Friends recently introduced me to the many pleasures of this idiosyncratic little place tucked away in the shadow of I-65 just east of downtown. Popular with the Lockerbie and Cottage Home lunch crowd, as well as attracting a pretty decent clientele for dinner, Ralph’s Great Divide is an Indianapolis original. One look at the eclectic decor and the frankly off-the-wall menu should be enough to immediately inform you that you have stepped off the world as we know it, and are enjoying a brief sojourn on another planet.
One cannot visit Great Divide without at least a cup of the much touted Hot Pot Aug, a cream of potato soup au gratin rich in flavor and texture. The other soup, Hot Pot Pig, is a similar rendition with the addition of hot cheese and bacon. If you’re watching your weight after the new year, you won’t want to mess with these.
A supper menu, available after 5 p.m., offers a variety of excellent steaks, seafood and chicken at absurdly reasonable prices. Being one to take the odd gastronomic risk, I recently ordered the baked scallops -- a full half pound served with a butter and spice sauce. The $14.95 price included a cup of Aug, a green pea salad and dessert.
The burgers at Great Divide are well worth the visit in their own right, and are ever so slightly unusual. The Frenchie Burger ($5.69) is served on grilled rye bread with a creamy peppercorn sauce, and topped with smoked cheddar. The result is quite exotic: The smoke, pepper and rye bread flavors give a mildly spicy and tangy overlay to the creamy sauce and firm beef patties. All in all, a unique and fascinating creation. The Burgorama section also offers a cheeseburger club, a triple-decker with double patties and double cheese. Cholesterol watchers, stay at home.

Ralph’s Great Divide
743 E. New York St.
637-2192

Food ***1/2
Service ***1/2
Atmosphere ***1/2

Approximate Hours
Monday-Thursday 11a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m.-midnight
Saturday 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.