Liz Biro: My first taste of Flix Brewhouse. Yum!
The food I sampled this week has me planning to return
A restaurant and a brewery in a movie theater complex that seats nearly 1,000 people? I walked into Carmel's new Flix Brewhouse expecting microwave mac and cheese with "craft" beer filtered so clear I could read a newspaper pressed against my pint glass.
"Funny you should say that," Flix marketing director Greg Johnson said when I described my low expectations. "Originally, when we started this cinema dining concept, we thought if we could be on par with Applebee's, we would be OK."
Flix didn't settle for OK. The food I sampled on test runs this week have me planning to return – even when I'm not seeing a movie. Indy Star beverage reporter Amy Haneline and I found merit in the beer, too. The IPA was hoppy sharp, the stout was chocolaty but easy to sip and the wit refreshing – and correctly cloudy.
Flix executive chef Gary Beauregard demands from-scratch cooking. On a kitchen tour, I saw fresh green beans, giant vegetable choppers, packs of rice paper for spring rolls and a starter cooks maintain for making pizza dough daily.
Beauregard came to Flix from southern California, where he helped turn California Pizza kitchen into a national brand. Pizza plays big on Flix's menu, but so does comfort food and classy plates like ahi tuna poke. "It feels high end, but it's not priced out of the market," Johnson said.
I agreed. Take a look at what I tasted. And remember -- anything you order may be delivered to your theater chair if you don't want to eat in the bar/restaurant. Pull-out tables at your seat are equipped with a menu, reading light and a button to call your server. No need to head to the bar for another beer.
I'm going back to Flix this week for the original "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" movie and the macaroni and cheese – baked in the pizza oven.
Ahi tuna poke
I'm always iffy about ordering raw tuna away from the coast. I grew up oceanside, eating seafood fresh from the water. Flix's ahi tuna poke surprised me. Sesame softened the ginger and chili bite, no seasoning overpowered the tuna's subtle flavor. My only complaint? The fried pita wedges. They were fine, but the cool, coarsely chopped tuna was just right on its own.
Rosemary chicken potato pizza
No need to be training for a 10K run to order this one. It's personal-sized and not too loaded down. The quarter-inch thick crust was super chewy, a little tough. The grilled chicken and thinly sliced potatoes could have put this pizza in the comfort food overkill file, but noticeable lemon zest and chopped rosemary balanced the pie.
Vietnamese summer rolls
Amy's a vegetarian; I eat everything. We agreed this was our favorite dish. Chewy shiitake mushroom played against crunchy carrots, soft lettuce and tender tofu. The fruity, tangy hoisin dipping sauce was thick enough to hold its place between the rice noodles.
Smoked salmon flatbread
Flix Brewhouse is right behind one of my favorite stores, World Market, in Carmel's Merchant's Square shopping center. I so see my girlfriends and I hitting Flix for this flatbread after a shopping run. Dill shallot crème fraiche tamed the salmon's light smokiness. Tomato slices supplied a cool freshness. Crunchy flatbread makes this delicate dish an ample snack or even lunch.
What I'm going back for
The mac and cheese. The menu describes it as "macaroni in creamy cheddar cheese sauce topped with crispy Parmesan crumble topping." You can add shrimp or chicken.
Flix Brewhouse
Price: $4-$12
2206 E. 116th St., Carmel
(317) 824-9111
Call Liz Biro at (317) 444-6264. Follow her on Twitter @lizbiro, Instagram @lizbirodish and Facebook. Email her at liz.biro@indystar.com.