Delicia

Avoiding Friday and Saturday nights not only ups your odds of a table, but can also mean less harried service and more attention to dishes. And Sundays can be great nights to dine out—Bluebeard, for instance, stays open until 10 p.m. with a special, scaled-down menu of dishes you might not get the rest of the week.

So you’ve munched on corn at the Indiana State Fair and had your mouth set afire by a certain shrimp-cocktail sauce. But what are the modern-day rites of passage? We have answers.

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.

Discover the best of what Indy has to offer in the arts-and-culture scene with theater, books, design, and much more.

Including the Apple Scrappy from Kim’s Kakery.

You may have a hard time imagining he-man Ernest Hemingway sipping a modern daiquiri, but this cocktail with a literary twist is both sophisticated and refreshing enough to quench the thirst of a lusty bullfighter.

Great dishes—from salads to main courses—at Bluebeard, Topo’s 403, and Delicia.

Prior to ordering, guests are served an amuse bouche of warm, salty sancocho—a slow-cooked beef-and-chicken broth that servers describe as a welcoming stew. The soup is surprisingly addictive, with an intense flavor like that of the stock cooked off of ham-and-bean soup.

From The Libertine to Recess and Oakleys to Bluebeard, Korean to Latin and sushi to steak, our critics chose the cream of Indy’s dining crop,. Who’s at the head of the table? Read on to find out.

1. The embarrassingly large pulled pork sandwiches served picnic style at Locally Grown Gardens (1050 E. 54th St., 317-255-8555).
2. Peppery fried chicken with greens and candied sweet potatoes at Southern Kitchen (7854 E. 96th St., Fishers, 317-288-0202).

The crunchy, salty truffle fries, served with a scoop of aioli as thick as gelato at Taste Cafe and Marketplace. These classic gems are well worth the breath mint you will need to pop before going back to the office. …

1. A piping-hot skillet of potato-and-bacon gratin at Noah Grant’s Grill House & Oyster Bar (65 S. 1st St., Zionsville, 317-732-2233).
2. Caviar pie at Late Harvest Kitchen (8605 River Crossing, 317-663-8063), a DIY starter that combines bite-size toasts with a soft wedge of roe-topped cheese. Doll it up with chopped egg, red onion, and capers.
3. Sweetly potent caffe alla at Delicia (5215 N. College Ave., 317-925-0677), a stratified coffee with layers redolent of cinnamon and orange liqueur.
4. Crisp-fried Brussels sprouts from Puzzle’s Restaurant (118 N Pendleton Ave., Pendleton 765-778-1944)
5. Eggs over-easy from Charlie Brown’s Pancake and Steak House in Speedway (1*038 Main St, 317-243-2502*). The diner’s short-order cooks have perfected the delicate art of getting the whites chewy while leaving the golden yolks runny enough to sop up with a biscuit or toast.

Considering its hot SoBro location, inventive Latin-inspired food and drinks, and gorgeous (yet comfortable) interiors, Delicia (5215 N. College Ave., 317-925-0677) will have no problem filling its 125 seats on Friday and Saturday nights. Was this really the former Movie Gallery space we were talking about months ago? We were impressed from the moment we entered: Delicia packs plenty of panache. Sure, it’s on board with the reclaimed-wood trend. But here, the exposed wood beams are mixed in with ambient lighting, a curved partial wooden ceiling, glass arched accents, and white-glazed brick walls. It definitely works.

After two and a half years of neighborhood opposition over zoning for parking, Nicole Harlan-Oprisu and her business partners are finally preparing to turn the lights on at 5215 N. College Ave. in the former Movie Gallery location. Slated to open next month, Delicia (Spanish for delight) will focus on Latin-fusion cuisine and craft cocktails. This will be Harlan-Oprisu’s fifth north-side venture, having collaborated with Demerly Architects to create a chic, relaxing vibe, with urbanized adobo-style accents.