FIRST COURSE: Mini Tarts
Nation’s Restaurant News predicts that exotic mini tarts are The Next Cupcake. Yum!
When Chris Eley opened his sexy delicatessen, Goose the Market, four years ago, cocktail-party snacks in Indianapolis saw a dramatic improvement. This summer, Eley brings us Smoking Goose (a.k.a. Dorman Street Meatery), an artisan production facility that will supply grocery stores and restaurants around the Midwest with the Goose’s Old World–style victuals—starting with “about 42 different items,” Eley says.
1. The seared-ahi appetizer at Detour – An American Grille (110 W. Main St., Carmel, 571-0091), seared tuna rolled in toasted black sesame seeds, squiggled with kabayaki and chili/garlic mayo, and served with a bright Asian slaw. 2. A dozen mini oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies for $3.80 at Potbelly Sandwich Shop (55 Monument Circle, 423-9043). 3. Northside Kitchenette’s (6515 N College Ave., 253-1022) Munchie Supre
Meatball-and-roasted–pepper pizza with fresh mozzarella at Thr3e Wise Men Brewery (1021 Broad Ripple Ave., 255-5151). French toast—planks of baguette swimming in a mixed-berry syrup and topped with a berry coulis—on the brunch menu at Mesh on Mass (725 Massachusetts Ave., 955-9600).
The Wild Hibiscus Mimosa at Zest! Exciting Food Creations (1134 E. 54th St., 466-1853), with a whole edible hibiscus flower waiting sweetly at the bottom of the glass. The Paul Bunyan taco: addictive ground beef chili scooped into a shell, topped with the works, and given a sassy kick of Texas Brushfire hot sauce at
The spicy chicken chipotle taco at The Tamale Place (5242 Rockville Rd., 248-9771). Chocolate cheesecake at Long’s Bakery (1453 N. Tremont St., 632-3741; 2301 E. Southport Rd., 783-1442): Eclair-dough crust with a custardy filling, topped with the same chocolate frosting that encases the bakery’s chocolate doughnuts. T
On Friday—within weeks of the grand opening—scores of casual diners packed the tables of Fire by the Monon (6523 Ferguson St., 602-8590), in the former L’Explorateur spot. Servers at the tucked-away Broad Ripple restaurant seemed a bit overwhelmed by the crowd, their style resembling a sort of hospitality triage as they rushed glasses and plates around the noisy dining rooms. We made quick wo
An idea three years in the making, Smoking Goose (407 N. Dorman St.), a wholesale charcuterie from Goose the Market’s Chris Eley, is weeks away from its grand opening. The 12,000-square-foot space in the Holy Cross neighborhood will house sausage-making and curing equipment, and though the majority of the business will be in selling smokehouse and sausage offerings (packaged with the Smoking Goose label) to restaurants and stores around the country, Eley will open the doors to the public on select evenings, a la Friday nights at Sun King Brewery.
Last year, Ichiban underwent a renovation that doubled the eatery’s size and added a bar and a banquet room that can hold 30 people, and yet the place feels as intimate as it ever did. The menu saw some changes, too, as owner Sammy Li explains. “We have many regulars—really beautiful people. But a lot of them are families, so they don’t order the traditional raw-fish sushi.”
The creamed kale at Meridian Restaurant and Bar (5694 N. Meridian St., 466-1111). Taking a counter seat at Rock-Cola ’50s Cafe (5730 Brookville Rd., 357-2233) to watch the cook give three-quarter–pound grilled tenderloins and 10-ounce hamburger patties the smackdown on the grill top.
Local food, in season, cooked right. That is the promise of Broad Ripple eatery Fire by the Monon (6523 Ferguson St.), which moved into the former L’Explorateur spot on April 1. With local wine and beer, Ball-jar drinking glasses, and tables made of wood from an old high school basketball court, owners Michelle and David Dessauer are sourcing every possible detail from the Hoosierland.
