HC Tavern + Kitchen Offers Up-Scale, Family-Friendly Dining at the Fishers District
Photographer / Eli Beaverson
In February HC Tavern + Kitchen officially opened at The Yard at Fishers District, and Craig Huse, CEO of Huse Culinary, the company also responsible for St. Elmos Steakhouse and Harry & Izzys, says he and his team wanted to create an eatery in the spirit of Harry & Izzys, but with an aesthetic unique to the Fishers area.
If we were planning Harry & Izzy’s today instead of 13 years ago, these are the menu items and the design that we would present to our guests, Huse says. I describe the HC as Harry & Izzy’s 2.0 – a classic American grill with a splash of sophisticated sexiness. Its one-of-kind and truly Fishers own. HC in the name of the restaurant represents Hamilton County, but its also the initials of our organization.
Huse says his team felt the timing was ideal to provide a classic American grill concept for the Fishers area, with a menu that is upscale yet accessible.
With Harry & Izzys only an eight-minute drive down the I-69, we needed to create a new concept specifically for Fishers, Huse explains. Its a unique restaurant and menu created specifically for this location. Theres even a 71,000-piece mosaic tile of a roundabout on a feature wall above our main bar.
The Huse Culinary team began negotiating with real estate development group Thompson Thrift in the summer of 2018, and after purchasing the land for the HC Tavern + Kitchen project, the company hired Capitol Construction to start the build-out process in early 2019. The building spans 10,000 square feet, and the eaterys design layout was completed by Phanomen Design.
Huse says the reaction from local residents to both HC Tavern + Kitchen and 1933 Lounge, another Huse Culinary concept located at the Fishers District, has been positive since back when the projects were first announced.
Mayor Scott Fadness and the city have welcomed this restaurant-centric development, he says. Between the two restaurants, 200 jobs were created, and were pleased with not only the quantity of our new Huse Culinary family members, but the professional quality as well. The community response to both the 1933 Lounge by St. Elmo and the HC Tavern + Kitchen have been tremendous. We are grateful to be serving Hamilton County.
The Yard at Fishers District includes several other dining destinations such as 101 Beer Kitchen, Fishers Test Kitchen, Sangiovese and more. Fishers Test Kitchen, which features three fully equipped kitchens operated by separate chef entrepreneurs honing their craft, opened at The Yard inside Sun King Brewing Company this past winter.
According to Huse, HC Tavern + Kitchen seats 260 patrons and includes two levels, a four-season patio that seats 40, and two bars.
The eaterys lunch and dinner menu features soups, salads, sandwiches and entrees like filet mignon, ribs, scallops and crab cakes. Saturday and Sunday brunch features cast-iron cinnamon roll bites, shrimp and grits, chicken biscuit minis, French press coffee, cocktails and more. Some of Huses own HC menu faves include the shaved Brussels sprouts salad, pimento cheese fritters, shrimp dumplings with ponzu and black vinegar, rainbow trout and salted honey cream pie.
Huse says former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is an investor in the HC Tavern project.
Peyton Manning dined regularly at St. Elmo Steak House, and he approached me about investing when he learned of our plans to open Harry & Izzys next door in 2007, Huse says. We now have three Harry & Izzys locations and the HC Tavern + Kitchen is included in Harry & Izzys Inc., so Peyton is financially involved in all four.
Huse feels the diversity of the HC Tavern + Kitchen menu will appeal to a wide range of Central Indiana customers looking for a new culinary experience.
This is a scratch kitchen, and the ingredients are chef-selected for superior quality with priority given to local and regional sourcing, Huse says, adding that HC Tavern includes a staff of 125. However, menu selections remain approachable. We operate as a classic American grill appealing to both conservative and adventurous palates.
HC Tavern + Kitchen, like many restaurants, weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders. The restaurant officially opened back up for dine-in on May 11.
HC Tavern + Kitchen is located at The Yard at Fishers District, at 9709 East 116th Street in Fishers. For additional information including menus, hours and a reservations page, call 317-530-4242 and visit atthehc.com.
For more info on other dining and retail destinations at The Yard at Fishers District, explore fishersdistrict.com.
