Culinary Dropout — Restaurant in Indianapolis

Updated SEP’ 25 We came back because we had such a positive experience the 1st time. Our experience was not as great but still decent. We came in 1.5 hours before they close and they had us sit at the bar. Bartender was friendly but not attentive even though we were the only customers there. our water was never filled, ie, when we asked how thick the steak was, they showed with her hands that it was about 3/4-1” thick but it came out one of the thinnest pieces of steak that was just between 1/4 -1/2 inch thick, not very big either which was fine because it was plenty toner for me but I am also very small but to my friend who ate their with me twice, he thought it was crazy small.

Food: Starter, we ordered the chips and house made onion dip, dip was delicious but chips were cold, we would have preferred those warm.

Entree: Steak frites - Steak was cooked perfectly at the temperature we ordered, but it was barely warm, and was a bit too charred, salad was salty, fries were warm but still delicious. We wouldn’t recommend this dish. Fried Chicken - breading was seasoned well, coleslaw and biscuit was delicious, chicken itself was just ok….not memorable fried chicken we had hoped for. Overall on food was ok…the only thing that came out hot was the fried chicken, everything else was just warm including the mashed potatoes.

Aug’ 25 It was superb! We were pleasantly surprised. We came in late, about 11pm, they were happy to serve us, food came out fast and hot.

We ordered house salad, pig in the blanket, ribeye sandwich with truffle fries and fish & chips, salad and pig in the blanket were decent but fell flat compared to the rest of our dinner. We would order both our meals again!

Pros: Service, food choice, hours, location, and atmosphere, we truly enjoyed most of experience there down to the attention the chef gave to the fish and chips, its haddock fish, seasoned to perfection and crispy batter. The coleslaw was light and refreshing. Dash recommended the BBQ with the pigs and blanket and that made the dish, BBQ sauce was really really good. Everyone was extremely prompt and helpful😊

Cons: Price is decent but when you add like the mushrooms and veggies, it increased the sandwich to $35 which made the price pretty high for the meal. The house salad lacked layers of texture, it needed more ingredients. Recommend to compliment the menu, beets and goat cheese, etc

Dash was attentive and knew the menu, we plan on coming in...

I only gave it one star because that’s the only way I can do this review, went there today March 22 was a group of 12 Our reservations were for 1:15 We were Al seated at 1:20 which ok, We had a waitress and a waiter to wait on us. they took our order one waiter had to leave had an emergency so someone else came to take our orders over again I guess he had the orders with him, which was fine. We waited an hour and 30 minutes for our food. I had to go and look for a waitress to ask if we could at least have our salads she said well we asked for our to come to come out all at one time, I said no we asked for our salads to come first we waited another 20 minutes before we had to ask for our salads again and after another 10 minutes, we finally got our salads About five minutes after that we got our food, the waitress kept using an excuse that she was sorry that had a bump because the one waiter had to leave , stop using that as an excuse yes he had an emergency that had nothing to do with us having to wait for our food for about an hour or more you never came to check on us to let us know what was going on. We always had to go find a waiter or a waitress. When our food came it was lukewarm one of the our friends chicken was so burnt when it came again, they remade if for him the second batch was half done. The manager from the bar came and said he would give us a 15% percent discount, which only took up the taxes that whole table, should have been comped waiting an hour and 30 minutes really almost 2 hours for food that was lukewarm burnt and half done and you want give a 15% off, I got so tired of the waitress who say she was a manager saying that the one waiter had an emergency emergencies happen that shouldn’t of threw you the whole restaurant off by food being late and half done that had nothing to do with the cook or the service ,that shouldn’t have prolonged. our wait for an hour and a half before we even got our food , Won’t be going back again. Just drop the culinary and call it DROPOUT AND DROP THE BALL PERIOD, Our group all agreed will not be coming back to this over rated and very over...

The bright, welcoming exterior with its large windows sets the stage, for what’s inside. And this is where the real magic happens. A lively bar, plenty of tables and booths (including cozy split booths), and live entertainment give this place an undeniable energy. Even during an off-hour, the restaurant was buzzing, filled with guests clearly enjoying the food, drinks, and atmosphere.

The service here is absolutely top-notch. Our server, Nick, was fantastic, making sure we had everything we needed while keeping the experience fun and seamless. But as great as the service was, the food somehow managed to top it.

Since it was our first visit, we decided to sample a few different dishes, beginning with two appetizers: The first “White Truffle Deviled Eggs” A tasty, rich, and well-executed dish. A solid choice. And secondly the “Crispy Brussels Sprouts” Which in my book was the real star. Now, let me be clear!I have never cared for Brussels sprouts for all 67 years of my life. But these? They were nothing short of a revelation. Absolutely delicious. I was shocked, surprised, and officially converted. I’d return just for these alone.

Now for the entrees, we ordered. The “Mongolian Short Rib” Tender, flavorful, and complemented by charred scallion, broccolini, a soft egg, and crispy rice, with a kick of Thai chili. Also the “Korean-Style Ribeye Cap” A bold, well-balanced dish featuring zucchini, beech mushrooms, roasted onion, and cilantro. And then finally the “Beer-Battered Fish & Chips” Perfectly crisp, golden batter with a side of coleslaw and tartar sauce. A classic done right.

To round things out, we shared dessert. “Monkey Bread” A warm, cinnamon apple brioche served with vanilla ice cream. Baked to order, perfect for sharing, and a delightful way to end our meals.

There’s really nothing more to say except: we loved everything. The food, the music, the energy—everything about The Culinary Dropout made for an unforgettable dining experience. Hats off to Nick for his outstanding service, and we can’t wait...