DINING: Zionsville eatery ‘Noahs’ how to please diners

If—and, trust me, this is pure fantasy—I took Lou Grant and Ulysses S. Grant to Noah Grant’s Grill House
& Raw Bar (65 S. First St., Zionsville), I believe the two would lean heavily on the grill side of the lunch menu, digging
into perhaps the Steak Sandwich ($8.95), although they’d have to contend with the
decidedly non-traditional spicy remoulade.

Or maybe the fictional newsman and the former president would anchor a meal with a delicious Turner Farms Meatloaf Sandwich
($10.95), although no doubt those two men’s men wouldn’t put aside half of the oversized bread. That’s how I ate it, with
a fork, no less, the better to taste the subtle meat and tangy sauce.

My two Grant companions surely wouldn’t start, as I did, with two delicious rolls of sushi. And they wouldn’t have been wowed
by the lovely presentation.

Perhaps I would do better to have invited singer Amy Grant and maybe Murphy Brown’s Grant Shaud.
Those two, however, would have to fight me for the last pieces of the Mango Roll ($10), which leavened the fruitiness with
cream cheese, cucumber, avocado and just
enough cilantro and jalapeno to make sure you are paying attention. The Crazy Monkey Roll ($12) was even better, with yellowtail,
asparagus, scallion, avocado, tempura crunch, red pepper jam and melon miso getting along nicely in their tight quarters.

My real companion and I started the meal with the low-key Tangerine and Goat Cheese Salad ($7.95), with baby field greens
and red onions that nonetheless made a nice first impression. A bowl of Edamame ($4.95) closed the deal and could have used
a little restraint in the sea salting. But this is a minor quibble about an exceptional meal. This Noah Grant character knows
how to entertain.

And, I’ll grant it, he’s created a classy, elegant, and comfortable Zionsville eatery.

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Fourth in our month-long series of restaurant reviews guided by the Urban Spoon application
of the iPhone.