Eleven At The Pyramids

I didn't even know this place was here.   Located in Tower 2 of the Pyramids, it is the real-life lab for the culinary students of the Art Institute.   Students get to work the front of the house and the back of the house in a real restaurant environment under the tutelage of a real chef (Steven Keneipp).   The menu changes quarterly and is limited so call ahead to make sure there is something you will like.

Reservations are recommended as it is not very busy for lunch.   Students must work prep and need a rough idea of how much to prepare for the day.

The view from the 11th floor is amazing and is worth the trip alone.  However, the food is equally, if not more, amazing and reasonably priced.   Tipping is verboten as it as student-run facility, which adds to the value factor even more.

In addition to the high-rise views, you can also see into the kitchen area via the enormous plate glass windows and observe the students at work, as Chef Keneipp goes from station to station making comments and critiques to his pupils.

The only possible detraction (if you see it that way) created by the live lab setting is when Chef Keneipp makes his rounds to the servers.   You may not even notice some of the little mistakes made in the service, but Chef Keneipp surely does not, and he lets them know it.

I highly recommend Eleven at the Pyramids not only for the amazing views and the food, but to be a fly on the wall (not in the soup) in this amazing class.

First, some background: The restaurant-portion of the International Culinary School, Eleven at the Pyramids gives students an opportunity to test their skills in all aspects of working in a restaurant, from cooking to waiting on customers to acting as the hostess.  They are open for about a month each quarter, typically for lunch or dinner on Thursday and Friday's, and the menu selections change with each class. Located on the Eleventh Floor of the Pyramids (Tower 2), the view is fantastic, and, at times, better than the food.

I went to Eleven for lunch today with a group of 5 other people. The menu was a little different than one would typically find in Indianapolis - rabbit and quail were in all but two of the limited menu selections. I chose the prosciutto stuffed flounder, as did several other people in group. Only one was brave enough to try the pasta with rabbit (but she asked for it on the side.)

Served before our entrees was a wonderful poached pear blue cheese salad that, if offered as a main course, I would have been tempted to get, and I'm not typically a salad eater. The pears were tender and beautifully presented on a bed of mixed greens with crumbles of blue cheese and chili rubbed walnuts that gave it a light kick.

My flounder did just that.. it floundered. Picking through the bone became too much of a challenge, so I simply stopped. The vegetables that the flounder sat upon were wonderful as well, until I bit into a whole clove that was hiding out.

Others in my group got the same thing I did and didn't have a bit of trouble, and I've been here many times in the past and haven't experienced any issues. Just remember, it's a school first and a restaurant second. The students are there to learn, and they're going to make some mistakes along the way. Looking forward to trying it again and hoping for a better outcome, perhaps with a little more conservative menu.