Ma Vie en Indianapolis

As a resident of the Circle City, I've had ample opportunity to find a number of fun little places to visit that most short-term visitors and tourists wouldn't think to find.

At any given time, I'd recommend visiting the canal walk downtown. It's beautiful at night, especially near the fountains and the ivy bridge, although the everyday tourist will appreciate the other end a bit better with the sights of the Indiana Historical Society building, the pavilions of the Indiana State Government Center, and the nearly-brand-new Indiana State Museum.

Find Indy's little restaurants for cuisine you won't find anywhere else: Aesop's Tables, The Abbey Coffeehouse, Agio, Thai Café, and more. While meagre, Indy's nightlife also has a few jewels, such as Nicky Blaine's Cigar & Martini Bar, Talbot Street, and The Chatterbox.

Take in a some culture with Indy's small Theatre On The Square or Phoenix Theatre.

Quick Tips:

My #1 Suggestion: Find reliable transportation that is not linked to public transport in any way. IndyGo (our bus system) is unreliable and slow and will put a damper on any commute, while the veritable plethora of taxis will unfailingly overcharge and/or short you for whatever trip you are taking, if they show up at all.

Suggestion #2: Visit downtown at least once after 8pm to enjoy our gentrified commercial district (with Circle Centre and the attendant bars, restaurants, and niteclubs, it can be highly entertaining).

Suggestion #3: Try out our off-the-beaten-path restaurants and destinations on Massachusetts Avenue, Broad Ripple, and the north side for a taste of something different.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you are coming to visit Indianapolis, rent a car!!!. Indianapolis covers a great deal of square mileage. Walking is simply out of the question, and you can virtually never count on our laughable public transportation. If you are staying downtown and arriving via the airport, rent a limo. Believe it or not, most limo fares are simply cheaper to downtown than a taxi (plus, obviously it's just so much fun).

The Abbey has been an Indianapolis subculture institution since the early 90s, and I've been a regular there for the last eight years. That period even includes a brief stint as an Abbey employee.

Don't be put off by The Abbey's run-down facade when approaching it at the intersection of Mass and College Avenues in Indy's off-downtown Old Northside. Upon entering the establishment, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the furnishings. The ceiling is famous, with its blocky-artsy clouds painted by local artist Carl Fogg, Jr. The walls have been refinished since an unfortunate incident in 2002 resulted in a car driving through the Abbey's main room; they are now decorated in a faux pink finish with arabesque green diamonds. The furniture is artfully mismatched (and unfortunately a little threadbare) and heralds the old shabby-chic coffeehouse feel. The Abbey has great hours, as well. SU-TH: 10a to 12midnight; FR&SA: 10a to 1a.

The menu is varied and eclectic and reasonably priced (average entrée is $5-7), featuring a very large selection of vegetarian dishes (some are even fully vegan). Cultural cuisine fusion is popular here, offering such peculiar dishes as Thai burritos (glass noodles and veggies in a delicious peanut sauce, wrapped in a spinach tortilla), a hardy foccacia sandwich (mixed field greens, veggies, buffalo mozzarella, and pesto aioli on thick slabs of Italian herb foccacia), and the famous Moises' Black Bean Burrito (TRY IT!). Don't worry, meat-eaters, the Abbey also features a good number of wraps and sandwiches that feature chicken and fish.

Be wary when ordering drinks at the Abbey. Despite its name, the Abbey is not a very good spot for coffee. The daily brew is too strong (even for this hardy coffee drinker) and tastes burnt. The baristas are barely trained in the use of the espresso machine and as often as not scorch the milk or soy for espresso beverages, and know virtually nothing about pulling a good shot of espresso. I usually stick to Diet Coke with lemon, just to be safe.

If nothing else, try the Abbey's desserts! Any and every thing in the bake case is worth sampling. I especially recommend the tiramisu (drenched in Frangelico), the German chocolate cake, or the vegan chocolate cake!

One warning to visitors - the Abbey has an adjoining smoking room (good for those of us with such destructive proclivities), but the interim door does little to prevent second-hand smoke from filtering into the main room. If you are sensitive to smoke, caution at the Abbey would be advisable.

The Abbey is a fascinating stop at any time! Grab a sandwich and a drink and a slab of rich, wonderful dessert and watch the social circumnambulations happen! Check it out for a change of pace during any Indy visit.

GOBO is the brain-child endeavour of locals Kevin Ahern and Jason Beatty. Those familiar with Indianapolis' electronic music scene will know this duo as the founders of Indy's most successful and expansive electronic music production and event promotions company — Scarab Records. It's location is absolutely prime, occupying the first floor and basement of the Indiana Reperatory Theatre building on West Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis.

GOBO's Restaurant persona features purely vegetarian fare prepared by another familiar face from Indy's electronic music scene, Adam aka DJ Incubus. The food is fantastic and ecclectic, exquisitely prepared using the highest quality produce. A fusion of cultural cuisines creates an enticing and interesting blend of savory experiences to choose from on GOBO's menu. Plus, a personal visit from the chef is certain to keep the interest level up (I'll leave that for your own experience). My favorite dish that I have sampled is actually a dessert of sliced honeydew marinaded in a Mindori sugar and grand marnier sauce, with extra Mindori sugar on the side for sprinkling. It was the most exquisite blending of flavors I've had the pleasure of experiencing in months!

GOBO (as the name implies) serves a wide variety of liquors and alcoholic beverages for consumption alone or with your dinner. So far I have not sampled a wide enough variety to be able to give a comprehensive review, but their martinis are decent, using only the highest quality liquors (my habitual espresso martini was produced with Grey Goose vanilla vodka, Godiva white chocolate liquer, a half shot of cold espresso, and Frangelico). Jason, playing as bartender, served it up with visual flare, swirling the bottom of my artsy martini glass (curved blue-glass stem, how fun!) with chocolate sauce. It sadly destroyed the otherwise savory drink's flavor, but I've got to give Jason kudos for an attempt at style.

GOBO's decor features three distinct seating areas: the upstairs lounge panelled in dark hardwood and brass (usually featuring lounge music or Brazilian jazz piped over the speakers), the downstairs restaurant seating area complete with cushy leather booths, and the sidewalk patio-style café seating in from the IRT. All are decorated in an ultra-modern, chic décor style that's very reminiscent of high-end New York or LA stylings.

The final draw and perk is the live music scene at GOBO. Given its progenetors, its unsurprising that GOBO is a veritable mecca for Indianapolis electronic music. Most Saturday nights, you can enjoy a wide variety of electronic music styles in the downstairs restaurant area while you dine. I'm not sure if electronica helps the digestion per se, but it will certainly liven up your dining experience!

Thai Café is a little, virtually unknown jewel in Indianapolis. Few people know about it, but it's some of the best Thai food you'll find in the Circle City.

Thai Café is a bit tough to find. It's tiny and tucked away in the nether corners of a strip mall off the main strip in Indy's Broad Ripple district. To find it, look for the strip mall next to Broad Ripple High School, then find the signs for Shalimar's Indian Restaurant; Thai Café is right next door.

When you step into Thai Café, the first impression is S-M-A-L-L. The dining room takes up the majority of the space (thankfully), and that's only about 15 to 20 square feet. Walking in the door, you almost walk right into someone else's dinner. For as small as it is, though, this place has a lot going on. The decor is vibrant, eclectic, and visually tantalizing. Check out the ceiling sculpture. My friends and I have always described it as "the exploding brain." Personally, I feel a trip to Thai Café is worth it if for no other reason than to see it.

My usual is the vegetarian pad thai, an order of spring rolls, and a glass of Thai coffee. Yeah, yeah... generic Western selection, but it's just so good! The entrées are huge, and I rarely leave without a take-home box. The best thing (in my opinion) about the food is the tofu used for vegetarian dishes...whoa! I've been playing around with tofu for years and have never come up with something this delicious! The outside is crispy without being carbonized, but velvety on the inside. I don't know what they marinade it in, but it's unbelievable. Ingredients in all dishes are ultrafresh and the flavors are potent and forward in true Thai tradition. If you want something a little less spicy, try the padd prik bai horapa; it's very sweet and smooth with pineapple, veggies, and your choice of tofu or meat in a red sauce.

An appetizer of spring rolls is highly advisable for any dining experience. They are flaky and warm, with fantastic fresh vegetables inside. The dipping sauce is sweet, tangy, and wonderful. My favorite Thai Café dining buddy often swears to eschew her boyfriend in order to marry the spring rolls... don't ask.

If nothing else, try the Thai iced coffee. It's incredibly rich and sweet. They float the sweet cream on top and serve it in a beautiful glass demitasse. It's nirvana in a glass folks.

The prices for entrées have risen in the last few months. You can now expect to pay near to $10 per entrée, but it's still well worth it. Appetizers are about $3 - 5, and the specialty drinks are about $2 - 3. My usual bill is around $18, and gladly spent.

My last recommendation is to dine with a group. It makes the Thai Café experience all the richer!

Check it out folks!

Indianapolis is not particularly known for its haute couteur, but we do at least make a stab at metropolitan living now and again. Nicky Blaine's is one of those. It's located downtown, just on the south side of Monument Circle (very nearly at the intersections of Washington and Meridian) in the historic Nat Cole Building. Parking is difficult downtown, but I'd recommend the Sun Garage in the Circle Centre Mall just immediately south and west of Nicky Blaine's on Washington (very cheap, very safe, and easy access to most of downtown's offerings).

Nicky Blaine's has made a valiant effort at being high class. Unfortunately, they overplayed their hand a bit. The mahogany-and-brass panelling and bar are very nice, and the basement location in the Nat Cole Building is very intimate, giving the place a warm, friendly environ. However, the accoutrements are a little cliché and overbearing. Where most places have crown molding, Nicky Blaine's has a continuous runner of fake ferns. About 1/3 of these would have make the place elegant, but as it stands, it borderlines on pastichy jungle life. The absense of overhead lighting is very welcome, as the ever-present 40-watt bulbs give the bar just the right ambient light level. The furniture is ecclectic and nice, but looks like it was mostly picked up at some wealthy dowager's estate sale (i.e., it's a bit threadbare and dated). You will enjoy yourself most @ Nicky Blaine's in a party of 4 or more, sitting comfortably around a large round table or at a conversational cluster of couches.

My main draw? The martinis! I'd like to think I'm a connoisseur of the art of the martini, so this is one of my favorite places. The names alone are drool-worthy: Vanilla Sex Martinis, City Nights Martinis, Chocolate Martinis, and my personal fav, the Espresso Martinis. Of course, they serve all the classics of this drink genre: Straight, Dry, and Dirty Martinis, Cosmopolitans, Lemon Drops, and Apple Martinis. All of these are made with the finest liquors, and served with visual taste and style. To my knowledge, they don't water any of their liquors, so make sure to have a designated driver at the ready, because these drinks are STRONG.

Dress at Nicky Blaine's is just shy of formal. I usually feel comfortable in a nice pair of khakis and a turtleneck sweater, and most women will be at ease in a nice (but not over-the-top) cocktail dress. The waitresses are chic and pretentious in a very fun sort of way, and the rituals of serving are great. Order a pack of cigarettes if you smoke, and a waitress will serve it to you on a silver platter, open, packed, with one cigarette presented with a lipstick print on the filter. I thought it was funny, anyway.

If you have a little extra money to spend, and a change of nice clothes, check this place out!