Bowtie-wearing Roth and cigar-chomping Rosen were known as a culinary “odd couple.” These two next-door neighbors’ differences aren’t quite so stark; Harry & Izzy’s embraces St. Elmo’s men’s-club panache, all dark woods and black-and-whites of boxing matches and racecars. The Midwest-sourced steaks are just as high-quality (and high-priced): top Choice cuts perfectly seared with St. Elmo’s proprietary seasoning. You can even start your meal with that famous shrimp cocktail (though the red-pepper meatballs with housemade tomato sauce prove just as sinus-clearing). But if St. Elmo is a subdued hum, Harry & Izzy’s is a jovial roar, especially when the flatscreens above the circular bar are playing the Colts game.
This good-time atmosphere alone would probably satisfy the conventioneers and expense-account types crowding the leather booths, either here or at the northside location. Fortunately, Harry & Izzy’s takes its steaks seriously. You may even be tempted to gnaw your ribeye bone for those last little nubs of flavor—but wait until you get home. Harry & Izzy’s may be laid back, but this is still a classy joint. 153 S. Illinois St., 317-635-9594; 4050 E. 82nd St., 317-915-8045; harryandizzys.com
Price per ounce of the small filet: $5
Largest steak on the menu: 20-ounce bone-in ribeye
Grade of meat: Most steaks upper-third USDA Choice, hand-selected and hand-trimmed
Aging process: One steak is dry-aged up to 55 days; majority of steaks are wet-aged, around 28 days
Wines by the bottle/glass: 270/18
The deal: $40 three-course filet dinner on Sundays
Recommended side: The crispy and tangy fried green tomatoes
Dessert of Choice: The towering, housemade Woodford Reserve bourbon bread pudding
Valet: $10 downtown ($20 for event parking)
Most-famous customer: Robert Downey Jr.
We love steak, any way you slice it. In Indianapolis, there’s a steakhouse to cater to every occasion and level of sophistication, and after months of dining like wealthy cavemen, we present them to you here, in juicy detail. A la cartes include a primer on the king cuts (for those who don’t know a porterhouse from a portobello), tips on the best cheap chops in town, a cattle call of beefy terms, and a stab at defining that common condition among steak-lovers—the meat sweats. You want a piece of this? Dig in.
