The Feed: Vida, Martha Hoover, and More
» Cunningham Restaurant Group’s Vida (601 E. New York St., 317-420-2323) received a coveted Four Diamond award from AAA, joining the ranks of past (and dearly departed) Indianapolis winners Benvenuti, Danielli Restaurant & Art Gallery, The Restaurant at the Canterbury, and Peter’s. More than 30,000 restaurants are evaluated by the organization, with less than 2 percent achieving Four Diamond classification. Executive chef Layton Roberts and pastry chef Hattie McDaniel serve up a seasonal menu heavy on locally sourced ingredients, including the famous hydroponic wall of fresh greens in the front of the restaurant.
» Local restaurateur Martha Hoover (Patachou, Inc.) and her impressive collection of copper cookware were featured in The Wall Street Journal. According to the article, Hoover’s love affair with the classic cooking tools began 36 years ago on her honeymoon in Paris, when she purchased a large copper braiser at celebrated housewares store E. Dehillerin.
» Kimbal Musk, brother of famed Tesla founder Elon Musk, is entering the Indy dining scene. According to the Indianapolis Star, Musk will set up shop in the Marietta building downtown at 350 Massachusetts Avenue in 2017. The farm-to-table concept will operate in conjunction with “learning gardens” at multiple Indianapolis schools.
» Local beverage entrepreneur Erin Edds and her husband Stephen Edds officially launched their new product, Garden Party Botanical Hard Soda, all over Indiana. The first two flavors in the line, Ruby (spiced ginger hard soda with hibiscus and pomegranate) and Violet (crisp lemon hard soda with lavender and blackberry), can be found at 57 Big Red Liquor stores and select Kroger, Marsh, Whole Foods, and Fresh Thyme groceries. Edds first caught the beverage industry’s attention when she cofounded Hoosier Momma Bloody Mary Mix in 2010.
» Monon Food Company is expanding. The Broad Ripple favorite took to Facebook to announce a downtown location, scheduled to open in January of 2017 at 301 North Illinois Street.
» Two steakhouses opened in downtown Indy last week, so don’t blame us for your iron deficiency. Ohio-based Hyde Park Steakhouse set up shop at 51 North Illinois Street, and former Colts star Gary Brackett re-christened his southern-style Georgia Reese’s restaurant as meat-centric CharBlue at 14 East Washington Street.
» Speaking of Colts players in the restaurant biz, defensive end Kendall Langford teamed up with Carmel couple Matt and Dee Brereton to open The Juice Bar in Carmel (1420 W. Main St., Ste. B, Carmel). In addition to smoothies and fresh-pressed juices, the health-focused spot offers salads and raw food snacks out of a self-serve refrigerator case, along with daily housemade soups.
» Cosmopolitan magazine named Quills Coffee the best coffee shop in the state of Indiana, with a special nod to the bourbon-vanilla latte on the menu. Cosmo teamed up with Yelp to compile the list.
