Since January, Indianapolis Monthly has been following the progress of Bluebeard (653 Virginia Ave.). So this past Friday, our forks were at the ready for the restaurant’s soft opening. Fans of Abbi Merriss Adams and John Adams were happy to see the pair back in the kitchen (right behind the bar), plating everything from white-bean salad with chorizo, zucchini, and radicchio fleur to a sharable whole snapper with house giardiniera.
By the look of the hordes of people piling into last week’s grand opening of Poccadio Grill (1045 Broad Ripple Ave., 252-5911), the new Moroccan quick-eats spot in Broad Ripple, you would have thought they were offering free flights to Marrakesh. Nope. But owner Anass Sentissi (also chef/owner of Saffron Cafe) did offer free bocadillos (sandwiches) to the first 1,000 guests. Lucky insiders received soft, crusty baguettes stuffed with a variety of heavily spiced accouterments.
If you’re a salmon fan, you’ve probably recently seen the name Skuna Bay Salmon on a number of menus. We’ve seen it at The Oceanaire (30 S. Meridian St., 317-955-2277), The Local Eatery and Pub (14655 N. Gray Rd, Westfield, 317-218-3786), Kona Jack’s (9419 N. Meridian St., 317-843-1609), Harry & Izzy’s (153 S. Illinois St. 317-635-9594), and Goose the Market (2503 N. Delaware St., 317-924-4944).
Ted Miller, beer master behind Brugge Brasserie (1011 E. Westfield Blvd., 317-255-0978), is known for his “mad science” intellect and passion for creating outstanding esoteric beers around the world. He has created beers and built microbreweries in places like Seattle, Hong Kong, the Caribbean, Mainland China, and Taiwan. But because of his Indiana ties, he moved back in the early 2000s and has lent his knowledge to countless students of beer and brewery start-ups since. After generously sharing his talent and experience, Miller decided it was time to expand his own business. So he is changing addresses again. This time, however, he is sticking to Naptown and keeping Brugge as-is.
Licorice-stick red and jet black are the dominant hues at The Night Porter (921 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-253-5252), a new rock bar/restaurant in the former La Jolla space in Broad Ripple. It is the ideal spot for a beer-guzzling, music-loving crowd. Partner Steve Markoff had a vision to open a laid-back, music-centric place like the spots he frequented in his old Los Angeles neighborhood. As the creative director for Tour Design Creative/Live Nation, he has turned the location into a shrine to his favorite musicians. The walls are adorned with 75 framed concert posters. Beneath the bar, large black-and-white screen-printed murals (created by local artist Aaron Scamihorn) showcase the biggest rock stars from the 1950s to now.
Dan Dunville, the award-winning chef at Meridian Restaurant (5694 N. Meridian St., 317-466-1111), recently left his post after a dispute with owner Rick Lux of LUX Restaurants. After Dunville’s departure, Lux announced to the staff that sous chef Edsel Chad Secrest (who had been with Meridian since the restaurant’s opening) would be the new executive chef. After this staff announcement, and unbeknownst to Edsel, Lux interviewed other chefs in the city for the executive chef position. Through a text message, Edsel learned that Lux had hired Layton Roberts of Mesh (725 Massachusetts Ave., 317-955-9600) as the executive chef. When Lux was asked why the sudden change, he said he was concerned Edsel was too close to Dunville. Roberts begins his new post on February 29 and is expected to bring his kitchen crew.
But with all the possible variations, surely there’s room for one more. Last week, Kentucky-based BoomBozz Restaurants opened BoomBozz Taphouse (2430 E. 146th St., Carmel, 317-843-2666) in the former BD’s Mongolian Barbeque space. The brick-and-stone accented restaurant is fitted with around 25 taps, serving up a well-edited selection of imported craft brews, including custom brews made by Flat12 Bierwerks.
One of Indy’s newest food trucks, Mac Genie, ambitiously began its mac ‘n’ cheese service during Super Bowl. On the Friday before the big game, it sold over 600 bowls in seven hours. Macaroni and cheese dishes are prepared to order in skillets. The comfort food truck features traditional, or Naked, mac ‘n’ cheese as well as items with a creative twist. Buffalo Chicken Mac comes topped with breaded chicken, creamy buffalo sauce, and a wedge of crunchy Parmesan crostini from Irvington’s Roll With It Bakery. These hearty portions of gooey noodles don’t come cheap. The price during Super Bowl was $8 a serving.
January 9th marks the first day of this winter’s early Devour Downtown (pushed up because of that little event you might have heard about … The Super Bowl), and we’re closely watching restaurants post their menus. Here is what to expect from a few of the 54 restaurants participating in the $30/three-course eating frenzy that runs through Jan 22.