St. Patty's @ the Flatwater Restaurant on the canal

Erin's Rating: ★★★ 1/2

  The hubs and I decided the best way to go about St. Patty's was to wander around until we found just the right place.  The right place to us last night meant:  1.  Not too many drunk, college-agers, we prefer not to be the oldest people at the place.  It just makes me feel, well, old, and who wants that?!?  2.  Crowded for good people watching, but not elbow to elbow and cramping my ability to obtain food and drink in a  speedy fashion and 3.  I was in the mood for some outside air because the weather was absolutely amazing, so check to having a deck.  It's always good to set out your criteria depending on your mood, that way you don't end up with something you didn't bargain for from the start.
  We ended up at the Flatwater Restaurant in Broad Ripple on the canal.  We had spied this place a few days ago because of their super sweet deck (check!!).  There was a wide range of people and it wasn't super crowded (check and check).  We were able to get to the bar (which is open air, by the way) and grab ourselves a Sun King Wee Mac on tap.  Sun King is a local Indianapolis brewery since 2008 and their Wee Mac is a deliciously frothy, deeply colored but refreshing beverage.  Hubs and I think it's our favorite of the Sun King varieties.

  We were wicked starving when we got there, but knew it would be awhile before food arrived at our table because of the holiday.  So we drank our Wee Macs and we enjoyed our seat and our people watching...and our Gator game.  Go Gators!!  I digress, the whole atmosphere at this place is pretty awesome.  On any night that you can be outside, enjoying a delectable craft beer, I say "go for it!".

This is my attempt at creativish photography...please bear with me.  I promise to try to hone my photog skills ASAP!

  On to the foooooood!!  I was feeling a burger, but then, I am often feeling a burger, especially at a new place.  I require bleu cheese on my burger, because it's just delicious.  Hubs also got a burger (we are often on the same page in these circumstances).  He got the fries for us to share as well, they were extra and you know how you always get 10 bagillion fries with a burger, and what one person needs all that?  Well, we probably should've both gotten fries, because they were nice and perfectly crunchy and served with my personal favorite part of the whole meal, a garlicky dipping sauce.  The burgers were less impressive, unfortunately. They weren't horrible, but my bleu cheese was kind of funky somehow, just not a very good flavor.  I am not positive, but the burgers may have been from frozen patties??  If they weren't, I guess that's how I would describe how they tasted...kind of frozen pattyish, a little dry, nothing to write home about...but clearly, I will write a blog about it!!

  In summary,  I am not ready to give up on this place.  I think it has promise.  I wasn't stoked about the food, but the ambiance will keep me coming back at least a few times and give some other things on the menu a chance.  The bartender and wait staff were very attentive and cheery, which I certainly appreciate.  If the menu retry doesn't work out, it's always a good place for beer and mallard watching!!