Free Food

I was able to try a couple of new restaurants this past week and below are the reviews. Unfortunately, sometimes you get what you pay for.

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant
Location: 96th Street
Price: $$$
Rating: 3 Cheeseburgers

Cooper's Hawk is a new restaurant here in Indy. I went last Wednesday night for a dinner meeting where we discussed overactive bladder. As soon as you walk in you go through a store where you can buy all kinds of wine related stuff. The restaurant has a modern feel and decor and overall looks quite nice, though it is pretty loud inside. They have a wide array of foods to choose from including meats and pastas and seafood. I decided to go for the Filet, priced at $29. It was slightly overcooked and didn't have a ton of flavor. It wasn't terrible, but honestly I don't think it was as good as a steak you can get at Outback of Bonefish. The potato side item was good, as was the service. I gave this place 3 cheeseburgers for an average rating. It was decent and is a unique place to go, but as far as steaks go I think you could get a better steak for cheaper (or pay slightly more and get a much better steak).


Buca di Beppo
Location: 86th Street & Downtown
Price range: $$
Rating: 2 Cheeseburgers

Buca di Beppo is an Italian restaurant that offers family style, a la carte foods. When Sarah and I first arrived there was quite a line waiting to get in, which is always a good sign. I was immediately flooded with sensory overload. They have practically every square inch on their walls covered with pictures. Admittedly, some of the pictures were a bit weird but I actually liked the design. I thought it made it feel more like a local restaurant and it made for good conversation. From here things went south, however. They made our reservation for 6 pm instead of 6:30 pm without telling us. Luckily we still got a table quickly. We ordered an appetizer and 25 minutes later still had no food. Finally the manager apologized to us and gave us the food for free. Since it was family style food we both had the chicken parmesan which quite frankly tasted like frozen food you would buy at the store and heat up in the microwave. It was below average. Luckily the entire meal only cost $30 but the whole experience was underwhelming. As we were leaving the waiting area was packed so tight we struggled to exit. I knew this was a popular place to eat but after dining there myself I was highly disappointed. I wouldn't recommend Buca based on this experience.