BBBP, borrowed from Flickr.

If I remember correctly my dad was friends with guys who had a stake in the Corner Wine Bar and invested in the Broad Ripple Brewpub. At the time the concept made no sense to me but I was 11 so go figure. Now that I am a man of legal drinking age I can say that more than any other local business, BRBP demonstrates what is possible when you have a solid product and a focused presentation. The Brew Pub isn’t rocket surgery, it’s a nice place to get great beer, some of which is made on the other side of big picture windows. There have been no appreciable changes since they opened except to expand the seating. I met my friend Don there the other night to talk about autism, the future of media, you know, strictly light stuff. The food is good enough but I rarely eat when I am there. A couple years back I started drinking the Lawn Mower Pale Ale but this night I switched it up in favor of the Black Heart Lager. It was malty and chocolaty as advertised but not overwhelming. I used to think I wasn’t adventurous because I don’t rotate between all the local breweries but a local Hoosier Beer Geek post about not taking the BBBP for granted convinced me I was right all along.

Tony, the owner of India Garden.

India Garden More than my age, income, or portfolio of obligations, the surest sign of my ascent to adulthood is the fact that I can say “lunch meeting” without a trace of irony. I had a lunch meeting this week with Musical Family Tree mastermind Jeb Banner. Geography and and an achey tooth led us to India Garden on Broad Ripple Ave. I love India Garden. Love it, love it, love it. Always have, always will. When I was in high school I visited the lunch buffet on average once a week and was known to down four plates in a sitting. Now I am a large man with a decided lust for life, but my god, four plates? I can’t do more than two plates now and I usually regret the second one. At any rate, India Garden is the standard by which I judge all curry houses. Maybe it’s because it was the first one I visited but I’ve been to a lot – we’re talking dozens of them in multiple cities, states, countries, continents – and the Garden always looks good in comparison. I find most buffets objectionable but I can’t resist flat rate, all-you-can eat chana masala, aloo gobi/baingen/broccoli, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken and naan.

Red’s Classic Barber Shop I’ve been busy and I’m not good at making appointments so my branded coif grew out and went into hiding under a variety of caps this week. Thankfully, my dude William T. Hogg (seen above) was working today when I called Red’s Classic Barber Shop and he had an availability on his schedule. Put aside the fact that Red’s is a throwback joint that does straight razor shaves and that my barber’s name is William T. Hogg (did I mention that his name is William T. Hogg? I can’t get over how awesomely Dukes of Hazzard that name is), and I would still find it to be the most consistently enjoyable haircutting experience I’ve had. Sure, having flirty stylists wash your hair and tell you you’re cute has it’s appeals, but in my experience, women treat their male customers like dolls – they want your hair to look the way they want it to look, not the way you asked for it. A dude is going to cut your hair the best he can according to the guidelines you present him with. And so it is with William and I. I sit, he cuts, we talk a bit, but he mostly leaves me alone and I let him practice his craft in peace. The owner took care in designing and decorating the place and while I am never in the mood for a zoot suit riot, the WWII-era soundtrack is a nice touch.

What did you do this week?