The Libertine
38 E. Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana  46204
http://www.libertineindy.com/

I am calling this a short review because my memory got a little dicey after a bender.  I was on double date and they have no clue that I write this blog, so I didn’t want to be snapping a ton of pics.  Plus, it was pretty dark in the joint, so I didn’t want to bring more attention to myself in addition to my baby face and chiseled physique.

The Drinks:

I ran through the three Tequila drinks on the menu.   I apologize for the lack of description, but again…bender, lack of notes, etc.

*Paloma Smash; $10.   Sold by our server as “if you like a Margarita, you will like this.”  Not the case at all.   I love Margaritas (not from a mix type) and I hated this drink.   The worst of all the drinks I had (over six drinks tested).  None else at the table liked it either.

The other two tequila drinks were very good.  The Nouveau Carre ($11) and the Gringo Reform ($11) were both winners.  The one with the egg yolks was my favorite.  The Pimms Cup ($10) was a favorite at the table and I was fond of it as well.   I drank most of my date’s order here.

The Food:  

A little bit of this and that.  Some really good bites in here.

*Hamachi Carpaccio; $11.  Held over from L’exploutour, I am glad to see it again.  As good as I remember it.

*Deviled Eggs; $8.  Didn’t love any of these, but I like the idea of them on the menu.

*Porchetta Sandwich; $13.  Get this and…you’re welcome.

*Sloppy Joe; $9.  Sloppy in execution.  Nothing special, but on a pretzel roll.  I liked that part of it.

*BBQ Ribs; $10.  Three bones and an awesome cole slaw with it.  The ribs were tender, but the sauce could’ve used a little heat.   Cole slaw should be added in some additional places on the menu.

*Tomato Terrine; $8.  By far my favorite thing on the menu.  Great presentation and horseradish with tomato, who knew?!   It was really really good.  I mean, really good.

Would I Buy It Again?   Yes.   A pretty much pointless post here, but I have heard from friends that they wait to go to places until I post it.  Go figure?   For the record, go and try it.   I really liked a few items here and there were a few that I didn’t care for at all.  However, the presentation and originality were kept at a high level.

This is the first week and the servers didn’t have a tight grasp on some of the drinks, though they were proficient.  I would like to for the menu to help pair some of the food and drinks together.  Also, the food menu is a bit over the place.  While I appericate the opportunity to put a sloppy joe right next to beef tartar, there is a touch of “jack of all trades, master of none”  going on.

Overall this is a good concept, good location and a very solid start.  I’m looking forward to seeing Libertine hit full stride.

-wibia

Ruby Tuesday
http://www.rubytuesday.com

Lately, I find myself walking a tightrope when thinking about this blog.  At times, this is a totally anonymous food blog that knocks out reviews and gives the middle finger to chains and free promos.  However, the blog takes up a ton of time and since I am anonymous, I am a superstar on the net, but also a lonely foodie recluse in real life.   Trust me, when I get disrespectful service or a bad meal, part of me wants to say “Do you know who I am?!  The great WIBIA, you better recognize!”

Rambling, but the point being, I tend to participate in giveaways for the readers and a few treats for yours truly.  Ruby Tuesday asked me to stop by and try some summer cocktails and I thought, “Free alcohol?!   Hell YES!!!!!”

Ruby Tuesday has six new summer cocktails including VeeV.  If you don’t know about VeeV, check it out.   Long story short, it is supposed to be made with all kinds of natural goodness that will not cause you to get a hangover.   Plus, they give away a certain percentage of revenue to rain forest in Brazil.

Let’s get ready to rumble.   First up:

Acai Mojitio: VeeV, pomegranate, mint, club soda and agave nectar.

I didn’t like this at all.  It was kind of tart and lacked any type of flavor.  I like a good Mojitio from time to time, but the pomegranate with the mint didn’t do anything for me at all.  I was thinking, what did I get myself into here…

Would I Buy It Again?  Nope.

Superfruit Cooler: VeeV, cucumber, Absolute Vodka, St-Germain liqueur, Agave Nectur and Lemon Sour.

This was off the hook good!  It reminded me of a cucumber gimlet that I had in San Francisco and still remains to be my favorite drink that has ever graced these lips.  A great summer drink that could go with a lot of the menu items.  Also, look at the quality here:  Absolute, Agave Nectur, St-Germaine and Muddled cucumbers; I was surprised…I don’t see any other chain doing this.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes. The best of the tasting and a mighty fine drink.

Skinny Pink Lemonade: 127 calories here.  VeeV, Agave Nectur, Pomegranate juice and Minute Maid Light lemonade.

I thought that this was a good drink, but it didn’t really talk to me.  It was a little too sweet for my taste, but I could see where this would be popular.  They succeeded at what they are trying to do with this drink, but I wasn’t a big fan.

Would I Buy It Again?  Eh, it wasn’t bad, but I liked others better.

Watermelon Martini: VeeV, Grey Goose, Cranberry Juice and Watermelon Concentrate.

I enjoyed this one more than I thought that I would.  It had a strong watermelon taste and the cranberry juice added a little sweetness.  This was an easy drinker, as it was not too sweet and had a little enough alcohol in it to make it interesting.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yeah, this was pretty tasty.

Pomegranate Margarita: VeeV, Cuervo Gold, Agave Nectur, Lemon Sour and Pomegranate.

Fist, I am a big margarita fan.  So much so that they are my favorite drink.  I know that they have a certain image that associated them with fat guys in Hawaiian shirts listening to Jimmy Buffet, but I don’t care.  I love them.  Also, I HATE frozen margaritas.  Just for the record…

When I heard, Pomegranate Margarita, I was worried.   However, it was solid.  You really didn’t taste a lot of the pomegranate and it wasn’t overly sweet.  A really good margarita made with quality ingredients.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yeah, surprisingly good.

Shrimp Fondue:

I enjoyed this a lot.   Looks like your standard chips and cheese, but there were twelve cut-up shrimp in here and it had a little heat.  I liked the tri-colored chips.   Good for noshing with a few cocktails.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes.

WIBIA Summary: I almost decided to pass on this promo and I am glad that I didn’t.   I have been pretty harsh on Ruby Tuesday in the past, but I was really impressed by these drinks.  I think the quality is far above the competition with things like agave nectar, St-Germain and all top shelf liquors and they didn’t have scary well liquors.   Jim Beam, Absolute and Cuervo Gold are the well drinks.   Plus, all of the drinks mentioned above sell for only $5.  Considering the ingredients, I would think that most of them would be closer to $7-$8.  I tend to identify myself with the type of guy that would pass the High Life test and I rarely have a sweet drink, but I was digging a few of these for sure.

Question: The manager that was my host asked me why I don’t drink at Ruby Tuesday and I am not sure if I had a great answer.  When I want a cocktail, I don’t think the bar at a chain restaurant.  That is just me.

So, what could bring you into the bar more at Ruby Tuesday?

-wibia

I was at Burger King (fancy brick one) and saw this sign in the drive thru.   I laughed thinking…who would order the 16 oz when you can get the 22 oz for the same price!?   I mentioned this theory when I got back to work and a few people said, “well, if I get any size coffee at McDonald’s, I usually get a medium.”  Really?

I am not a wasteful person so I tend to conserve, but I would max out this Icee deal no problem.  People eat more at buffets (generally), so that mentality is there.  Let’s finalize the score here.

-wibia