Having grown up in Indianapolis, I had been to St. Elmo’s on a few occasions. But the first time that I really became aware of the clout that St. Elmo’s has, I was about 25 and on a plane flight coming from New York to Indy. There was a businessman seated next to me from the Denver area, and we began to talk. When I told him I was going back to Indianapolis, he replied “hmm…Indianapolis huh? Yeah…Indy, that’s where St. Elmo is. The best shrimp cocktail on the planet! We call them a couple times a year and have them ship us some of their cocktail sauce.” Well, that left an impression on me as you can see. And then a few years later, I had gone to a Rolling Stones concert in the Dome…and I read in the paper the next day that the Stones rented out the whole restaurant at St. Elmo for a private party after the show. I mean, if Mick, Keith, Bill and Charlie chose to book St. Elmo’s?? That was beyond impressive…to me anyway.
Of course, just about everyone has a story or two about the place. Almost impossible not to. It’s been there since 1902 at the same location downtown at 127 S. Illinois. They have a varied and exceptional menu, but are especially known for their steaks…and of course the shrimp cocktail. If you haven’t been there then you should go sometime. I guarantee you that you too will be telling stories later about the effect that the cocktail sauce had on you. One word…horseradish…that’s all I’m going to say about it.
The Bar there is really cool too. One of those big, old, traditional wood ones. So the bar area just oozes with atmosphere. A great place to meet with friends, clients…anyone, if you are downtown.
