Paul Poteet’s Gotta Eat at the Brickhouse Burger Company

Paul Poteet's Gotta Eat at the Brickhouse Burger CompanyAllow me to paint a picture for you. You arrive at your destination, get out of your car, and enter a building in which you have never been before. You see people gathered around a series of tables in the back and decide to see what all the fuss is about. Before you know it you see a handful of people you recognize, a few more you later learn that you follow on Twitter yet have never had the chance to meet in person, and even manage to share some face time with guys like Dave Smiley and Paul Poteet. Not to mention that you get the opportunity to enjoy delicious food, a wide range of drinks, and timeless conversation. You might think something like this only happens once in a blue moon when in all actuality it happens more than you might think.

Enter the world of Paul Poteet’s Gotta Eat. Paul started this concept a few months back as a way to get himself more in the public eye and even better a chance to eat at some of the Circle City’s best restaurants. Having worked with places such as the Skyline Club Paul has built an invaluable reputation in a short amount of time. The events are getting larger week by week and based on some conversation that I shared in last night he is actually planning on moving from having one of these every two weeks to having one event a week.

Last night’s event took place at the Brickhouse Burger Company just south of downtown Indianapolis off of Kentucky Avenue. Sitting inside what used to be a Damon’s Grill you find a new concept for Indianapolis dining. With huge projector screens on one wall, tables and booths wrapped all around, and a bar that seemed to get crowded as the night went on, you have a place that might be confused for a modern day Cheers where everyone truly knows your name. That is when they started to bring out the food.

First came some deep fried onion rings with a spicy dipping sauce. Then came sweet potato fries that were served with dried cranberries and an almost cream sauce. There were even some walnuts floating around some of the plates to give you that authentic Thanksgiving feel. Next came some of what appeared to be mile high nachos and a few appetizer sampler plates that were loaded with everything from cheese sticks to hot wings. (Don’t forget the dipping sauces.) Just when you thought they were done serving up the good stuff came a wedge salad smothered in bleu cheese dressing and a toasted club sandwich with some seasoned French fries. The madness just wouldn’t end.

By the time I had started to consider myself full came a plate of BBQ ribs. I did not even get the chance to bite into the ribs, as right next to it was the biggest cheeseburger I have ever seen. I did not catch the name of this sucker but from what they were saying it is a seven-pound sandwich. This thing looked like meatloaf with two buns and some pickles. The thing was almost too pretty to eat but that didn’t stop me from digging in. (I am sure there are some images of this thing floating around as it felt like the sandwich went through a photo shoot before we were allowed to dig in.) The fun thing about being able to enjoy this burger was due to the guy cutting it into manageable pieces. At last night’s event we were in the presence of the man behind the Great Hoosier Burger Quest, Mr. Dick Davis. He was nice enough to share the burger with the rest of us but not so much with the BBQ ribs!

By the time the night was starting to wind down they brought out some carrot cake. I have never been a huge fan of carrot cake, and I did not try it last night either, but from what I picked up from the folks who did it was some of the best carrot cake they had ever eaten. It looked good and was gone in a matter of seconds so I believe it. Even though last night seemed to be all about the food I met some incredibly nice individuals throughout the evening. I met a personal banker from Old National Bank, a team building and leadership development coach who recognized me from Twitter, and even a pair of guys who were at their first Paul Poteet event.

The more of these events I attend the better they seem to get. The crowd gets bigger, the food gets better, and the conversation becomes more genuine. Paul actually has already scheduled an event for next week at The Pub in downtown Indianapolis right next to Howl at the Moon and across the street from Conseco Fieldhouse. You can bet that I will be there, as well as Paul and all his friends as we spend another night enjoying the best this city has to offer. After all, Paul Poteet’s gotta eat.