Cheap Eats 2013

Including Indiana State Fair (fried) food porn, a celebrity’s surprise visit at a downtown eatery, a buzzworthy drink prepared 10 different ways, and much more.

Many frequent shoppers will attest, if you see something worthwhile among the racks, snag it, because tomorrow it’ll be history. And carefully check expiration dates, as many of the items are past their prime.

For dessert at The Legend, order two warmed cookies and pop for a scoop of ice cream (cross your fingers it’s Graham Central Station, as sweet and cinnamony as a Yankee Candle).

Best Buffets of the city: India Garden, El Puerto De San Blas, Thai Taste, Barcelona Tapas, and Judge’s Bar-B-Que.

If one of the $5 froufrou cocktails at Palomino doesn’t immediately take the edge off of your day, you probably just need to get some food in your stomach.

For one, turn those little white boxes of take-home Chinese rice languishing in the back of the refrigerator into a comforting yet elegant dessert.

Wine advice from Trad Ireland at Fleming’s, Late Harvest Kitchen’s Ryan Nelson, and Denis Lynch at Vine & Table Gourmet Market.

Visit the Alexander hotel’s stunning Cerulean restaurant during its quiet lunch run, when Caleb France’s molecular gastronomy is pared down to bento-box proportions.

Great weekly deals at: Tex-Mex, Slippery Noodle Inn, Colts Grille and more.

Patachou Inc.’s Martha Hoover on the chili-cheese fries and cheeseburgers at Steak n’ Shake: “After every gala and fundraiser my husband and I attend. You can be guaranteed bad food even at the best cause’s fundraiser.”