One of my favorite movies of all time is the sports film 'Hoosiers'. So in 2015, when I read a…read morefood column in USA today about a sports bar in Indianapolis called 'Plump's Last Shot' that was founded by the family of the Indiana basketball legend that made the final shot of the championship game that inspired the movie, I knew I wanted to visit. I was living in Wisconsin at the time, so figured it would happen sooner than later. Well more than 10 years later, while living in California, my wife and I had an opportunity to visit during our ten day Midwest road trip. It wasn't as energetic or busy as I thought it would be, instead being like any other local bar/tavern, except with more genuine sports memorabilia and an iconic Hoosier dish.
Plump's Last Shot was opened in 1995, to celebrate the owner's last second winning shot 1954 Indiana high school basketball championship game. Back then, there were no divisions...all high school competed in the same tournament, regardless of school size. So that year, Milan (enrollment 161) beat Muncie (enrollment over 1,600), 32-30. That season was the inspiration for 'Hoosiers' (released in 1986), with Bobby Plump being the model for the character, Jimmy Chitwood, in the movie.
We came just when the bar opened around noon on a Friday. It is located in a very residential area, and the restaurant is basically a converted house. In the back there is a gravel parking lot, with a basketball hoop to let you know you are in the right place. Once inside, it has basketball memorabilia all around, and an autographed poster of 'Hoosiers' that I took a picture next to. There is a large outdoor deck that was newer, where most people probably dine/drink. It kinda resembled the decade that it opened, and later we found out that the prices did too (very affordable). It was empty, so once we found the hostess, she let us know that we could pick any table we wanted. She did come later with menus and took our order: she really warmed up to us as the stay continued.
It's a very simple menu, with one side for food and other for beverages (pretty good selection with prices $6 or under). My wife got her Coke ($1.75), with me fine with tap water.
We ordered two entrees, both with huge servings and very low prices. I did get the classic Hoosier tenderloin sandwich ($13), and the pork sandwich was even bigger than I was expecting, bigger in diameter than the basket that it came on. I estimated one could cut it into quarters and each one would be much, much wider than the bun it came in...so I did it...and I was right. It had been flattened, then breaded in a very peppery and salty coating, and then deep fried. Used of 2 of the pieces to make a double sandwich, which I finished. Then my wife and I ate most of the third piece like a chip, but had to leave the final piece alone. I actually think this would make an outstanding tonkatsu, with white rice and yellow curry...just need 1/4 of it though. The sandwich came with a large side of tater tots (in its own basket), and these were outstanding. They were shaped like letters (mostly L's and T's) and had been fried perfectly.
My wife ordered the fish fry which came with fries and cole slaw ($10). It was one large fish fillet, batter coated and deep fried very well. The issue (for me) is that the fish used was Sway (which we found out later), which makes sense considering the price....it's a very economical fish, but not my first choice for a fish fry. The accompanying fries were OK: the tots were much better. The cole slaw was the finely chopped kind with good flavor.
Service was great, and the manager greeted us multiple times and thanked us for coming in (should have asked him his name). There is a 4% surcharge for using credit cards. Even then, it was the largest meal for the most frugal price during our trip. Really glad we stopped by.
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