Old Trail Restaurant & Taproom

Go for the braised chicken and fries.  Don't worry about anything else.  For those of you who don't know, "broasted" is a trademarked term for a process using a pressure cooker fryer, resulting in a juicier piece of chicken with a crisp fried skin, in less time than it usually takes to make fried chicken.  Too bad the broaster is not available to home cooks, but I guess the manufacturer is afraid we'd boil off our faces from the pressurized hot oil.  Rightly so.

Old Trail is on SR 38 just east of I-69's exit 19, on the western side of Pendleton.  It's dark and dated interior speaks loudly of locals who don't care much for ambiance, just serve them some beer and chicken, dammit.  On a Saturday night, the dining area was about 2/3 full with a mix of couples and some large families.  The bar part (which seems to occupy half the space) was empty.

My group of 4 were here for one thing only, to try their chicken, having heard other friends rave about it.  Everyone ordered the broasted chicken, which you can get as a 1/4 bird (2 pieces) or 1/2 bird (4 pieces) either white, dark or mixed.  With the chicken comes a side salad, choice of "vegetable" (french fries, broasted potatoes, mashed potatoes two different ways or green beans), and a roll.  The 1/2 chicken meal was $11.99, and 1/4 meal was $1 less ($2 less if ordering dark meat).

The salad was probably straight out of a bag with iceberg, grated cheese and tasteless grape tomatoes (no excuse for bland tomatoes this time of year!) and no croutons or carrots for some crunch.  The french fries were hand-cut with skin on, cooked well-done and crunchy, just the way I like them.  The chicken was excellent, especially the thigh and breast ... juicy inside, great crisp coating on the outside.  However, the coating was a little under-seasoned for my taste, but nothing that a little salt and pepper couldn't fix.  The wing and drumstick were both a little dry, probably cooked in the same batch as the larger pieces, and therefore a little over-cooked.  

Dessert was apple cobbler.  More like applesauce with some chunks of super-soft apple mixed in, very sweet with lots of sugar and cinnamon.  Despite an obviously fresh-baked crumble top, the center of the cobbler was still cold.  I'm guessing they keep the portions in bowls in the refrigerator or freezer, and when ordered throw on the topping and bake it for a few minutes.

It's the broasted chicken that will lure me back.  Not the best I've ever had, but close to it in Indy.  If Popeye's ever moves into Hamilton County, I'll be one happy camper.  Until that time, I'll make the drive to Pendleton when I need a fried chicken fix.

The listed address on Pendleton Ave. is wrong; I think that is the address of the former location in downtown Pendleton.  They are now on SR 38 near I-69.

Before it closed in downtown Pendleton, The Old Trail was a Pendleton staple offering great food, especially broasted chicken. I tried the new venture only once shortly after it opened and was sadly disappointed even though I had high hopes.  Our food was terrible; the mashed potatoes and corn had a horrible burnt taste and the chicken was greasy. It may be worth a second chance considering how great the original was. If I can work up the courage to try again, I'll report back.

I was at my cousin's visiting and sharing family history last night and it was 9:30 when they suggested going out to eat.  This place was pretty close to their farm and open late so we came here.  I got the Charred Prime Rib Sandwich and it was really good, as were the coleslaw and fries.  The fries were more than just good--they were perfect!  They cut and deep fry their own.  So good the leftovers were still delicious a few hours later--and you know how bad recycled fries usually are!  The meat was crispy on the outside and very tender on the inside with wonderful flavor.  A+ to the cook!
8/30--Ate here again, got the Beef Mnhattan--a beef sandwich on white bread with mashed potatoes, plus gravy over all.  It's an Indiana thang.  Very good but a few too many carbs for me.