Room Four

“I hate aprons. Anything around my neck drives me insane.”

No. 8 – No one tells us what to eat—except Greg Hardesty, the Recess chef-owner who has been crafting a prix-fixe menu at his SoBro mainstay since 2010.

Indy dining news this week includes Recess’s new raw bar, a Smoking Goose and New Day Meadery collaboration, and Open Society Public House.

The five dishes you must try this week, including Room Four’s perennially popular Fischer Farms cheeseburger.

At Room Four, customers may quibble over taco choices—carne asada or rockfish—or opt for a Fischer Farms cheeseburger, a backyard memory revised to succulence by a master who appreciates simple food as much as esoteric fare.

See the full tasting-hour and sit-down dinner menus from our April 24 event celebrating many of the city’s top chefs and restaurants.

The city’s only hot-sauce tasting bar, homesteading boutique, and moto-style men’s shop fill out Recess’s corner.

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.

INGREDIENTS

From classic patty-and-bun combos to gussied-up versions, these seven stack up.

1.     Whole catfish—cornmeal-dredged, deep-fried, and served with a plastic tub of tartar sauce—at Frank & Mary’s Tavern (21 W. Main St., Pittsboro, 317-892-3485).

2.     A summer zucchini-potato bisque topped with sea trout and sweet corn at Room Four (4907 N. College Ave., 317-925-7529).

3.     The Pomodoro pizza at Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza (5646 E. Washington St., 317-356-6612; 401 Market Plaza, Greenwood, 317-883-8993), with thin slices of eggplant encased in tangy-sweet tomato-basil sauce and cheese in sinful excess.

4.     Fried green beans at Scotty’s Lakehouse (10158 Brooks School Rd., Fishers, 317-577-2900), a restaurant that has no shortage of dipping sauces. In this case, go for the sweet mustard one.

5.     Creamy blueberry ice cream from H2O Restaurant & Sushi Bar (1912 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-254-0677).

Other scaled-down epicurean spots include Northside Social (6525 N. College Ave., 253-0111, northsidesocial.com), which prepares its mac ’n’cheese with bacon, pancetta, and prosciutto > Taste Cafe (5164 N. College Ave., 925-2233, tastecafeandmarketplace.com) serves approachable gourmet > Oakleys Bistro (1464 W. 86th St., 824-1231, oakleysbistro.com) keeps us entertained with upscale versions of (shrimp) corndogs and (goat cheese and fig marmalade) pizza.

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.

Crisp and browned salmon cake at Room Four (4907 N. College Ave., 317-925-7529), topped with a bright Meyer lemon sauce. The Mixiote at El Sol de Tal

Those estimated 150,000 Super Bowl visitors will be in dire need of satiation—and hundreds of Indy-area restaurants are getting prepared. Chris Clifford, director of operations for St. Elmo Steakhouse (127 S. Illinois St., 317-635-0636) and Harry & Izzy’s (153 S. Illinois St., 317-635-9594; 4050 E. 82nd St., 317-915-8045) anticipates going through 600 pounds of shrimp and more than 80 pounds of horseradish during the event’s Thursday-to-Sunday crush. “Our supplier, McFarling Foods, will keep an extra 400 pounds [of shrimp] aside ‘just in case,’” says Clifford. Daily deliveries will arrive downtown between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.