Mesh at old Bauer's location

Saw the sign yesterday. It is an Indianapolis restaurant group.
Menu pricing from $18-$32 for dinner entrée.

http://www.meshonmass.com/Menu/

Could someone explain to me why I would go to Mesh and order spring rolls for $9 when I can go to Simply Thai or Nom Nom and have an order for $4.50 or $5?

[Robin Garr]

Could someone explain to me why I would go to Mesh and order spring rolls for $9 when I can go to Simply Thai or Nom Nom and have an order for $4.50 or $5?

Or why I would go to a corporate restaurant in a new corporate building located where they brainlessly tore down an evocative structure with a long restaurant history just because the greedy owners let it decay?

+++

[Robin Garr]

I guess I was a little harsh, especially considering the season. But it does make me mad.

I guess I was a little harsh, especially considering the season. But it does make me mad.

I don't think you were being a bit harsh! You merely stated the facts which many of us certainly agree with. We lost a very likable local restaurant in a historic building is being replaced by a chain restaurant with high prices in a new building, what's to like?

I guess I was a little harsh, especially considering the season. But it does make me mad.

Yesh, I guesh you might have been a bit harsh, but it's jusht a big Mesh, ishn't it?

Ooooh, I shee itsh time for my medicashun.

[Robin Garr]

Yesh, I guesh you might have been a bit harsh, but it's jusht a big Mesh, ishn't it?

Ooooh, I shee itsh time for my medicashun.

Git offa mah lawn!

<shrugs>....I dunno, as a non-native Louisvillian...and thus not burdened with all the the culinary crosses ya'll seem to bear, I thought the menu looked pretty interesting and the "room" (at least the photos of the Indy location) looked comfortable. Might just give it a try sometime soon.

While I agree in concept that locals should be picked over chains, I wonder what a successful restaurateur is to do.

Here is the owner of Mesh. He (she?) opens an extremely popular and successful place in Indy on the Massachusetts Avenue restaurant row, and it quickly becomes a mainstay place for local residents, very positively reviewed in Indy Monthly and other local magazines. He continues to make money, be successful, and stay busy.

Now, he'd like to move to the next level. In Indy, Mesh is somewhat unique, operating in the same general range as the lamented Avalon or Azalea here. The owner looks around for a city that could support that type of restaurant, and which is close enough to Indianapolis for him to monitor and maintain quality. He picks Louisville, as a foodie town which would appreciate his ambiance, menu, and experience.

We laud locals who expand (i.e.: Limestone moving to Cincy area, Asiatique same), but out comes the vitriol if someone else comes here?

This is NOT a corporate "concept" turned into a restaurant. This is a guy (girl?) with an idea, a fire, who made a success in one city and is looking to offer that success to Louisville.

Sure, they're "taking money out of our economy," but rather than denigrate them from day one why not (1) encourage our local places to expand by opening in Indy and (2) wait to see if the concept works here or not. Give the guy a break!

Rant over.

Give the guy a break!

Rant over.

Ohhhhh fellow traveler of mine

Andrew, I think many people's heartburn about the restaurant isn't necessarily about Mesh itself since its not really a chain but just a 2nd location like many of the locals have. I think the heartburn may be more about what was allowed to happen at that location with the previous building. I think if they were going into a different location there would be more acceptance, take a J Alexander's for example, it's a chain but has quality food and stay very busy in the Louisville market. I think the choice of location may be more of the problem than the restaurant itself.

Given Mesh's current location in Indianapolis, I personally feel that they would have preferred to move to the Azalea building rather than to a brand new building, had it been available (and not run down and torn down). I wouldn't blame them for what the owner of the land did!

Also it appears that they try to do a lot of local sourcing for product by the list of farms at the bottom of the menu.

Now for my take on the old Bauer's location that is sure to rankle some of you. While I'm all for saving historical properties, sometimes it really just doesn't make sense from a financial outlook.

I mean even when the place was still open, it was a dump in the non public spaces. The roof leaked and the property had been added on to several times over the years and the wiring, pluming and general infrastructure of the building was in poor shape to put it mildly. Unless some deep pocketed people were willing to put up some pretty substantial cash to restore the property, I say good riddance. The Wilson's spent enough "saving" Whiskey Row that I'm sure they will never see the full return on.

Another fine example, I'm wondering when they are going to bulldoze Colonial Garden's on New Cut Rd.? It's no surprise to me why they can't seem to find someone to take on the project and for good reason. If I were a developer looking at that property, why would I be inclined to try to restore an old eyesore at triple the price of new construction. Especially in a location like that one, where one would be lucky to recoup any investment in a reasonable time frame.
Just because a place is old and the fact that Abe Lincoln may have taken a dump there once, is not always the best reason to slap a Historical Site label on a property to keep it from the wrecking ball.
Just my .02

Didn't I read that the Underhills got the Colonel Gardens property?

Well, they were the only ones to submit a bid, at least.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/ ... rdens-site