Food & Drinks

Not so long ago, you could mark the start of spring by the crowds of Corona-sipping customers lounging on the patio at La Jolla in Broad Ripple. Not exactly known for its cutting-edge cuisine, this watering hole with its iconic al fresco deck along Broad Ripple Avenue was the place to hang in warmer climes. So when it closed last year, it was pretty certain someone would come along and make it a hit again. Unfortunately, recent ownership changes have left some doubt in the minds of locals about whether this is a viable business address. Last spring, when record temperatures should have drawn throngs to what was then The Night Porter, the place was practically deserted, perhaps owing to its bar menu light on local brews and its dinner offerings, which ranged from a build-your-own grilled cheese to a burger to little else.

Crisp sweet potato tots from Punch Burger (137 E. Ohio St., 317-426-5280). A Napoleon Dynamite Thanksgiving.   A crispy-edged hash brown fit for a field hand at Sophia’s Original House of Pancakes (1694 W. Main St., Greenwood, 317-888-6800). The house salad at

Bloomington is making room for its newest beer spot, The Tap (101 N. College Ave., Bloomington). The craft beer bar recently opened on the college town’s downtown square, offering 50 daily rotating taps and around 500 bottled beers. That’s a lot of options, but owner Nathan Finney hopes the concept will appeal to craft beer connoisseurs as well as novice sippers (a demo he believes has been underserved). New to beer or just overwhelmed by the whopping menu that ranges from cream ale to quadrupel? The servers are loaded with beer knowledge and willing to help you choose something.

There’s nothing worse than getting excited for a night out only to be turned away at the door for not meeting the dress code requirements. Surprised? Formal dress codes may seem outdated, but they are still alive and well. Those who enforce them just refer to them as “preferred dress,” these days, which translates to “follow these rules or you won’t be allowed in.” Check out what you can and cannot wear at a few downtown hotspots.

Though the unseasonal weather outside didn’t exactly feel like winter, Saturday marked the opening of the 2012-13 Indy Winter Farmers Market at the Platform, the newly renamed west wing of City Market. Market goers were treated not just to the harvest’s best produce and some of central Indiana’s finest farm products, but they also got to see the renovation of the once-barebones space with new partitions and rustic wood walls. It’s a collaboration of the City of Indianapolis and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) that is helping to revitalize the City Market complex, making it the home of such organizations as Growing Places Indy, The Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Inc., and the Winter Market. With former City Market food vendors relocated to other parts of the market, shoppers had more space to mill about, with a few vendors spilling out into the courtyard along Market Street. Among new vendors to the market this year is Brownsburg-based Petit Pain, offering up baguettes and their signature blue cheese and walnut boule, all prepared by artisan baker Mark Brouwer. Be sure to stop in next week to get your sweet potatoes, squash, Brussels sprouts, and meats for your Thanksgiving table. A full list of this year’s vendors can be found at https://www.indywinterfarmersmarket.org/vendor-list.   

The silken, super creamy “Cuban” creme brulee at Sabbatical (921 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-253-5252), with a hint of espresso and a crisp sugar crust. The vegan Tofu Wrap from the deli at Pogue’s Run Grocer (2828 E. 10th St., 317-426-4963), with c

Shoefly Public House (122 E. 22nd St.) is scheduled to open in February in the Fall Creek Place neighborhood that is home to Goose the Market and Tea’s Me Cafe. Two years ago, owner Craig Mariutto and his wife, Kaitlin, decided Shoefly was exactly what the near-downtown neighborhood needed as it experiences a period of renaissance: a family-friendly place with good food that residents could call their local restaurant.

City Loaf: An all-around loaf. Subtle wheat flavors highlight anything you put on it. TRY IT: On the sandwiches or at dinner service at The Legend

A new family restaurant will open its doors in the Geist neighborhood this month. Simeri’s Italian (10410 Olio Rd., Fortville, 317-589-8557), owned by first-time restaurateur Arec Simeri, along with his father, Daniel, and brother, Christopher, will serve up authentic Italian food made from recipes Simeri’s great-grandmother brought over from Italy.

The only good thing about winter’s approach? Our favorite spiced cocktails begin popping up around town. Ginger, allspice, and chai add warmth to some of the city’s best wintry elixirs. Bourbon, amaretto, grenadine, and bitters helped put the iconic Sicilian from The Ball & Biscuit (331 Massachusetts Ave., 317-636-0539) on our list. Aromatic St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, alongside simple syrup perfumed with pink peppercorns and ginger, forms the backbone of the bourbon-based Winter’s Tale at Late Harvest Kitchen (8605 River Crossing, 317-663-8063). Omni’s Severin Bar (40 W. Jackson Pl., 317-634-6664) offers a Ginger Ale Cup with Hennessy cognac, maraschino, herbal Benedictine, ginger syrup, and Perrier. Last winter’s best-named local cocktail, the Gun in the Glovebox, makes its return at The Libertine (38 E. Washington St., 317-631-3333), reviving the frothy combination of spiced rum, vermouth, the myrrh-and-saffron–scented spirit Fernet, and vitamin-rich orange juice. And Bluebeard (653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1580) shakes up an autumnal version of the Kilgore Trout with chai-infused rum, amaretto, and orgeat.

Over the weekend, Indianapolis received a little love in the Chicago Tribune’s travel section. The writer seemed to enjoy her breaded pork tenderloin from Plump’s Last Shot. She even had nice things to say about the margherita pie at Coal Pizza Company. And after a seemingly wonderful four-course dinner at Recess, she was blown away by the restaurant’s affordable prices. (Maybe she needs to get out of Chicago more often?)

What’s on your own Swoon List?

A new Indiana cheesemaker, Jacobs & Brichford has come on the scene, offering tasty small-batch European-influenced cheeses. With fifteen-plus years in the dairy business, husband-and-wife team Matthew Brichford and Leslie Jacobs recently decided to devote space on their 1,200-acre Connersville farmstead to producing more than milk. The new cheeses come from their grass-fed Jersey, Normande, and Tarentaise cross cows. They began production just five months ago, and already they’ve been spotted on menus in Louisville, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis.

A creamy cup of cinnamon-spiked sweet-potato soup at The Legend (5614 E. Washington St., 317-536-2028) in Irvington, a comforting, autumnal treat. Three soft dinner-roll style buns stuffed with tender and slightly sweet duck from Black Market (922 Mass

While most of Indy’s cocktail connoisseurs have been so preoccupied with brown-liquor-this and absinthe-that from the bar chefs at Severin, The Libertine, and Bluebeard, a couple of local entrepreneurs have been preparing to mix things up with a mixology-focused place just a tad further north. How far north? Almost road-trip north: try downtown Noblesville. Dave Pumphrey and John Manley have recently purchased the Conner Station on the square at 917 Conner Street. The bar will be renamed Copper Still and will get a fresh makeover, inside and out. They’ve tapped Brad Gates Catering to consult on the food. “Expect back-porch food, but better,” says Pumphrey. The menu’s still being rolled out, but the owners tell IM that dishes such as Carolina barbecue, corned beef, and cole slaw will be available.