Dining

Last week, Kevin “Woody” Rider opened Divvy (71 W. City Center Dr., Carmel, 317-706-0000), a sleek, small-plate restaurant in Carmel’s Arts & Design District. This isn’t Rider’s first rodeo, though. In 1998, he transformed a historic 1913 Andrew Carnegie library into Woody’s Library Restaurant (40 E. Main St., Carmel, 317-573-4444), an haute Hoosier eatery that is still going strong. Before that, he owned Parcel Pizza, and he opened the rural-gourmet outpost Bonge’s Tavern (9830 W. 280 North, Perkinsville,765-734-1625), a spot famous for its pre-meal tailgating. Divvy—for which Rider has enlisted his wife Richelle (who was chef at Scholar’s Inn for 10 years) to helm the kitchen—lists Thai chili-frizzled frogs legs with creme fraiche, pheasant sausage, and petite buffalo burgers among its small-plates offerings.

‘Tis the season when Naptown’s jolly brewers release long-awaited winter seasonal beers. From ambers with real cranberry juice to spice-infused ales, these beers are just waiting to be savored. Get on your sleigh and go now, though. These brews won’t last!

When I first moved to Indy, in the mid-1990s, I lived just north of 49th & College, a decidedly sleepy intersection in SoBro, a moniker then in use by only the hippest of locals. We were, in fact, south of Broad Ripple, but you would never know it. I yearned for a spot down the street where I could drop in for a drink or a snack, maybe even a bar where at least a few of the patrons knew my name.

A tiny blonde who looks nowhere near her years—she is sometimes mistaken for one of the hip, youthful servers—Hoover has achieved success through a variety of means. The type of restaurant she introduced to the city came at the right time. She ignored the cautions of industry veterans who told her that she could not prepare foods the way she wanted to. And, above all, she focused on details to an extraordinary extent.

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Proving that he cannot forget where it is that he comes from, Bloomington rocker John Mellencamp treated his girlfriend, actress Meg Ryan, to a 50th birthday party at Dunaway’s Palazzo Ossigeno (351 S. East St., 317-638-7663) on Saturday. In town for a performance at Clowes Memorial Hall, Mellencamp also flew in Ryan’s pal Kathy Najimy (of Sister Act fame), who ordered an undressed salad and vegetable plate. The party of 11 sat at a long table in the fireplace room, under the chandelier. Bottles of wine were ordered for the guests, “but he had Sierra Mist, and she had water,” says the restaurant’s office and events manager, Connie McDonald.

Sun King Wee Mac dark chocolate truffles at The Best Chocolate in Town (880 Massachusetts Ave., 317-294-2378). Those cute chocolate-covered almonds that look exactly like olives. Available at Simply Sweet Shoppe (30 N. Rangeline Rd., Carmel, 317-818-9866). Cheesy Potato C

It’s difficult to imagine a better setting for omelets and bellinis than Bloomington’s Cafe Django (116 N. Grant St., 812-335-1297), a charming boho bungalow just off of Kirkwood Avenue. While the regular lunch and dinner menus showcase an eclectic fusion of Asian, Mediterranean, and even Peruvian influences (owner Linda Eversoll hails from there), the breakfast menu relies more heavily on the traditional American morning fare typically found at upscale urban diners—with an accent. Along with such standards as smoked salmon, pancakes (with blueberries, chocolate chips, strawberries, or bananas), French toast, and a “House Breakfast” of two eggs, toast, potatoes, and bacon or sausage, for example, is a curried tofu scramble served with momos (steamed dumplings indigenous to the Himalayan region) on the side. A suggestion: Given a choice between the crispy “spicy potato wedges” and the mushier “Django potatoes,” go with the former. In any event, the tart Citrus Cocktail, a blend of lime and lemon juices served with bubbly, is a superb Sunday-morning thirst-quencher.

After four and a half years at 47 Boone Village Center in Zionsville, Patrick’s Kitchen & Drinks is getting a new address. But don’t worry—Patrick Mullen’s cozy restaurant is just moving around the corner, into the former Brick Street Inn spot. The slightly downsized menu will maintain its traditional comfort-food theme, Mullen says. “It will definitely be a little more focused on local and seasonal dishes that will change monthly.”

Man does not live on meat alone. But since finding the offerings of the new meatery Smoking Goose (407 N. Dorman St., 317-638-MEAT) around town, we are determined to try. First came an elk pate, dense as a star (if stars were made of game meats), rich with spice, and rimmed with a thin layer of caul fat. It’s simultaneously sweet and luscious, and available at Vine & Table (313 E. Carmel Dr., Carmel, 317-817-9473). Then, from the Indy Winter Farmers Market, we took home a package of sliced, spicy capocollo—tender pork neck and shoulder, laden with chiles, paprika, black pepper, coriander, and probably some other magical stuff. We couldn’t stop eating it, despite the slow burn. There are numerous others we can’t wait to try; next up, heaven be praised, a sausage composed of duck, pear, and port.

Swells and their dames came out in force to celebrate the VIP opening of the north side’s new Harry & Izzy’s outpost (4050 E. 82nd St., 317-915-8045), the fourth offspring of St. Elmo (the first being the flagship H & I at Georgia and Illinois Streets; then the airport location; the 33 Lounge above the main flagship place; and now this stylish addition to the family), located near the new Nordstrom Rack. Rest assured that the shrimp cocktail, fiery as ever, can be successfully duplicated, along with the potent martinis. Former prosecutor Carl Brizzi was in attendance, as well as proud grandpapa Steve Huse, whose son, Craig, has overseen the company’s smart expansions, along with operations boss Chris Clifford.

1. The rich, creamy housemade peanut butter-and-chocolate cheesecake on a graham-cracker crust at McCormick & Schmick’s (110 N. Illinois St., 317-631-9500).

2. A comforting antidote to crisp evenings, the rich and lovely Scallopine in Marsala at Broad Ripple stalwart Ambrosia (915 E. Westfield Blvd., 317-255-3096). The menu describes it simply: sauteed veal cutlets, mushrooms, and Marsala wine sauce—but its comforting Old Country portions go beyond words.

3. Flan cake with a well-caramelized flan layer, a cake layer, and a cheese layer at Mama Irma (1058 Virginia Ave., 317-423-2421)—especially since Mama Irma herself sits down at the table to let you know just how much love she’s added to the dishes.

4. The spicy, salty crunch of falafel folded inside warm pita at Ali Baba Cafe & Hookah Bar (50 N. Illinois St., 317-297-7153).

5. The decadent jumble of sliced bananas, toffee drizzles, custard, and vanilla-bean ice cream inside a graham-cracker crust that adds up to one Banoffee Pie at Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant (3815 E. 96th St., 317-574-9463).

Chicago Magazine got some great shots of Three Floyds brewery’s 15th birthday bash in Munster. Check them out here.

When Zing, the small-plates-then-big-plates eatery on Indiana Avenue, closed last May, we knew it wouldn’t be long before someone came along to snatch up this historic, two-story gem of a restaurant location. But we were surprised to hear it would soon be the second outpost of Avon strip-mall Cajun eatery Nawlins Creole Cafe. Hopefully they could do the big, flashier space justice. So when we saw an open sign lit up in the window after the John Waters event at the Madame Walker Saturday night, we dashed across West Street to try it out.

“I really feel like my personal mission in life is directly tied to the work that I do,” Henderson says. “My job is to empower individuals and communities to grow well, eat well, live well, and be well.”