Ralston's Drafthouse 2.9/4.0

I'm back! After a short hiatus, i.e. selling a home, living in temporary quarters for a little while, buying a home, moving and starting renovations on the new place, I'm back to blog life - sharing experiences, DIY projects and eating my way through Indianapolis' local restaurants! While my blog posts might not be as often as before due to my demanding reno schedule, I'm excited to begin writing again!

Local restaurants are abundant in Indy, especially is artsy districts such as Broad Ripple and Massachusetts Ave. Ralston's Drafthouse, www.ralstonsdrafthouse.com, is a fairly new restaurant named for Alexander Ralston, the engineer who surveyed the city in 1820 and created Indianapolis' city plan in 1821 - pretty cool piece of Indy history! Did you know the Governor's mansion used to be centrally located in downtown Indianapolis where Monument City stands today? The owners of this restaurant also operate Chatham Tap which is a good restaurant on the same strip, so I was excited to try it!

Ralston's has a pretty cool vibe - it is tastefully decorated with beer pictures and such, the restroom doors covered in beer bottle caps, but the large restaurant also felt homey with wood floors and dimmer lighting.

The menu seemed to have a unique offering. First, a large beer menu featuring a number of Ralston's beers among others. I got a flight of four which showcased the Ralston's beers nicely - an IPA, Witbier, American Brown and Hefeweizen. Each had a nice taste but I especially liked the American Brown and Hefeweizen. The food menu featured oven baked flatbreads and flatbread sandwiches, among other sandwiches, with interesting ingredients like pulled duck, a peach-chipotle reduction and pulled lamb. Great variety if you are in to trying new flavors.

My sister and I decided to split The Peach Pig and the Apple Butter Bacon Sandwich - both exciting combinations of flavors. The Peach Pig was an oven-baked flatbread topped with pulled pork, aged cheddar, ginger, cilantro and a peach-chipotle reduction. I was surprised on the large amount of pulled pork on the flatbread - sometimes places skimp on the meat. The peach-chipotle reduction had a subtle peach flavor - not too peachy. The flatbread came with a side dish - I chose fried veggie sticks, and I wasn't exactly sure what a veggie stick was ... apparently, in this case, it is fried artichokes. Unfortunately, I was NOT a fan of these veggie sticks ... very greasy, too tough to bit through, wouldn't order them again.

The Apple Butter Bacon Sandwich was fresh and delightful. The flatbread had a nice texture and the lettuce was crisp. Overall, it had great flavor, and it wasn't too heavy on the stomach, though filling. The side item chosen here was rosemary potatoes - now, those I would order again - yum!

So how did this restaurant rate according to my 1-4 rating system - 4 being the best:

Food: 2.75
Both flatbreads were very tasty, and the beer was good. The fried veggie sticks brought down this score a bit. I would definitely visit Ralston's again and explore their menu further.

Atmosphere: 2.75
As I mentioned, I liked the vibe of this place. It was casual and welcoming with a touch of sophistication. There is a large patio that might be a fun place to hang out when it warms up.

Price: 3
I thought the meals were reasonably priced. The portions aren't huge, but I think it was priced competitively.

Uniqueness: 2.5
At first glance at the menu, the food offering seemed incredibly unique - the combinations of ingredients are not extremely typical ... but the taste wasn't as unique as we expected. I wasn't blown away by anything we ate.

Service: 3.5
Our server was a young friendly man. We always had what we needed. He was quick and offered assistance with food and beer choices.

Overall Average: 2.9
Ralston's was an above average experience, particularly in regards to the service and price. The food was definitely tasty, and I can see myself going back to try another flatbread combination and sipping a beer.

Next time you are on Mass. Ave, consider trying out Ralston's Drafthouse. As this place gains popularity, I expect it to be a popular Mass Ave. restaurant!