eMbers Station Bistro & Bar — Restaurant in Rensselaer

I first heard of Ember's from a family member, who had a graduation party within the event venue. It was good, but nothing all that memorable for me at the time. It was years after that I ended up coming back to Ember's to try their restaurant. Little did I know at the time what I was missing out throughout the years.

This place tucked into the downtown of a small rural town is a little gem of a place. You would not expect a small town like Rensselaer to have a trendy, modern-American, upscale dining experience, but that is precisely what Ember's provides.

Walking to the outdoor seating gives you the vibe of going to a friend's backyard cookout. The outdoor string lights, Tiki torches, brick patio with a wood shelter overtop completes it. Indoors, you're greeted to a warm, comfortable atmosphere with all the wood, and warmth of the soft lighting. All the walls are decorated, to give an new old feel.

The menu is somewhat limited, but there is enough variety to satisfy most guests. My mother and I went today, and we ordered the pretzels with beer cheese. It's hard to mess up this classic snack, and Ember's iteration of it was excellent. The beer cheese came in a small cast iron skillet, piping hot from their oven, as evidenced by the handle cover. The pretzels were nice and soft on the inside, with a crispy outside. One of them did get slightly overdone, with the outside getting a little dark and crunchy for my liking, but it was still a solid appetizer, very nicely presented on top of a wooden plank.

I ordered the jalapeño honey burger, and my mother ordered the pesto spanich toastie sandwich. The burgers at Ember's are all Impossible burgers, however, I could not care less because my burger was truly delicious. The juice was loose, even dripping onto my plate, but it wasn't enough to cause the bun to start disintegrating into a pile of mush. The toppings were plentiful, and made for a lovely flavor combo of sweet, spicy and tangy. All the burgers and sandwiches are served with kettle chips, which appear to be made in house. However, you have the option of swapping them for a salad or fruit, if you wish.

Overall, prices are reasonable. All our food cost about $40 after tax, comparable ro most sit-down restaurants in the area.

As far as the service goes, our waitress was very good. She and the others were clearly busy, as we came on a busy Saturday evening. However, when she could come to attend to our needs, she did. Additionally, they were doing an excellent job keeping the tables clean, taking the time to clean them shortly after the guests sitting there left.

Overall, I have little to complain about with Ember's. Everything from the food to the atmosphere to the service is solid. Plenty of vegetarian-friendly options are already on the menu, making it simple for those looking to eat less meat. All in all, if you're in the area and you are looking for good, modern-American style restaurant, though this may be your only option, it is a very...

The station is one of my absolute favorite restaurants and places in NWI, and I would even say that if you aren't located close to Rensselaer, making the trip to dine here is well worth it!!!! The drinks are always unique, and they have a unique spin on the classics, my gin and tonic had peppercorns in it and it was delicious, and the food here is FANTASTIC. I'm partial to ordering the brick oven cauliflower crust pizza with my partner, and the way they prepare and cook it, you would have no idea the crust was cauliflower! The restaurant itself is always kept neat and clean, organized, and decorated beautifully as well. The owner definitely keeps up on cleaning and maintenance and you can tell. Every time we visit we also order the pretzel sticks for an appetizer, and the beer cheese they are served with is probably the best beer cheese I have ever had! Last time we visited we got to sit outside even though it was November, because they have these awesome, quaint, adorable little igloos which are heated and our guests that were visiting from out of state absolutely loved the experience, as did we!!! That particular visit I had the shrimp and rice platter and again, it was cooked to perfection, and the sweet sauce the shrimp came with was so good and delicious. I can safely say anything you order here is going to be delicious and I dont think you would be dissapointed no matter what you order or choose. The owner is very sweet, kind, and helpful, she always makes me smile with her warm and inviting personality. It almost feels like you are going to a best friends home for a delicious dinner rather than going out to a restaurant. For real, if you are local, why are you not eating here? If you live a little farther away from Rensselaer, why are you not taking the time and making the trip to come and eat here? It's one of the BEST restaurants in NWI and I cant say that enough. Thank you for making me feel at home Station at the Embers! Five...

Lets start with the good. I rented this venue for my winter wedding on a Friday night. The building itself is beautiful! Food was well prepared and lets be honest compared to other wedding venues this was one of the cheapest. Now for the bad. The day I signed my contract I was told by the owner that we could come the day before to set up everything unless there was another rental, they assured me there wouldn't be another rental because the night before was a Thursday. One week before my wedding I found out that they booked themselves for a wine tasting that night. Very inconsiderate. Unfortunately two of my guests couldn't make it to the wedding. I let the venue know before the head count deadline, and was still charged for these guests that never came. Small things like removal of the artwork on the walls was just looked over, and opening the champagne for our toast. (We drank air for our first toast) I paid extra and was told that they would set up all the twinkle lights to "light up the sky" ceiling. In my opinion this was a waste of money as there were only a few strands of lighting on the ceiling. During our reception the staff was supposed to remove the chairs from the ceremony to create more dance space. NO ONE moved the chairs, and no one was around to ask about it so my family/guests started moving them for me. Very irresponsible. Last but not least, My husband and I were given the impression that our drinks for the night was included with everything else that we had paid for. We had already been sent off and later I find out that the bartender told my brother that the bride and groom still have a tab open. My generous brother paid it. But once again this is not something one of my guests should have to do. There is absolutely no communication no...