Napolese - Revisit

Hubby and I were just in the mood for something different—we decided to give Napolese another try because it had been quite awhile. We also hadn’t been to the new downtown location and were interested to try it out. I like that this location takes reservations so you know you won’t have to wait. It was slightly annoying though that even with a reservation, when we walked in, and even though there were only two tables seated, the hostess tried to seat us right next to one of the other occupied tables and with the bus stand on the other side. I mean the whole place was empty at this point. (I still will never understand why restaurants do this). Anyhow, after asking for a different table, and standing there waiting while they figured out if it was possible (really?), we got seated and ordered some drinks. They also always bring you a great little bowl of mixed olives, which I love, because, well, I love olives—and these are great ones.

We started with the white bean cassoulet ($13) because hubby loves cassoulet. It was made with a lot of meat. Seriously, this was like an Italian pork dish with a few beans. There was pork shoulder, pancetta, duck confit and Smoking Goose sausage. We were kind of surprised at how few beans there really was, but you are certainly getting your money’s worth on the meat. It was cold outside and it was extremely hearty—a dish that is not my favorite kind of thing because it is just so over the top meaty. I would have loved a squeeze of lemon or something. There was some shaved parmesan that gave it a slightly salty taste which was good.  They have improved the way they serve the bread on the side too, giving slightly larger pieces of the pizza dough with some cheese on it.

We also had the arugula salad with pear, shaved fennel, candied pecans, Gorgonzola and aged Sherry vinaigrette ($10). I sort of wish I would have had this to eat at the same time as the cassoulet, a little acid would have been nice. The salad was good, other than I have learned to always ask for extra dressing at Patachous. Not a biggie, but they are very light with dressing there. I just ask for extra when I order. The pears were ripe and gave a nice sweet contrast to the blue cheese and vinaigrette, although we fought over the 4-5 nuts. It was a big salad, and could have used a bit more of the nice sweet and salty nuts.

We ordered the BLT pizza ($13) for our main and it was by far the best thing of the evening. That’s good right? It’s a pizza place after all. We have had it before and enjoyed it but now—can you say, “Smoking Goose jowl bacon?” That stuff is amazing. Ok, it’s pretty decadent with its thick fat layer, and its slightly charred edges, man, it took this pizza to another place. Also, I love Taleggio, which is a stinkier soft cheese. The leeks gave the whole thing some texture, although I am still not sure about caramelized as the proper descriptor. A really good pizza overall with a perfect, chewy, tasty crust.

This experience was pretty typical of our Napolese experiences—the pizza is solid and the stuff we get before is often just okay. But to just go in for a salad and pizza and it’s a good option. And I like that there’s at least one of their locations that take reservations.

Napolese

30 S. Meridian Street

Indy  46204

317/635-0765

http://www.napolesepizzeria.com/

A Few of My Favorite Things...

I’ve been noticing a lot of year-end wrap up articles lately, and figured, I want to do that too! These are some of my personal “favorite things” from local Indianapolis restaurants (I tried to pick things you can always get at these places so you guys can check them out too). These are things that I find myself going back to over and over again.  (Note: I am sure I have left things out, and there are many restaurants that are hard to include because they change the menu frequently, which in and of itself is one of my favorite things as well).

So in no particular order other than as they pop into my head, here goes:

Tuna tartare from H2O Sushi: (CLOSED) I am pretty sure I could eat this every day if hubby would let me. He has finally given up trying to make me not order it every time we go. They have the seasoning nailed with soy, ginger, lemon, cilantro, radish, chives and masago. I love this stuff. And those cookies too.

H2O

Frites from Brugge: These are easily the best fries in Indy. Freshly made and always crisp-- and I love all the choices of dipping sauces. My current favorites are the straight up aioli, the blue cheese, and the sherry vinegar and salt. Best mussels in town too, but it’s the frites that dreams are made of.

Brugge

Burger from Barking Dog Café (CLOSED): I love this burger—it is currently my favorite in town. And I like it just how they make it—with their special sauce, super thin sliced onions (one of my favorite parts), lettuce, pickles, ketchup, Dijon, and cheese of course. It’s a thin burger with crisp edges and all the flavors meld together perfectly. Best clam chowder in town too.

Barking Dog

BALT and frites from Taste: I can’t go to Taste without ordering both these things. The BALT is one of my favorite sandwiches because of the tangy dressing they use on the lettuce. It also has lots of a guacamole-type spread, which I like because it is evenly spread on the whole sandwich (and of course there’s bacon). The basil aioli is what makes the frites so amazing.

Taste

Taste

Egg salad from Patachou or Petite Chou: Egg salad on toasted sourdough with an extra pickle. That’s my regular order (although Petite Chou does it as an open-faced tartine on toast—and actually I usually eat the Patachou version open-faced as well because you really don’t need all the bread). The egg salad is simple and perfect. Just eggs, mayo and salt and pepper. I easily eat this once a week.

Patachou

Slice of mushroom and red onion pizza from Brozinni: Best pizza in town, hands down. Big New York style slices. The onion is evenly distributed and the crust is exactly the right amount of bendy and chewy. Dip the crust in the garlic butter from the knuckles, and it’s perfect.

Brozinni

Bacon flight from Libertine: Ok, I haven’t had this one as much as some of these other dishes I've mentioned, but I love Goose bacon, and sometimes, just getting the various varieties served straight up (well, with dipping sauces) is just what you need.

Ramen noodles from Ichiban: stir fried ramen noodles with perfectly sized slices of veggies mixed in and topped with a breaded pork tenderloin.  Cheap and something good in Castleton!

Ichiban

Steak tartare from Meridian: I have a thing for steak tartare. Well, any tartare really. But they are often too bland and one-dimensional. This one is great, one of the best (and one of the few) I have had in Indy. The beef is tender and seasoned with capers and garlic mayo, onions and nice crispy fried chickpeas on the side, which add a touch of salt. Oh, and don’t forget the quail egg on top. 

Meridian

Brad Gates’ breaded lamb chops: This is something I have had several times at catered events by Brad Gates, and these things are ideal finger food. He takes individual lamb chops, trims them perfectly, coats them in breadcrumbs and fries them in butter.  A grown up lollipop. You can’t really go wrong here. I wonder if he ever does them at the Pantry at the City Market? He should.

Fried Chicken from Mississippi Belle: If you’re thinking about going to KFC, don’t do it. Skip over to Mississippi Belle instead. Dinner is all you can eat and this is some of the best fried chicken I have found in town. Pan-fried, so it doesn’t have a ton of crispy coating, but the seasoning is spot on. And the mac and cheese is a must order as well.

Mississippi Belle

Spaghetti from Bluebeard: Truth be told, there are several other more mind-blowing items to be had at Bluebeard, but the side order of spaghetti with lemon, crème fraiche and parmesan has been a regular item on the menu since they opened, and a regular side item on our table on nearly every visit. It is simple, but the tangy flavor of the lemon and the crème fraiche make it special.

Bluebeard

Rare beef salad from Long Thanh: This was a dish that I ate repeatedly for a long time and still, now, as soon as I start talking about it, I want it again. It is basically a salad with lots of cilantro and basil, topped with thin slices of tender rare beef and chopped peanuts. It has a distinct lime flavor and when mixed with the fish sauce that comes along with, and the crispy fried shrimp chips that are light as air, it makes for lovely little tangy bites.

Chicken soup at La Hacienda: This soup is so good. Especially in the winter. Or if you have a cold. Or hell, even in the summer if you’re me and you just can’t hardly not order it. It’s basically a kitchen sink of Mexican food items. Chicken broth, rice, tortilla chips, chicken, pico de gallo, cheese, avocado. Everything good. All in one huge bowl for under $6. And be sure and get a Texas margarita too. 

Roti Rolls at Siam Square: This is a must order dessert for us at Siam Square. It’s a simple concept—puff pastry, butter and sugar, but it the kind of dessert that hubby and I really like.

Fried shrimp po boy from B’s Po Boy: Extra shrimp is required so they’re pouring out of the flown in from Louisiana bread. I like mine dressed with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and mayo and with a side of the spicy remoulade sauce that I drizzle on top. Even hubby agrees it is as good as the ones you get in New Orleans (and in some cases better).

Chicken Salad from Movable Feast: No fruit. No nuts. Just chicken, celery, green onions and a great tangy yogurt-based sauce with lots of dill. A great, tasty, straightforward chicken salad.

Sautéed eggplant with basil sauce add chicken from Jasmine Thai: There was one guy who worked there who just referred to me as “eggplant” for awhile when I walked in to pick up my carry out order of this stuff. But apparently, there is another patron who eats it 2-3 times a week so there must be something addictive about it. Soften golden eggplant in a soy/basil sauce. I like to add the chicken for a bit of texture variation. All over rice. Another staple in my diet.

Jasmine Thai

Fried chicken from Sahm’s: Huge, super crunchy pieces of chicken that have good flavor and taste even better the next day (according to hubby).  I only wish I could get on track as to when they have it at my local Sahm’s. But the Fishers’ location serves it daily apparently.

Sticky Toffee Pudding from Late Harvest: Ok, so I have had issues sometimes here, but the one thing I will always order on any visit is the sticky toffee pudding. I fell in love with the dish while living in England, and they do a spot on version with a tender, warm spice cake and topped with toffee sauce and whipped cream. 

Late Harvest

Hot and Sour Soup from House of Cheung: This is one of my latest cravings and has been intense. There can be a little variation from visit to visit, but overall it’s a great version of the vinegary and spicy soup. And they have the only fried wontons in town that I have found that are never stale. A bowl of this with the wontons on top makes me very happy.

House of Cheung

So there you have it---a list of a (not so) few of my favorite things. But once I get going, it’s hard to not keep having things pop into your head. So tell me, what thing(s) popped into your head as you read? I want to know what your go-to items are in Indy restaurants. 

And now I am really, really hungry.

Happy Holidays and Cheers! I’ll be back with new posts next week.

Second Helpings Drive

Wanting to do something different in the spirit of the season, I have teamed up with Sonja and Alex over at A Couple Cooks because we all love Second Helpings so much. They recently went on a tour of their facilities and were so impressed they asked me to join them in doing a donation drive. This was a no brainer for me, because not only is it a place I love and donate money, but a place in which I also regularly volunteer my time.

If you are unfamiliar with Second Helpings, in my eyes, it is one of the most efficient non-profit organizations because of the multi-layer approach they take to feeding those in need (and, well, it's about food!). First they take leftover food from restaurants and retailers (check out the list of all these AWESOME companies that support Second Helpings with food donations) and turn it into 3500 hot meals to serve to groups of people in various social service organizations. Think Boys and Girls Clubs, Wheeler Mission and similar places (here's the current list). All this food would otherwise end up being thrown away.

They also run an in-house culinary job training program for unemployed and underemployed community members. Around 80 people go through this program each year and you'll find many of them working in kitchens around our city.

As you know, I have a passion for food and eating and appreciate the fact that this organization shares my love and helps spread great meals throughout Indianapolis in so many different ways.

Long story short, if you haven't heard about this organization, I encourage you to get online and look at their website. Or go downtown and take a tour--you'll be blown away by what's going on there (and it always smells SOOO good in there). If you go around lunchtime, you're likely to get served an awesome meal prepared by the culinary students. Or even better, if you have a couple of free hours a month, go on in and volunteer. Second Helpings relies heavily on the over 700 volunteers to keep all the programs running. You can do things like cook, drive, sort bread, wash dishes or work at the front desk (among many others).

Today though, we are joining up to offer a matching pledge for anyone that makes a donation before the end of the year. We have pooled resources and will match up to $600 in donations that are announced in the comments of our blogs. They are also always looking for donations of food items, like spices and pasta, please check here if that is something you might be interested in doing instead (still leave a comment though if you do). Even if you have only $10-20 to donate, just think, it will be doubled by doing it through our little blog drives! And every penny counts. Click HERE to make your monetary donation.

Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know how much to match (or send me an email at erininindy@gmail.com if you prefer to do it privately)!

Happy Holidays!

Erin

Eat + Drink

I just have to start out by saying that Taste is probably my favorite lunch spot in Indy (and hubby’s too). I eat there a lot and we were excited to try the new bar concept run by the same people next door at Eat + Drink. We actually went the first time with a group of friends just shortly after they opened, but I didn’t plan to write about it so soon after they opened, so hubby and I went back on our own recently.

So one of the things they advertise at Eat + Drink is “craft” cocktails. And hubby had the Cadillac margarita the first time and it was really, really good, even though it took a good 20 minutes to get it. But the second time we were hoping the service would have improved and we both looked forward to getting another one. Well, sadly, it took just as long to get our drinks and this time they were inconsistent (hubby had 2 and one was way better than the other). But regardless, the length of time it took to get them made them not worth ordering for me, no matter how good. I switched to wine at this point.

Food-wise, you will see some same or similar items from Taste—they take the deviled eggs from Taste and add salmon roe to the top ($4). I love the deviled eggs at Taste but honestly can’t say the roe added anything—it was very cold and other than the little pop, didn’t add a ton of flavor. They also serve the various versions of their frites ($6), which we had on both visits, and they are always good. The sauces are what make them (my favorite being the straight frites with the basil aioli). Strangely, they are more expensive ($6 vs. $4.50) at Eat+Drink, even though they are exactly the same.

On this trip, we also tried the truffle mushroom mousse ($6). It was a cold mousse that was topped with lots of light fluffy shredded parmesan. Actually, if someone had just placed in it front of me, I wouldn’t have called it a mouse, more like a light dip—it was a little chunkier and looser than what I would think of as mousse. It had a nice flavor and the first couple of bites had that distinctive truffle flavor. I loved the crisp, light toasts that were served with it. They had a bit of a garlic taste on their own and were nice with the mousse. Between just two of us though, the mousse was a little much to finish with its strong flavor. I think it would be better shared in a larger group. Our first visit we had the chicken liver pate ($10) and enjoyed it more. It was more like a mousse consistency and had a great deep, earthy flavor. The warm bacon and blue cheese dip is also very good (we had some the first time as well).

We had the prosciutto plate ($13) this time also. It was good, but not as good as the speck plate we had on our first visit (sorry I didn’t take pictures that visit). Speck just has more depth to it and I liked the stronger kale and caper taste with it over the more mild arugula and parmesan. The speck had a creamy tangy dressing drizzled across that I preferred over the balsamic on the prosciutto. Also better shared with more than 2 people as it was fairly large as well.

We also shared the fried green tomato sandwich ($11) because it was one of the few that seemed to have a warm component to it. One thing about this menu, there are very few warm items. That will probably work fine in the summer, but when it’s really cold out, I don’t know about you, but I like something warm.  The sandwich was fried green tomatoes, nicely dressed greens (a signature on Taste sandwiches that I appreciate) and a lot of pimento cheese spread. For me, a person who likes pimento cheese spread, but isn’t obsessed the way some people are, it was the dominating flavor over everything on the sandwich. Just a little too much for me. I scraped some of it off and enjoyed it more.

Basically, we hit a lot more home runs the first visit with food, but were trying on our second visit to get different things. Also, the menu is small with just snacks and sandwiches. I get that as an approach for a bar, but in this town, I think in a place with a food pedigree like Taste, people might expect to be able to go eat a meal there (I did). And honestly, the menu’s a little too limited for that--at least for me. Also, as far as décor, it is a bit confusing. There are giant tvs in the modern interior showing movies like Animal House and Star Wars (at least on the night we were there). In such a small space, it was very distracting. I had a giant tv right behind my head.  I do like the red and green light outside to tell you if they’re open though.

I don’t know, I am just not sure I get this place. Is it a bar? If so, they need more bartenders to make drinks in quicker than 15-20 minutes. Is it a restaurant? If so, a few more items (particularly warm ones) might be good. From what I see, it is a place best visited with a fairly large group to share several items (they are mostly fairly generous sizes) and hopefully get some drinks. Overall, for now, I think I will stick with Taste during the day and Aftertaste if I want an evening Taste fix.

Eat + Drink

5168 North College

Indy  46205

317/925-2233

www.eatplusdrink.net 

Bu Da Lounge - Revisit

When it gets cold like this, I start craving things like soup. So the other day I met my friend @wibia at Bu Da Lounge for lunch. This is my first visit since the move (well, the first visit where I ate something). Guess what? They now offer a non-smoking area at lunchtime! Ok, if a bunch of people are in there smoking cigars, you’re probably going to still smell it no matter where everyone is sitting, but lucky for us, no one was smoking. 

I really wanted the wonton soup, which I had had before, because it was so good. Luckily, our server recommended splitting the bowl and then sharing something else. He split it into two little bowls and it was just the right amount for me. You got a nice amount of the rich, hearty and hot broth with several wontons stuffed with shrimp, a fair amount of noodles, and some bok choy and a couple pieces of barbecued pork. They give you a little bowl of chili sauce to mix in as well so you can heat it up a bit if you like (I put just a little in). Actually, splitting a bowl was perfect for me—I never finish the whole thing otherwise. I did a good job on this smaller version. This soup is good—and is a perfect choice for a cold day.

We also shared a roll—they have a fair amount of choices of rolls that are under $8 at lunch. I think they sort of just take the same basic insides (cucumber and avocado) and top it with different things. We had the soft shell crab.  I appreciated the crunch on top, even if it wasn’t the best soft shell crab I have had. It was kind of in little chunks set on top. I liked the sauces drizzled on—unagi sauce and a flavored aioli. Not so much to be obnoxious, but enough you could taste it. There was also a bit of roe on top, which added to the crunch. The only thing was when you picked up the roll, the crab kind of toppled off. But it all tasted pretty good.

My preference is the soup, but I like the idea of splitting it and trying some of the other lunch items. I really like the idea of going for dinner, but not with all the smoke. It’s a good place to remember at lunchtime if you work in the center of downtown and want to get something different from a local restaurant for a reasonable price.

Buda Lounge 

148 East Market Street

Indy 46204

317/822-8522

www.budalounge.com 

Crust

I guess like they say, all publicity is good publicity because Crust doesn’t seem to be hurting for business. We headed over one Saturday night with friends and their kids to see what was up at Crust.  First of all, I love that THEY TAKE RESERVATIONS. One of the reasons I don’t go to other pizza places a lot is because I can’t stand waiting forever, particularly with my kids in tow. And because that is when we go for pizza, it’s sort of a vicious circle. When we got there, they had a lovely table for the 8 of us set up in the back corner, which was perfect with our kids.

We started with a couple of orders (ok, we ordered one and then another) of their version of garlic cheesy bread ($6), which is a thin pizza crust with cheese and lots of actual garlic. They give you a side of marinara sauce for dipping. This was probably my favorite item of the evening. The crust was fairly crisp, but with a slight chewiness and it had a good garlic kick. The housemade marinara was very good and I rarely get excited about marinara.

I also ordered a Crust Signature salad ($8), which at the time I ordered it, I didn’t realize it was as tomato-heavy as it was. And being winter, well, you know about tomatoes in winter. I think this will be a great salad when the tomatoes are nice and ripe. It had chunks of mozzarella, olives, and red onions in a nice tangy vinaigrette. A great combo but just needs better tomatoes. They may want to think about a fall/winter salad to call their “Signature” salad. Just a thought. It is also certainly large enough to share with at least 2 people, if not more.

We got several pizzas—the kids had cheese and pepperoni, the menfolk got a meat heavy one and us ladies shared a veggie pie. Ours was called the Four Seasons ($15) and had artichokes, mushrooms, spinach and roasted red peppers (well not on my half).  Sadly the pizza was my least favorite part. It wasn’t bad, but it just seemed like nothing really stood out about it. And the least impressive part was the actual crust, which with that being your name, should be pretty spectacular in my opinion. It was a little soggy in the middle and was pretty topping heavy (which probably contributed to the sogginess). From my experience with Neapolitan style pizza, it seems a little lighter hand with the toppings helps balance out the pie so the crust doesn’t get too soggy. Hubby said theirs was better but I didn’t try the meat one.

We ended with Crust’s version of tiramisu ($5), which wasn’t bad. It had a lot of cocoa powder on it and was heavy on the custard part. It was also quite large and shareable. The kids were very happy with their birthday cake gelato ($5)(and it is pretty tasty).

The service was decent. Our server was friendly. They were quite busy and sometimes it slowed a bit waiting for drinks. But getting our food was not too bad and they were very nice. My daughter wanted me to mention that she was annoyed that they were out of all drinks except for soda because she is not a soda drinker (I think this was just a figuring out inventory the first few months issue and our server apologized about it).

It was all  fine, but with as far away as it is from me, it will be unlikely I will be a frequent visitor. I do really, really appreciate that they take reservations though.

Crust

12505Old Meridian Street #170

Carmel, 46032

317/810-1777

www.crustindy.com 

Seasons 52 - Revisit

My friend, the Pilates instructor, wanted to go here. I often introduce her to new places that she ends up loving. She often makes me go to places that I generally don’t intend to go to. That’s how our friendship works. But she had been sick and I told her she could choose (she, being a fitness fanatic, also likes the whole under 475 calorie thing).

We split a small salad to start—we chose the arugula salad with roasted Portobello mushrooms, truffle dressing, and parmesan cheese. Since we split it, and she is weird about actually having her salad dressed and always gets the dressing on the side, we got it on the side (pretty much never my preference). But it was good—it was interesting to see the two different little dressings on the plate—there was a creamier part and then an oil and vinegar part, which was where the truffle flavor came in. I actually quite liked the flavor of this salad. The arugula is a little peppery and the mix of the dressings together was nice. I liked the mushrooms when I could find one (there were like maybe 3 little pieces of mushroom).

I ended up getting one of the autumn specials—the flatbread with wild mushrooms. This one certainly had some mushrooms on it, as well as caramelized onions, goat cheese, spinach and green onions. The crust was actually a lot better this time than I remembered from my last experience—it was nice and crispy—but the whole thing—even with all the ingredients on it—just didn’t have a lot of flavor. It seemed bland. I was foraging off the last couple pieces that I didn’t eat for extra goat cheese to put on the ones I was eating. It was the most flavor forward part of the flatbread and it could have used more. Of course, that probably would add to the calorie thing, but there you go.

All in all, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. My guess is, I will return when someone else requests it, but not before. I appreciate the lower calorie aspect, but I would like a higher flavor return. Have you guys eaten here? I am curious if there are certain dishes that they have managed to make more exciting.

Seasons 52

8650 Keystone Crossing

Indianapolis 46240

317/846-5252

www.Seasons52.com 

12 Chefs of Christmas Ticket Giveaway

Hey you guys, I have a couple of tickets to give away for this event again this year! Last year was a great time and a great way to try a bunch of different beers paired by some of our favorite local chefs.

This year there will be dishes from Brad Gates, Roger Hawkins (Circle City Soups), Mark Cox and Josh Henson (Fermenti Artisan), Cindy Hawkins (Circle City Soups), Paul Dentam (Spice Box), Kathy Jones (Junonia Fish Market), Andrew Whitmoyer (U-Relish), Valerie Vanderpool (Zest!), Pete Schmutte (Cerulean), John-Michael Gioe (Miracle), Jonathan and Ashley Brooks, Milktooth, and Carlos Salazar (Rook).

So if you're interested, leave a comment below telling my why you want to go and I will pick a winner at random. I'll announce the winner around 4:00 tomorrow (if I don't hear from you within 24 hours, I will pick another winner). If you don't win, you can also get tickets here (and they even have a reduced price for designated drivers): http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/477622.

Cheers,

Erin

Bluebeard - Revisit

It was hubby’s birthday, and it was a Monday, so we couldn’t figure out where to go. Then we remembered Bluebeard was open on Mondays (and Sundays too!) and our choice was made.

We walked in around 6:30 and I was surprised at how crowded the place was—we got one of the last 2 tops and people just continued to pour in all night. It was several people deep at the bar waititng for tables at one point. It was good to see—and I guess other Indy folks had the same idea about getting a good meal on a Monday.

We started with the bone marrow toast ($12). I was expecting the classic pieces of bone brought out to spread on bread, but this was not that. And it was amazing. They had taken slices of grilled Amelia’s bread and spread it with a spread that contained the bone marrow. The menu also mentioned saba, which apparently is a reduced grape syrup (we had no idea) and I believe is the dark sauce on the bottom of the plate. There was thinly sliced radishes and shallots and chunks of these wonderful roasted tomatoes and then some fresh chervil. This dish was perfect.  The rich, creamy, earthy bone marrow with the freshness of the other ingredients and the light sweetness of the sauce was exactly right. Yum. Hubby declared we could be sitting at any restaurant in the world and this dish was just flat out great. We were off to a great start.

Next we shared a small Brussels sprout salad ($9). The first two bites of this were really, really great for me. There were thinly shaved sprouts with slices of apples, pieces of blue cheese, spiced nuts, and lots of shredded duck confit. The dressing was a duck jelly vinaigrette. In the first two bites, I got a little bit of every ingredient and it was great. It was perfectly balanced. Unfortunately, as you got further down into the salad, it was mainly sprouts and duck and didn’t have the flavor profile from the beginning. It was still good, just not as spectacular as the first couple of bites.

Our last course was skate wing ($28)(no way we weren’t ordering that) and a side of one of our perennial favorites, the spaghetti with lemon and cheese ($9). The skate was lightly dusted in rice flour (gluten free for those of you who follow such a diet) and very lightly pan-fried. It was served with sunchoke puree and diced celery root and sauteed arugula was very good. It was a lighter flavor. If you haven’t had skate, it’s actually the wing of a ray, that has a fairly delicate texture similar to a thin white fish.  The spaghetti with lemon sauce was as good as it could be—love a creamy, cheesy dish with a hint of lemon. I have only had it once there where it was a little off (not enough lemon) but this one was perfect. It was great that Bluebeard was thoughtful enough to be serving a couple of hubby’s favorite things (bone marrow and skate) and it was a lovely meal.

Bluebeard

653 Virginia Avenue

Indy, 46203

317/686-1580

www.bluebeardindy.com