Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.

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I was fully intending to write a story on a completely different subject, but St. Elmo’s got in the way. I am, in all honesty, slightly tipsy as I write this. St. Elmo’s is a place that encourages such things. Besides, as Ernest Hemingway famously said, “write drunk, edit sober.”
In 1902, a restaurant and bar opened up in downtown Indianapolis called St. Elmo’s. It is one of those places with overdone booths, lots of paneling, and a mosaic tile floor in front of the enormous bar. During prohibition the place had to have been a speakeasy. It’s right out of central casting in that respect, and so is the entire staff. Over-dressed in stiff formal shirts, they all seem comfortable and unflappable. Our waiter, Brett, is a comic book good looking fellow – graying at the temples, 1,000 watt smile, consistently personable – and a fantastic waiter.
Wall of Fame
Why, you might ask, am I wasting your precious time and management’s delicate space in this publication talking about a restaurant" Because St. Elmo’s, since time immemorial, has been the...