June’s First Bite

Stay Gold

Kristine Bockman was already planning a cafe and bistro that wouldn’t price anyone in her SoBro neighborhood out of enjoying scratch food. In our new COVID-19 reality, her budget-minded menu will likely be a welcome relief for food lovers who are eager to get out but light on funds. “We don’t want to be this fancy, snobby place,” says Bockman. “We want everything to be approachable and affordable. So nothing on the menu will be over $10.” GoldLeaf Savory & Sweet (1901 E. 46th St., 317-600-3542) will be open seven days a week for coffee, espresso, and takeaway snacks like breakfast sandwiches, adult “lunchables,” and quick breads. They’ll start service at 6 a.m. with alternatives to gas-station grab-and-go coffee and food. Dinner will be available Thursday through Sunday, with a changing menu of small, shareable plates. Count us in for the wasabi grilled cheese, an open-face sandwich of thick, buttered toast, wasabi aioli, and melted provolone, cheddar, and jack cheeses. 

Spread ’Em

The unofficial definition of compound butter in the culinary industry is “delicious butter mixed with other delicious things and whatnot.” The result is a spread saturated with flavor, and nobody’s better at dreaming up its uses than resourceful chefs like Abbi Merriss at Bluebeard (653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1580), who serves anchovy butter with slabs of chewy, grilled Amelia’s bread, or Kathleen Tracy of Movable Feast (5143 E. 65th St., 317-577-9901), who makes basil, lemon-cilantro, and chipotle compound butters for her menus and takeaway refrigerator. Summer is the perfect time to make your own strawberry compound butter by combining one stick of salted, softened butter with six to seven ripe, smashed berries. Mix with a fork (or food processor) and serve on toast or biscuits. Or, form the butter into a log, wrap it in parchment paper, and tuck it into the freezer to pull out any time you need a sweet reminder of summer.

Compound butterTony Valainis