The Feed: A New Bru, Bourbon, And More
Bru Burger Bar has proven to be a reliable winner for Cunningham Restaurant Group, and they’re adding another to the family. The new location is taking over the former Champp’s location (8711 River Crossing Blvd.), next to The Fashion Mall. CRG restaurants have reopened with the stringent sanitary procedures diners would expect from the culinary giant, with curbside pickup still available for Bru’s lineup of burgers, onion rings, and big dinner salads. (Correction: an earlier draft of this article indicated that Bru Burger Bar would be occupying the Ocean Prime space at 8555 N. River Road. That is incorrect, as Ocean Prime is open.)
Indiana is getting its second location of Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, which is kind of like a Mediterranean version of Chipotle, but with more options. Diners choose from a huge list of dishes, from bowls to salads to wraps and stuffed pitas, and can customize their protein of choice with add-ons like hummus, tabbouleh, and veggies. The Indianapolis location will be Indiana’s second, after it was previously embraced by Notre Dame students in South Bend.
Get a little face time with one of the hospitality-and-liquor industry’s great titans when Peggy Noe Stevens stops by for a Bourbon Women Indy event at Spoke & Steele (123 S. Illinois St., 317-737-1616). The former Hyatt Hotels and Brown-Forman exec has a new book out, co-written with Susan Reigler, that details how to host the perfect bourbon tasting. Guests will enjoy dinner from Spoke & Steele chef Erin Gillum, as well as cocktails by head mixologist Zoe Hayes. They will also be joined by Bardstown Bourbon Company’s national brand ambassador, Samantha Montgomery. Ticket prices for both members and nonmembers includes a copy of Stevens’s book.
The New Day Craft taproom in the heart of Fountain Square is another casualty of COVID-19. Fountain Square Brewery acquired the brand last year, keeping the successful taproom open for tasting and sales, but the model isn’t workable in a socially distant world. You can still grab product from the FSB taproom just a few blocks away.
The Northside Social (6525 N. College Ave., 317-253-0111) is soothing all of our crushed State Fair dreams with a fair-themed coursed dinner on July 20. Each of the four courses will come paired with a themed cocktail, set against a backdrop of live music with all the food made with local ingredients. We might not get to have our statewide celebration of Indiana agriculture, but chef Dean Sample is going to do it right on a small scale. Call 317-253-0111 to reserve tickets for $85 each.
Black Market (922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757) is selling its lovingly crafted salsas to the public. Choose between spicy salsa roja or the botanical and herbaceous salsa verde and use them generously on your Black Market takeout tacos or your own home creations. The roja is made with smoked tomatoes and Guajillo chilis, bringing lots of depth and heat to contrast the cool acidity of the verde.
