Courses - Indianapolis

I didn't realize this place was located on the Ivy Tech campus. While meeting with some students for work, I stumbled upon this café. It seems to be run by stud... read more I didn't realize this place was located on the Ivy Tech campus. While meeting with some students for work, I stumbled upon this café. It seems to be run by students and is quite popular among both students and staff. I enjoyed two delicious iced coffees and appreciated having a comfortable spot to sit and catch up with students for a few hours.

I had no idea this place existed! I was invited to a gathering through work and was pleasantly surprised. It's a full-service café run by culinary students from... read more I had no idea this place existed! I was invited to a gathering through work and was pleasantly surprised. It's a full-service café run by culinary students from Ivy Tech. The menu offered a wide variety of options, from breakfast to lunch. I opted for the lasagna, and the slice was huge—about the size of a dinner plate. There was so much lasagna! It was cheesy, hot, and absolutely delicious. I also tried a turtle brownie, which was incredibly rich and chocolatey. The prices are fantastic considering the portion sizes. The café has a few tables scattered around, and there were many students working on their computers, so it seems to cater more towards them. There's free parking in the lot outside, and the café is conveniently located just inside the entrance.

The staff, including our managers, hosts, servers, and bartenders, were friendly, personable, and professional. While some servers had more knowledge about the... read more The staff, including our managers, hosts, servers, and bartenders, were friendly, personable, and professional. While some servers had more knowledge about the menu and wine selections than others, they all went out of their way to find answers to our questions. It was great to observe the students rotating through various roles each week and developing their skills. The restaurant is located at the intersection of Meridian Street and 28th Street, in the historic Stouffer's Hotel, where Elvis once stayed. Courses Restaurant is situated on the penthouse floor, accessible via elevators that accommodate two people at a time due to social distancing protocols. Free parking is available directly in front of the building, with handicap parking located on the top level next to the entrance. The Courses Bakery-Café, located on the main floor, is currently closed due to COVID-19, but they plan to serve breakfast and lunch, along with coffee, pizza, sandwiches, and a variety of delicious pastries once it reopens. Last night, we attended the Tour De France Wine Dinner, which was spectacular. The event began at 5:30 PM, allowing us to enjoy a stunning view of the skyline during sunset. The dining room was beautiful, adorned with white tablecloths, flowers, and elegant table settings. The five-course meal was expertly paired with various wines, starting with Champagne Cocktails, followed by a 2017 Pinot Noir, and concluding with a glass of Champagne. Each course brought a delightful array of flavors and textures, including Chevre Mousse with Baby Beets, Pea Sprout Arugula drizzled with a lemon-crème fraiche vinaigrette, an incredible Salmon Fillet served with a delectable rhubarb sauce, and a Roast of Lamb accompanied by potatoes. Dessert was a heavenly Mille-feuille topped with berries, mascarpone, and honey. The evening was peaceful, filled with delicious food, pleasant company, and excellent service. It was heartwarming to see so many guests enjoying their meals while practicing social distancing, with masks required for both staff and patrons when moving about. If you have a chance to visit for lunch on Thursdays or one of their special dinners, I highly recommend it. Reservations can be made through TripAdvisor, OpenTable, or the Ivy Tech website. This is a fantastic spot for a special occasion, business lunch, or just catching up with a friend.

Let me just start off by saying that I can't believe I am the first Yelp review!!! Come on #Yelpindy peeps!! Courses is a student ran restaurant at Ivy Tech Cul... read more Let me just start off by saying that I can't believe I am the first Yelp review!!! Come on #Yelpindy peeps!! Courses is a student ran restaurant at Ivy Tech Culinary School. They are open for lunch and dinner during reservation only dates throughout the year. There is a preset menu and price. Lunches are $15 and dinner is $25. I've always wanted to visit and decided to finally do it on Valentine's Day of all times. Lots of pressure for that one!!! I will admit I was nervous about the menu. All we knew was the theme of Spanish Tapas. Usually they publish the menu before the event but tonight we went in blind. We couldn't have been happier. The building has a interesting story as having previously been a hotel and the restaurant is on the penthouse floor. It's really cool as they have restored all the wood. The view is pretty awesome of downtown as well. Now these are students. I think you need to keep that in mind. Things may run late and that is okay. Tonight the buffet food came out slow but again, we were in no hurry. So the food... wait, no, let's talk alcohol : I had the Candy heart martini. It had loopy vodka in it that gave the drink a fruity loops taste. How cool! The food.... they went special tonight since it was Valentine's Day and not only has the Spanish Tapas buffet but had a Brazilian steakhouse passed meat course. Buffet include salad with three homemade dressings. My fave was the herb curd. I could have had a plate of salad and dressing, it was that good. I took a pic of the menu so I won't list out everything. The meat that was my fave was actually the chicken. They had smoked it and then placed on grill. Very good. They even included additional meats that weren't even on the menu. Would we visit again. Definitely. Was food perfect, no BUT, it was a great meal. And these are students. I can't sign off without giving props to the servers! Amazing!!!!! Ours told us about the food, where the meat came from, sauces, etc. He was actually excited. That made the experience so much more enjoyable!!!! And everyone wanted to know how we liked the food. They actually care. Which was refreshing. A must visit for everyone!

It may be a little hard to figure out, unless you know where you are going, but once you enter the lobby, just head straight for the elevators and head up to th... read more It may be a little hard to figure out, unless you know where you are going, but once you enter the lobby, just head straight for the elevators and head up to the PH, penthouse that is. Once you arrive on the uppermost floor, it gets a little confusing as to where you check in for your reservations, we somehow ended up in the bar crashing a staff party. Oh well, someone came and ushered us out of there and guided us to our table. We lucked into the French night. Apparently they have a different menu each time, featuring other countries. A three course meal for a fixed price. And to our delight, they offered a cocktail flight to go with the menu. We paid $15 for the meal and another $15 for the cocktail flight of three full sized cocktails. A bargain by any means. Of course you need to keep in mind that this is a school. The students are not polished experienced food industry workers, so some are a bit awkward, shy, tongue tied, unable to make suggestions... but they all try really hard. My personal meal started out with a nicely done flatbread featuring bacon and caramelized onions. Very delicious. It came with a Manhattan cocktail... boy was that strong. Others at my table enjoyed salad, which was deemed very good. One lady had the pumpkin soup which turned out to be sweet, even so she had been told it would be savory. The devil 's in the details. For the entree, I chose Beef Burgundy with Spaetzle. It was good. A bit mushy and the Spaetzle more like little droplets, not actual Spaetzle. The crepes with shrimp and lobster looked delish and the small taste I had was pretty good. This came along with a Vodka Martini, also very strong, but very tasty. My favorite drink of the night. We didn 't get a choice on the dessert, since they were out of all but the Kugelhupf, which was the equivalent of German fruitcake. Not sure what that had to do with French cuisine, but most of us didn 't go past licking the icing off it. This came with a side car cocktail... another strong drink. I have to say that the cocktail flight left me slightly intoxicated, so I highly recommend it. Service was good, they all tried really hard. And while the food wasn 't spectacular, it was good enough to have me coming back. Give it a try and don 't forget to tip well, it 's my understanding that the money made goes towards the students tuition and that should always be supported. There is always the awesome view from up above.