Trisha Brand

Considering its hot SoBro location, inventive Latin-inspired food and drinks, and gorgeous (yet comfortable) interiors, Delicia (5215 N. College Ave., 317-925-0677) will have no problem filling its 125 seats on Friday and Saturday nights. Was this really the former Movie Gallery space we were talking about months ago? We were impressed from the moment we entered: Delicia packs plenty of panache. Sure, it’s on board with the reclaimed-wood trend. But here, the exposed wood beams are mixed in with ambient lighting, a curved partial wooden ceiling, glass arched accents, and white-glazed brick walls. It definitely works.

Over a month ago, we reported that Martha Hoover, the owner of Napolese, was cool as a cucumber while preparing for yet another opening. Yesterday, she opened her new downtown Napolese (30 S. Meridian St., 317-635-0765) in the stunning Deco-style skyscraper that originally housed the L.S. Ayres men’s shop.

Seven of Indiana’s top culinary dogs are strutting their stuff as 2013 James Beard Foundation nominees, selected from more than 44,000 online entries in 20 categories. Last week, the foundation unveiled its “long list” (421) of the year’s semifinalists—which will be cut down to the final list of nominees on March 18 during a press brunch in Charleston, SC. (NOTE: nominations will also be announced live via the Foundation’s Twitter feed.)

After arriving in Indianapolis last August, Nic Mink has already carved out quite the niche for himself as the “Salmon Guy.” He was hired by Butler University’s Center for Urban Ecology as an urban sustainable foods fellow to help develop and administrate the Indy Food Fund

Playful craft-cocktail concoctions like the Fire & Ice margarita will come with a mild basil-hibiscus-habanero reduction, chilled with balls of ice made with three chiles. “The more the ice melts, the hotter and hotter the drink gets,” says Harlan-Oprisu. Fans of New Latin fare can munch ceviche and warm octopus tostones to their hearts’ content. There will be salads draped with nopales (cactus), seared scallops drizzled with tequila-lime crema, and stewed pork flavored with plantains. And in the spring, she plans to offer street or takeaway fare next door at La Piccolina.

Though the food still screams “bar fare,” there are a few pleasant surprises. For starters, the cleverly skewered Gunthorp Farms Bacon Picks come with custom sauces, and the boards of pickled vegetables, cheeses, and meats are locally sourced. The Apple Butta’ Backyard BBQ Burger (Sun King–battered onion rings, slaw, bacon, and Fair Oaks Farms cheddar on a pretzel roll) is the best pick among the menu’s bevy of burgers and fries.

Hailing from western Germany, husband-and-wife team Bernd and Ramona Muenzer now play host at their cozy Deutsch-focused restaurant in the heart of Paoli, minutes from the Paoli Peaks ski slopes. Almost everything there has been imported from the homeland—including the bric-a-brac adorning the walls and tables. Warming spoonfuls of rich and fragrant paprika-scented Hungarian goulash and a tall glass of dunkel (pronounced “doonk-el”) beer provide the perfect way to warm up after a day on the hills. Follow up with a Grosse Platte Fur, a family-style platter with a hand-cut schnitzel coated in homemade breadcrumbs, links of Bavarian bratwurst, parsley-specked spaetzle, and sauerkraut. Linger late into the night over a warm cup of gluhwein (hot red wine with cloves, lemon, and cinnamon) and a slice of Ramona’s Dreamcake, layered goodness made with mandarin oranges, vanilla sugar, and sour cream. Guten Appetit!

• 1 lb. ground pork

Martha Hoover is putting the finishing touches on her second location of Napolese, at 30 S. Meridian St. (across the lobby from

More than five years ago, Cincinnati native John Lanni and his brother, Joe Lanni, opened one of their quick-service Currito food-court counters in Circle Centre. Now, the brothers are headed back to the Hoosier state to prepare for something a little more (okay, a lot more) spirited: Bakersfield Mass Ave, set to open this spring.

After two and a half years of neighborhood opposition over zoning for parking, Nicole Harlan-Oprisu and her business partners are finally preparing to turn the lights on at 5215 N. College Ave. in the former Movie Gallery location. Slated to open next month, Delicia (Spanish for delight) will focus on Latin-fusion cuisine and craft cocktails. This will be Harlan-Oprisu’s fifth north-side venture, having collaborated with Demerly Architects to create a chic, relaxing vibe, with urbanized adobo-style accents.

Editor’s Note: This story is a companion piece to our feature on Indy’s top 20 sports bars.

Ingredients:

Now an energetic 37-year-old with bright eyes and radiant skin, he acknowledges he didn’t always care about wellness. He was not raised in a pickling family: He grew up eating processed commercial foods, and then waited tables at steakhouse and seafood chains. “I was five pant sizes bigger, suffered from attention deficit disorder, and didn’t have any energy,” he says. In 2006, through the studies of a turn-of-the-century researcher named Weston A. Price, Cox and Henson discovered that wellness begins with a healthy gut. Cox believes that today’s overprocessed food system takes out important bacteria our bodies need. “I immediately woke up and began my own preventative maintenance, and lacto-fermentation was the missing link in my life.”