Simeris Italian Restaurant

Within days of the December opening of Simeri’s Italian Restaurant (10410 Olio Rd., Fortville, 317-589-8557), Arec Simeri was packing the house. Using old-school recipes passed down from his great-grandmother and new-school marketing techniques gleaned from the years he spent working for the great-grandfather of social media (at least in this town), Scott Wise of Scotty’s Brewhouse, the 29-year old restaurateur is building on the momentum. No surprise, since his bloodline is rich with oregano. Simeri filled us in on his restaurant’s family tree and the magical powers of pork butt.

Sweet sticky rice with fresh mango, a rare treat at Siam Square (936 Virginia Ave., 317-636-8424). The nectar-ripe fruit is served with a room-temp puck of starchy rice thickened with coconut milk. New chef Christopher Bator’s whimsical take on banana cream pie with pistachio cream and a pastry tuille at