Brugge Brasserie

Hubs and I stopped at Brugge Brasserie to purchase tickets for an event that we’ll be attending in April (side note – this event is sold out!)  I personally can’t step near Brugge without wanting mussels, so we decided to dine their for lunch before running errands that afternoon.  The restaurant wasn’t busy (yet) and we were immediately sat in the main dining room.

We each ordered a beer while we waited for our lunch.  I love the beers at Brugge – they have a great craft taste and are all refreshing in their own way.  I ordered a Single, which is a slightly lighter variation of the Triple de Ripple that my husband ordered.  The Single was an Amber, slight tones of berry and delicious with every sip.  Higher in alcohol, the Triple de Ripple has the warming aspect of a true Belgium Triple but is still refreshing.  I ordered another Single during the meal while hubs switched over to the Black, a molasses tasting beer with tones of coffee to his taste.  All delicious.

For lunch, I ordered what Brugge is known for: mussels.  The moules frites is always great, no matter the cooking style you select.  I ordered the Prince Edward Island mussels, which is nearly two pounds, with the Red Curry cooking style.  The mussels were fantastic, with not a single unopened mussel present, meaty and delicious with every bite.  I love to let them soak in the liquid, which this time around, had a bit of spice from the red curry.   The broth was bursting with flavor, shreds of Thai basil floated and gave a fresh flavor to the coconut milk scented broth.  Not only did I let the mussels soak, I also took the warm bread and soaked up as much liquid as I could.  You can order some more for a small price, but my stomach was bursting after I ate all of the mussels and frites that I was served.  The frites (fries) are served in a cone and lightly fried and heavily seasoned with salt.  With the two dipping sauces that come with your meal, you can’t go wrong (though I dip my fries in the broth too).  I had the garlic aioli, a creamy mayo based sauce that is garlicky in all the right ways, as well as the poplar syrup and French dijon, a slight mustard spiced vinaigrette that is thick and perfect for the fries.

Hubs ordered the steak and eggs – an entree we actually had at the last beer event at the Brugge.  The steak was a little underdone to what hubs ordered, but still great in flavor with subtle seasoning.  Rather than having the steak served on a bed of frites, hubby has preference to order them on the side so he can get the most out of their flavor with his dipping sauces (he too ordered the garlic aioli as well as the homemade ketchup).  The eggs were fried, over easy, so all of the yolk pours over the steak as a creamy component.  It was as delicious as it was the first time we had it.

Brugge is a place that many people have been and I have never heard a bad thing said about the establishment.  The service is always great, laid back but spot on.  The atmosphere is casual and comfortable, allowing you to really focus on the food.  The ingredients are fresh and simple – everything that great food should be.  If you haven’t been yet, go now.  Oh, and if you haven’t tried the crepes, the too are delish.

Brugge Brasserie * 1011 E. Westfield Blvd. * Indianapolis, 46220 * 317.255.0978

Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company

This much anticipated brewery in Broad Ripple has been a piece on conversation for quite a while.  Scotty, from Scotty’s Brewhouse and Lakehouse, opened his brewery to the public on January 17.  Hubs and I decided to meet up with a few friends to experience the beer, food and buzz of this anticipated venue, the Thr3e Wise Men.

 

We had just left another local brewery downtown and made our way to Broad Ripple around 6:45.  I knew the other Scotty establishments took call ahead, so I happily did this with the hostess who informed me it would be a one hour wait (note – I recently saw Thr3e Wise Men tweet that they do not take call ahead so this must have changed).  I completely anticipated this as it was a Friday evening, first week and all, and didn’t think too much of it.  We were a larger group of seven and I would happily wait until 8pm or so to nosh.

 

Upon arrival, the place was busy.  Picnic tables are all around for patrons who are dining and drinking and there are also cocktail tables for the same purpose or to wait at until you get a table.  I checked in, made sure we were on the list (we were) and we got comfortable around a cocktail table we were lucky to find.  Hubs and I instantly ordered a beer, he the Centennial Martyr Double IPA and I the Hoggy Style Amber.  Both were great tasting brews – I appreciate the local honey love.  We munched on some popcorn while we waited  – loved having the popcorn available as a pre-dinner nosh.  Almost movie style, it was salted and buttered perfectly and was continuously filled while we waited.

 

We also ordered stuffed breadsticks.  I didn’t really read the menu, so I was anticipating a cheesy pepperoni breadstick.  The dough was great, had a crunchy texture and soft, chewy inside.  There was no cheese at all, just pepperoni, which left me wanting a bit more with the stuffing.  The marinara was slightly chunky with tomatoes and had a great roasted garlic taste.  Nacho cheese was the other dip, which I found to be a standard nacho cheese sauce.  Overall, they were very good – cost was about $6.50 for the small order which was more than enough with six sticks.

 

Two of our friends also ordered an appetizer, the Goat cheese & marinara.  Creamy, smooth goat cheese was dolloped into a plate of warm marinara.  The marinara was was the same from the breadsticks and paired great with the rich goat cheese.  Lightly seasoned, toasted flatbread crisps were the vehicle for the dip.  The ratio of chip with dip was good which sometimes can be a problem.  Around $6.50,  well worth it for an appetizer.

 

We continued to enjoy a few more pints – hubs enjoyed the hops of the Golden Zoe IPA as well as the light but still creamy Snow Bunny Blonde.  I  adored the Hubbard & Cravens Porter.  It was rich with coffee flavor from the local coffee house and at the same time didn’t sit heavy on the tongue.  All of the beers ran for about $4.50 for a 16 oz. pour which I find to be standard for some great, local brew.

 

Unfortunately, that is all we tasted. Though told we would be seated in one hour, we ended up waiting for 2 hours and 20 minutes.  We checked in a few times only to find that they had gone three sheets of customers beyond our name.  I wasn’t really given any explanation either, and this is where I become disappointed and my pleasant experience turned unpleasant.  I’ve always had great service at Scotty’s establishments but they couldn’t even explain why they continued to skip our group.  I was extremely frustrated and we ended up walking out and enjoying dinner elsewhere because of this.  To say the least, I understand it was opening week, but the wait was ridiculous.  Our server, Allison, was absolutely phenomenal and if it wasn’t for her, we would have left much earlier.  Yes, the restaurant was busy (Scotty was even there enjoying himself) and it was new, but honestly, the wait was quite frustrating and unnecessary with no customer love to back it up.

 

I’ve only heard great things about the establishment so I know this isn’t something that happens to everyone.  I do plan on returning, but it will be a while before we do so.  I still want to try the pizza and the brew we did have was tasty.  I personally like the picnic style seating, but the flow has to be worked out.  The environment was great and I could see relaxing there for a football game while at the bar.  I just won’t be back soon at peak hours if there are more than four of us.

 

Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company * 1021 Broad Ripple Ave * Indianapolis, IN * 317.255.5151