Review: Indigo Casual Gourmet Cafe

I have been to Indigo restaurant many times before.  I went a couple weeks ago with my husband on a Thursday evening because I had a Yo Deal coupon.  It started to rain, so we sat inside, but they have a great courtyard-like outdoor seating area looking onto Hyde Park Square on Erie Ave.  Indigo also offers half off bottles of wine on Wednesdays, which I have taken advantage of in the past.  I must say that Indigo has been one of those restaurants that has been hit or miss for me.  This visit was pretty good though!

The inside of Indigo is casual but nice.  There are booths along a mirrored wall and tables in another section of the restaurant.  We sat along the mirrored wall which was somewhat distracting for Ross. Our waiter greeted us and was very friendly.  He also pointed out that appetizers were half off.  Ross started with a beer and I opted for a glass of the house cabernet.   I did not like this house cabernet, I can't remember what kind it was, but I didn't like it at all really. 

Since appetizers were half off, we decided to share the bruschetta bread.  This was more like a garlic bread with cheese and topped with chopped tomatoes.  This was good, but very filling.  It was toasted just enough with a crunchy crust but soft in the center. 

Although this was pretty filling, Ross and I decided to share a salad and a pasta bake.  Indigo is mostly Italian food with a variety of pastas, bakes, calzones, pizzas, and sandwiches.  I have had the Spinach bake many times and love it, but Ross wanted to try the sausage bake.  This was baked with a red sauce, penne pasta, sausage, onions, and cheese.  There may have been more things but I can't remember.  This was very good!  We both loved this.  It was plenty to share as well.

We also had ordered a spinach salad topped with bacon, feta, chicken, and red onion and served with a balsamic dressing.  This too was a very good salad; however, I thought there was too much bacon.  I would have liked the bacon to have been chopped up more.  The spinach was fresh and there was just enough feta and red onion.  I also liked the dressing. It tasted house made and was very good. 

I ended up ordering a different glass of wine, the Zinfandel, which was much better.  Our service here was great. Our server was attentive without being overly zealous. 
This visit to Indigo was a great one!  I recommend sharing some things because many of the dishes are very filling.  The prices range from $8-$15 or so for entrees.  Like I said before, this has been a very hit or miss place for me, but I would give it a try. This visit was excellent for a casual Italian restaurant and the patio is really nice. 

~Kate

Food: 3.5
Service: 4
Overall Experience: 3.5