Meet the chef who just bought Indy's beloved Elbow Room

Downtown Indy’s Elbow Room was a historic treasure, a homey neighborhood bar so cherished that eight months after its May 2018 closing, some downtowners can’t bear to look at the empty shell and still dream of their favorite hangout’s return.

To be clear, Elbow Room, 605 N. Pennsylvania St., is not coming back, but an accomplished Indianapolis chef who bought the bar and restaurant isn’t abandoning every ounce of charm that made Elbow Room a cozy hideaway for 84 years.

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“I can’t replace a legend,” chef Glenn Brown said. “When you have to retire a legend…it’s a heavy weight, and my goal is to give them, at the Elbow Room, a place where they can come and remember those memories and build new memories with us.”

Brown does plan some radical changes. He's building three concepts, ranging from premium to casual, under one roof. Sloppy good pita sandwiches are out. Late-night, munchie-crushing fries are things of the past. And sometimes, you’ll need to dress up.

Opening day is scheduled in mid-February. Here’s what to expect.

Who is chef Glenn Brown?

Job opportunities brought the southside Chicago native to Indy, where he has been at the Country Club of Indianapolis since 1999. The club's executive chef, Brown also teaches culinary courses at Ivy Tech and helped develop the school’s culinary program. He taught at the Chefs Academy at Harrison College and the Art Institute of Indianapolis, too.

“I’m one of the best-kept secrets in Indianapolis. Being in the private club, people never really got the opportunity to taste my cuisine,” Brown said.

“I like the thought of looking at food in its natural state and then pushing it the right way,” the chef said of his cooking style. “You’ve got to step outside of your boundaries, but they need to be rooted in strong culinary fundamentals.”

Brown called himself “kind of like an eclectic traditionalist. That means that when it comes to the basic preparations, I’m not going to break, the rules or give in. If I’m going to cook a steak, I’m going to sear it and make it great but be more contemporary with the plating.”

How he’ll divvy up Elbow Room

Brown's three dining spaces will operate under the umbrella name The Point on Penn. Downstairs will host a causal breakfast, lunch and after-work gathering spot. Add to that upscale dinner service at The Flatiron. On the second floor, book wine experiences in the Upper Room.

The décor

Elbow Room's old, main bar remains as does signature beadboard paneling, but Brown is adding more woodwork. He’ll also use the former’s bar’s neon sign and stained-glass windows.  

The Upper Room

A chef’s table hosting up to 24 guests will be available by reservation only for groups no smaller than eight people. “It’s going to be the whole experience, and the atmosphere is going to be around the traditional wine cellar, with climate-controlled storage for premium whites and reds,” Brown said.

Beadboard paneling and brick will give the sense of being in a wine cellar. “The way I would describe it is kind of like a rustic, modern feel to it, all about the woodwork,” Brown said.

The Flatiron

Dinner served Wednesday-Saturday will spotlight American regional cuisine and meats. “I say you always have the four pillars of cuisine: a great beef entrée, a great seafood choice, a great poultry choice and then you have to have pork. I will definitely touch all cuts of pork,” Brown said.

“The greatest sandwich I hope to make down there is the cast-iron, slow-cooked burger,” he added. The chef will sear dry-aged ground beef in a cast-iron pan and then slow-cook it under the meat is tender. “I wanted to bring in a little bit of the masculinity, but also the antique feel of raw iron, cast iron. “I’m thinking of history,” Brown said.

Breakfast, lunch, networking

What Brown calls “vintage breakfast and lunch” – sunny-side-up platters and scrambled egg sandwiches served on soft white bread, with or with the crusts – as well as contemporary choices like ancient grain bowls will be served 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Inexpensive, after-work snacks to pair with drinks roll out from 4 to 6 p.m. “We have a tie rack so you can hang up your tie and unwind,” Brown said.