Indy Restaurant Named To Eater’s “Essential” List

Surprise, surprise. Eater just loves them some Milktooth. For the third year in a row, the foodie blog has named the Fletcher Place brunch spot to their “America’s 38 Essential Restaurants” list. Touting the “Dutch baby pancakes with fluffernutter and grape jelly, sourdough-chocolate waffles with oolong-infused maple syrup, bacon and beef sloppy Joes: Jonathan Brooks is a mad genius of the morning meal. There’s no more inspired destination for relentlessly inventive breakfasts in America.”

Joining Milktooth among the essentials are dining darlings like FIG, Franklin Barbecue, Koi Palace, and Momofuku Ko in gourmet destinations such as San Francisco, Charleston, New Orleans, and New York. It’s hard to say we disagree with Milktooth’s spot on the annual listing. Since opening in 2015, Milktooth has been recognized by Indianapolis Monthly annually for Best New Restaurants 2015, Best Restaurants 2016, Best Brunch Spot 2017, and once again Best Restaurants 2018.

As such, owner Jonathan Brooks has been named one of the 11 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine magazine in 2015, among many other accolades. All of the praise for Brooks’ innovating dining spots has not been without controversy. Earlier this fall, just as we were reviewing his star-powered dinner spot, Beholder, Brooks tapped a West Coast street artist, Jules Muck, to install a mural on the side of the restaurant. Let’s just say the installation, and Brooks’ comments regarding his stature within the community, were not well received.

Here’s to hoping the future sees more crowds fighting for a spot at a table and less fighting with the mastermind behind the concepts.