The Bar at the Ambassador
39 E. Ninth Street
Indianapolis, Indiana  46204

If you live in Indy and read restaurant news, you probably heard that Yats! pulled out  of the much anticipated Bar Yats! at the last minute. One of the partners forged ahead to create The Bar at the Ambassador.  I have been there twice in the last month.  One my first trip, I tried the Reuben and it was pretty good.  Service was top notch and the restaurant itself was a comfortable place to grab a quick bite.  The menu has plenty of New Orleans flare all over it with red beans and rice, fried catfish and jambalaya.  However, they have a burger, a few salads and some other enticements.  Hence…

What I Ate: Pastrami.  Rye, Pastarami, Cabbage, Swiss Cheese, Thousand Island with Russian caviar served with chips on the side; $9.00.

At first sight, I thought that this is a nice sized sandwich.  Pastrami was leaking out the side and all the meat-to-bread ratios looked on point.  The good news is that it tasted as good as it looked.  The rye bread was toasted nicely, the pastrami was sliced a little thicker than I had it before and the cabbage provided a nice crunch.  What I really liked is the “Thousand Island.”  To be honest, I think that it is mislabeled, because I didn’t taste any relish at all.  The caviar was probably a waste of money as I didn’t taste a lot of it, but it did add a certain sophistication to the sandwich.  However, I loved the “TI” sauce.  I also tried a little bit of the Red Beans and Rice that my co-worker ordered and I enjoyed that as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, easily. I actually like this place quite a bit.  I enjoyed both visits.  I liked the pastrami so much that I will probably order it again the next time that I go.  I am not going to go as far as saying that this is a new culinary hot spot.  However, it is a cool place with a welcoming staff, and great food.  It gets my thumbs up.

-wibia

Yats
Indianapolis, IN

http://www.yatscajuncreole.com/

It is difficult to imagine that this blog has been in existence for about eleven months and we have yet to say one word about Yats!  Most people in Indy will breeze past this review because they know that it rocks, but let’s follow normal protocol here.  Long story short on the history:  Joe owns the place, it has four locations and does quickserve, cheap, tasty cajun/creole food.

I was in the neighborhood and stopped in at the 96th Street location.  First time to Yats?  Get the full flavor and head to the original store in Broad Ripple.  The menu changes daily, but it does have a few standards. You can check online beforehand to see what is up with the menu for that day.

Chili Cheese Etouffe

What I Got:  Chili Cheese Etouffe with Crawfish/White Chicken Chili and extra bread.  About $7.00

IMO, the Chile Cheese Etouffe with Crawfish is their flagship dish.  Creamy and just well balanced with a proper amount of crawfish sprinkled in.  If you bought the Channel 13 Cookbook last year, this recipe was in there.  Really tasty and a must have.  As with most of the items on the menu, this was served over rice.

The white chicken chili was nice as well.  There was a ton of shredded chicken.  I would really like to highlight some of the flavors, but I can’t because I scarfed it down so quickly that it waved at my tongue on the way down.  Yats bread is ridiculously good as well.  Buttered with some cajun seasoning that I would really like to know the mix of spices that they use.  If you know what makes up the mix, hit me up on e-mail or Twitter.  If I have been fooled by Tony Chachere’s, please kill me.

Look, I have never been to New Orleans, though I will probably go in 2010.  I am not sure how authentic it is, but frankly I don’t give a shit because I love their food.  If you are in Indy for a few days, you have to give Yats a try.  It is truly one of my favorite places in Indianapolis to eat.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes and Hall of Fame.

Fun Yats Story:

About four years ago I was in Yats in Broad Ripple at about 2:00.  Joe, the owner, was walking around busing tables and this conversation followed:

Joe:  How was lunch?

wibia:  Great, when are you going to put the white chicken chili on the menu?  It is my girlfriend’s favorite item.

Joe:  Do you have about 10 minutes to spare?

wibia:  Yup

Joe (10 minutes later arriving at my table with a to go order of white chicken chili):  Here you go man, this one is on the house and I hope she enjoys it.

I mean, who has this customer service model anymore?   Not only is the food excellent, every person there seems to be cut from the same cloth, loves the food and loves what this represents.

-WIBIA