The Steer Inn
5130 East 10th
Indianapolis
It's a late Saturday morning in mid-January and I have a couple of hours to kill before the NFL playoffs start. Time to load up a couple of empty growlers, grab a bite to eat then make a quick stop at the Sun King Brewing Company. Headed east on I-70 toward Indy The Tammy and I decided to wheel into The Steer Inn. The Steer Inn is a hold-over from the 50's that has managed to escape developers who would turn it into a drive through Discount Tobacco or scrape it off the face of the earth and replace it with a shining new CVS in 45 days.
Following instructions from the hostess, we helped ourselves to a corner window booth. Hanging directly overhead was a Scecina High School letterman's jacket with thick dust bunny cuffs. I was thankful that the door didn't open wide enough for a strong breeze to dislodge the bunnies. The place was covered with 50's memorabilia. Not the cheesy injection molded reproduction junk but the real stuff. The Steer's kitchen kitsch is dialed in just low enough not to reach a lethal level.
Our server greeted us with a warm smile and the hiccups. The flippin hiccups. I'm a firm believer that hiccups are a character flaw. If you get a dose of the hiccups in a public setting you should excuse yourself to the restroom and use whatever method your mother taught you to rid yourself of them. Keep your shame private. The Tammy agreed and said the manager should have sent her home for the day.
Seated at a not so far away table was a young family. Dad, mom, big brother, toddler brother. The Tammy got a stricken look on her face. I suspected a mild stroke for a moment but it turned out that she had been repulsed by toddler brother's lip smakin' open mouthed slobberfication. I had to turn to see it for myself. Mistake. The high chaired kid was a dead ringer for Meat Loaf. Marvin Lee Aday (Meat Loaf) with mashed potatoes oozing from the corners of his mouth.
We enjoyed the dust bunnies and the Meat Loaf... not to mention the food. The french dip was one the best I've had. Thin sliced beef with swiss on a hoagie bun, onion rings and a Diet Coke that was out of this world! This was our fourth trip to The Steer. If you find yourself on the east side at meal time we highly recommend you stop in for a breaded tenderloin and a possible faux celebrity sighting.
Almost every restaurant you go to these days sells tee shirts and other merchandise. That's where my rating system comes from. 1-5 tee shirts.
The Steer Inn rates 3 tee shirts for price, curb appeal and DFFF (damn fine fried food).
