Shapiro’s Delicatessen

The quintessential classics that should be required eating for all Hoosiers. This is your eat sheet: A rollout of Indy’s 25 essential dishes, ranked.

We now what hot honey on everything.

We decided to go on a diet following the State Fair. It didn’t work.

Irvington gets The Mug, and Ohio gets Shapiro’s.

Crispy Bird is the word, and—locate your stretchy pants—food festival season is upon us.

The new space has a smaller, more contemporary menu featuring trademarked “Twisted Traditions.”

Shapiro’s finds a new northside home and Libertine plans to relocate to Mass Ave.

Including the pretzel flatbread topped with pepper-Jack and crab at Shoefly Public House.

“Most bars cover up bad corned beef with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing,” Steve Wechter laments, “but I wanted the meat to shine.”

The galaktoboureko, a warmed custard-filled phyllo square with hints of orange and cinnamon, from Santorini Greek Kitchen (1417 Prospect St., 317-917-1117). Get jiggly with it. Tri-colored fried cheese sticks at Brewstone Beer Company (

To understand the chasm currently separating Indiana’s political parties, all you need to do is picture their election-night celebrations. On November 6, the Democrats chose a sedate ballroom at the Downtown Marriott. The Republicans, who were marching toward supermajorities in the House and the Senate, chose the end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Oakleys Bistro
1464 W. 86th St., 824-1231, oakleysbistro.com
In this fragrant take, the spicy-pickled bite of wild-ramp kimchi pairs well with the smokiness of house-cured coppa.

What makes this Columbus institution really sweet is the counter-side charm of Wilma Hare and her fellow soda jerks, who will pull you an ice cream soda the way it was in 1900 and serve it with a side of sass: “When that ice cream hits the carbonation, it will explode like a volcano. And I will laugh at the look of panic on your face.”