By Heather Lusk
Patrick’s Kitchen and Drinks is shrinking its menu items to focus on small plates.
“It’s a whole concept change,” said Co-owner Beth Dickerson, who added that the window blinds are open, the tabletops are cleared and new artwork adorns the walls in the Main Street restaurant that was originally built to have a more formal feeling as part of Brick Street Inn. “We’re not formal people,” she said.
“We brought small plates to Zionsville when we opened six years ago,” she said. “We’ve wanted to do this for a while.”
The idea is for small inexpensive courses to be shared by the table according to Dickerson, “but you can still order your own small plate and not share it.”
Not all items on the menu are being shrunk. Soups and sandwiches such as the Cuban and Fischer Farms Burger are unchanged. Items such as the flatiron steak are a smaller size, but two portions on one plate can be ordered by those preferring the old menu, along with sides that are now ordered separately. “If you want a traditional meal, you can still do that,” Dickerson said.
Customers are encouraged to order several times during their meal.
“Things come out when they’re ready,” said Dickerson, adding that the new format will be easier and faster for their small kitchen.
Brunch and lunch menus remain unchanged, but beer, wine and martini flights will be added in February.
“That’s another thing that’s sharable,” Dickerson said.
Menu items start at $5 and range from “Dip It” and “Cheesy Stuff” to vegetarian and surf.
“When you have a lot of regulars, you want them to come but not be tired of the same thing over and over again,” she said. “But we have the same things on the menu that you love about Patrick’s. It’s like a whole new restaurant.”
