A Live Game of Clue!

The board game Clue was one of my favorites as a child. The mystery, the challenge, good 'ole Colonel Mustard taking people out with a rope in the study. When I came across a Groupon for a Murder Mystery Dinner at the Signature at the Indianapolis Propylaeum I had to see what it was all about!

I couldn't think of better people to accompany me on this quest to solve a crime than my mom and 2 sisters. So, we picked an event date from the long list of themed murder mystery dinners such as "Who killed cupid?" and "And the award goes to ... murder!". We chose the "Who killed cupid?" where Valentine Cupid "gets knocked off"!  

Before the event guests have the opportunity to tour the Propylaeum which is a house built in 1888 in the Old Northside historic district of Indianapolis. It is a club for Indianapolis-area women, with a  mission "to emphasize a sense of civic responsibility and community services; to foster the love of literature, music, science and the fine arts; to provide women a social and cultural center." The Indianapolis Propylaeum offers events and holds weddings and such. We toured the three-story house with period furnishings then headed to the carriage house where we were sat for dinner. There were 180 people at the event, split between the main house and carriage house of the Propylaeum.

 

 

There were tables set for 6 and each place setting had a character booklet. The character at your place setting was your persona for the evening. There was background on the character, dialogue and questions to ask and info on how to answers questions asked to you - no props or costumes. 

The murder mystery began with the detective (a person that worked there) setting the scene. Valentine Cupid had been murdered in the chicken limo!!!! The staff then instructed us that each table of 6 were to complete the dialogue and ask each other questions as directed to try to solve the murder mystery, all while staying in character! We did not get up and mingle with the other tables because each table was acting out the same scenario. Unfortunately 2 of our 6 people did not show up to the event so one of my sisters and I played two parts (which  got a little confusing).

We ate the 5-course dinner while completing this dialogue - garlic tomato soup, strawberry salad, plum tomato and cheese fettuccine, chicken cordon blue and chocolate grenache - served throughout the evening. Beer and wine were available at the bar.

Here was the character list: 
Joan was an actress and Valentine's bride-to-be, Tony, the Italian hunk, was hired to ferry Joan to her wedding venue, Lucinda was Joan's drunk aunt, Mike was Valentine's best man who backed out of the wedding party last minute, Seymour was a film director and Chloe was a young actress.

We completed the dialogue, asked the questions, ate the yummy food and had a great time acting, laughing and being funny! The detective would make announcements from time to time and the waitresses brought around clues and evidence. Evidence included poison gummy bears, an emerald ring, gold coins and candy ... It was loud, a little wild and full of life in this carriage house turned murder scene! Each Lucinda was even asked to serve their table their entree while dancing like a pole dancer ... say what?

Ultimately each table had to agree on a suspect and turn in their guess as to who murdered Mr. Valentine Cupid. The detective then uncovered the mystery of each character and announced who murdered Cupid!

There was only 1 table in the carriage house that guessed correctly ... And it wasn't our table ... We should have brushed up on a little Law & Order before we attended!

Even though my table did not solve the crime, the event was a blast - just a fun, out of the ordinary Friday night - the food, the wait staff, the guests, the house all enhanced an already exciting activity.

I would suggest checking out these events for a girls night out or even a date night. There were groups of woman and lots of couples. If you attend, I suggest letting loose and allowing yourself to "become" your character ... where else will you be able to go all CSI with your closet friends?

Master Bedroom Horizontal Wood Feature Wall

When we purchased our new home we bought it for location, space and the overall flow, but there were some things that we knew would have to change - all aesthetic ... flooring, paint, appliances and such. My husband and I tend to be a bit creative and like a challenge, we weren't going to shy away from a little reno! Our years of watching DIY and home shows were about to be put to the test!

We started our renovations in the Master Bedroom. The Bedroom is a giant room ... almost too big. It has vaulted ceiling that add to an open and airy feel. We knew we wanted to paint the dull, damaged wood trim, paint the walls and tear up the carpet and install dark wood laminate floors ... but we felt like the room seemed too large and kind of boring. Our bedroom furniture is low profile, and we didn't want it too seem dwarfed by the high ceilings.

To remedy this problem we had to think outside the box a little. We had the idea to add some type of molding or trim work to the wall behind the bed. I saw a photo on Pinterest of horizontal wood molding on a wall, and we agreed this horizontal molding would not only help ground the room but it would complement our contemporary furnishings, in essence work as a headboard ... so we put our heads together and came up with a plan!

Here is the inspiration photo:

 

(http://mydesigndump.blogspot.com/2011/07/pizitz-home-cottage-seaside.html?m=1)

First we had to determine what material we could use to create our desired look. Luckily Lowes had the perfect 2" wide by 8' long primed pieces of wood.

We then used a stud finder and marked each stud in the wall.

We decided to space each piece of horizontal wood 16" a part - we picked this width because we liked the look of it. We then cut a piece of wood to 16" to use as a template spacer for installation.

You need access to a chop saw and nail gun in order to cut and install the pieces. With the use of the template, the installation actually went pretty quick ... we set the template in place, lined up the wood molding, leveled it and nailed it.

 

 

 

We painted the walls and the wood white to finish it off. It really pops against the dark floors and the newly painted trim!

The result is a unique architectural feature wall that adds visual interest to a previously plain, boring room! It is everything we hoped it would be and more ... comfortable, casual, bright and cheery!

Ralston's Drafthouse 2.9/4.0

I'm back! After a short hiatus, i.e. selling a home, living in temporary quarters for a little while, buying a home, moving and starting renovations on the new place, I'm back to blog life - sharing experiences, DIY projects and eating my way through Indianapolis' local restaurants! While my blog posts might not be as often as before due to my demanding reno schedule, I'm excited to begin writing again!

Local restaurants are abundant in Indy, especially is artsy districts such as Broad Ripple and Massachusetts Ave. Ralston's Drafthouse, www.ralstonsdrafthouse.com, is a fairly new restaurant named for Alexander Ralston, the engineer who surveyed the city in 1820 and created Indianapolis' city plan in 1821 - pretty cool piece of Indy history! Did you know the Governor's mansion used to be centrally located in downtown Indianapolis where Monument City stands today? The owners of this restaurant also operate Chatham Tap which is a good restaurant on the same strip, so I was excited to try it!

Ralston's has a pretty cool vibe - it is tastefully decorated with beer pictures and such, the restroom doors covered in beer bottle caps, but the large restaurant also felt homey with wood floors and dimmer lighting.

The menu seemed to have a unique offering. First, a large beer menu featuring a number of Ralston's beers among others. I got a flight of four which showcased the Ralston's beers nicely - an IPA, Witbier, American Brown and Hefeweizen. Each had a nice taste but I especially liked the American Brown and Hefeweizen. The food menu featured oven baked flatbreads and flatbread sandwiches, among other sandwiches, with interesting ingredients like pulled duck, a peach-chipotle reduction and pulled lamb. Great variety if you are in to trying new flavors.

My sister and I decided to split The Peach Pig and the Apple Butter Bacon Sandwich - both exciting combinations of flavors. The Peach Pig was an oven-baked flatbread topped with pulled pork, aged cheddar, ginger, cilantro and a peach-chipotle reduction. I was surprised on the large amount of pulled pork on the flatbread - sometimes places skimp on the meat. The peach-chipotle reduction had a subtle peach flavor - not too peachy. The flatbread came with a side dish - I chose fried veggie sticks, and I wasn't exactly sure what a veggie stick was ... apparently, in this case, it is fried artichokes. Unfortunately, I was NOT a fan of these veggie sticks ... very greasy, too tough to bit through, wouldn't order them again.

The Apple Butter Bacon Sandwich was fresh and delightful. The flatbread had a nice texture and the lettuce was crisp. Overall, it had great flavor, and it wasn't too heavy on the stomach, though filling. The side item chosen here was rosemary potatoes - now, those I would order again - yum!

So how did this restaurant rate according to my 1-4 rating system - 4 being the best:

Food: 2.75
Both flatbreads were very tasty, and the beer was good. The fried veggie sticks brought down this score a bit. I would definitely visit Ralston's again and explore their menu further.

Atmosphere: 2.75
As I mentioned, I liked the vibe of this place. It was casual and welcoming with a touch of sophistication. There is a large patio that might be a fun place to hang out when it warms up.

Price: 3
I thought the meals were reasonably priced. The portions aren't huge, but I think it was priced competitively.

Uniqueness: 2.5
At first glance at the menu, the food offering seemed incredibly unique - the combinations of ingredients are not extremely typical ... but the taste wasn't as unique as we expected. I wasn't blown away by anything we ate.

Service: 3.5
Our server was a young friendly man. We always had what we needed. He was quick and offered assistance with food and beer choices.

Overall Average: 2.9
Ralston's was an above average experience, particularly in regards to the service and price. The food was definitely tasty, and I can see myself going back to try another flatbread combination and sipping a beer.

Next time you are on Mass. Ave, consider trying out Ralston's Drafthouse. As this place gains popularity, I expect it to be a popular Mass Ave. restaurant!