Visiting Indianapolis

I traveled to the great state of Indiana for a raucous Bureau of Labor Statistics annual conference. Jealous? I'd never made it to Indianapolis before and I was excited to discover a very fun town of good food and friendly people. Coming from Washington, DC by way of New Jersey, friendly people throw me off at first, but then I come around. I also got to meet and catch up with coworkers from all over the country and that is always fun. They all get to put my face to all of my nasty emails and they have a picture to put on their dartboards.

My friend Katie is an Indiana native as well as Mark's cousin Sue who both gave me some great restaurant suggestions and I was happy to try as much food as possible. The first thing I noticed about Indianapolis, however, is that everything is under construction. They are fixing roads, sidewalks, and sprucing things up everywhere to get ready for the Super Bowl. As an Eagles fan, I appreciate the gesture, because all of my fellow Eagles fan who are sure to be visiting Indy when our birds are in the big game will need plenty of flat sidewalks to stumble on. Exciting stuff.
After a long day at meetings, I needed a moment of peace, a big drink, and carbo-rific meal. I head over to Pearl Street Pizzeria for a pizza and a local microbrew.
It was a bit hard to find, but worth the search. They have a bunch of great beers on draft and I recommend trying at least two.
I ordered a cheesy pizza that was very solid and delicious. It was really exactly what I wanted in that moment. If you are in town, you should stop by this little bar for a drink, snack, and good atmosphere.
I also happened to be in Indy for my first annual 29th birthday. I had to treat myself to an extra special breakfast before hopping on a plane home. I walked over to Patachou on the Park for their famous breakfasts.
Like a well behaved brunch-er, I ordered my coffee and water and was going to call it a day. But then I remembered...it's my birthday. I will have that house specialty blackberry mimosa thank-you-very-much.
The other specialty of the house is their Broken Yolk Sandwich. I picked the one with bacon, cheddar and avocado on sourdough. Not many brunch dishes that come with fruit instead of hash brown are acceptable in my book, but I will let this one slide.
Creamy avocado with the melted cheese and crisy bacon blended perfectly with the oozy yolk and sharp sourdough bread. I absolutly loved this breakfast and will make it for myself at home when I am feeling cold and blue.
Apparently this is the place to see and be seen on the Indianapolis power brunch set. Probably due to the close proximity to the capitol. Either way, it was delicious and I will go back if I find myself in Indianapolis again.