Yats!

An adventure in Broad Ripple simply must include Yats. There's just no way to get around it. While they have four locations around the Indianapolis area, the original Broad Ripple spot is one I've heard about for years now. A Cajun creole restaurant on College Avenue, Yats is as much about the atmosphere as the food.

I asked several people about their experiences before Cheryl and I embarked upon our own. I got two consistent pieces of advice: get extra bread, and don't worry, the wait staff treats everyone like that. I was wary and excited in equal measure.

As it was a Thursday afternoon, we didn't expect it to be too terribly busy. We were wrong. It was packed, and we were lucky to get through the line without any serious abrasions from the constantly opening front door, let alone find a table. This turned out to be more of a help than a hindrance, as it gave us more time to read the hand-written chalk board menu. We were offered samples of anything on the menu to try, but we had settled on our choices and decided to go ahead and order.

Chicken Creole with Extra Bread

I selected the chicken creole, and Cheryl settled on a 1/2 and 1/2 plate including the drunken chicken and something called simply "spinach and mushroom." While I'm still not sure what it was, I can say that it was very tasty. With extra bread being a mere $0.50, we both followed that advice. The cashier was friendly, but in a mildly creepy way as he kept calling us both "baby" and didn't seem to need to blink very much. But, they apparently treat everyone like that. We also didn't know that Yats is a cash-only establishment, but when we seemed hesitant to use cash, the cashier was quick to offer us an IOU-- clearly, this happened often and though we didn't use it, I was impressed that they had a system in place for just such an occasion.

Drunken Chicken with Spinach and Mushroom and Extra Bread

We found a table and settled in, looking around. I have never been to New Orleans, but I have to say that I felt like I was sitting in a cafe in the middle of the french quarter, not Indianapolis. Our food was brought out incredibly quickly, and we dug in. The bread was probably my favorite part. I could have eaten a whole meal of it just by itself, but the chicken creole was very good as well. A rich tomato-based dish, the chicken was served over rice and had a little but of spice to it. Cheryl's drunken chicken was incredible (in my opinion) and I will definitely be ordering that next time. It was much spicier than the chicken creole, and was served with sour cream. The spinach and mushroom...stuff was delicious, and Cheryl noticed it got spicier the more she ate. It was some sort of flavorful puree.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this venture. The atmosphere left a little to be desired, for it was very noisy and the staff seemed a bit apathetic, but the food was excellent. I look forward to a return trip, when the weather is nicer and we can sit outside.