Broad Ripple Random Ripplings
search menu
The news from Broad Ripple
Brought to you by The Broad Ripple Gazette
(Delivering the news since 2004, every two weeks)
Subscribe to Broad Ripple Random Ripplings
Brought to you by:
VirtualBroadRipple.com Broad Ripple collector pins EverythingBroadRipple.com

Everything Broad Ripple HomearrowRandom Ripplings Homearrow2012 05 25arrowRandom Rippling

back button return to index button next button
Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v09n11)
JT's Grille & Bar on 54th - By Mario Morone
by Mario Morone
posted: May 25, 2012

Tim Paxson, owner of JT's Grille & Bar, a Gathering Place, discussed his background in the restaurant industry.

JT's Grille & Bar owner Tim Paxson with their Pork Tenderloin, German Chocolate Cake and Red Velvet Cake.
JT's Grille & Bar owner Tim Paxson with their Pork Tenderloin, German Chocolate Cake and Red Velvet Cake.
image courtesy of Mario Morone
Quan


"My first restaurant was the Waterfront Inn in Cicero on Morse Lake in the late 1970s while I was in high school. A chef there, Matthew O'Neill, was my inspiration. He wrote my letter of recommendation to the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, New York. After high school, I attended Ball State University to study business administration. After attending for 3 years, I moved to Fort Myers, Florida and worked at a restaurant called Ballenger's in the mid-1980s and learned a great deal about seafood. I ran the kitchen line at night and learned how to become a leader. I moved back to Indiana and went to work at the Ritz Charles in the kitchen with their chef and on the restaurant floor as a banquet server in the late 1980s. From there, I went to Ritz Deli in the 10300 block of North Meridian Plaza and operated it. We grew to six stores on hospital campuses around the city from 1989 to 2001. I became a partner in 2000 and later became owner in 2007. I had a whole lot of experiences and learned from every one of them," he recalled.
The restaurant was chosen from their family name. Paxson, his identical twin brother and their late father share the same initials, JT. Located at 2210 East 54th Street, JT's Grille & Bar offers patrons a casual dining experience with a local theme ranging from home-cooked and entertainment on weekends.
Local designer Candace Berger of Envirospace helped create a warm atmosphere with earth tone colors. Their hours of operation, which include breakfast, are posted at www.jtsgrille.com. Customers can place carry-out orders at 253-3300.
JT's Grille & Bar opened in January. "It was an opportunity that arose. I pursued it and approached Judy (of Just Judy's) with a few notes in hand. She said she liked my proposal and basically agreed to sell her business to me. I was visiting her restaurant on Friday nights when they had live entertainment and weekly drawings," Paxson said.
"We want to be a neighborhood restaurant. We're family friendly and we have ample parking. We want our food to be as local and fresh as possible. The desserts and produce are local. We buy items from farmer's markets whenever we can. We are a full-service breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant. We want to promote local entertainment as well. We've been a supporter of local charities, like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Shriner's hospital and the Damien Center and recently participated in 'Dining Out for Life,' " he added.

JT's Grille & Bar on 54th - By Mario Morone
image courtesy of Mario Morone
Quan


In addition to supporting local charities, their décor features local artists. "We have artwork shown in the restaurant (available for sale) from Jane Knight, who is a local finger painter. She will be involved in showcasing local artists' work, acting as a liaison to other local artists," Paxson said.
JT's Grille & Bar has something for everyone. "We do karaoke on Thursdays and Saturdays. Monday night is family night. We plan to have live entertainment on Fridays. Tuesday night, we have all you can eat spaghetti. On Wednesdays, Indiana-based musician Steve Jeffris, a one-man show, who is a guitarist and singer, plays country standards, gospel, pop and 1950s music. On Friday night, we have an all you can eat fish fry and we do house-smoked barbeque baby back ribs. We always have Prime Rib on Saturday night," Paxson explained.
He described their menu, "We have an American menu with some Italian dishes like baked ziti, fettuccine Alfredo and pizza. We have a nice menu that includes sandwiches, steaks, seafood salmon and mahi-mahi. Our fish and chips specialty is cod. We make most things here from scratch, like we hand-bread our own tenderloins, zucchini sticks and potato skins. Just about everything is house-made. We hardwood smoke our ribs and pulled pork out back with an outdoor smoker. We have about 20 seats in a screened-in patio. We have a half pound angus burger and hand-breaded chicken tenders. A recent customer really liked them and said they were the best chicken tenders in town. When you hear good comments like that, you want your customers to leave satisfied with a full belly," he emphasized.
Another of JT's Grille & Bar specialties is the "Porkout," which is a grilled pork patty that is topped with house-smoked pulled pork BBQ and house-made cole slaw. "We have received some excellent compliments on our food, like our tenderloins, pulled pork, steak you can cut with a fork and onion rings - 'The Best Onion Rings in town,' according to a recent review on Urban Spoon,' Paxson noted.

JT's Grille & Bar on 54th - By Mario Morone
image courtesy of Mario Morone
Quan


Bob Hudson does the marketing for JT's Grille & Bar: "I was a business advisor to Tim at Ritz Deli for the past couple years and am now involved in the promotion of the restaurant," he explained. He also makes pastries that include red velvet cake, derby pie (like pecan pie with bourbon and chocolate chips), German chocolate cake, ambrosia cake, key lime pie and brownie sundaes. "Another local baker makes other pies for us", Hudson added.
Mike Webb is their manager. He has managed other restaurants in the Indianapolis area in the past.
JT's Grille & Bar, a Gathering Place, offers patrons a variety of fresh local food, art and entertainment in a casual dining setting within the greater Broad Ripple area.



mario@broadripplegazette.com
back button return to index button next button
Brought to you by:
BroadRippleHistory.com Broad Ripple collector pins EverythingBroadRipple.com
Brought to you by:
EverythingBroadRipple.com RandomRipplings.com Broad Ripple collector pins