City Cafe

I had one goal for lunch yesterday… find some willing co-workers and a new place to eat in downtown Indy. It’s not surprising how willing they are to go out. We’ve been going out like this for years and now we even have an excuse. “Austin’s going to put it on his blog. They say that it causes pain and suffering at times, but I don’t feel a bit sorry for them.

We’ve been hitting quite a few places around the office, so City Café seemed to fit the bill since it’s only five blocks away. We could even get some exercise… that’s the pain and suffering part.

The weather was nice and sunny, but not too hot, and after a few minutes, my associates and I reached our destination at the City Café. I’d been curious to try this place and had read some really great reviews about it.

As we entered, one of the servers welcomed us in and we were seated in a booth near the front door. The a/c was cold and the booth managed to fit the three of us snuggly yet comfortably.

The City Café has a small, narrow dining area in an office building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Mirrors on the wall really help open up the feel of the place and it was nice to see some artwork on the walls from children who must have come there for a field trip. It’s great to see establishments like this support the community like that. If you’re interested, the bathroom is all the way in the back, past the kitchen and in a shared part of the office building. Don’t forget the key, or you’ll be disappointed.

Enough about that… let’s get to the food.

Right away, one of my co-workers commented on how small the menu was. He’s into chain restaurant kinds of places where the server needs a forklift to bring your menu because it’s so heavy. I felt that the amount of choices went along with the size of the place and I had no problem picking three or four things I wanted to try. Here’s a link to their menu.

Both of my co-workers decided on the Chicken Club. It had grilled chicken breast, bacon, avocado and lemon aoli on grilled sourdough bread. This was my first choice as well, but if well al had the same thing, that would make for a pretty lame review.

I went for the Big Cheese. A grilled cheese with extra flair. (I can’t wait to make this one at home.) It has a mix of cheeses… sharp cheddar, provolone and jack cheeses with Southwestern flavors and cilantro on grilled sourdough bread. The Southwestern flavor appeared and tasted to be chipotle mayo with mild green chiles and cilantro. Pretty tasty and even better with three kinds of melty, gooey cheese.

All of the sandwiches come with chips and a pickle spear by default. And appropriately so. The sandwiches are the star here and are pretty hefty and filling as well.

The service was good and our server wasn’t intrusive, so we were able to converse without distraction while waiting for our victuals.

Overall: I really enjoyed the City Café and look forward to my next visit. I hope you give it a shot too.

Special Note: City Café offers breakfast and the rumor is that it’s one of the better options for morning grub in the downtown area.