Carving our way through the city's downtown reconstruction in preparation for the next Super Bowl, amazingly we land in front what is purported to be Indianapolis' best eatery, Harry and Izzy's. I was not aware of the fame of this center city food palace but my brother, David, came loaded with a healthy appetite. Fortunately, given the construction, there was valet parking so we had a few moments to stroll about the downtown. We briefly viewed the new 5-star hotel, The Conrad, and we peeked into the elegant old Canterbury Hotel just next to the restaurant. It was good to know that such places existed given the possibility of a future visit.
Just before our scheduled time we entered this lushly appointed sports bar for a possible early seating. We were easily accommodated and settled into a very nice leather booth in an smaller room just off of the bar. It would be a good space to have our brotherly chat as contrasted to the much larger and noisier bar area. As we were escorted through the main bar area I notice that the patrons were a large, earthy group and they reminded me of my life as a young boy growing up in the heartland. Our waiter brought menus and a wine list. We perused and chatted as light jazz played in the background. After a time the waiter returned with some lovely breads and to receive our selections. David selected a glass of house chardonnay and I ordered a bottle of 2008 Domaine Drouhin Pinot, which we would hopefully eventually share. White wine drinkers in steak joints befuddle me. Yes, as I looked over the menu it was obvious that this was a steak place.
For starters we would share an over sized portion of this restaurant's renowned Shrimp Cocktail to be covered in a very spicy horseradish sauce. David's dinner choice was a medium Rib eye Steak with a side of Potato Pancakes (a Hoosier/German delicacy). For me, who seldom orders a steak away from home, the Rack of Lamb on the rare side with a side of Asparagus Spears would be just fine. We sipped and waited, but not for too long. The Shrimp Cocktail was served shortly and it was covered in a sauce that was truly spicy. The shrimp were large and meaty. The meat was firm so they had been perfectly cooked. The sauce was "eye watering" and certainly not a good sauce for wine. So, we slowly nibbled away at this dish and sipped our cold waters. The waiter did an excellent job of pacing our dinner, probably knowing that it would take us awhile to finish the spicy shrimp.
The remains of the appetizer were removed and our entrees were delivered. The steak serving looked like a typical steak serving, possibly a bit larger. However, the Rack of Lamb looked great. We stopped our chatting and addressed the mass of meat before us. The lamb was seated in a bed of delicious orange sauce and was perfectly cooked. Each morsel was tender and, when dipped into the sauce, was perfectly spiced. The Asparagus Spears were a beautiful green and they, too, were nicely cooked. They had been bathed in butter, making each taste rich and each bite crisp. I did not have a taste of David's steak but I do recall hearing several moans of culinary pleasure from his side of the booth. We finished with a dessert which was not memorable.
I do not frequent steak houses in the normal course of my culinary adventures but, this is America's heartland where meat is king, so, there I was. The ambiance was nice, although it would have been quite noisy in the main dining/bar area, the service was friendly and perfectly paced, and the food was excellent. It might not be a place I would revisit but I am not sorry for the time we spent at Harry and Izzy's.
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