Scholars Inn Restaurant & Lounge

Had dinner with two other friends (who go to this restaurant frequent enough that the wait staff knew them!) on Saturday evening and had a great meal. Its been probably 1.5+ years since I’ve been to the restaurant and its been completely redesigned/​decorated and there are now seems to be more private tables/​booths then in the old restaurant setup.
Food was good: We had cheese appetizer and then I had the vegetarian special couscous which was quite good. Chocolate dessert was fantastic. Service was very good and regularly checked up on us for any needs.

I don’t get this place. Maybe I have an overactive imagination, but the name «Scholars Inn» has always evoked images of worn wooden benches, leather chairs, people in houndstooth and plaid, puffing on ironic pipes and arguing about Derrida or identity politics while drinking beer, scotch or brandy. The wooden sign on the outside of this Mass Ave. mainstay even seems to suggest this theme. What the name «Scholars Inn» does not evoke for me: gauzy curtains, multicolored lights, Miami Beach-​style VIP banquettes, martinis, tables that are televisions and food served on square plates. I may never get past this complete mismatch of name and style.
I’d been to SI once before for cocktails and found the atmosphere kind of awkwardly pretentious, but I went with an open mind because their Devour Downtown menu did look quite yummy (my meativore companions were quite excited). In the end, the food was pretty good, but it was surrounded by so much pomp and circumstance that you would have expected it to be out of this world. We were seated at a completely secluded and dimly-​lit circular booth on the second floor – I guess this is supposed to make you feel like a VIP. We couldn’t see any part of the restaurant from where we were seated and it seemed like our servers were appearing from off-​stage like badly manipulated marionettes (the fact that they seemed to be trying never turn their backs on us contributed to this amateur-​puppet-​theater vibe). I ordered a glass of Malbec, which came promptly and was delicious, but then it took forever for our waiter to reappear and take our order. I know from having been a waitress that the body language of your customers plays a huge part in knowing when to transition through the various stages of a meal. Because we were so secluded, I think the timing was off (we later waited quite a while for the check).
We all ordered a beet salad, which should have been called «salad with beets» because it only had a few chunks of beet. The sherry dressing was a bit overwhelming, a harbinger of the pasta sauce to come. I got the vegetarian pasta option, which was goat cheese ravioli in a oyster mushroom sauce. It was extremely decadent – all the elements were good, but each was so rich that they were competing for dominance. Fewer ravioli and a side of something green would have made this a more balanced meal. My companions seemed to enjoy the duck, but one thought the polenta was a bit too sweet. We all ordered the Chocolate Oblivion cake. It was much too much for me after the rich pasta, but the others seemed to enjoy it.
So, overall, I am still totally confused by Scholars Inn. The food and service are okay, but the décor is weird. I feel like there’s some kind of «experience» I’m supposed to be having here that is going right over my head.

My wife and I hung out at the lounge here last night with her sister and her sister’s boyfriend since we got into Indianapolis later than I expected. The lounge looked very nice and the drinks were half price. Can’t complain about that. The lounge did close really early and the bartender was not very attentive, but it was late so I guess I understand.

Well, I have to say, I am disappointed. The last time I was at Scholar’s was for brunch before a showing of Lion King. Yes, my review is a bit delayed. I was about 30 weeks pregnant and looking VERY forward to an incredible brunch with my mom, sister and grandma before heading off to a fantastic Broadway show.
Our waitress was new… clearly (though she didn’t say this). On Sunday mornings, they typically offer a half priced mimosa menu, but low and behold the TRUE mimosa (orange juice and champagne) is NOT included in the «half priced options» so even though our waitress knew my sister wanted to get something half off, she didn’t bother to clarify when my sister ordered the basic mimosa. She was forced to pay $ 8.50 for OJ/​champagne. LAME.
On top of that, she didn’t bring my fruit plate and charged me for it and genuinely was uninterested in our table. I am not a fan of someone else delivering my food and our waitress never coming to check on us until it’s more than halfway eaten.
I did enjoy my $ 9.00 french toast, but there was something cold about my entire experience that really turned me off.
This is incredibly disappointing b/​c Scholar’s used to be a fun, unique treat! Now, it’s just an overpriced, badly staffed, horribly decorated (who came in with the millions of yards of velvet???) restaurant.
My affair with this Mass Ave. institution is O-​VER.

While I don’t think it’s fair to slam a place simply because if their decorating choices, I must admit that I would have given Scholars a 5 star rating if they hadn’t decided to decorate their place like faux-​hip version of a Rooms-​To-​Go. Just because you cover everything in velvet and use a lot gauzy looking cloth all over the place does not make you trendy. To be very honest, it looks very dated — say 2001 or so.
Also, while the waiter was cute as hell and friendly, would it hurt him to wash his hair? Really. It was so greasy, it looked like there was enough oil in it for him to become an OPEC member. And yes, I can tell the difference between dirty, greasy hair and hair that has product.
Anyway, the food was excellent. I had the sirloin which was very tender, cooked as I ordered (rare) and served with some tasty garlic mashed potatoes. I will certainly come back again when I’m in town for business and try something else.

So, I tried the brunch at Scholars Inn today. One word Great! I had the three cheese scrambler with a side of bacon. Oh boy do they give you a side of bacon. I had enough bacon to share. The mimosa was good, the coffee was good, heck the water was good :-)
I think that this was a great experience and since I love breakfast I will definitely be back.

OK I had a slightly horrific experience here. This charming restaurant had once been a staple on my favorites list until they recently renovated it, killing everything good about it along the way. It used to be this quaint spot that you could have a glass of wine and desert, but now its a dark and eerie restaurant with velvet covering every square inch of the place. Not tasteful!
The food was mediocre, when it finally came, and their wine cellar had froze the night before so they had a limited selection. Conveniently, they had a bottle available that was three times as much as the one we initially wanted, and they dared to charge us for it. Needless to say, I would not recommend spending this much money on this poor of an experience.
Oh and parking is limited too!

What a mess! Is it cool and hip? Is it a sports bar? Is it a sports bar with a cool and hip attitude? Is it a hipster hangout? Couldn’t tell ya.
The food was like dressed up sports bar food, in a bad borrowed tuxedo. The service was the same, a bad date in ill fitting clothes
It’s a $ 100 mistake.
P. S. If you are a waiter, a few hints:
1. Do not clear the table while people are still eating
2. Do not stack the dirty dishes on the table, to clear the table
3. Do not call you 80 year old mother «honey»
4. Do not reach across the table to serve people
5. Shower daily
6. Remember, just because you are hip does not make you a good waiter
7. If someone asks you is the «trout local», don’t just say «not sure» — go find out
8. If someone asks «how is the calamari prepared» don’t say «it’s a chemical process»
9. Do not wear puka beads
10. Ask if someone is finished before taking their plate

Boo! Bring back the crab fondue and the cheaper food. This place has priced itself out of business. I never eat here anymore. I only go for the ½-​priced martinis (which are quite yummy, I must say).

Fancy out of town guests are always impressed.
Martinis are incredible.
Chef is willing to accommodate my vegan needs.
Service and atmosphere are good!

Went here for dinner and would have to say the cocktails are better than the food — but they have really good cocktails.
They have cool décor — but when I was there it was ridiculously loud and my boyfriend and I could barely hear each other. However, it could have something to do with the party of 10 ridiculously drunk people right next to us.
From what I hear it is worth coming to for brunch, but dinner was pretty good and the cocktails (obviously) are worth the trip.

Is this a gay bar? No one really knows, but the Thursday night that I was here, it sure seemed like it.
Martini’s are half price on Thursdays, and if my friend didn’t have to work the next day I think we would have been in trouble cause those things were good. Like really good. The exterior doesn’t really match the interior since it looks like you’re going into a pub/​hotel … the second you get inside it feels like you’re in some swanky SOMA lounge complete with soft high back chairs and plexiglass benches that sparkle with all kinds of colorful light.
The more I think about it, yeah, this is a gay bar :) … I’ll probably be back on a future trip to Indy.

A great place for a few cocktails if you’re tired of the gay bars in the city and want a slightly less elegant venue than Nicky Blaine’s, and feel totally comfortable bringing your mid-​life crisis mom to.
Great list of cocktails. Thursday nights they have half-​priced martinis!

We only came to the lounge part, so I can’t speak to the restaurant. I wavered between three stars and four, but realized that the four inclination was mostly based on the fantastic chocolate dessert we had, and the good quality of my friend’s cognac. While these factors are both very important, I don’t feel they entirely outweigh the downsides. First of all, my drink – «Starjuice” – didn’t really live up to its celestial name. Alcohol-​wise, it was quite weak, even by girly drink standards, and its flavor didn’t pack the punch I’d expected, either.
Then there was the atmosphere. There are a lot of good things to be said here. The foamy curtains and light-​studded tables, for example, were very nice. I loved the tvs with the swirling, gelatinous, surrealist images playing silently in the background. That was a hit. «Scrubs» playing on the TV above the bar, however, was quite the miss. So was the vaguely honky tonk-​ish music. Don’t get me wrong; I love my (old school) honky tonk. But not in this lounge.
And let’s not even get started on the KFC-​style switch to the acronym «SI,» which is supposed to stand not only for Scholar’s Inn, but also for «Sexy and Intimate.» Puh-​leaze. Most places that really are sexy and intimate don’t need to advertise themselves as such. We also noticed that the lounge is set up mostly for large groups rather than couples. If you’re with five other people, you might get an alcove, but if you have just one companion, you’ll likely be stuck in the middle of the floor like we were, which is really neither sexy nor intimate.

We stopped in here a couple weeks ago when we were tromping around Mass Ave before heading downtown.
I had the Tshombe Classic 9 (Skyy Citrus, Splash of Sour, Top with Champagne) Martini which I thought was delicous.
I loved the décor of this place. The bartender was also really cool.
Can’t comment on the food, but the atmosphere was pleasant. It definitely wasn’t as busy as I would have expected on a Friday night, but we were there a bit early.
Also — there’s a private parking lot behind the building for Scholar’s Inn!

Love Eggs Benedict? They have about 8 – 10 different variations of this popular brunch dish. I tried the Eggs Michelle and found it to be a simple, light, and just hit-​the-​spot meal. The brunch menu is a bit pared down since pre-​renovation, but what they lack in quantity they make up in quality. The portions are smaller, but believe me, still filling and actually more appropriate, I think. They don’t overdo the sweetness factor in their french toast anymore, which I appreciate. Of course, you can always add more syrup, if you want. Last but not least, try the OJ! It’s expensive, but it’s oh-​so-​tasty.
Prices for brunch range from $ 8-​$ 14 per dish. It’s a great place for a nice, quiet brunch. And I think you can pull the curtains closed on your booth, too!

What used to be Scholar’s Inn reopened a few months ago as SI Restaurant and Lounge. Yes, it is a totally different restaurant. It’s been revamped to offer private, upscale booths downstairs, and a trendy community table with changing neon lights upstairs.
The bar area has been updated, too, with some modern, plastic booths that seem to emit light. Definitely conversation pieces. Also, Thursdays are half-​price martini night, which brings the price down to about the $ 5 mark for specialty drinks. My favorite is the Cable Car: Captain Morgan, Orange Curaçao, a splash of sour and a cinnamon-​lemony rim. Mmm.
Chef Jeff Brenchley is new, too. They plucked him from the Bloomington Scholar’s Inn, and for good reason: He has a knack for layering savory sweet tastes, perfect for this French-​American cuisine.

I ate here for Sunday brunch a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. We sat outside after a ten minute wait. The foyer is tastefully modern in design and really made us curious about the food. The staff is young but mostly professional (I heard a few «casual» comments that I wouldn’t have expected).
After we were seated we were served by a waiter with big assed 1970’s sunglasses (the old Porsche style). He was right on the money with recommendations and his service. I got the Eggs Benedict (nothing to do with the Pope) and it was prepared perfectly. The yolks were runny but the whites were perfect as was the rest of the dish. I would definitely recommend this place.

My favorite thing about Scholar’s Inn: Thursday night half-​priced martinis — yes please! The Sunday brunch is a must, especially with their oh-​so-​good bellinis, which I believe are still half-​priced during the Sunday brunch. They have a great Bananas Foster which they prepare on a portable cook top right before your eyes.
Other than that, the food has always been good, but nothing to rave about. I agree the service can be a little pretentious at times, but I usually don’t notice after the second martini…

Go here for drinks, dessert and the buttermilk dressing. Service is not always great and sometimes pretentious. but it can also be the place to be seen. I have seen a few Pacer players, and political leaders.
Chef Richelle Rocks! If you need help choosing a wine ask for Todd he knows his vino.