On April 3, Christy and I dined at Scotty's Brewhouse in Indianapolis. We were staying at the Hotel Indigo, nearby and love to find new places that we can eat that have gluten free/allergen free offerings. Scotty's is a sports bar located on the north side of suburban Indianapolis, tucked in a business park along 96th st. Originally we planned to eat there the previous day, while watching Butler play VCU. Bad plan, in a sports bar, near game time. Problem was we couldn't get a seat. So we went back the next day.
The website for Scotty's links to their menu, which has a substantial gluten free offering, for a sports bar. At the time of writing, there's 1 appetizer, several entrees, and quite a few sides to choose from. Not to mention the fact that they will make any burger/chicken sandwich gluten friendly as well. That's not where Scotty's stops. They offer a gluten free beer (Lakefront New Grist), and wait for it..... gluten free dessert! They serve oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from a local company, called Isabella's Best. The cookies are gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, peanut, and tree nut free. Being that they're oatmeal, Christy couldn't have them, but it was great to see someone carrying very allergen responsible cookies, let alone gluten free.
Now, actually, for the meal. Christy had the half order of the smothered bar-b-q bacon chicken, with a side of blue corn tortilla chips and salsa. The portions were large. The half order of chicken was probably a 7-8 ounce breast grilled and topped with a sweet and smoky bbq sauce. The chicken was very tender, and not bland in taste. The chips were fresh, crispy, and not overly salty, something that tends to plague bars. The salsa was fresh tasting, with some occasional kick of the diced green chiles. All in all, a very filling meal. I had the bugle blazin' blues burger gluten free, in the "lettuce bun." I was very hesitant at that option, as that can mean anything from wrapped in a giant piece(s) of iceberg lettuce, to a 1/4 wedge of lettuce on top and below the burger. I also got the burger without the bleu cheese, but instead opted for pepper jack. And, I had to have a side of the Scotty's Mofo Hot Sauce. I had a side of garlic mashed potatoes. The potatoes were bland, tasting of the instant variety, and required large amounts of both salt and pepper, to make them taste like anything other than lightly butter flavored paper. The burger is an 8oz patty. It came on a plate on its lettuce bun. The bun consisted of 2 leaves of iceberg lettuce, torn slightly bigger than the patty, both under it, and not sturdy enough to have actually picked it up. The meat itself was very moist, juicy, and very flavorful. After taking the first bite, I topped it with the hot sauce. The sauce was magnificent. It's most likely a habanero base. To the spicy sensitive, it's probably a bit much. But that's why they warn you that it's hot. I mean, really, it's called Mofo Hot Sauce, there's a clue. I found it very tasty. The heat overpowers any of the other flavors in the sauce, but it was good. After the meal, I felt satisfied. If I wasn't driving back to Michigan right after eating, I might have had some dessert (or a gluten free beer), but I couldn't have made the trip feeling stuffed or drunk, as I'm a lightweight. So, we'll have to try that next time.
On the allergen front, we waited the requisite 60 hours for the full spectrum of Christy's potential reactions to occur, and very thankfully, nothing happened. I also fared very well. That tells me that Scotty's cleans the grill or uses a dedicated space to make the grilled options (as Christy is that sensitive we would have noticed). It also tells me that the bbq sauce is yeast free, in the form of yeast extract. No reactions means we'll be back some other time we're in town, that's for sure.
I give Scotty's credit. To integrate gluten free offerings in a restaurant is tough, and in a sports bar, where the expected foods are breaded and fried, even tougher. But they did a great job. Flavors were great, atmosphere as well. Not to mention, that they're clearly Cubs fans, as some of the staff wore shirts that on the back said "Go Cubs!" I greatly enjoy the fact that there is someplace I can watch the game, grab a couple of beers with friends, and not feel like crap the next day,\ from eating food I'm allergic to. Now, I just wish they'd open up in Grand Rapids.
