April 2001                                                           The Megaphone                                                                 Page 4

  *The following is a review from the MetroNorth section of the Indianapolis Star dated April 14, 2001. I'm presenting it here as it appeared, including the front page introduction to the review and all information about contacting the Star, the writer of the review and Wolff's Restaurant and Bar.

  You don't have to go to New York to experience a sublime Manhattan. It's as close as Wolff's Restaurant and Bar in Elwood, where the roast beef-and-potato comfort dish is prepared just right. The restaurant has had plenty of time to perfect its specialty - it's been operating since 1904.  Page 3

Metro North Edition     -     The Indianapolis Star    -    Saturday, April 14, 2001     -       N3

  ELWOOD, Ind. - This northern Madison County town and New York City may be miles apart in culture, style and distance, but they share one common trait: an impressive Manhattan.

   New Yorkers are proud of their tall skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan, and Elwood residents can't gush enough about the roast beef Manhattan found at the staid Wolff’s Restaurant and Bar.

   The meal may not be worth a drive from New York, but many Hoosiers are willing to travel a distance to sink their teeth into the delicious down-home dish. It's the most requested item by far, and with good reason. Nothing we found on the menu matched its flavor.

   This was a roast beef Manhattan in a redefined sense. At Wolff's, the beef was cut into many bite-sized pieces, making it seem more like a stew gravy poured over a large mound of mashed potatoes, The brown gravy, made from the broth of the meat, won us over with its thickness and slight tanginess. With a dash of pepper on top, the flavors meshed wonderfully, and the dish was a deal at $4.85.

   We wished the rest of our choices had been standouts, too, but that wasn't consistently the case. Actually, the No. 2 highlight was the lore surrounding the tradition of the restaurant itself.

   Incredibly, Wolff's has been open since 1904. Two Wolff brothers opened it and soon created the roast beef Manhattan recipe. The Wolffs passed the restaurant on to one of their sons, and it has since gone through three non-family member proprietors. Current owner Don Lever took over in 1987.

   The building is quite a conversation piece. The long, narrow restaurant features a grandiose, dark-brown tin ceiling that came from Elwood's old tin factory. Deep torus moldings meet a tall painted mural on the main wall.

   A carved mahogany bar looks regal in front of an impressive mirror and row after row of liquor bottles. The alcohol choices are astounding, with dozens of mixed drinks and other options taking up a full page of the four-page menu.

   Food choices include sandwiches, steaks, seafood, filed chicken and pork chops. Some selections were adequate, some weren't.

  The fillet mignon met my expectations, considering the price was only $14.50. The butterflied steak was cooked correctly, tasted decent and seemed to come from a medium-grade choice of meat.

   The meal included a fairly large but ordinary salad, a forgettable roll and choice of potato. The potato wedges were so gargantuan, the Jolly Green Giant must have picked them from his over fertilized garden. Be prepared to use lots of ketchup (the Elwood originated Red Gold, of course), because the oversized wedges needed it.

   The breaded tenderloin sandwich ($3.75) was the clear disappointment of the evening. The unremarkable cut stretched out from the bun but was much too thin. A crumbly breading failed to bring forth any flavor, and the simple bun wasn't large enough. The sandwich tasted cheap, like from a second-rate county fair. How a Hoosier (and Wolff's) staple could be made so poorly was beyond me.

   Soups (both $2.25) were another split verdict. The chili soup was inventive. Yes, this was a soup, not, plain chili. Instead of a thick consistency, the cup featured a thinner broth that still maintained the traditional chili flavors. Unfortunately, the potato soup was watery and bland.

   Wolffs offers desserts only on rare occasion, but diners can order the apple sticks ($2.75) from the "sides" category. Eighteen pizza roll-shaped spiced apples were fried in batter, then generously coated with cinnamon for a sweet sendoff.

   Children are allowed in the main 33-seat area, where the bar can't be seen. Our friendly, blue-jeaned server worked the whole room, which was full. The section next to the bar fits 16, with additional stool seating available at the bar. Cigarette smoke pervaded every section of the restaurant.

   The restroom floor was one of the worst I have seen. I had to negotiate with trepidation around the surface, which was missing huge tile chunks.

   At 97, the restaurant was showing its age.

Contact Steve Slosarek at (317) 444 - 6407 or via e-mail at steve.slosarek@starnews.com