Pure Eatery adds another twist to the Fountain Square restaurant scene

INDIANAPOLIS (July 27, 2010) – Amy Andrus is not your average tap dancer. Her five years (and counting) as the two-legged drum kit for the local band Born Again Floozies has given her a certain level of notoriety. Now, she’s building on that notoriety at her newly-opened Pure Eatery in Fountain Square’s Murphy Arts Center.

The Spartanburg, South Carolina native has worked in the restaurant industry since moving to Indianapolis in late 1999, mostly as a bartender.  For the past two years she’s been planning her way out of the late nights of the bar scene: a locally-owned restaurant based on honest food at a decent price.

“Pure Eatery is a cozy spot that serves real food, not food-like substances,” says Andrus, “and I’m against using misleading adjectives. My customers will know exactly what we’re putting on the plate, and that it came from the ground, not from a laboratory.”

Pure Eatery offers a basic menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches, with daily specials that focus on local, organic, and seasonal ingredients. The sandwich combinations on the menu come from suggestions by friends and family, and from trial and error in the Andrus kitchen. The most popular so far? The Caprese Panini: fresh mozzarella topped with organic tomatoes, arugula, roasted peppers, all drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. Pair that with a cup of cool, fresh, tomato-rich gazpacho, and you’ve got a perfect summer meal. If you don’t like any of the standard menu items, you can have a custom sandwich created from any of the meats, cheeses, breads, and vegetables at the counter. This means there are good options for vegetarian and vegan diners.

Andrus was attracted to the Fountain Square Cultural District location because she sees Fountain Square as a community that welcomes people with different ideas. “This is the only place our concept would work,” says Andrus. “We needed to be around progressive thinkers in a supportive environment.

For the décor, Andrus carefully chose paint colors and used unique lighting to brighten what was a rather dark and awkward space. She wanted to create a contemporary feeling but keep the visible history of the building. When you look around the restaurant you can see the original painted tin ceiling, and the concrete floor where an alley was filled in to join together two buildings for the C. G. Murphy Company in 1951.

Like many other Fountain Square establishments, Pure Eatery will feature local art, and will be open late on First Friday. Now on view: Quincy Owens and Elizabeth Guipe Hall. Ben Langebartels, an Indianapolis furniture designer (look for his inner-tube seating at the front of the restaurant), curates.  

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11-7, Sunday 12-5