Brugge Brasserie, located on the southeast corner of Winthrop Avenue and Westfield Boulevard, recently celebrated their one year anniversary. That evening seemed like a high school reunion, as there were Broad Ripple High School class of 1987 alumni everywhere I looked. There must have been something entrepreneurial about 1987. Four of the Brugge Brasserie partners, including my interview subjects Ted Miller and Abraham Benrubi, are class of 1987. During the interview, Broad Ripple Brew Pub brewmaster Kevin Matalucci [Gazette Vol 2 #24] stopped by say hi to Ted and Abraham. Yes, Kevin is also BRHS class of 1987. He is one of the four owners of Northside News and News Cafe [Gazette Vol 1 #15], all of whom are class of 1987. Across the street from Northside News is The Jazz Kitchen, owned by BRHS class of 1987 alum David Allee.

Most of the Gazette readers will recognize Abraham Benrubi from his twelve years on the NBC series ER as Jerry Markovic. Abraham is currently in a pilot on NBC titled Men In Trees, in which he appropriately plays a bar owner. "You may not know," explained Abraham, "but Ted Miller was actually on an episode of ER as Dr. Beer." Ted added, "Yep, Dr. Beer. I was on [screen] twice for thirty seconds total, maybe twenty."

I asked Abraham about the menu at Brugge. His favorite item is the pot of Beurre Blanc mussels. "Waterzooi (the quintessential Belgian fish stew) is the best thing on the menu," said Ted. "That's not a personal thing, it is a fact! The most popular items are the mussels and the crepes. We are always evaluating the menu and we make changes as needed." (Your editor's favorite is the huge cone of pomme frites.)

Brugge has limited brewery space, but they try to keep four or five ales on tap. "We keep the pilsner and abbey styles on a lot," explained Ted. "The abbey styles are the triple, the Belgian pale, and the quadruple. Then we try to have something dark, like the double or the black. We also like to have something funky, like the French farmhouse ale on tap now. It is tart, refreshing, without too much alcohol. You can drink it during the day."

Ted and his partners are talking about buying a production brewery. This would expand the Brugge brewing operation, allowing them to sell bottles and kegs to other restaurants. Long-term plans include opening more restaurants.

You can check out Brugge on the web at www.bruggebrasserie.com