Black Market

Seven of Indiana’s top culinary dogs are strutting their stuff as 2013 James Beard Foundation nominees, selected from more than 44,000 online entries in 20 categories. Last week, the foundation unveiled its “long list” (421) of the year’s semifinalists—which will be cut down to the final list of nominees on March 18 during a press brunch in Charleston, SC. (NOTE: nominations will also be announced live via the Foundation’s Twitter feed.)

Cerulean’s (339 S. Delaware St., 317-870-1320) pitch-perfect pair of vanilla-bean macarons—one big and one little—on a plate artfully balance with freeze-dried raspberries. Tiny pan-fried bluegill filets atop stone-ground grits at

A homey, stick-to-your-ribs rustic chicken pie from Duo’s Kitchen (2960 N. Meridian St., 317-508-8614), with plenty of chunky veggies and a crisp square of puff pastry on top. Hearty and completely vegan vegetable curry with coconut and just the right amount of heat at

While being a successful restaurateur often means fussing over the smallest of details and logging late hours poring over the books in the back office, many restaurateurs like to get away from time to time to take a break and see what ideas they can bring back from the larger world of food. One local restaurant owner with a serious case of wanderlust is Ed Rudisell, who somehow manages to rack up impressive frequent-flyer miles despite his responsibilities at hit restaurants Siam Square (936 Virginia Ave., 317-636-8424) and Black Market (922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757), as well as his soon-to-open Vietnamese banh mi emporium Rook (719 Virginia Ave.). Most recently, he returned from a trip to Thailand with his wife, Sasathorn.

The papa rellena at Mama Irma Restaurant (1058 Virginia Ave., 317-423-2421), a puffy zeppelin of mashed potatos stuffed with onions and meat. A cooling sour relish of slivered red onions shares the plate. The flamboyant lobster tempura roll at Tomo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi

A creamy cup of cinnamon-spiked sweet-potato soup at The Legend (5614 E. Washington St., 317-536-2028) in Irvington, a comforting, autumnal treat. Three soft dinner-roll style buns stuffed with tender and slightly sweet duck from Black Market (922 Mass

Ed Rudisell doesn’t fit the typical multi-restaurant-mogul mold. He’s not the clean-cut suit who rolls up in a Lexus and barks about food costs and mission statements. In fact, this laid-back and tatted entrepreneur (who drives a Buick) landed in the industry by accident, after getting laid off from a bank job. “When I was 24, I started working for Buffalo Wild Wings. I just needed to pay my rent,” says Rudisell, now 36 and co-owner of two successful local restaurants, Black Market and Siam Square.

Crunchy, tender deep-fried frog’s legs at The Local Eatery & Pub (14655 N. Gray Rd. Westfield, 

The Paleo Taco (tucked inside a jicama “tortilla”) and bacon–sweet-potato hash with all-organic ingredients from the Caveman Truck parked downtown last week. The sweet-corn ice cream that chef Micah Frank has been making at Black Market (922 M

With exposed-brick walls, raw wood beams suspended above the bar, and bell-shaped lamps that look like they could be lighting a henhouse, Black Market feels like the most stylish barn you’ll ever dine in. But the black-topped bar and skinny-legge

Since the Super Bowl, you may have noticed that some of the city’s wine-and-beer–only restaurants now stash small selections of brown and white liquor bottles behind their bars. A lucky group of restaurateurs had the chance to upgrade their liquor licenses for a steal, and it is making us rather thirsty.

For three nights, their every public move lit up the Twittersphere, with sightings at all of the well-trodden downtown haunts and as far north as Geist, where Madonna was spotted jogging.

We’ve collected links to several recent local and national stories about dining in Indianapolis during the Super Bowl. Here, a few of our favorites.

The fried mozzarella and beets, over lightly dressed greens, at Black Market (922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757). Elevates this pub staple to a light and intriguing treat. Beef ribs at Mama’s House Korean Restaurant (8867 Pendleton Pike, 317-897-0808).

The homemade pickles on the plate in front of us weren’t exactly the ones our grandmothers made us as kids. There were cucumbers, yes, though mostly to support the lightly brined stars: hunks of crunchy daikon radish with a subtle bite of kimchi; a beet-pickled egg blushing pink. A single slender ramp—a wild leek foraged in spring—snaked around to a glistening dollop of peanut spread. Was this the new wave of pub grub, or just some quirky concoction dreamed up by a pregnant chef? And just how did the folks at Black Market, the much–buzzed-about, long-awaited nouvelle comfort-food spot tucked at the end of the Mass Ave restaurant district, expect us to approach it? “People eat it all kinds of ways,” said co-owner Ed Rudisell, smiling from behind the bar where we sat sipping glasses of wine. “We don’t tell customers how to do it.”