Loughmiller's Pub in Downtown Indianapolis welcomed us with patriotic decor, and the Statehouse as a towering backdrop. A beautiful, sunny, early fall day, me mum in from out of town, and some hearty cuisine -- a recipe for a satisfying lunch out.

The mood

Loughmiller's offers plenty of room for outdoor eaters, with the restaurant set on West Washington Street at Senate Avenue. My mom and I stepped inside the small, red-walled dining room/bar, only to be taken right back outside. The fresh air was more appealing than the smoke inside.

The glimpse I got was of booths on the back wall, with too many tables crammed into the rest of the space surrounding the central bar. Still, plenty of large windows shed some light on what could easily have been a dingy setup.

Political posters and Uncle Sam stared us in the face, along with a banner reminder that "All politics are local." Needless to say, the regular client base at this joint is mainly made up of worker bees from the government center.

The food

What can I say about the food? It was good. Spectacular? No. Exotic? No. Mildly interesting? Perhaps. It is a pub, no doubt. I wasn't expecting lobster (as if we could afford that, and as if I would eat it for under $20).

Fingers of chicken and sticks of cheese were on the appetizer menu. Taking in the salads, sandwiches, more sandwiches, sandwiches specific to the burger variety, I began to sense a theme.

Mother had decided on the Hawaiian chicken salad sandwich. Croissant, chicken salad, pineapples, raisins. Sounds tasty, right? Well, sorry, Mom -- they were fresh out. Next on her list, a simple bowl of creamy chicken and vegetable soup ($3.99).

My mom and I share a knack for downing copious amounts of dessert, so she wasn't disappointed with a main dish that was on the small side.

I, on the other hand, chose the English beef sandwich ($8.99). Squashed between two thick slices of toasted sourdough were roast beef, a load of cheddar, red onions and horseradish sauce -- which I'd asked for on the side. Never fear. It wasn't blow-you-away horsy. On the side, I had some really tasty pasta salad -- chips are so last week.

Now for the good stuff: A girl's got to have her chocolate, so the brownie sundae was on my mind. But, yet again, they were out.

The 24-karat cake had to do ($3.75), and it did. Yum. Not as big a slab as I'd hoped for (let's face it, a slice of cake can never be too big), but it topped off our lunches nicely.

The drinks

Two huge ice waters (one with a bug visitor, which was quickly replaced with a fresh one), with lemon, in foam cups so full of ice that we couldn't cram our straws in. Quite the eventful watering experience.

The damage: $18.06

The food was delish, the crowd was pleasing, and the scenery was nice. I can't complain. I still want that brownie, though.