The Office

Oh delicious indulgence.  We finally got in.  I came with a larger group to celebrate my birthday and it was perfect.  Drinks were perfect, though expensive ($20 - we started off ordering off of the menu, then moved to the bartender's recommendations).  The steak tartare was by far the best I've ever had (with an egg yolk on top).  We also ordered the oysters, which came with droppers that held different flavors (smoke, lemon, curry, etc) so that was fun to experiment with.  The BEST part was the sundae bar that came with heath bars, oreos, gummy bears, bananas and more.  Everyone in our party got two scoops of ice cream with hot chocolate sauce on the side and we were free to make our sundae as we pleased.  

The service was fantastic and the bar was super comfortable.  My only (tiny) gripe was that we spent $800 and they kind of pushed us out after a while.  I feel like if I'm going to spend that much money, I should be able to relax as long as I please... No matter - I still had an amazing birthday.  Go to celebrate or impress someone, but it's obviously not an everyday place.

69/365

Yep, this place lives up to the hype. We recently went to The Office for a 30th birthday celebration. There was a group of 7 of us and I don't think anyone had any gripes.

The drink menu is fantastic. I tried something from the menu for my first drink, and for subsequent drinks I simply told the server the flavor profile I was looking for and the bartender delivered a delicious concoction. A few others took the same approach and loved their drinks as well.

We had some appetizers and the ice cream sundae, too. If there's anything at all negative about this place, the apps were quite expensive. I can't remember the exact prices (cocktails are $20), but I do remember having sticker shock upon seeing them. That said, they were delicious.

We ordered oysters and they brought several different liquid flavors (fennel, curry, ginger, etc.) to experiment with by placing small drops on top of the oysters. We also had the beef tartar, which was perfectly seasoned. Finally, we ended with the ice cream sundaes which included an assortment of no less than 7 toppings.

I highly recommend taking a trip to The Office and experiencing it for yourself.

So it's come to this, the first 1 star review. And at a place that others seem to adore - reading these reviews I'm not sure we went to the same place. Disappointing, pretentious, overrated, rude - that's how I would describe The Office.

To start they give you a dog and pony show about even getting down there, I get it, it's small & everyone and their mom wants to go there but just be realistic about wait times and everyone will be happier. So when you get your golden ticket and get to go downstairs behind a locked door (seriously, isn't that a fire hazard?) you are given seats in an intimate setting. The decor is nice and what people have said, wood paneling, books, a variety of reproduction paintings. I did appreciate the numerous Matisse painting, he happens to be my favorite. So we were lucky enough to sit at the bar and get served directly by the bartender. No qualms with him personally, he was nice enough and and even shoed away an aggressive male, but he did embody the elitist attitude that The Office seems to be going for. And I'm not opposed to elitism, when you have the good to back it up - The Office does not.  

The cocktails. I don't understand the obsession with sugar when making a 'craft cocktail'. Some people, me, don't like a lot of sugar. So when I tell you that I want a drink that is in no way sweet, it still ends up too sugary. I think I'm going to start telling bartenders that I'm a diabetic. The bartender made me a tequila based drink which was ok, but still sweet. Not worth the steep price by any means. As a reference point to explain my taste I mentioned that a vodka martini with blue cheese olives was my go to cocktail. The bartender looked at me with disgust as if I just suggested a cocktail with rubbing alcohol. 'We don't server vodka here' Yeah that's a direct quote, I'm not sure what to do about that.

So with this 'craft cocktail' revolution comes an renew interest in egg whites. Now I'm a fan of egg whites, in the morning for breakfast, not sure about them in cocktail. But to each their own, I'm sure some people pretend they like them with booze. What makes my skin crawl is improper handling of eggs by barehanded bartenders. When cooking it is advised to wash your hands after handling raw foods. The bartender cracked an eggs, separated the white then proceeded to make the drink, touching the shaker, liquor bottles, etc. These drinks take a while, I don't think it's too much to ask to add a hand wash after handing raw eggs in there.

Let's go back to the locked/ fire hazard door situation. The bathrooms are outside the door so if you need to use them you have to be let back in. We were there late and the doorman was mia and my friend got locked out, not cool.

Add in a bar manager who made it his purpose to skirt around and be rude to people. It's a bar's prerogative to limit the use of flash (I think it's to protect all the priceless art reproductions) but you could at least deliver that message in non condescending way.

We had another cocktail which was also average and expensive and contained sesame oil. Nothing like putting an overwhelming oil in a drink to mask all the other flavors. Nothing about either drink I had was worth $20.

Check arrives and we get grief for wanting it split. Gratuity is already included - for a party of 3. Annoying but I'll roll with it. For the amount of money we spent I would have at least liked people to treat us better -or a toaster to take home with me. I'm ok with spending a lot of money on food and drinks when they are worth it, these are not worth it.

Go to the office if you are trying to impress people by showing them how cool you are. The Office is like a steakhouse in downtown Indianapolis - exits for people with expense accounts in town for business and not for the regular population.  It's the fine dining set's equivalent to bottle service. You know you are overpaying but you do it so you can tell your friends about it. Thats just not my scene.