Sullivan's Steakhouse (Super Bowl XLVI Special) - Indianapolis

I learned three things on my recent trip to Indiana:

1. There is a sport called Mushroom Hunting and it is quite popular with the locals—Morels are the preferred mushroom.
2. The New England Patriots are playing the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on February 5^th at Lucas Oil Stadium. 
3. Sullivan’s Steakhouse is the place to be for some REALLY GOOD food in Indy.

How good is “really good” you may ask?  Well, it is good enough for J-Girl and me to drive 60 miles from Bloomington to eat there two nights in a row!  For my fellow math geeks out there, that is 240 miles for food!  And it was sooooo worth it.  J-Girl and I ate so much our first night we had to call a timeout and finish up the following evening.  I actually could not even eat dessert the first night—shocking right?!

I learned three things about Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Indianapolis:

1.  John Stanley—General Manager—and Mark Dafforn—our fabulous waiter—and the entire Sullivan’s team go over and beyond to ensure their patrons have an excellent dining experience.
2. There is a live band EVERY night in the bar/lounge area.
3. A new indoor patio area will make its debut Super Bowl weekend which can also be reserved for private dining.

I have to admit that the best part of my trip was that I had a chance to catch up with an old and dear friend—J-Girl—over great food.  Below are some our favorites:

“THE KNOCKOUT”

I’m not going to lie, after my toy plane landed in Indy, I was in desperate need for a cocktail to help calm my nerves.  As soon as we were seated Mark immediately brought over a delicious looking concoction.  We didn’t even have to ask for it—I probably looked like a person on the verge of a breakdown.  “The Knockout” is a Hawaiian pineapple which has been infused with vodka.  It is sweet, smooth and simply scrumptious.  You have to be careful because these little angels can catch up to you if you are not careful.  “The Knockout” was the PERFECT start to what turned out to be a very good two nights of feasting.

"The Knockout"

THE STARTERS

If you choose to, you can make a meal off of the appetizers—we basically did our first night.  With ten items to choose from, there really is something for everyone.  We opted for the following:

Seafood Sampler

This is a nice spread of chilled seafood which includes: large Stone Crab Claws; Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail; Jumbo Lump Crab Meat w/ Avocado-Habanero Salsa and Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell.  Luckily, J-Girl and I are perfect dining companions AND the sampler is large enough to share so there was no need for us to have to fight over Lump Crab Meat!

Chilled Seafood Sampler

Jumbo Lump Crabcake

Since Sullivan’s is part of the DelFrisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse family, you might think their crab cake is the same as Del Frisco’s and Del Frisco’s Grille but there is a difference.  Both are equally good but they are not the same—Sullivan’s uses a Chipotle sauce with chive oil while Del Frisco’s and the Grille uses a Cajun sauce.  Mouthwatering good!

Jumbo Lump Crabcake

Seared Rare Ahi Tuna

Yes it does taste as good as it looks if that is your question.  Eight (8) nicely sliced pieces of Ahi Tuna with a pickled ginger and spicy mustard sauce.  Thankfully there was plenty to share.  

Seared Rare Ahi Tuna

Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

Whether you try these egg rolls at a Sullivan’s or DelFrisco’s Grille, it will always leave the same effect—pure happiness.  I don’t know if it is the honey mustard and sweet & spicy chili sauce combination but J-Girl—as do most people—fell in love with these yummy egg rolls. 

Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

THE SOUPS AND SALADS

The good news, every entrée comes with a complimentary Wedge or Caesar Salad.  The bad news, there isn't any!

Shrimp & Lobster Bisque

All I have to say is: Shrimp + Lobster + Sherry Cream Sauce = WINNER!

Shrimp & Lobster Bisque

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge

J-Girl drives from Bloomington to Indy EVERY week just to get this salad!  Can you imagine driving 120 miles for a salad?  That should be enough to tell you just how good it is.  It is a HUGE wedge of Iceberg Lettuce with tomatoes and covered in bleu cheese dressing with crumbled bleu cheese.

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge

Chopped Salad

A beautiful combination of chopped Iceberg, tomato, avocado, red onion, egg, bacon in a basil dressing.  It is almost too pretty to eat!

Chopped Salad

THE LAND & THE SEA

With so many great options from steaks and chops to fresh seafood, we decided to have a mixture over our two day feast.

The Filet Trio (Special)

Three 4 oz filets with different toppings: Oscar, Peppercorn with fried onions and Bleu cheese with blue cheese crumbles.  J-Girl’s favorite is the Peppercorn topping.

Filet Trio

Bone-In Ribeye 22 oz “Cowboy Cut”

The “Cowboy Cut” reminded me of Texas.  They say everything is bigger in Texas.  The added bonus is that this steak comes with mushrooms which are something J-Girl and I both love.  We forgot to ask if the mushrooms came from the mushroom hunting spoils.  

"Cowboy Cut" Bone-In Ribeye

Lamb Chops-Triple Cut

Mary had a little lamb and I ate it!  One thing to note is that her lamb wasn't little at all, it was HUGE in fact and quite tasty.  They seasoned it to perfection.

Triple-Cut Lamb Chops

Daily Seafood Feature – Crab Encrusted Hawaiian Sunfish

I was lucky to have the sunfish which I kept calling a starfish on our first night.  The sunfish is light in flavor and texture.  It had chunks of crab meat on top and was served with sweet chili beurre blanc.  Let me impress you with a little bit of my growing culinary knowledge.  Beurre Blanc is “white butter” in French.  This particular beurre blanc is infused with a sweet chili sauce.  This star—I mean—sunfish was simply wonderful!

Crab Encrusted Hawaiian Sunfish

THE SIDES

What is an entrée without sides?  Sullivan’s has over ten (10) family size sides for you to choose from.  I am almost too embarrassed to share how many we actually ate but I am willing to recommend the ones listed below:

            Three Cheese Mac w/ Garlic Butter Crust

            White Cheddar Au Gratin Potatoes

            Creamed Spinach

            Creamed Corn

Creamed Corn, Creamed Spinach, White Cheddar Au Gratin Potatoes, Three Cheese Mac

THE SWEETS

As I always say, the best part of any meal.  I was so disappointed I was unable to try the dessert on our first night but even the simple smell of more food would have pushed me over the edge!  I made sure our second night would end on a sweet note and it did!  We tried the following:

Crème Brulee Tahitian Vanilla Bean

New York Style Cheesecake

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

Creme Brulee, NY Style Cheesecake, Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

The winner was the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding!!!  All three were good but something about that bread pudding made every single calorie worth eating.  My only regret is that I didn’t get to try the Key Lime Pie but that just gives me another reason to go back.

Sullivan’s Steakhouse Summary

No matter what you have a taste for I am sure Sullivan’s Steakhouse will be able to satisfy your appetite.  If you are going to be in town during the Super Bowl festivities then I highly advise you to go ahead and make your reservations NOW because I know the place will be packed!  Especially since the new indoor patio will be open AND because the New England Patriots will be staying close by.  Even if you want to stay away from the Super Bowl rush, you should still stop by and grab a bite after February 5^th to experience the amazing food at Sullivan’s Steakhouse!  I know the entire Sullivan’s Indianapolis family will welcome you with open arms.

Sulilvan's sign (courtesy of Sullivan's Steakhouse), Sullivan's Chefs working hard in the kitchen

Gourmand Girl’s Conclusion: 5 VIPs

Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Indianapolis gets our highest rating of 5 VIPs.