Support our Local Restaurants...and get yourself a little something

Taking a break from my regularly scheduled blog posts (new post next Monday). Support our local restaurants who are struggling right now with decreased business. You can buy a gift card, order some food to pick up curbside, or order some other goodies. Whatever you can do, please support them. Seriously, if you like any of these places, buy something from them. This is hard on all of us, but particularly service-based industries. 

This is an evolving list. If you know of someone to add (or you are a restaurant that wants to be added), please let me know!

Please wash your hands and stay healthy.

Peace and Love,

Erin

Gift cards:


Alley's Alehouse at Pinheads: https://alleysalehouse.com/

Baby's: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9w47rHgkda/ (call and order by phone)

Beholder: https://beholderindy.com/product/gift-certificates1/

Big Lug/Sahm's/Half Liter/Liter House : https://sahms-restaurant-group.myshopify.com/

Bluebeard: https://bluebeardindy.com/gift-certificates/

Caplinger’s: hhttps://squareup.com/gift/AY4751BQYJ9JW/order?external_source=postoffice-egift-widget&external_token=ww6Lrs0YuqtzBeFZ

Clancy's: https://www.clancysinc.com/

Cunningham Group: https://www.crgdining.com/Gift-Cards/

Daredevil Brewing: http://daredevilbeer.com/store/

Goose the Market: https://ecommerce.custcon.com/Purchase/Select?c=c06da07e-a312-4e79-b85d-f653163a4eb7

Iozzo's: https://www.giftcardmall.com/e-gift-cards/iozzos-garden-of-italy-egift-card

Jazz Kitchen: https://www.thejazzkitchen.com/gift-cards/ 

Late Harvest: http://lateharvestkitchen.com/

Meridian, Blind Owl,  Broad Ripple Tavern https://lux.securetree.com/

Mikado: Doing phone orders for gift cards (10% off) and will mail 3167/’972-4180

Milktooth: https://www.milktoothindy.com/gift-cards/gift-card

Movable Feast: https://www.feast317.com/

North End BBQ: http://thenorthendbbq.com/

Old Major: https://oldmajormarket.com/shop/

Patachou: https://patachouinc.securetree.com/

Rook: http://www.rookindy.com/gift-cards/

Rooster's: https://roosters-kitchen.square.site/

Scarlett Lane Brewing: https://squareup.com/gift/GVX54KNRJ27FQ/order

Shoefly: http://www.shoeflypublichouse.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html?fbclid=IwAR1Tpk7BdBJQmggrFnlvUbamGgLEQSXN7DN4L0Kl3SFUGmDc_m8Tcv6B-zg

St Elmo: https://store.stelmos.com/

Subito Soups: https://www.subitosoups.com/gift-cards

Sun King: https://shop.distinctimages.net/SunKingMerch/shop/home

Turf: https://squareup.com/gift/B9Y8YW8PW83M8/order

Curbside pick up: (* designates some limited delivery as well)

Ale Emporium: https://www.ale-emporium.com/?fbclid=IwAR0kaW3FtewrGruelb5er5-xx18m9RucxVMTmhf6pLVGhNKro31tBQlLcas&fbclid=IwAR0kaW3FtewrGruelb5er5-xx18m9RucxVMTmhf6pLVGhNKro31tBQlLcas

Alley's Alehouse at Pinheads: https://alleysalehouse.com/

Ali'i Poke: https://aliipoke.com/

Ambrosia: https://www.ambrosiaindy.com/ (offering a gift card promotion)

Amelia': https://ameliasbread.com/

Anthony's Chophouse (Carmel): https://anthonyschophouse.com/

*Baby's: http://babysindy.com/?fbclid=IwAR1b2LP83RS5PWrfTQf1LISCD4VuUNaQkwhL5-knJpQMUVuSc-4BPn6oU3g (delivery through grub huh/uber eats as well)

Bee Roasters:  https://www.beecoffeeroasters.com/

Beholder: https://beholderindy.com/ (email info@beholderindy.com)

*Between the Bun: https://btbindy.com/ (delivery through grubhub)

Big Lug: https://www.biglugcanteen.com/restaurant/

*Binkley's: http://www.binkleyskitchenandbar.com/menu/

*Biryani Hut: http://www.biryanihutindy.com/

Blind Owl: http://www.blindowlbrewery.com/

Broad Ripple Brewpub: http://www.broadripplebrewpub.com/

Brozinni Pizza: http://www.brozinni.net/

*Clustertruck: https://www.clustertruck.com/ . (Use this code as a friend of Jessica for discounted first order)

Cork & Cracker: https://www.corkandcracker.com/  (curbside wine!)

*Daredevil: http://daredevilbeer.com/  (doordash.grub hub plus some limited delivery from Ironworks locale)

Delicia: http://deliciaindy.com/

The Dugout: https://www.thedugoutindy.com/

Ellison Brewing: http://ellisonbrewing.com/home/

*Ember Urban Eatery: www.emberurbaneatery.com

Ezra's Enlightened: https://ezras-enlightened-cafe.square.site/page

*Fat Dan's: https://www.fatdansdeli.com/

Foundry Provisions: http://foundryprovisions.com/ Text order to 317/348-4358

*Gallery Pastry Shop: https://www.gallerypastryshop.com/

*Giordanos: Thttps://giordanos.com/no-contact-delivery/ (offering free delivery for online orders placed with code “FREEDELIVERY”.)

Grindstone Public House (Noblesville):  https://www.grindstonepublichouse.com/

*Hot Box: https://www.hotboxpizza.com/?fbclid=IwAR3YXt2cSnmjcJKfI2SX_QFI6VJyFZdys8EGn-B1l7pBMm1x7FG4CZCP-GQ

*Iaria's: http://www.iariasrestaurant.com/

Illinois Street Food Emporium: https://www.eatincarryout.com/

Iozzo's: call  317-974-1100. Working on delivery.

Jan’s (Westfield): https://jansvillagepizza.com/order-westfield-1#/restaurants/jansvillagepizzawestfield/4822

*Jockamo: http://www.jockamopizza.com/?fbclid=IwAR2L7v-9G9rdrLcZb-nS03LOSz6BPA6g_m9wBPrjz21MK22I3j7ziSrVXSc

*King Dough: http://www.kingdoughpizzas.com/#the-kitchen

Lil Dumplings (Fishers): 317/953-6411 (soon to be on grub hub)

Mama Carolla's: https://www.mamacarollas.com/

Mashcraft Brewing: http://www.mashcraft.com/home/

Meridian https://lux.securetree.com/

*Michaelangelo's (Noblesville): https://www.michaelangelosbistro.com/

Movable Feast: https://www.feast317.com/

Nameless Caterers: https://namelesscatering.com/

North End BBQ: http://thenorthendbbq.com/

Northside Nook/Social/KItchenette: https://northsidenook.com/  https://northsidesocial.com/menu/

*Oakley's: http://www.oakleysbistro.com/ 

Patachou :https://cafepatachou.com/menu/

Pizzology: https://pizzologyindy.com/

Prufrock Coffee: https://www.prufrockcoffee.com/

Pull Up Grill & BBQ: https://pullupgrill.com/

Sahm's: https://sahmsplace.com/

*Savor: https://savorcarmel.com/

*Scarlett Lane Brewing: https://www.scarletlanebrew.com/south-broad-ripple-tap-house/

Shoefly: https://www.facebook.com/ShoeflyPublicHouse/?hc_location=ufi

*Siam Square: https://www.siamsquareindy.com/ (delivery through door dash/grub hub)

Soupremacy: soing delivery soups certain days: https://www.soupremacy.com/

*Squealers: https://www.squealersbarbeque.com/ (delivery via door dash, grub hub, uber eats)

Tea's Me: https://www.teasmeindy.com/

Three Carrots: https://www.threecarrotsindy.com/

The Legend: https://www.facebook.com/166589785238/posts/10157744784410239/?d=n

Tiger Lilly: https://www.facebook.com/tigerlilyrestaurant/ 317/516-1914

*Turf Catering: https://www.turfcateringkitchen.com/ (looking to add delivery soon as well as pick up dinners).

Twenty Tap: http://www.twentytap.com/

*Ukiyo: http://ukiyoindy.com/ (Call 317/384-1048 for delivery and carry out)

Union Jack: http://unionjackpub.co/about/

(they’re also on grub hub)

Upland (multiple locations):  https://www.uplandbeer.com/locations/   https://www.uplandbeer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ColAveMenu__CARRYOUTtweb.pdf

Other yummy things:

Delivery lasagna: https://sendafriendlasagna.com/ Gift card: https://sendafriendlasagna.com/collections/frontpage/products/30-gift-certificate


Savor V (baked goods): https://savorv.com/ (with every purchase she makes a donation to IPS schools)

Other shopping (that supports restaurants):

Ash & Elm Cider: https://www.ashandelmcider.com/buy-merch/

Ellison Brewing: https://ellison-brewery-plus-spirits.square.site/

Sun King: https://shop.distinctimages.net/SunKingMerch/shop/home

Turchetti’s  https://www.turchettis.com/shop

Tyner Farm (local meat): https://tynerpondfarm.com/shop

Union Jack: http://unionjackpub.co/apparel/

Bluebeard- Revisit - Lunch

I met my friend Suzanne for a slightly late birthday lunch at Bluebeard. It’s been awhile since I have eaten at Bluebeard for lunch, so it was nice to go back. The hard part is not ordering everything on the menu—so I let her choose and we split both items.

The first item was the Canadian bacon sandwich ($10), which had Canadian bacon, spinach cream cheese, garlic mayo, roasted red peppers, arugula and red onions served on Amelia’s Pullman toast. There was a lot going on in this sandwich, but it was extremely tasty. I really enjoyed the softness of the bread, even though it was also nicely toasted. The cream cheese and aioli added a kick of acidity. My only knock on it was the bacon was very fatty, which maybe some people like, but it gives it a bit too rubbery of a taste sometimes for me. I just pulled off some (not all) of the fat and really enjoyed it.

Bluebeard is sourcing their meats from the new Turchetti’s down the street (I overheard the waiter telling this to another table). It’s exciting to see a new local business featured in a restaurant like Bluebeard.

We also were feeling indulgent and got the loaded fries ($14), which were extremely good and extremely bad for the diet. But whatever. There was Mornay sauce, cheese, bacon and of course lots of crispy fries. Oh and a sunny egg on top. The Mornay sauce though—damn, it was so good. It wasn’t just pure flat and rich, it had an edge to it that made it completely addicting.

Bluebeard is a solid choice you guys, even for lunch. It feels like a nice grown up place, and isn’t so crowded that you have to wait to get it for lunch. And you know you want to eat those fries.

Bluebeard

653 Virginia Avenue

Indy, 46203

317/686-1580

www.bluebeardindy.com 

John Adams Catering

Recently, some friends and I decided to have John Adams cater a dinner for us. In case you are not familiar, John has cheffed at a lot of my favorite restaurants throughout our fine city. I met him at H2O sushi (RIP). He left there to open Bluebeard and eventually also worked at Plow and Anchor and most recently Marrow (RIP as well). And for the moment, he is doing private catering. A friend of mine had used him for a special dinner party she was planning and raved about the food, so several friends and I decided we needed to plan something as well.

I loved the menu from the moment he sent it to me and I was not disappointed. We started with a beautiful salmon tartare with capers, cucumbers and tomato ponzu. It was artfully wrapped with cucumber as well and topped with a Parmesan crisp. It was really light and tasty and reminiscent of those H2O days. I could have eaten a bowl full.

The next course was a Vietnamese pancake (also one of my favorite things). It was a crisp, light crepe filled with shrimp, green papaya, and bean sprouts and topped with crushed peanuts. There was a great tangy lemongrass broth underneath it and the whole dish was full of wonderful acid, one of my favorite flavor profiles. I was impressed watching him whip up individual little pancakes for everyone.

The main course was seared Loup de Mer with roasted sunchokes, chard and a shallot and sunchoke soubise—which is a creamy sauce made with cream as well as the shallots and sunchokes. There was also a red wine jus on top of the soubise. The fish though, that fish was delicious. It had skin on it, but it was seared so well, the skin became the star of the dish. It was so crispy; it just sort of exploded when you bit into it. 

The savory courses were definitely the strength—he joked that he’s not really a pastry chef, and we enjoyed the bananoffee pie, but I enjoyed the other things much more. The first three courses were so perfectly executed and balanced, it just made the pie look ordinary. Still tasty, just not as exciting.

I loved having Chef Adams cook for us, and would love to be able to have it more often—am going to have to organize some more dinners. As much as I liked it though, I’d still rather see him in the kitchen of a local restaurant where more people can enjoy his food. I think he is exploring several options and I look forward to see where he turns up. In the meantime though, if you’re looking for a local chef to cater a wonderful dinner, he’s your man.

Chef John Adams

jradasmii@gmail.com

Bluebeard - Revisit

Just a friendly reminder about all the wonderful restaurants we have in Indy—so today I am reminding you about Bluebeard. One of our best, and a place to revisit again and again. Hubby chose it for Father’s Day, and we were all happy to oblige.

With the kids we always have to start with a small bread plate ($5) and chips and dip ($6). Not that I am complaining, because both are always good. And when we were there, the rotating flavored butter (they seem to always have the anchovy and the garlic olive oil as well as one other changing flavor) was guanciale cheddar butter and it was delicious. I mean pork, cheese and butter? How could it be bad? And I like it better than fruity options, which are sometimes too sweet for me. The Bluebeard version of chips and French onion dip is also delicious. And I was excited to see they have switched out their homemade potato chips from being fingerlings, which were good, but so skinny they broke off too easy. They are using regular potatoes now and they were heartier and super good.

Hubby and I split the salmon poke boat ($18), which was super cute, as it actually came in a little boat, and tasted just as good. It was salmon, cucumber, toasted sesame and wakame (a type of seaweed) marinated in a dark soy yuzu sauce and served on top of rice. Crunchy fried shallots garnished the top.  We really enjoyed this dish—it had lots of flavor and nice texture variation with the fish and the shallots. And the more poke I see on menus, the happier I am.

Hubby celebrated by ordering the bucket of prawns ($42), which was sort of like an ode to Red Lobster, but with actual fresh, delicious seafood. There were a bunch of peel ‘n eat prawns, and these were some of the best I have had in Indy. Super big, but exceptionally tender. Dip them in the miso butter, and they were perfect. We had to force him to share, and we all wanted them. There were hunks of Andouille sausage in there as well. And the side dish of cheddar bay biscuits? More fights broke out over them, because cheese biscuits are the best biscuits. This was an excellent, yet simple dish.

I ordered the halibut tacos for my main dish and these were just as good as hubby’s shrimp (and I was much more generous about sharing). There were battered pieces of fish at the bottom of each tortilla and they were topped with this deep rich adobo type sauce. There were some lightly pickled onions in there as well as some jalapeno slices on top. I would happily eat these again any day.

My son ordered a skirt steak, which he didn’t really care for that much, and it wasn’t our favorite dish of the evening. He was a little miffed at hubby for convincing him to order it instead of the halibut that he had his eyes on at first. And I will say, the beef dishes at Bluebeard are never my favorites either. Go with something more interesting and it will be more satisfying.

Hubby had to have his chess pie; something that Bluebeard has had on the menu pretty much since the beginning. It was good as always, and has even been perfected to be a bit easier to eat because the crust is a bit flakier. My son wanted a dessert that had nuts in the crust, so he couldn’t get it. The staff was kind enough to bring him a complimentary bread pudding to eat, which was quite nice as well. They do a nice job with desserts here, and they are more homey in nature than super fancy.

Bluebeard is a staple in Indy and is consistently good. So just a gentle (somewhat selfish) reminder to keep going there and supporting them to make sure they stay around. We’re lucky to have them. 

Bluebeard

653 Virginia Avenue

Indy, 46203

317/686-1580

www.bluebeardindy.com 

B's Po Boy--Revisit

I know I’ve written about this place a ton before but B’s Po Boy really is one of our go-to family faves. We’d been wanting to go and the last time we tried we couldn’t get a table for 40 minutes, so we went to Bluebeard instead (such a sacrifice). We also wanted to gorge ourselves on American Food before our big European trip we had coming up (and hubby wanted Cajun food).  

We took a seat on the packed patio, looked at the menu and were very surprised. They had new items—this was exciting! We ordered the fried green tomatoes to start. It was actually a lot more than just fried green tomatoes—it was like a fancy salad with goat cheese, balsamic, fennel, lettuce and some fresh tomatoes. They were breaded with a cornmeal type batter similar to the shrimp on the po boys. They were tasty.

I’ve finally managed to get the whole family on the shrimp po boy bandwagon. After trying almost everything on the menu my daughter finally realized that the shrimp po boy is the best (we’ve been telling her this all along). So all four of us got shrimp po boys ($ market) and we all got extra shrimp. We always get extra shrimp. The shrimp were even more plentiful this time—maybe you don’t need the extra ones? It also seemed like they had amped up the flavor and spices on the breading. It was great! Of course this immediately made my son like them less (change is hard sometimes). They still import their bread from NOLA and I liked mine fully dressed with the lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. And mayo. Oh, and I always get a side of remoulade to add too. (I like saucy sandwiches). The kids eat theirs plain.

We rounded off our meal with our usual order of beignets and chocolate sauce ($5.50). As with the rest of our meal B’s had made some changes. The beignets were a little denser and more like the beignets we’ve had in New Orleans. Hubby even declared them better than any he’d ever had in his four years of living in NOLA. I’m not totally sure I agree, but they are darn good beignets.

All in all, it was exciting to see some additions and changes at B’s, while they still maintain the level of quality that we have always enjoyed. Combine this with their bocce courts, life-size Jenga games, and corn hole and you have yourself a family favorite.

B’s Po Boy

1261 South Shelby Street

Indy  46203

317/916-5555

www.bpoboy.com 

Bluebeard, once again

A couple of trips to Bluebeard lately are reminders of how lucky we are to have such a continually inventive and good restaurant in Indy. 

A highlight from one trip was the rabbit confit-type dish with fried chicken livers on top. You know I love fried chicken livers and these were delicious. Also great? The oysters Rockefeller they do (they are often on the menu and you should really get them. The oysters are so good, and the toppings divine. My son liked them so much we had to get a second order. 

chicken livers et al

oysters

My daughter ordered quail and would only give me a tiny bite. Loved the little bit of thigh that I had. Hubby and I shared the Bluebeard version of ramen and I might just say, it was possibly more flavorful and interesting than most of the bowls of ramen I have had around town.  The big slab of pork belly helped the flavor along, as did the perfect soft egg, but really it was the broth that made it so good. My only complaint was the bowl it was in wasn’t big enough, making it a challenge to eat.

quail

ramen

Another visit had me loving the cool salmon crudo ($16). I’ve had mixed experiences with crudos at Bluebeard, but this one with pickled and grilled ramps, a bit of asiago biscuit, orange olive oil, hollandaise and fried shallots had me won over. It had a good bit of tartness and the salmon was melty soft.

salmon crudo

scallops

cauliflower

The bay scallop and Arborio gratin was also really good (and something I’ve never seen before) ($18). It was small but mighty with its richness—there were little scallops mixed with bits of cauliflower, spring garlic, Gruyere cheese, and horseradish Parmesan cream and truffle breadcrumbs on top. This was wonderful. It was better as an accompaniment to other things, because the scallops were almost a purely textural element, but yummy. Speaking of cauliflower, the roasted cauliflower with anchovy, caper, mint, Parmesan and sunflower seeds was also a great side. Bluebeard knows how to roast veggies.

chopped livers

truffled egg toast

The chopped livers dish ($14) was a bit heavy on the pork liver and was a touch strong for us. The chicken livers in the dish were great, but the pork livers overpowered everything. If the same dish (bread, vinegar, rams and whipped cheese) were done with just the chicken livers, it would be spectacular. Also, while I have loved the truffled egg toast ($26) in the past, this time it was just too bready. I did appreciate the morels and the runny egg though. I really miss the version they did once with bread and light and fluffy truffled scrambled eggs. Wonder if they ever do that one anymore? 

pork belly

The Mexican-style pork belly ($18) was tasty and I like the crunchy bits served alongside it, but I don’t know, maybe I am just getting to be over pork belly. It’s a little overused these days I think and it rarely seems to blow my mind anymore.

          

I feel like there are always several truly winning dishes each and every time I eat at Bluebeard, and then a couple that are solidly good, but not as amazing. But I will take that kind of consistency any day. And now that the outside patio is open, and they have an additional dining room inside that isn’t in the bar, there is less of a wait the last few times I have come, which I also appreciate. This is a place I always want to go, and a place where I always know I am going to have a good meal. Oh and chess pie, I'm pretty much always having the chess pie.

Bluebeard

653 Virginia Avenue

Indy, 46203

317/686-1580

www.bluebeardindy.com 

Bluebeard - Revisit

Ok, another quickie Thursday post…. about Bluebeard. It was my daughter’s birthday and her choice (I am raising these kids right obviously).

When it’s her choice, we always get the bread plate ($4). She’s a carb fiend. The bread plate at Bluebeard is always good and this time I was pleased to find the anchovy butter a little less strong than usual. It was delightful. Also sauerkraut and mustard butter, although I did kind of miss a sweet choice.

Also, Crab Rangoon ($14) at Bluebeard? Yes please. Loved they offered two sauces—one being soy and Sriracha based (the other a lemongrass sweet and sour). I always eat my Rangoons with soy.

And octopus? Well Bluebeard never screws it up. How come it can be so god awful chewy some places and so perfectly tender at others? It always is done right here. Served on grilled bread with bagna cauda (a garlic and anchovy type spread). 

They were obviously featuring king crab on the menu in a couple ways, and my son was thrilled to have it as an option for dinner ($26). They even took the shells off. I thought it was great, but he wished it was warm. The waffle fries and curried ketchup on the side? A tad addicting.

My daughter chose the lasagna ($26). Ridiculously huge. This portion could feed a family of four. Made with lamb, it was interesting although probably the least favorite item of the evening. It just didn’t wow us.

I had an interesting “lobster” roll made with monkfish ($18). It was also unique—sort of a deconstructed lobster roll. I really liked it with the pickles on it and the curried lobster remoulade.

But the star of the evening was the bucatini ($18) with a poached egg, ham, sweet potato, zucchini, pearl onions and Parmesan in a carbonara sauce. That my friends, was one of the best pastas I have eaten in Indy in years. Maybe ever. Seriously, you ever see that on the menu, order it. We fought over it.

There were desserts too… also good. This place is solid. So nice to have such a reliably good place to eat in this town.

Bluebeard

653 Virginia Avenue

Indy, 46203

317/686-1580

www.bluebeardindy.com

Marrow

Hubby and I are way behind on getting to all the new places—but we had a date night the other night and are trying to make some progress. We’ve been looking forward to Marrow—we’ve always been a fan of Chef John Adams’ food—at H20, Bluebeard and Plow and Anchor.

Marrow is quite different from Adams’ past places though—they bill it as “global soul food”—there is a lot of Asian fusion influence on the menu, but without any pretension—these are comfort food dishes redefined with various Asian twists.

We started with a cocktail (him) and a glass of wine (me). The drinks were both good although it took awhile to get them—we got seated right before a large party which was sharing the same server, which turned out a bit unfortunate for us service-wise. The drink was very good, and the wine list, while small, had some nice choices to pair with spicier foods. The service issue plagued us much of the night.

Food-wise though, we liked every single thing we had. We started with some deviled eggs ($2.50 each)—Marrow’s take on this comfort classic involves pimento cheese, crab and tobiko. They were creamy and fresh and I loved the salty kick of the fish roe. Having one of these as our first bite was a great way to start. I like that you can order them individually and I would be hard-pressed not to get one again next time.

At just about the same time, we were also served the pork neck and eel shumai ($11) with scallion-ssam butter and eel sauce. There were four nice-sized dumplings and they had great flavor—I loved the slightly spicy, and extremely rich butter on top of the dumplings and the soy/vinegar/oil sauce on the bottom of the bowl. The dumplings were stuffed with the porky meatballs—this was the only part of the dish that surprised me—the meat inside was pretty firm—it tasted yummy but I was expecting more of a minced-type filling.

Next they brought out the mac and paneer dish ($10). This was Marrow’s take on a mac and cheese—Indian style. The noodles were your classic elbow macaroni, but with a sauce that was infused with curry—there was also a bunch of veggies mixed in there--spinach, peas and carrots. And of course several big hunks of paneer. Paneer is a fresh Indian cheese—it’s different from your typical cheese in a mac and cheese because it’s not a melting cheese—it stays in little cubes (we actually cut them even smaller to make them go further). The cheese stays fairly firm and had a nice slightly crisp (sautéed) edge. A bite with the paneer and all the other bits was great. The more we ate this dish, the more the flavors melded together and it became increasingly addicting. I really enjoyed the unique, but comforting, flavors.

But, man oh man; the best for last for sure. The fried tandoori chicken ($17 for half—this is what we had-- and $33 for a full order) was just fabulous. I will cry a little tear if I don’t get this on the next visit. We have already decided we need to go with other people so we can try new things but still eat this again too. The chicken had classic tandoori seasoning—cumin, paprika, coriander, garlic, cardamom and all those nice things but fried up in a crispy fried chicken crust. They also served it with a few thinly sliced veggies and three wonderful sauces. I kept trying to decide which one I liked better—they were all variations of the classic sauces that sit on the table at an Indian restaurant—there was a tamarind-based chutney which was slightly sweet and sour, a yogurt sauce that tasted of cumin and then a mint-based green sauce. I think I settled on the yogurt sauce as my favorite but that tamarind was great too. 

I really appreciated the fact that many of the dishes came in half and full sizes—it allowed hubby and I to try more things than we otherwise might have. Honestly, there was nothing that I ate that I didn’t like. The dishes are little flavor bursts—nothing bland going on here—and exactly the kind of thing that Indy needs. It’s a nice (not fancy, but nice) restaurant where you feel like you can sit and have a nice meal but eat something different from the other restaurants in this general price point. I like it, and I’m going back for sure. I need to try it all. (Wondering how often they change menu….)

Marrow

1106 Prospect Street

Indy 46203

317/986-6752

www.marrowindy.com 

U.S. Adventures- NYC

Recently I took a super quick trip to New York City—it was a trip spurred on by a night with too much wine, and the fact that a bunch of Indiana chefs were cooking at the James Beard House. Several girlfriends and I figured, hey, why not? (I told you there was wine involved). Not going to spend a lot of time on the actual Beard dinner other than to say that we had fun and it was a cool experience to go there (seems kind of pointless to go through all the dishes, etc. since it’s not something you can do). Suffice it to say, there was a lot of great Indiana food and a lot of great Indiana talent represented. If you’re interested in learning more about Chef’s Night Out, who are the group of chefs that put the dinner on, you can check them out on their facebook page.  So again, I’m covering a bunch of places in this one post, so just click on the link to go to their webpages.

(Here's a couple pics from the James Beard dinner though):

We were only there for like 48 hours, but we managed to fit in 4 other meals, starting with our arrival right at lunchtime and a meal at Gramercy Tavern. This place was walkable to our hotel, and seemed like a good old school place to start. It’s a bit more formal feeling than some of the places we ate, but the food was very good. A friend and I started with a spaghetti appetizer ($18) that was light, with just a touch of cream, some corn and a bit of chile and had a nice breadcrumb topping with a few clams—the portion was smallish (the pic is of half, they split it in the kitchen). Tasty, even though we both we wanted a couple more clams.  I had a starter of beef tartare ($16) as my main dish, because I wanted to eat fairly light knowing the dinner that was ahead of us at the Beard House. It was solid—the meat was tender and fresh and it was fairly well seasoned, but overall I would rate it as average amongst the beef tartares I have consumed in my life. Luckily, I was sharing with my friend Jen (we shared the pasta as well) and she gave me some of her arctic char ($25) and it was amazing. Seriously, the fish could only be described as buttery. It also had parmesan-ish foam that was really good with the fish. I was a little jealous. We didn’t order dessert, but they brought us a little tray of petit fours. It was a lovely lunch, even if our server was a little aloof (you’re almost disappointed if you don’t get at least one like that while you’re in New York, right?).

The morning after the Beard dinner, I woke up early and decided to hit up Buvette in the West Village, based on the recommendation of my favorite (and only) hairdresser. A couple of my girlfriends were game to come along with me, and it was a straight shot on the subway. It’s an adorable little French place that specializes in lots and lots of egg dishes in the morning. Totally me. Apparently, they cook their scrambled eggs with their espresso machine steamers or something like that. Whatever they’re doing, they’re making some deliciously creamy scrambled eggs (something I don’t normally order out). Mine came on two small pieces of toast and was topped with caviar and crème fraiche ($25). I just couldn’t resist. Also, don’t pass up on the little plate of tiny croissants ($7)--they were also extremely delicious (and so super cute).  They serve them with a spoonful of soft butter and jam. The fresh OJ ($7) was delicious as well. Everything in this place is diminutive—the restaurant, the tables, the pastries and the food. But just right to start a day of lots of eating.  They’re open til 2:00 am as well, and I can imagine this place is always doing a bustling business.

We continued our meal plan looking for things that aren’t as easy to come by in Indy. So for lunch, we went with Ivan Ramen. There were five of us and we wanted to try pretty much all of the apps, so we basically did. I think my favorites were the meatballs (go figure) ($13), which were made with pork and covered with bonito flakes, which kind of fluttered in the breeze. There were also two sauces—one was a buttermilk sauce and one was called a bulldog sauce. The meatballs were super tender and had tons of umami with the fish flakes and the pork and the sauces. Also a great accompaniment was the pickled daikon dish ($10) that was light and tangy and then topped with crumbles of what was actually dried shrimp and scallops, but tasted like little crisp bits of garlic or something. A great combo. We also enjoyed the Chinese greens with garlic ($9)—I really liked the pickled garlic slices on top. All the dishes here were well done when it came to combining pickle flavors (acid!) and rich savory flavors. We also had the LES buns, which were buns stuffed with pastrami, karashi mayo and daikon slaw ($11). I only tried one small bite of these, but they were my least favorite. Still not bad, but the other stuff was just much more interesting.  I had the more traditional Tokyo Shoyu ramen ($15), which is your classic ramen type dish—noodles (these were rye noodles) served in broth in a bowl (this was actually chicken and dashi stock) and topped with pork and egg and slivered scallions. It was a tasty dish—simple but with a rich broth. The piece of pork was maybe a little fatty for me, but I ate every bit of the noodles and broth. The egg was perfect too. It may not have been my favorite ever, but it was solidly in the running. My sharing friend Jen ordered the tonkotsu tsukemen ($16), which was something I had not had before. It was a bowl of cold whole-wheat noodles served with a separate pork broth that you dipped the noodles into. It came with crispy “burned” garlic, chile oil and scallions to add to your broth. It was tasty as well, although I think I preferred the whole thing being already assembled in my dish. Jen added the egg, crispy fried pork and roasted tomato option (+$5) and that crispy pork was quite nice. The server was super nice and they had a nice little patio that we enjoyed.

For our final dinner, we went with a southern Italian place in Soho, because, well you know how hard it is to find interesting (good) Italian food in Indy. We chose Sessanta kind of randomly off the Eater Heatmap.  It’s a cool little place as well—you definitely feel like you’re in New York. We again had a great table on the front outdoor seating area—this one was on the street, and the weather was amazing and it was a great time. This is another place that I wish we had something like in Indy—I think the closest we have is Bluebeard, in that they serve more than pasta etc., but I think Sessanta is more focused Italian. We started with several appetizers—and they brought us some little fried gnocchi as an amuse to start. We ordered the tuna crudo ($19), which was so tender and so good, and was topped with caper berries (nicely sliced into edible pieces), shaved zucchini and pickled lampascioni—which are hyacinth bulbs. Not sure I had ever had these. The dish was dressed with lime juice and all these flavors together were delicious. The fritto misto ($ 15was also good—it included shrimp and other veggies—zucchini, broccoli (another of my favorite fried items) and my personal favorite touch—some fried lemon slices. If you cut them really thin and fry them, they are a great acidic crunchy kick to eat along with the more standard fried items. This was a good misto. We shared the arancine ($10), which are fried risotto balls. They were crisp and tasty as well, but just didn’t hold my attention the way the other things did.

Jen and I also shared the Mozzarella Pugliese ($19), which were lovely pieces of soft, fresh mozzarella on top of marinated eggplant, bits of pistachio and fried capers. A great mix of textures and flavors and a nice variation from always serving mozzarella like this with tomatoes. We also shared the eggplant ravioli “alla Norma,” which was also delicious—nice ravioli and some toasty eggplant (we obviously like eggplant. We also shared the roasted branzino ($32)—a really nicely seared piece of fish with crisp skin sitting on top of spigarello (like broccoli rabe), tomato and special Italian almonds. A great piece of fish complemented by lots of varying flavors and crunch from the nuts.

All in all, it was a whirlwind of a trip, but was filled with fun with friends, some great food, wonderful weather and a couple of educational experiences (we fit them in between meals). I really need to do this more often.