Scotty’s Lakehouse
10158 Brooks School Road
Fishers, Indiana  46038
http://scottyslakehouse.com/

Everyone knows about the rapidly expanding Scotty’s Brewhouse and recently the owner of the Brewhouse, Scotty Wise, partnered up and opened a new concept restaurant in the Geist area called Scotty’s Lakehouse.  The Lakehouse features some of the old Scotty’s Brewhouse menu favorites like Dill Chips mixed with some gourmet bistro burgers and also Cafe Patachou breakfast on the weekends.  Also, they feature an extensive list of Indiana brewed beers on tap, so it’s a nice eclectic mix of something a little different from your usual bar/restaurant.

We’ve done a couple of reviews on Scotty’s Brewhouse previously and being that I love burgers, beers and Happy Hour, some friends and I decided to hit up the Scotty’s Lakehouse after work on a Friday recently and give this place a shot.

First Impression (not food related):  This place was packed and people were everywhere (beautiful people, young people, old people, etc.).  Whatever Scotty is doing, he seems to have found the right recipe for success because every time I go to one of his places, they are packed.  Also, the place is non-smoking, so all ages are welcome.

What I Got:  Elk Burger ($8.00) and 7 Tidals Dip ($8.75).

First was the Elk Burger.  Since this place attempts to have an unconventional and eclectic vibe, I decided to adopt that mentality and go for something other than a traditional ground beef burger and that led me to this.  The Elk Burger is served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, your choice of cheese, a pickle spear and is served on a toasted bun roll.  For my cheese, I chose blue cheese (shocking I know since I’ve gone on and on about my love of blue cheese here before).  Scotty’s blue cheese is salty, sharp and quite good.  The elk meat was slightly dry (I ordered it at the lowest done-ness level available), but that was to be expected since elk is a drier meat to begin with.  It was still flavorful though.  The toasted roll and very fresh vegetables added a nice crunch to the burger and honestly, this whole burger was a winner.

Spurred on by our excellent meal and the unbelievably fun environment, my friends and I decided to have one too many of these:

That’s 24 ounces and they go down really fast.  Anyway, after a couple hours and one too many of these, all of us started to get hungry again, so that’s when we decided to order the 7 Tidal Dip (a menu item also on the Brewhouse menu).

Served with blue corn tortilla chips and celery, this dip is made with a chicken strips, a blend of cheese (I believe I could taste my beloved blue cheese again, along with cream cheese), buffalo wing sauce and a touch of Scotty’s patented (okay, maybe he doesn’t have a patent, but he should) Mo Fo Hot sauce.

All I can say about the taste about this stuff is, “WOW.”  Creamy, thick, hearty and flavorful.  My friends and I were basically knocking each others hands out of the way in order to get to the dip faster.  This one is not going to help any diets, but when you are hammering back multiple 24 ounce beers, you don’t really care at that point.  My only complaints were that there weren’t enough chips and the chips that we did have seemed like they came out of the bottom of the bag.  A lot of them were the little crumbled up tiny ones that you usually find at the bottom.  I guess I could have actually been assertive and asked for more chips because I’m sure the server would have brought us some, but instead, I just finished off the dip with a spoon while I was sitting at the table by myself while my friends went outside and smoked.  Their sadness (and my devil’s grin) when they came back and realized the dip was gone was priceless.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes to both of these food items and also yes to Scotty’s Lakehouse. I never used to get why people loved the whole Scotty’s concept, but my last several trips to Brewhouse have been wonderful and my trip to the Lakehouse was one of my most fun trips to a new bar/restaurant in quite a while, so I now get it.  I will be back to the Lakehouse as frequently as I can and I can’t wait until the patio opens up when it gets warmer so that I can sit outside and spend my Happy Hour in the sun.  If you hit up the Lakehouse on a Friday at 6:00 or so, your chances are probably pretty good that you’ll see me sitting somewhere by the bar drinking too many 24 ounce beers and eating tasty food.  That could be your celebrity sighting!  Okay, maybe I’m stroking my ego a bit too much there.  Ha!

Speaking of celebrity sightings, while I was at the Lakehouse the one and only Scotty Wise came up and sat at the table next to me with his wife and enjoyed his dinner.  Being the impartial reviewer (I say that with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek) that I am, I didn’t introduce myself, but it was nice to see that Scotty is a frequent patron of his establishments as well (as well as one of the better social marketers I’ve ever seen).  Scotty, if you read this, I will definitely say hi next time.

-IndianapolisEater

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Scotty’s Brewhouse
http://www.scottysbrewhouse.com/

I was headed out to lunch with some co-workers and since Scotty’s is nearby, we decided to stop there for lunch.  I’ve seen via Twitter and their website that Scotty’s has daily lunch specials for $6 that include a drink, so I had to take advantage.

What I Got:  Half Buffalo Chicken Wrap with a side and drink $6 (part of the daily $6 lunch menu)

Scotty’s buffalo chicken wrap is served in a honey wheat tortilla that includes cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, ranch dressing and breaded chicken fingers.  For my wrap, the chicken fingers were flavored with mild sauce (you are only allowed mild sauce as part of the lunch special) and I must say, this thing was delicious.  Also, for only being a half wrap, it was quite sizeable as well.  The chicken fingers were also delicious and tender and when you combined all the cool flavors together, this was a winning combination.

For my side, I chose waffle fries and they were delicious as well.  Perfectly crispy and perfectly seasoned.  Also, for a cheap, affordable lunch special, I was astounded by the number of fries that came with the order.  It was definitely impressive.

Would I Buy It Again?  Definitely yes.  For $6, I was shocked at the amount of food that I got and by the quality of the food as well, not to mention the fact that $6 also included the drink.  Honestly, this is one of the better (if not the best) lunch specials around that is not at a fast food establishment.  Also, I’ve never been a huge wrap person, but this one was good enough that I would consider ordering the full size wrap at my next Scotty’s visit because this one was so tasty.

The only drawback to Scotty’s is its popularity and I say that in the kindest way.  Because Scotty’s is so popular, you often times ending up waiting for a table and also have slower than average lunch service.  That’s not their fault though because they really are putting a good product out there and no restaurant would be able to stay ahead of that volume.

-IndianapolisEater

Scotty’s Brewhouse
http://www.scottysbrewhouse.com/

Scotty’s has all you can eat wings for $10 every Monday night.  Phil The Void said they have some of the best wings in the city, so IndianapolisEater and I had to give them a try.

Before the wings arrived our server delivered a damp/warm hand towel.  Nice touch.  First bite of the wings proved they were meaty and pretty tasty.  Mo’fo’ Mustard sauce was pretty good, think mustard based Carolina BBQ sauce.  If you think that anything mustard should not be on wings, think again.

My wife ordered the Mo’fo’ hot wings.  They were good, but when you order the hottest wings on the menu, I pretty much want to see tears!

For round 2, I tried the Spicy BBQ.  Again, not tear yo’ face off hot, but they had a nice bite to them.  Crank up the heat Scotty!  However, it was a tasty and well balanced bbq sauce and has some nice wing sludge with it.

Spicy BBQ

I also had a side of waffle fries, they offer options to get them loaded, but I stuck with plain and they were pretty good.  IndianapolisEater and I ate around 25 wings each and we were pretty full.

Cashed out!

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes. All in all, it was a good time. I would like to see Scotty’s expand the sauce choices.  I am thinking spicy garlic and teriyaki.  Scotty’s on 96th St. has a fun energy.  At least 10 flat screens within sight no matter where you are sitting and you even a TV at your table!  It is a great place to watch a game, even if the Cubs are on.

-wibia

I was watching the Food Network and thought, I know a good amount about these TV personalities/chefs.  I have to admit, I love the concept of Triple D and how Guy gets restaurants to open their doors.

So I am on a mission to get to know Chefs/Owners in Indy.  I will be the first to say that this was my first interview since a speech that I had to give in 8th grade, so I am sure the questions will get more hard hitting…or even more random – not sure yet.

I thought, who should I interview first?  Scott Wise quickly came to mind.  Scott has an undying commitment to his customers and has a winning equation for success.  Scotty’s Brewhouse has an extensive menu, honest prices and a great energy about the place.

Scotty’s menu has over 100 items and at many times is very playful.  You can take your girl there for a date, or you can drink beers with your home-boys during the game!  If you are the type of person to default casual chains and like Chili’s, Apleebee’s, TGI Friday’s, Ruby Tuesday…then you are going to LOVE Scotty’s Brewhouse.

So we got a little chatty, but when I went to edit it was too interesting to cut any part of it!

You can find Scotty’s Brewhouse on Twitter and on the World Wide Web.

WIBIA: Scotty’s is now in the 13th year and expanded from college towns and recently to Downtown Indy and the North Side.  If you could attribute your success to one thing, what would it be?

Scott: Well, I’d have to attribute it to many things; but, if I boiled it all down (like the restaurant use of alliteration there?) it would be 2 things:  1)  a passion for what I do – I absolutely love my job.  2)  I’m surrounded by a management team of equally passionate people that believe in my dream and do everything they can to help us all achieve success.  They give 110%, they believe and they are all smarter than me in their respective positions – so, they just make me look even better, like I know what I’m doing.  I will always share our success with my team, it is a “team effort” and that gets lost a lot due to the name on the sign.

WIBIA: Tell me about the idea you had that started Scotty’s?  I.e., How was Scotty’s born?

Scott: Simply put:  a little luck, a lotta’ hard work and a great family support system.  I had big shoes to fill from my parents and grandparents.  All successful entrepreneurs in Muncie, I was always known as “Jerry’s son.”  So, I was always trying to run from those shadows.  I went to school at DePauw University my freshman year and after graduating from Ball State I moved to Houston, Texas.  Both situations I was running so that I could make my own footprints.  But, both times, after being in those towns far away I thought to myself, “What are you doing?  You have been given the opportunity to use your last name and bloodline successes to your advantage; but, instead you keep running from them.”  So, in both situations, I moved back home.  The one thing that was consistent through my collegiate days was working in restaurants.  My freshman year I washed dishes and started cooking at a small bar in Muncie (Dill Street Bar & Grill) – still there today.  I waited tables at Applebee’s during the school year and during Summer breaks I moved to Panama City, Florida and waited tables at a beachside restaurant with 4 buddies from school.

It is easy to see now; but, at the time, I didn’t realize any of this past “service industry” history.  I just loved working in restaurants.  I never thought it was going to be a career.  When I moved back from Houston, I was living at home and working for my parents.  I heard a campus bar was for sale and I thought, “I could do that.”  Who wouldn’t want to be a 22 year old bar owner in his hometown?  So, after working on a business plan, presenting it to my dad and making an offer to the owner, a handshake, a signed contract and $65,000 bought me my first Scotty’s in 1996.

I got in there and busted ass with a can of paint, some Murphy’s oil soap and lots of hours cleaning.  When we started, I was the cook, the bartender, the server, the bouncer and the accountant.  A slowly, we got busier and busier and I had to hire 1 cook, then 1 server, then 1 bartender…  and Scotty’s Brewhouse began to take form.

WIBIA: Over the past 13 years, I imagine that you have had some hits and misses, tell us about a time that you would like to forget.

Scott: The worst, hardest, most forgettable, yet most educational, experience in my career was the opening and closing of my restaurant Lucy!Lucy.  It was a modern, contemporary restaurant in Muncie that I possibly did everything wrong that I could have.  But, I learned more in those 3 years of trying to make it succeed than I have in 13 of running Scotty’s.  (well, before this economic downturn, that has forced me to learn a lot)  I worked with a Chef, a Sous Chef and a Pastry Chef.  I employed my wife as a GM.  Let’s just say, we were lucky to make it through those years and remain married.  It was one of the few times I’ve actually cried in my career.  I’ll never forget the night we made the decision to close and I had to tell my staff.  It was heartbreaking.  We have always treated our employees like family, so it was gut wrenching to see their faces.  I felt like a failure and I don’t like to lose in business.  But, I had the benefit of youth and stupidity on my side, so instead of wallowing in defeat – I decided to take all that equipment, booths, chairs and begin the expansion of Scotty’s to Bloomington.

WIBIA:  What Indy restaurants are on your list to try?

Scott:  I wish Indy had a better restaurant scene.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a few great chefs and owners trying.  But, after I visit Chicago, I always feel like we are Chain City, USA.  And, I know people would say I am starting to fall into that category.  I don’t believe that, though.  We are independently owned and operated.  We still possess a lot of character and personality.  So, I always try to frequent the local, independents in Indy.  My fave’s are (no particular order):  Zing, Meridian, Ale Emporium, Patachou, Cancun, La Piedad, Binkley’s, Zest, Adobo, Barcelona Tapas and probably a few others I’m forgetting…

WIBIA: Tell me about the best meal that you have had.

Scott: Best meal I’ve ever had…  hmmmm…  well, let me tell you of two experiences that come to mind:  First, Tru in Chicago.  It wasn’t the best meal; but, the best service I’ve ever seen.  They had my wife’s name and “happy birthday” typed on our menus for a party of 4.  They had little stools for the women to set their purses on, next to your chair.  The service was the best I’ve ever experienced in my life.  My favorite restaurant, as of today, is Avec in Chicago.  The food, atmosphere, menu, service – everything is perfect.  You sit at tables in a communal setting, so you are sitting right beside other people you don’t know.  I think it is just the most creative, cool, innovative restaurant I’ve ever experienced.

But, the second favorite/best meal I’ve ever had is probably with Chef Tony and Bonge’s Tavern in Perkinsville, Indiana.  For my 30^th birthday, my parents rented the entire place out and we took a limo.  I didn’t know any of this was happening.  The food at Bonge’s is incredible and that night was memorable.

WIBIA: From reading the site, you know that we are big eaters…have you thought about having an eating challenge at Scotty’s?  Wings, huge burger, etc…?

Scott: We actually have thought about this.  A wing challenge of some sort.  I love Bub’s in Carmel and I love their Big Ugly Burger that they challenge people to eat.  (with a picture on the wall if you complete the task)  I’d love to do this if my guest’s would want it…

WIBIA: You have all you can eat wings on the first Monday of each month, what is the most wings that 1 person has ever put down?

Scott: Because this has been so popular, and to tie it into football season with Monday Night Football, we are now going to do this EVERY Monday.  I have heard reports of a few 50+ wing eaters.  I just can’t imagine that could feel good.  If not that night, for sure not the next morning. 

WIBIA: If I walked into Scotty’s and I asked you to give me your favorite item on the menu, what would you give me?

Scott: That’s funny, I always get asked that and it is like asking a parent, “which is your favorite child?”  The menu and restaurant was created very selfishly.  I created a menu with myself as the imagined customer.  So, the reason we carry most of the items we do, is because I liked them.  There was a point in my career where I ate at the restaurant for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week.  So, when people wonder why the menu is so big, one of the reasons was because I wanted to be able to get something different every day.  I love our wings and the Mo’Fo’ Mustard homemade sauce that goes with them – perfection.  I also love a good cheeseburger.  We hand patty every burger and I think this makes it one of the best items on the menu.  And, finally, our wraps – I love our Buffalo Chicken Wrap.  I love spicy food.  Our Mo’Fo’ Cluck is one of my favorite items we offer because it is so unique.

WIBIA: You know the premise of the site, Would I Buy It Again?  What would keep me coming back?

Scott: The menu variety is important.  Over 100 different items to choose from.  You can eat healthy or you can splurge.  The uniqueness of what we offer has always been what I prided this restaurant on.  For example, French Press Coffee – not many “sports pubs” like us would offer something like this.  We do.  Why?  Because I like it and it makes us different, unique and a notch up on the “sports bar” theme.  Fresh flowers on the tables, daily.  A high school lunch tray that we offer with 6 different mini sandwiches to choose from.  All things we do that are different and unique.

Of course there are great specials, the fact that we cater to all walks of life – businessmen/women, families, college kids and even children.  I think we have made a concept work with a demographic from age 4 to 64.  That is a rare thing to do.

I think what keeps my guests coming back and staying so loyal is our commitment to service and guest satisfaction.  Lots of restaurants say this; but, not many owners will reply to every Tweet, Facebook or online comment people submit on our website.  I do.  Every.  Single.  One.  We are in no means perfect, far from it.  We make our fair share of mistakes.  But, what we do better than most is accept responsibility for our mistakes and take corrective action.  We can take a customer’s bad experience at one of our restaurants and make them one of our most loyal, raving fans.  Obviously, you have to have a good product, with good value and pricing, a good atmosphere…  but, at the end of the day, I tell my people, “This isn’t rocket science – it’s burgers and fries – and if we don’t offer this with personality and service above all others, our guests have lots of choices and will find somewhere else to go.”  My staff’s personality is what sells this restaurant.  Smiles, service and great personality.

-wibia