THERE’S SOMETHING COOLLY Darwinian about the decor at Lone Pine, Josh Mazanowski’s Carmel City Center steakhouse. In the narrow downstairs dining room, a painting by prolific local landscape artist Casey Roberts depicts a rabbit snared in the claws of an owl, the predator’s eyes glowing victoriously. In the cozy second-floor loft, two more Roberts paintings imply a similar scenario, one depicting two coyotes surveying the landscape for prey and another depicting the rabbit they’re presumably chasing. Interspersed with stuffed deer heads and vintage maps of great wine regions, the art conjures a ranch aesthetic, albeit a sleek and modern one. This is Carmel, after all.
A sommelier by trade and training, Mazanowski cut his teeth locally alongside Greg Hardesty at Recess before heading to Seattle, where—as he puts it—he “soaked up a decade of vibrant dining culture.” A partner with chef Jonathan Brooks at Beholder since it opened in 2018, he helped its wine program gain national recognition and picked up plenty of ideas for his own place. When the former Tucci’s space in Carmel City Center became available, he jumped on the opportunity, with partner Bridgit Desautel’s family ranch in Montana as further inspiration. A menu that straddled classic chophouse fare and everything else he loves to eat soon followed.
Adaptations to please the northside palate are still ongoing, Mazanowski admits. “The opening menu was pretty much my own,” he says, “but we’re figuring out what works and what to cut.” An elegant, earthy “barbecued” carrot dish, a good hit of smoke married to harissa, rich tahini, and fragrant pistachio dukkah, will likely stay on the menu, as will an aromatic Pizza Mushroom dish, oyster and matsutake nestled atop a pool of basil aioli with roasted peppers, pepperoncini, and a dusting of parm to mimic your favorite pizzeria pie.
Other standouts on a recent visit included French onion soup with a sweet undertone of sherry and a delectable gruyere toast, while dry aged and American wagyu steaks from nearby Illinois and Kentucky were all solid. The steak frites, with mushroom gravy and textbook fries, was also hard to beat, with every cut beefy and with just the right chew.
A special of lamb chops with a minty pea pistou, especially tender and well-seasoned, also hit the mark. Steakhouses don’t often do justice to French bistro classics such as cassoulet, but the version here with fall-apart confit of duck leg, Old Major Toulouse sausage, and a deeply savory broth buoying white beans was a stunner. Sadly, local diners failed to appreciate the dish, though Mazanowski promises it will return as a special. In the meantime, diners can solace themselves with delectable fried chicken–like Cornish game hen with rustic accompaniments, which were celery root puree with black garlic and a bright salsa verde when we had it.
A dolled-up wagyu burger our waiter claimed leaned “to the rare side” was actually closer to medium well, though we didn’t mind that with the great crust on the patty, the thick-cut bacon, and the tangy onion jam. Creamy local greens with the addition of miso made for an accompaniment we could hardly write off as a side. An updated wedge salad with a kicky bloody mary vinaigrette was a welcome riff, though we missed the typical chunks of blue cheese that, integrated into the dressing, were a bit lost in the background.
Lone Pine’s desserts, designed by kitchen staffer Angel Martinez, were impressive in an unassuming way. Tiramisu was as creamy and smooth as any without being overly boozy, and panna cotta measured up to any in the city, thick and not too sweet with a beautifully cooked-down rhubarb compote when we got it.
The phrase “steakhouse” isn’t in Lone Pine’s name, but Mazanowski doesn’t mind if it’s considered one. “People ask me all the time if Indy really needs another steakhouse,” he says with a knowing grin. “Yes, it needs mine.”
The post Review: Lone Pine appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.