A few weeks ago, I was able to take a rare Saturday off, so Linda and I decided to visit the new Puck's restaurant at the IMA.  I have long been an admirer of Wolfgang Puck.  I always enjoyed his food when he was chef at the sorely missed La Tour in downtown Indianapolis and enjoyed Spago in Los Angeles.  And, last year, the fabulous meal he and his staff personally prepared for over 300 people at Vin Expo in Chicago was simply fabulous.  So, ever since he opened one of his signature restaurants here in Indianapolis, I have been anxious to give it a try... We arrived about noon with a reservation and the place was already buzzing with activity.  We were immediately seated at what we thought was the best table in the house, directly in the center of the floor in front of the windows that over look the museum's centerpiece Sutphin fountain, which, by the way, has been completely restored and now sits in a lovely courtyard.   

The restaurant itself is very spacious with towering ceilings and comfortable oversize chairs and intimate booths.  They have also managed to avoid one of my pet peeves.  They have not been greedy with space and left plenty of room between tables so you don't have to listen to the neighboring table's conversation throughout your lunch.  Decorated in soft browns and tans, the room is lit by the floor to ceiling windows that run the entire length of the dining room. 

The room was heavily populated with wait staff and our very experienced server did a very professional and unobtrusive job of making our lunch pleasant.  The wine list was brief, but well chosen offering only 21 selections, all available by the glass or bottle.   Mark-ups were a bit high, about 2.5 times retail, but still better than many downtown Indianapolis restaurants.  The list contained only  7 whites, 8 reds, 2 sparklers and 4 dessert wines, but we were told it is soon to be expanded.  We choose the Qupe Marsanne, $8 by the glass, $34 per bottle.  This is a Santa Barbara take on a wonderful Rhone white varietal - it was crisp and clean and paired wonderfully with lunch.  The first treat was perhaps the best bread basket I have ever experienced in Indianapolis.  Having barely touched bread since I began my diet in October, I may have been influenced by deprivation, but each one I tasted was better than the last.  It included a pungent parmesan flat bread, tender sourdough slices and a fairly weighty rosemary olive loaf that was worth the price of admission. After satisfying my bread deficiency, my we began by sharing a  salad of Belgian endive with walnuts, blue cheese and wonderful julienne apples in a light vinaigrette. The crisp apples were a perfect counterpoint to the sharp cheese and slightly bitter greens.   We also shared the Tuna Sashimi starter with avocado and soy-citrus ponzu that our server graciously split before serving.   The tuna was fresh and firm with the sauce complementing it without overwhelming the delicate flavor.  Other starters from the seven item selection (that looked good when they walked by)  were smoked salmon with a lemon-herb pancake and dill creame fraiche, and a Chinese chicken salad with a ginger mustard dressing.   The main courses included eleven options  hat ranged from the simple to the sublime - cheese burgers to a steamed salmon with ginger, chili, garlic and jasmine rice.  Since we could only try two (we need to start taking more people on these expeditions!) Linda had Wolfgang's signature dish, the plate filling Wiener Schnitzel. It was served with warm fingerling potato salad and lightly wilted mache, an exotic green.  The schnitzel was simply excellent, tender with just the right touch of spice. 

I really wanted something a bit more interesting, but I fell for one of my guilty weaknesses, fish and chips.  The three large fish filets were delicately coated with a tempura batter and served with frites in a paper cone that were so good they could have been French.  Like good Japanese tempura, Puck's version was light and crisp with no residual oil.  Served with crisp slaw and a tarter sauce livened up with capers, I can highly recommend this dish to anyone who feels guilty when they order fish and chips.  You'll still feel guilty but at least it will be worth the guilt.  Did I mention large?  Linda's Wiener Schnitzel could have almost fed two people and my fish and chips could certainly have been shared, so be warned... go hungry.   Before leaving, we perused the dinner menu and decided that an evening return should be placed on our schedule. I hear the honey lacquered duck calling me...

At lunch starters were $6 to $12, lunch main courses $14 to $18 and dinner entrees $18 to $26. With a $34 bottle of wine our bill was $78 before tip. . 

Puck's IMA 4000 Michigan Road (317) 955-2315
Lunch Tuesday through Sunday 11 am - 2 pm
Dinner Thursday through Saturday 5 pm - 9 pm
 After lunch we decided to give the new museum a tour and were surprised when we were given passes for a free future visit when we bought our $7.00 tickets.  We soon discovered why... the "See the New IMA" advertising fails to mention that only one third of the museum is open!  The third we saw was very well done.  In fact, it may be the most user friendly art museum I have ever been in.  Admit it, you slept through  art appreciation in college, too.  How many art museums have you wandered through lingering in front of masterpieces without having a clue who the artist was or what the painting depicts.  The new IMA has solved that problem, each painting now has a card on the wall that gives a brief biography of the artist and a little background on the subject of the painting.  It's a little like what we do with wine by offering the magazine reviews.  I cannot tell you how much more interesting it made the viewing to know a little bit about the artist and where, who and why he painted the picture.   And that was a good thing, since with only one floor open, there was not that much to see. Oh well, at least what we saw was interesting.  So, if you go... go for the food but don't expect too much from the museum quite yet.

The New IMA