Food & Drinks

1.     Watermelon gazpacho—rich and yet refreshing—at Bluebeard (653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1580). A fresh fluke-and-corn ceviche tops the bowl.

Daniel Jones, Jim Ailes, David Pentzien, owners of Chatham Tap (8211 E. 116th St., 317-845-1090; 719 Massachusetts Ave., 317-917-8425) have announced plans to open a beer-meets-flatbread concept this September in the now-shuttered Agio space (635 Massachusetts Ave.).

While staying at the helm of his flagship Restaurant Tallent, which celebrates its ninth year this November, Tallent will also act as the consulting executive chef at the new Topo’s 403, developing the menu for the first year and overseeing the day-to-day chef.

Minutes later, she sat down a sugar-rimmed martini glass filled with a hot-pink liquid that was actually hissing at the surface, like a witches’ cauldron.

I’m no stranger to the allure of candy. I spent my high school days scooping up chocolates and sugar-coated treats at the local candy store (and sampling between customers). Many of my colleagues at IM feel the same. We had a sweet time preparing for our July 2012 Global Eats issue. Check out some photo outtakes here from the Japanese candy spread.

Baker says he and Means hope to open the SoBro spot in nine months, offering breakfast at the coffee shop, lunch, and dinner in the brewery, and an outside music venue for close to 1,000 people.

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1.     Two fully saturated and crumble-topped hunks of buttermilk bread pudding at Bluebeard (653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1580), scattered with ricotta and sweetened with prosecco cherries.

2.     The Polo Loco Real at El Meson (multiple locations)—chicken breast pounded thin, grilled, and topped with liquefied cheese, with mini flour tortillas for taco making and juice sopping.

3.     The Mega-Miller breakfast sandwich from Uptown Cafe (809 Conner St., Noblesville, 317-674-8668): a biscuit sandwich with egg, American cheese, ham, bacon, and hash browns, topped with jalapeno jelly, spinach, and tomatoes.

4.     Cafe Korea’s (7262 Fishers Crossing Dr., Fishers, 317-578-1987) seared pork dumplings. Inside a crispy fried crust, the filling is just hot enough to bring out the pork’s full flavor.

5.     The open-faced braised short rib sandwich at Palomino (49 W. Maryland St., 317-974-0400), in which tender meat holds its own against a starchy double whammy: mashed potatoes and a crusty roll. Beef Manhattan with an attitude.

Last Thursday, the idyllic Joseph Decuis Farm in Roanoke played host to a Celebrity Chef Tour benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The tour travels the United States, replicating the once-in-a-lifetime dining experience at the historic James Beard House in Manhattan. The farm’s gorgeous spread, located six miles from the restaurant, offered the kind of perfect backdrop that made you wonder when the Saveur photo shoot would begin. In fact, before guests were seated at a sprawling white-clothed barn table decked out in vases of fresh flowers, visiting James Beard rep Jeff Black, owner of the series, hailed the Indiana venue as the third most beautiful site the series had ever visited, Number One and Number Two being Hawaii and Napa Valley. According to Pete and Alice Eshelman, the owners of Joseph Decuis (that’s pronounced day-QUEEZ, by the way) and gracious hosts for the evening, the 130 guests came from as far as Texas, Boston, and North Carolina to partake in the festivities.

1.     Whole catfish—cornmeal-dredged, deep-fried, and served with a plastic tub of tartar sauce—at Frank & Mary’s Tavern (21 W. Main St., Pittsboro, 317-892-3485).

2.     A summer zucchini-potato bisque topped with sea trout and sweet corn at Room Four (4907 N. College Ave., 317-925-7529).

3.     The Pomodoro pizza at Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza (5646 E. Washington St., 317-356-6612; 401 Market Plaza, Greenwood, 317-883-8993), with thin slices of eggplant encased in tangy-sweet tomato-basil sauce and cheese in sinful excess.

4.     Fried green beans at Scotty’s Lakehouse (10158 Brooks School Rd., Fishers, 317-577-2900), a restaurant that has no shortage of dipping sauces. In this case, go for the sweet mustard one.

5.     Creamy blueberry ice cream from H2O Restaurant & Sushi Bar (1912 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-254-0677).

Bloomington Greek restaurant Topo’s 403 (403 N. Walnut St.) is set to open during the first week of August. Chef de cuisine Jason Shoulders will head the menu, himself a former member of the culinary team at Oakleys Bistro and sous chef at Restaurant Tallent (which is owned by Topo’s consulting executive chef, David Tallent). Right now, the staff is busy getting table tops and flatware and finalizing the menu.

The Mexican chef was out sick for the week. That was the most disappointing thing about our visit to Mike’s Korean Bistro (3712 Lafayette Rd., 317-987-6856), one of the newest and perhaps most curious international mashups in the city, with two separate menus for Korean and Mexican standards.

Don’t blink. Gardens blooming with delicate squash blossoms have the briefest harvest season. FARMbloomington’s chef Daniel Orr told us about a delicious way to prepare nature’s ephemeral bounty here (in a fritatta with new potatoes), and he offers these tips on handling the flowers with care:

The cool, refreshing prawn salad called goi tom thit at Sizzling Wok Thien Huong (7280 Michigan Rd., 317-298-9001), in which shrimp and slivered veggies wilted in a sweet marinade are topped with crushed peanuts and rice crackers for scooping. Fountain Square new arrival Bluebeard’s (653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1580) Sanctuary cocktail, a pretty-in-pink s