to his native city, Indianapolis. This installment of Judge Thuma’s Guide covers some of David’s favorite restaurants. A separate Blog post covers Judge Thuma;s Guide to bars, pubs and taverns.

Restaurants

Beholder. 1844 E. 10th St. East of downtown but not too far, this is a new restaurant near Woodruff Place that has gotten good reviews. A bit pricey I understand. Owned by the Milktooth people, which is a good thing.

Bluebeard Restaurant. 653 Virginia Ave. Located in Fletcher Place, this restaurant has a national reputation. Named for a Vonnegut novel, the restaurant occupies a former warehouse in a historic Italian neighborhood. My sister loves this place! Next door is Amelia’s bakery, which also is excellent.

Iaria’s Italian Restaurant. 317 College Ave. Iaria’s is an old-style Italian restaurant, established in 1933. You have to be in the mood for lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs. The building is funky, in a good way.

The Point on Penn. 605 N. Pennsylvania Street. A nouvelle cuisine restaurant located on the site of the former Elbow Room, an old tavern of some renown.

Shapiro’s Delicatessen, 808 S. Meridian Street (about 9 blocks from the hotel). Shapiro’s has been Indianapolis’ go-to deli since 1905. Bring your wallet because it’s not cheap, but the sandwiches are excellent.

St. Elmo Steak House. 127 S. Illinois Street. An Indianapolis landmark since 1902. There is nothing new or modern about it, but the steaks are good and the wine list is extensive.

Breakfast and Lunch

Café Patachou. 225 W. Washington St. A good breakfast and lunch spot, two blocks from the hotel. I understand I grew up in the same neighborhood as the owner.

The Gallery Pastry Shop. 1101 E. 54th St. Great for breakfast, brunch and pastries.

Milktooth. 534 Virginia Ave. A hipster-ish place for breakfast and brunch, in the Fountain Square neighborhood. I used to work at a plastic foam peanut factory in Fountain Square, back before it was gentrified.

Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma (D.N.M.) wrote the definitive visitor’s guide to his native city, Indianapolis. This installment of Judge Thuma’s Guide covers eleven places to visit near the Marriott hotel where the NCBJ Conference will be held.

The Athenaeum. 401 E. Michigan St. The Athenaeum is a large building designed in the German Renaissance Revival style. It was built in 1898 for the German community. The Athenaeum has a German restaurant (the Rathskeller) and a coffee shop. I sometimes ushered at the theatre when I was in high school, part of my mother’s effort to expose me to higher culture.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse. 125 S. Pennsylvania St. This is where the Indiana Pacers play. It is an interesting arena, designed to harken back to an earlier day.Circle Theatre. 1 Monument Circle. Built in 1916 in the Neoclassical style, it is now home to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey there in 1968. Also Hair!

Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. 46 E. Ohio Street. Another Beaux-Arts building, completed in 1905, it is imposing, and the home of the bankruptcy court.

Indiana State Capitol building. 200 W. Washington Street. Completed in 1888, the capitol building is a handsome Beaux Arts building that houses all three branches of government. The stained glass rotunda window is original. I was a tour guide at the statehouse in 1979.

The Indianapolis Zoo. 1200 W. Washington Street. A nice, friendly zoo that is right across the river from the hotel. A pleasant way to spend a couple of hours with the family.

Lucas Oil Stadium. 500 S. Capitol Ave. Home of the Colts. The old Hoosier Dome was no great shakes, just another bubble stadium, but Lucas Oil Stadium (opened 2008) is quite something. You can’t miss its hulking presence.

Monument Circle, 1 Monument Circle, is the epicenter of the city. The neoclassical limestone memorial is worth a walk-around. In December it becomes the “World’s Largest Christmas Tree.”

The Eiteljorg Museum, 500 W. Washington Street. The museum, only a stone’s throw from the hotel, features Native American and Western art and artifacts. It is in a beautiful modern building that will remind you of New Mexico. It’s very well done.

Victory Field. Across the street from the hotel. Victory Field is home of the Indianapolis Indians, a Triple A ball club affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The ballpark, built in 1996, holds 14,200 fans and is a beauty.

White River State Park. 801 W. Washington St. The hotel is essentially in the park, which is 250 acres of canal, river, walks, zoos, gardens, and museums. It’s all new and nice.

The World War Memorial Plaza. Immediately north of the federal building, it is a good example of “City Beautiful” planning that was in vogue from 1900-1941. You can eat your lunch on Obelisk Square and watch the fountain.

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Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma (D.N.M.) wrote the definitive visitor’s guide to his native city, Indianapolis. A previous installment of the Guide covers places to visit near the Marriott hotel where the NCBJ Conference will be held. This installment of Judge Thuma’s Guide covers other interesting places to visit in the City.

Broad Ripple Village. About six miles north of downtown, it is home to many restaurants, shops, and art galleries. I don’t think it is too touristy and trendy, but maybe. The Vogue Theater is a Broad Ripple landmark. The Vogue used to be a movie theater but now is a nightclub with live music. I saw The Ramones at the Vogue in 1983, when I was a summer clerk at Barnes & Thornburg.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 4790 W. 16th St. You really should not miss this monument to motorsport. The sheer size of the track and the stands is reason enough to visit—the largest sports venue in the world. It’s about six miles from the hotel, so don’t try to walk. The museum, which is part of the track, is worth a visit too.

Indianapolis Museum of Art. 4800 Michigan Rd. The museum is next to the Lilly house. It’s a nice art museum on lovely grounds near White River.

Lilly House and Gardens. 1200 W. 38th St. Also known as Oldfields, this mansion was built in 1909. The Lillys (of Eli Lilly fame) bought the place in 1932. The house and grounds are beautiful.

North Meridian Street. Meridian Street, starting at about 40th, is block after block of big houses built in the first half of the 20th century. Every ambitious Indianapolis lawyer at some point entertained thoughts of buying “a big house on Meridian.” Meridian Street north of downtown is pretty interesting too. At 34th Street is Shortridge High School, where Richard Lugar, Kurt Vonnegut, Booth Tarkington, and Dan Wakefield graduated, back when the school had a daily newspaper and a linotype in the basement. I went there too, when it was a much different school.

Woodruff Place Historic District. 735 East Drive. An elegant Victorian residential area with wide esplanades that contain fountains, flower urns, and statuary. It used to be run down but has been restored to its former glory.

Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma (D.N.M.) wrote the definitive visitor’s guide to his native city, Indianapolis. This installment of Judge Thuma’s Guide covers Indianapolis bars, pubs, and taverns.

By the way, what is the difference between a bar, pub, and tavern? Judge Thuma refers to the Alley Cat Lounge as a “dive bar.” What kind of bar is that? You have come to the right place. See the Blog post entitled A Bar by any other name is just as sweet: Bars. Pubs, Taverns and Much More.

9 Irish Brothers. 575 Massachusetts Ave. A traditional Irish pub, in case you develop a hankering for Bangers and Mash.

Alley Cat Lounge. 6267 Carrollton Ave. If you are in the mood for a dive bar, there is the Alley Cat, in Broad Ripple. I watched Bobby Knight’s Hurrying Hoosiers with the National Championship in 1981 at the Alley Cat. Broad Ripple is worth a look if you have a car.

Bonge’s Tavern. 9830 W. 280 N, Anderson, IN. OK, this place is a hike, it’s in the middle of nowhere. They don’t take reservations and people tailgate in the parking lot. American fare with a rural atmosphere. Everybody loves Bonge’s!

Red Key Tavern. 5170 N. College Ave. This old bar (established in 1933) has some history. Kurt Vonnegut is alleged to have frequented the joint, as is Dan Wakefield. The Red Key was voted one of the 150 best bars in America. It’s cash only.St. Josephs Brewery & Public House. 540 N. College Ave. They make their own beer; the food is good, and it is served in a former catholic church with a lot of local history.

Slippery Noodle Inn. 372 S. Meridian Street. The Noodle, 4-5 blocks from the hotel, is Indiana’s oldest bar (founded in 1850). The inn features live blues. The building is in the National Register of Historic Places. You can get a pork tenderloin sandwich with your beer.

St. Josephs Brewery & Public House. 540 N. College Ave. They make their own beer; the food is good, and it is served in a former catholic church with a lot of local history.

The Tap. 306 N. Delaware Street. The Tap is a large microbrewery and restaurant. It’s about 9 blocks from the hotel. I hear the beer is good.

The Workingman’s Friend. 234 Belmont Ave. An old school tavern with good burgers and pork tenderloin sandwiches. If you want haute cuisine and an artisanal cocktail, this ain’t the place.

Judge Thuma Guide to Indianapolis refers to various establishments as a bar, dive bar, pub, or tavern. Do you know the difference?  If so, STOP here. If not, READ ON.

All definitions are taken from the authoritative source, Wikipedia (quotation marks are intentionally deleted).

“Bar” is derived from the specialized counter on which drinks are served and ranges from seedy to elegants. A bar may provide live entertainment.

“Beer Hall” is a large pub that specializes in beer.

“Brewpub” is a pub or restaurant that brew beer on the premises.

“Cantina” a type of bar common in Latin America and Spain. In Italy “cantina”  refers to a room below the ground level where wine and other products such as salami are stored.

“Dive Bar” is a seedy bar or nightclub.

“Grog shop” is a drinking place of disreputable character.

“Honky-tonk” is a bar that provides live county music.

“Izakaya” (居酒屋) is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks.

“Pub” (short for “public house) is an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises.

“Speakeasy” is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. A speakeasy sometimes is called a blind pig or blind tiger.

“Tavern” is a place where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and also serves food, but it is not licensed to put up guests. If a tavern is licensed to house lodgers it is called an Inn.

“Western saloon” is a bar peculiar to the old west serving fur trappers, cowboys, soldiers, lumberjacks, businessmen, lawmen, outlaws, miners, and gamblers. A saloon may also be known as watering trough or grogshop.