St. Elmo Steak House, Indianapolis: Don’t Miss This One

St. Elmo Steak House, downtown Indianapolis. Courtesy St. Elmo Steak House.

I usually don’t write about restaurants during my travels and can’t remember whether I’ve ever written a restaurant review, instead just opting to enjoy the local foods and specialties without much fanfare.  But during my recent visit to Indianapolis, our writers’ group had a dinner arranged at downtown’s St. Elmo Steak House, just a few blocks from the landmark Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument.

Shrimp Cocktail. Courtesy St. Elmo Steakhouse

A steak dinner at this world famous restaurant will certainly set you back some $$$, but I would argue it’s worth every dollar.  First of all, St. Elmo has only one appetizer – shrimp cocktail.  But this isn’t just any shrimp cocktail.  Shrimp are drenched in the freshest and spiciest horseradish ever it seems – I joked that it burned me a new nostril.  A few facts from the restaurant – 40,700 lbs. of shrimp and 3,200 gallons of sauce were used for 114,000 shrimp cocktails sold in 2011.

My steak. Photo by Richard Varr

Now on to the steak dinner.  I ordered a dry-aged, 28 oz. Tomahawk Rib Eye, with the bone maybe 10 -12 oz. of the weight.  Although there are smaller cuts on the menu, the restaurant manager urged us to try the Tomahawk Rib Eye, cooked at least to medium rare so there’s enough heat to release the meat’s natural flavor.   It was a huge steak and most at my table couldn’t finish it; but I came real close.  It was just too good to put down the fork.  Another restaurant fact – St. Elmo served more than 140,000 lbs. of steak last year in 2011.  Dating back to 1902, St. Elmo is the oldest Indianapolis steakhouse in its original location.

Wine Cellar Room. Courtesy St. Elmo Steak House

I’m not going to write about the ambiance or suggest any wines or desserts (even though the 4-layer rich chocolate cake was just that and big enough for three desserts), but I will say you’d be missing a great life experience if you passed up this restaurant when visiting Indianapolis.  Through the years in more than 50 countries, I’ve feasted at many great eateries and St. Elmo Steak House is one at the top of my list.

And, after writing this blog, it seems I’m right on target.  I just “Googled” the restaurant to learn Forbes recently noted St. Elmo as one of the world’s “10 Great Classic Restaurants Well Worth Visiting.”

For more information:  www.stelmos.com