The Feed: James Beard Nominees, The Owner's Wife, And More
» The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for the 2017 James Beard Awards last week, an annual ritual commonly referred to as the Oscars of the food world. Indiana has five people on the list, including Best Chef, Great Lakes nominees Jonathon Brooks (Milktooth) and Abbi Merriss (Bluebeard) of Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne’s Aaron Butts and Sean Richardson (The Golden). Patachou, Inc. founder Martha Hoover is nominated in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. The list of finalists will be released on March 15, with the winners announced on May 1 at a ceremony in Chicago.
» We finally have an opening date for The Owner’s Wife (608 N. Park Ave., 317-423-8765), the long-awaited partnership between husband-and-wife team Ted Miller and Shannon Stone of Brugge Brasserie and Outliers Brewery, and chef Jonathan Brooks of Milktooth. The Chatham Arch locale will officially start serving lunch and dinner February 26, with a bar, family-friendly dining room, and beer garden.
» Speaking of beer gardens, the Indianapolis Museum of Art (4000 Michigan Rd., 317-923-1331) is getting one of its own. It will open on March 31 in conjunction with the exhibit Spring Blooms: A Celebration of Color, where patrons can drink an exclusive brew from Sun King Brewing Co.while enjoying a record 250,000 blooms on the grounds of the museum. The beer garden is family-friendly, and will also serve non-alcoholic drinks, with soft pretzels and other snacks.
» Tinker Coffee Company and The Garden Table are teaming up to compete in the 2017 Coffee Mixologist Competition at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival on March 10. Tinker co-founder Stephen Hall and Garden Table bartender Michael Schrader created a drink called Lord Byron (cold-brew Nicaraguan coffee, tequila, spiced pear liqueur, and rosemary sage syrup) to earn a spot at the competition.
» Portillo’s finally let the Italian beef sandwich out of the bag, confirming details to open a location in Fishers near the highly anticipated Ikea store. The IBJ reports the popular Chicago-based sandwich and hot-dog chain will build on a parcel of land at the southeast corner of I-69 and 116th Street, with hopes of a fall opening.
» The Snazzy Restaurant T-shirt watch continues with this Nate Utesch design for The Golden (898 Harrison St., Fort Wayne, 260-710-8368). Grab yours at the restaurant, preferably over brunch.
» Our favorite flavors got together and made an ice cream baby. Trader’s Point Creamery (9101 Moore Rd., Zionsville, 317-733-1700) and Lick Ice Cream collaborated on a coffee-chocolate-chip stunner that has us dreaming of summer nights on the deck at the farm.
