Happy Birthday to ME! What I'm Eating & Drinking: Devour Downtown - The Libertine & Tavern on South

For my birthday, all I wanted to do was spend a wonderful evening with D enjoying a delicious meal accompanied with some fine, adult beverages.  I was whining saying all week that Devour Downtown was going on and that wonderful opportunities to try some of Indianapolis' finest restaurants were slipping away.  I had Oceanaire and St. Elmo's on my radar but they didn't have any reservations available.  Fogo de Chao for $30 a person was a steal but I'd been there before and besides, I wanted to go LOCAL!  Luckily, D made a reservation in the nick of time for me to at least enjoy one DD restaurant I haven't been to before, Tavern on South.

To make the most out of my birthday night-out, I suggested we kill two birds with one stone and go for pre-dinner cocktails at another local place that had been on my Indy Bucket List, The Libertine Liquor Bar, which was also participating in Devour Downtown.

THE LIBERTINE (click here for more info)

Nestled in a rather narrow, location wedged in between 2 other businesses off of Washington St, from the outside I really had no idea what to expect.  I've read the reviews on the place and was fully aware the the owner, Neal Brown, and his reputation among Indy as a top chef, but I had to check it out for myself.  Every once in a while I like to dress up and sip on something other than a Miller Lite.  And besides, it was my birthday, after all.

Upon entering, I immediately notice the dark, swanky atmosphere projected by the dark walls and ominous lighting.  The place is packed, presumably because it's 7pm on a Friday and one of the last days of DD.  One of the hostesses explains that there are 2 communal, bar-height tables that are first-come, first-serve so we grab the one near the window.  The bartenders were outfitted in such appropriate 1920s attire but with a modern twist which was also the case for the decor: industrial but inconspicuous.  D and I are a huge fan of the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire, so I really tried to soak up the ambiance of the Prohibition Era that The Libertine tries to portray.

I have to be honest, I think we were both a bit intimidated by the drink menu.  This was far from our comfort zone.  Not to say we haven't experienced a mature cocktail before; this was just a little out of the norm.  We only had time for 1 cocktail before we had to head to Tavern so I went with the Pimm's Cup, a cocktail that I had heard in an episode of Boardwalk Empire.

D went with the Seelbach Cocktail Redux.

D accidentally handed me his drink, seeing that it was served in a "martini" glass.  I quickly told him that it was his and pointed out the prosecco on the menu that was in his cocktail.  Although he might have thought the drink looked girly, there was nothing girly about it.  The Kentucky bourbon was the dominate flavor and quite frankly took me by surprise (not in a bad way).  The bit of orange peel and the subtle acid of the prosecco helped to mellow it out.

The Pimm's Cup was exactly what I was looking for; something crisp, light but full of bright notes.  Really the cocktail had me at ginger brew which is something I really enjoy.  I am also a huge fan of gin but have to really be careful.  Too much gin makes me angry :)  The cucumber and the citrus helped intensify the flavors of the sharp gin and the sweet ginger beer.  This will be a summer time go-to beverage of mine, for sure!

Our tab was about $20 for just 2 drinks which means we probably won't be going there on the regular but I look forward to trying out the food which I heard is equally intriguing as the beverage menu.  We settled our tab and headed to our main attraction.

TAVERN ON SOUTH (click here for more info) 

In business, they say LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! And with the Super Bowl festivities kicking off this weekend, very few places are more closely in proximity to Lucas Oil Stadium than Tavern on South (basically South St & Missouri).  It's located in a double-decker, renovated building in the Wholesale District on the south side of the city.  They've done a superb job rejuvenating the building itself without losing the essence and history.  D and I really enjoyed the blown up, black and white historical Indianapolis photographs.

They, too, were quite busy but we were sat immediately in a two-seater next to the impressive, full service bar.  Our server, Chris (I think) was very friendly and quickly pointed out the Devour Downtown menu.  It took me a little bit to decide what wine to order because I couldn't decide what I was having for dinner: the red meat or seafood...decisions, decisions....Finally, I went with the Lump Crab Cakes (I saw them being delivered to another table and just couldn't resist) and a glass of their recommended Brassfield Sauvignon Blanc.

For my First Course, I went with the Tavern Salad.  All the accouterments listed (sweet and spicy walnuts, dried cherries, Granny Smith Apple vinaigrette) really pulled me in minus the goat cheese which is the one cheese in the world that I can't wrap my taste buds around.  

Despite the goat cheese, this salad was amazing and vibrant.  I didn't really understand the "candied asparagus" that was described on the menu.  The granny smith apple vinaigrette was ingenious because the tartness really balanced out the sweetness of the candied walnuts which were also a highlight.  All in all, a perfect start to a 3-course meal.  D went with the Caesar Salad.  I didn't hear much about it other than he ate it all.

Chris did a pretty good job timing our entrees because shortly after we finished up our salads, they arrived.  Again, I went with the Lump Crab Cakes which I don't think are featured on their main menu, but should be!

I could barely hold out long enough to take a few glamour shots of my plate.  The aroma of the crab meat and the vibrancy of the tomato and onion relish was so overwhelming.  I've been to the East Coast, South Florida and Southern California so I know what fresh seafood is supposed to take like.  These crab cakes didn't disappoint: Jam-packed with real, lump crab meat with a perfect sear on each side which were not overly greasy or filled with too much breading; lemon aeoli drizzle was creamy but not saturating the cakes; and the tomato, red onion and white bean relish was the cherry on the crab-Cake!  Bravo, Tavern!

Now on the other spectrum was D's Chargrilled Filet Mignon.  This was probably the low point of our entire meal and unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of his plate.  The cut of meat itself didn't appear to D or I to be a filet unless, perhaps, they butterflied it.  Why would you do that without informing the guest?  It just didn't have that plump, scallop-like presence that a filet typically has and it was cooked a bit over the medium-rare that he ordered.  Also, the Blue Cheese Fritters that were served with the filet were very dry and left a funky after-taste.  Nonetheless, he ate the rest of my crab cakes I didn't eat in order to save room for dessert.

Thankfully, Tavern's third and final courses went out on a very high note with their desserts.  I went with the Crème Brulee.

The vanilla custard was prepared perfectly smooth and refined, precisely bruleed on top.  Then, to go over-the-top, they added a miniature, strawberry fruit bar, just because.

D went with the Viennese Apple Strudel; another sweet home run.

Tart, yet ripe apples sliced and sauteed in their house-made caramel sauce and cinnamon then rolled into a thin, flaky pastry and served with cinnamon ice cream.  Not to be shy, they ladled in more of the caramel sauce in the bottom of the bowl.

Both desserts provided the perfect sweet-cap without being rich and overfilling.  D and I licked our bowls clean finished our desserts and settled up with our server.  While we were dining, the entire city of Indianapolis had been blanketed by sleet and freezing rain.  We decided to call it a night and let our full bellies digest.

So to recap, I had a wonderful 28th birthday thanks to The Libertine and Tavern on South!  Lately, I haven't been able to go out as much as I want but I had a great night exploring two culinary gems that downtown Indianapolis has to offer.  I really wish I could have made it to more of the Devour Downtown restaurants but I know that the Summer edition will be here before we know it.  For more information, visit their website: www.devourdowntown.org.