Commission Row — Restaurant in Indianapolis

My family and I spent months planning a birthday surprise for my husband, only for a botched surprise and poor evening of service at Commision Row.

It started last week when my husband decided he wanted nothing besides dinner at CR. He made a reservation for two on OpenTable. I tried to make my own for 5 but it would not allow me too. The family and I decided we would eat somewhere else upon their arrival to town because we couldn’t get a reservation.

We had two of our kids flying in to help celebrate, and one of my sons took vacation time to pick the others up from the airport. but when their flight was delayed, we could either spoil the surprise or attempt a last-minute call to the restaurant and beg for a party of 5. I went stealth-mode, calling Comission Row from a closet (yes, really! ), and I left a VM. I even explained this was a huge surprise and I was calling from a closet. I received a call back immediately and they changed my reservation. Unfortunately, my husband got an alert about it spoiling everything. He asked “did you change it?” I said “nope” and he tried to change it back to 2. Open table wouldn’t let him and he was just about to call the store as it prompted him to do for this change and I had to tell him the truth. It spoiled a six month surprise. I work at a fine dining restaurant. We have had surprise proposals and surprise dinners with over 60 people. I didn’t think I’d have to ask the gal to put this in the open table notes— and not a live update. As a guest, shouldn’t have to even consider managing that situation. Nevertheless, it was a ruined surprise.

When we finally arrived, not a single “Happy Birthday!” was uttered. The service was a mixed bag—appetizers plates lingered when salad plates were sat down. Salads were sat at the wrong seats and no pepper was even offered. Then entrees were sat at the wrong seats. When the dessert menus were presented, I announced my husband should pick for his birthday. And a birthday dessert was then delivered to him BEFORE the table order was even taken. He nibbled on that alone. We decided on two deserts. They were dropped off but we had to ask for share plates and silverware.

Lastly, we are Cunningham members and had a free desert loaded to our card for Commission Row specifically. And the server didn’t take it off. I was so upset at that point did it even matter? No- we left as fast as we could.

What I wanted was a seamless celebration and great service for the price point , but alas, we had this experience. Such...

Typically we avoid going to brand new spots for dinner because we know they have to work out the kinks. But. We are huge Cunningham restaurant fans and we decided to give this place a try. And we are SO THRILLED we did. What an experience ! We were sat at a two top by the back windows that overlooked the new area that has a basketball court in the spring/summer and the ice skating rink in the winter. Very cool views!

Our server , Ben, OUTSTANDING! Literally one of the BEST SERVERS we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Ben knew everything about the entire menu BUT ALSO the bar drinks, wine pairings, whiskeys, Ben is THE MAN! He truly provided 5 Star service and if we could Leave Ben a review solely as well we would.

We Started with the Popovers. Light. Fluffy and cane with a dipping oil and butter. Definitely try them!! The crab claws were meaty and delicious! You get 6 in an order.

I ordered the Cauliflower steak and let me tell you this was the most flavorful and tender cauliflower steak I’ve ever had. Kudos to the chef! I also had the salad and it was full of lush greens and had the perfect amount of dressing. Not too much and not to little. It didn’t overwhelm the mixed greens.

My husband ordered the Seafood Salad and it was a meal in itself. In fact that’s what his meal was. We split the Mushrooms and I could order just that for dinner. WOW! They were perfectly seasoned and cooked to the perfect temperature and degree so that it wasn’t mushy. Definitely split that! Or get your own because we wish we had.

For dessert …. The CAPPUCCINOS! Ya’ll. I’ve been to Italy a few times. Spain. The coffee I had last night rivaled a cappuccino from overseas. In fact it was so delicious I had another. The wine suggestion was perfect and the Old fashioned ? Beautifully crafted and not overly sweet. The bartenders know what they are doing. The ambience. The decor. The incredible service. Commission Row….JOB WELL DONE! We can’t...

Reservation: 7:45p Seated: 8:02p 1st cocktail arrived 8:32p

It seems that CR still has some kinks to Iron out. The atmosphere is nice. And, service was on par with expectation. However, a 30 minute wait on a cocktail - even on a busy night - is underwhelming. The restaurant was crowded and very loud. Though the space is aesthetically pleasing, I’d recommend the design team find a way to incorporate some sound absorbing surfaces to help with noise level. We were all but yelling at each other to have conversation.

We ordered Caesar salads, scallops, the lamb, fries, mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. All of it fine, but not necessarily memorable. The Caesar was a swing and a miss. So lightly dressed, the salad barely harkened its namesake. The crouton dust didn’t hold up to the moisture of the rinsed kale and shaved Brussels sprouts and the tomato was a strange addition to this traditional salad. The accoutrements with the scallops overwhelmed the delicate taste of the shellfish. The lamb was cooked beautifully, but came in a bowl of pistachios with what seemed a hurried reduction that was over salted. At $65 for two ‘lamb pops’ - as they were described - I certainly expected a more refined dish. The fries and mashed potatoes were good, but I certainly didn’t expect something so simple to be the best thing we ate. And, the Brussels, labeled ‘crispy’ on the menu, were not; though they were tasty even if a bit salty.

I cannot say that the experience or the food lived up to the $330 we shelled out for the two of us. We will likely return for a second chance, but I fear the value to experience ratio is out of balance which means CR will not be a place we choose to frequent. Perhaps our 2nd chance...