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| American Snack Burger |
There's a new Cunningham Restaurant Group edition on Massacheusetts Avenue in Indy. Bru Burger Bar has joined the ranks of Stone Creek Dining Company, MESH on Mass, Cafe 251, and Boulder Creek. Amazingly, I had not heard much about it these first few months. On their website, they espouse Bru as a love letter to the burger, saying, "The hamburger is over 100 years old. It’s a classic, purely American, and an icon. The hamburger is the people’s sandwich, everyman’s food. BRU is an ode to our love…the Burger." Well, those words set an expectation that I simply cannot refuse to test!
It's set across from MacNiven's a little bit further off the Avenue in the space Elements used to occupy. You might not notice it right away (we didn't). It has the warm, modern, masculine feel of a Cunningham Restaurant Group place, and I feel comfortable. We ambled in smack in the middle of a Friday afternoon (around 2:30pm) to a nice little crowd. There actually appeared to be regulars sitting at the bar bantering with the bartenders. Didn't they just open? Interesting.... We belly up and our bartender, Chris, confirms that yes, they opened about 2 months ago.
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| Bru Burger Bar |
Though he was busy, he thoughtfully and efficiently explained their menu and concept, steered us to drinks based on our respective tastes and seamlessly guided us to a meal that we weren't necessarily prepared to have (we had eaten lunch just an hour or so before). Before we know it I'm drinking a French Gimlet (a Bru original) with Hendrick's, St. Germain, and plenty of fresh lime, and my companion is sampling craft beer from the nice selection on tap.
The menu has about 50 things I want to try. Since we really did already eat lunch, I decide to get as much bang out of my remaining stomach space and focus on burgers. Chris informs us that any burger (which range from $8-12 before a side) can be "snacked" (ie, made smaller), costing a reasonable $4. Score! We order the regular (the true test of burger abilities: American cheese, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, pickle, special sauce) and the Smothered Porter Onion (swiss and onions caramelized in porter).
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| Smothered Porter Onion Burger |
They accidentally brought out a full-sized Smothered Porter Onion, promising that I would only be charged for the snack size since it was their goof. While I certainly didn't need the extra food, I was ecstatic that I got to eat more of this delectable creation. A lot of people are terrified of onions, but this a beautifully subtle, and unctuous flavor combinations. It was absolutely delicious. The classic was great. Both burgers were a tremendous success. I loved the unique presentation of putting the pickles (home-made, by the way) on top of the bun with an oversized toothpick. The buns were perfectly toasted (lightly buttered, nothing out of control) and so soft I bet they were baked that day. The beef was very high quality. I have to say, there was more grease than I am usually comfortable with. In this setting, though, anything less greasy would have been almost disappointing.
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| French Gimlet |
Throughout our meal we met several regulars who couldn't resist raving about the food and the service. I could probably have been convinced they had been paid and somehow knew I would write a review (I can't imagine this was the case, they were just so enthusiastic). The bartenders (the other one was Kim) and manager were all delightful, interesting, and full of intoxicating energy. (The intoxicating cocktails don't hurt either). After chatting and eating and chatting and drinking and more chatting we finally left. By the way, I'm pretty sure we left as regulars.
I give Bru Burger 4/5. The food was outstanding (though only having the burgers limits my ability to give them a better score so soon). The service was professional and fun. It's a little pricey (especially considering no sides are included with the burgers), but the food is such high quality and very innovative (Sriracha Caesar salad was the thing I was most excited about but had not room left) that I think it is fair. Rest assured I will be back. Probably enough to achieve true regular status. Cheers!
