Julia Spalding

The lineup is limited to tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tamales, and tortas, which meant we were able to eat almost everything the kitchen makes. Out came a pair of tamales moist to the point of corn pudding, and loaded with seasoned shreds of pork and chicken. We could not resist the squirt bottles of smoky red sauce and kicky tomatillo, though these tamales needed no further adornment. A pork torta was more modest with its fillings than we are used to (in other words, we were able to finish it without dialing 911), and a chicken burrito had more meat than filler. But the winning order, three soft beef tacos at $2 each, contained perfect, salty morsels of steak, cradled simply with chopped onions and cilantro inside double-layered corn tortillas that had touched the griddle just long enough to attain the gentlest crunch. Muy Bueno!

Thursday’s half-price martini night at Mesh on Mass (725 Massachusetts Ave., 317-955-9600). Always jammed. Good value. Brown-sugar oatmeal pancakes with blueberries at Rosie’s Place (68 N. 9th St., Noblesville, 317-770-3322).  The Take You Back PB&J at

Check out this story on how the JW Marriott plans to clean up during the Super Bowl.

Sweet potato waffles at Maxine’s Chicken & Waffles (132 N. East St., 317-423-3300). The Boston-Cream-style chocolate cake at Saffron Cafe (621 Fort Wayne Ave., 317-917-0131). Rhubarb Wine from Mallow Run Winery in Bargersville—swee

Know your audience.

Sunday marked the end of the Fair’s 2011 run. We said our goodbyes until next year … which gives us roughly 365 days to work off the following.

Philly Steak Slider. A respectable $2 version of the $7 original, the four-bite snack featured remarkably tender slices of “prime rib,” with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese sauce.

Gyro. An annual must-eat. Tender lamb and beef inside pillowy pita, with onions, tomatoes, and addictively cream

The gourmet popsicle trend might finally be edging out the cupcake cafes and food trucks to get a toehold in Indianapolis. Nothing against fondant and street tacos, but you can’t get much more adorable than Pop Cycle, spotted pedaling “mostly organic” frozen treats on the Monon last week.

The Guinness chocolate cupcake at Creation Cafe (337 W. 11th St., 317-955-2389), rich (but not too), with a perfectly piped cap of semi-sweet chocolate icing. The trifle-style tiramisu at Iozzo’s Garden of Italy (946 S. Meridian St., 317-974-1100

Yesterday marked the first day of Devour Downtown, and we have a lot of work to do. Among the restaurants participating in this summer’s $30/three-course eating frenzy (which runs through Aug. 21), we have our eyes on . . .

The Rathskeller Restaurant (401 E. Michigan St., 317-636-0

1.    Shrimp nachos at El Puerto de San Blas (3564 Lafayette Rd., 317-291-2800): Huge pieces of shrimp, chunky cilantro-laced guacamole, and plenty of melted cheese on housemade chips.

2.    The Chinese basil, eggplant, and garlic chicken at Naisa Pan-Asian Cafe (1025 Virginia Ave., 317-602-3708), a seasonal special.

3.    Deep-fried breaded jalapeno ri

The official name of former Oceanaire chef Ryan Nelson’s new restaurant at The Shoppes of River Crossing

Seafood manicotti at Augustino’s Italian Restaurant (8028 S. Emerson Ave., 317-865-1099), densely filled tubes of crab and shrimp, tucked under a blanket of molten cheese. Tres Leches cake at Barcelona Tapas (201 N. Delaware St., 317-638-8272), submerged three times &h

Some al fresco tables announce themselves from the curb—little wrought iron two-tops arranged along the edges of parking lots and busy sidewalks. But some of the best outdoor tables in town are more hidden from view (and, in many cases, comfortably out of the baking sun’s direct line of fire). Want to sip wine in an urban garden that looks like something straight out of West Side Story (with strings of lights and Friday night movies, no less)? Reserve a courtyard table at Iozzo’s Garden of Italy just south of downtown. Have a hankering for skewered appetizers and umbrella drinks with a tiki essence? The fenced-in patio attached to Revolucion is your hallowed ground. Here, a few more of our favorite secluded places to get a little air with dinner.

Sitting at the granite-topped bar on the shaded waterfront patio at Chef JJ’s Back Yard (1040 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-602-3828). The heady, sinus-punch of Tamari Almonds, batch-roasted by SunRidge Farms and available through Green Bean D

The light, crispy pomme frites with lemony house-made mayo for dipping at Black Market (922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757). The sausage appetizer at Taste Cafe & Marketplace (5164 N. College Ave., 317-925-2233): Dates, chorizo, tomato ragu, goat chees