Julia Spalding

Including the Apple Scrappy from Kim’s Kakery.

Featuring the fried mortadella sandwich at Libertine Liquor Bar.

When these twin sisters launched Just Pop In 10 years ago in a tiny Broad Ripple storefront, the beckoning scent nearly stopped traffic.

As we embarked on our own food-driven adventures for the October cover story on Destination Dinner, we couldn’t help asking a couple of pros for their favorite meals worth the drive.

Including a sticky, smoosh-able pig-face Asian bun, its melt-in-the-mouth fatty meat sweetened with Korean barbecue sauce, at Bluebeard

Including a trio of oversized scallops, gently seared, wrapped in bacon, and resting in a puddle of leek cream sauce—an appetizer at Taverna.

Including the rich, custardy French toast at Dufour’s in Irvington.

Including the sweet, tropical liliko’i (passion fruit) margarita at Revolucion.

The Nighthawk is a modified version of the nam sausages from Northern Thailand, where the links ferment as they hang.

Including a feta-topped lamb burger from The Pantry by Brad Gates.

Including the vegan fish and chips at Broad Ripple Brewpub.

The kitchen churns out macaroni and cheese from scratch, smothered pork chops, boiled cabbage, banana pudding, and hunks of iced cake. There’s even Kool-Aid to wash it all down.

Maxine’s standard down-home recipe begins with peaches cooked with butter, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla. That and three more takes on the treat here.

Including the luscious filet mignon soaked in the richest bordelaise and propped up on roasted green onions over a mound of truffled mashed potatoes at The Butcher Shoppe Bar & Grill in Batesville.

Whether or not you buy into the marketing, Upland’s award-winning ales, lagers, and sour beers have been around since 1998—part of the original surge of high-quality Indiana craft brews to wash over the enlightened guzzling public.