Scotty's Brewhouse, Indianapolis, IN

This past week week we did a family trip in Indianapolis and my contact at the visitor's bureau picked out some restaurants for us to try on our visit. She hit it out of the ball park as every meal we had was fantastic. One of our faves was Scotty's Brewhouse's downtown location.

We ended up visiting about 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, so we got there in between the lunch and dinner crowds and snagged a parking spot right in front of the restaurant at 1 Virginia Avenue (1 block away from Banker's Life Fieldhouse.)

A sport bar with the word "brewhouse" in its name might not sound like a top pick for a meal with the kids, but I think it was the most family friendly of the places we dined at while in town. Kids are sure to be entertained by the televisions at every table (with the exception of the window seats) and even in the bathrooms. The silverware comes wrapped in a blue kitchen-sized towel, which comes in handy for little spills and makes it not so intimidating to be at with younger ones.

Then there's the extensive kids' menu which is one of the best I've seen in any restaurant. There were eleven options - everything from a quarter-pound burger to buttered penne to min corn dogs and healthier options of a soup and salad or peanut butter and honey sandwich on a multigrain thin bun. Meals come with a free side - again there are eleven options ranging from fruit salad to steamed broccoli to cajun black beans and dirty rice and including kid favorites like tater tots, mac-n-cheese, homemade chips and four different kinds of fries. A drink is also included. And huge plus - we happened to be visiting on Tuesday when kids 12 and under eat free (one free kid meal per each adult entree) if you are a VIP member. Becoming a VIP member is free and I logged in to scottysbrewhouse.com/vip right on my phone and was done in two minutes. Kids also eat free on Sundays. How great is that?

My only regret about our experience is that we were trying to head out for another stop and didn't take adequate time to look through the menu better. After the fact, I'm finding more good stuff I would have really liked to have tried. So, make sure you allow time to look through the multi-page menu with lots of salads, sandwiches, burgers and beers and just kick back and relax.

So, on to our meal. I'd gotten a hint to try the dill chips, so I made sure to order those right away. They were amazing. I truly could have eaten the entire plate, but I shared. :) I also had to save room for what was to come. The deep fried pickles are served with three sauces - ranch, mo'fo' mustard (a delicious tangy mustard with a kick) and horseradish sauce (surprisingly not with a huge kick - just enough and so creamy and good!) I wish they sold the sauces in bottle because I would love to keep that stocked in my fridge! :)

The Thr3e Wise Men brews served up there are ridiculously reasonably priced compared to a lot of craft brews we've gotten at various brewpubs. Hubby's pint was just $3 and I got a $6 sampler. All of them were good, but LOVED the Snow Bunny Blond!!!

The kids were all pleased with their choices. One had the Lincoln's Chicken Nuggets (which I somehow missed getting a picture of).

Another had the Vaughn's grilled cheese with fresh fruit salad. He gave it a thumbs up.

Another got the mac-n-cheese, which he declared the best he's eaten in a restaurant. :)

The oldest got a quarter pound burger with mac and cheese for a side - topped with bacon!!! I really wanted to dig into his, but I refrained. He loved it!

And here's what I got:

If you like gourmet burgers, you will love this place! I looked at the Build-Your-Own Burger menu. Again, sooo many yummy choices!!! You choose one of seven meats - Indiana bison, farm raised turkey and farm raised beef are among the choices. I got a quarter pound specially blended ground chuck. Next you choose one of 18 styles - and it is really hard to choose. I finally settled on the Steakhouse Philly - sautéed mushrooms, green peppers, red onions, Swiss cheese and A1 sauce. My mouth is watering as I type. Oh, and yes, I did get a soup-size bowl of nacho cheese for dipping my waffle fries. :) And it was well worth the calories.

Hubby opted for a chicken wrap with homemade seasoned potato chips. Yummmm!

There's also a great selection of lunch specials for $7.99. Portions on everything seemed to be very generous, so it's a total bargain. 

Although there was little room left for dessert, my son and I decided to share a slice. They all sounded awesome!!! Our server, Ali, advised us that the peanut butter pie, carrot cake and German chocolate cake were all family recipes passed down from Scotty's grandmother. That sealed it - and we got a slice of peanut butter pie. It's ranks up there in pretty high in my list of favorite desserts ever. The crust was perfect, the filling was fluffy and full of flavor, but not too rich and we opted for some caramel sauce drizzled over the top, which finished it off perfectly. Sorry, my son dug in before I got a pic, so this is a shot of the awesome peanut butter pie, minus a couple bites. ;)

There's also great outdoor patio seating, but we ate inside since it was quite windy.

Scotty's soared beyond expectations and I'd totally recommend it to anyone visiting Indy. The only negative for this place for me is that there isn't one in the Chicago area. :( Boo! Hoo! If there was, it would totally be a regular spot for us. So, Scotty, I'm sending out a plea ~ come to Chicago or the Chicago burbs and I promise I'll be there when you open ready to order a plate of dill chips and a pint of Snow Bunny Blonde!

Until Scotty makes his way to the Windy City, there are eight locations in Indiana. One is in Mishiwaka and I do make my way to the South Bend area on occasion. By the way - Happy Anniversary to Chicago Foodie Sister Becky!! A year ago we were at her wedding on the campus of Notre Dame - what a breathtakingly beautiful place to be married!!!!

Scotty's Brewhouse

1 Virginia Ave.

Indianapolis, IN

317-571-0808

www.scottysbrewhouse.com