St. Elmo Steak House: impressing Indy since 1902
With 107 years behind it, St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis ought to know the restaurant business — and it does. Since 1902, St. Elmo has impressed clientele with exceptional prime rib, filet mignon, porterhouse and rib-eye steak.
Located in the heart of downtown Indy less than three blocks from the Circle, St. Elmo is the city's oldest restaurant. It has earned dozens of “Best Steakhouse” honors by local and national publications.
And for those with a true eye for spicy shrimp, plate-sized steaks from cornfed beef and the widest array of wines among Central Indiana restaurants, St. Elmo has no equal.
Founder Joe Stahr launched the restaurant — named after the patron saint of sailors — with a simple tiger-oak back-bar acquired in Chicago, but over the decades expanded into larger dining space.
With the opening of the Circle Centre Mall in downtown Indy in 1995, current owner Stephen Huse added a large open kitchen viewable to guests in the bar, two additional private dining rooms and an award-winning wine cellar, now filled with more than 20,000 bottles and featuring vintages from the world over.
Additional expansion has since provided three more private dining-room options for large parties.
While St. Elmo has always been a bit on the expensive side — steaks run from $24 to $49 — hard times have prompted the restaurant to offer a $30 special on Sundays through 2009, with jumbo shrimp cocktail doused in a fiery cocktail sauce laden with grated horseradish; a choice of filet mignon, fresh salmon filet or bourbon chicken; mashed potatoes and vegetables; and a dessert .
Reservations are strongly suggested, especially on weekend nights or any time on Sundays.
- by Jim Brown , Indianapolis Reporter for HelloMetro
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Jim Brown Jim Brown is a longtime freelance aviation, travel and destination writer and communications professional. A former reporter for Aviation Daily, Air Safety Week and World Airline News, Jim served for more than 15 years as a senior public relations executive for American Airlines, TWA and AirTran Airways.