The Dish

Hired in September to take over the kitchen at Dunaway’s Palazzo Ossigeno, returning Hoosier chef Christopher Bator has already made some impressive menu tweaks. The former Florida private chef (who counted Tiger Woods and Tim Durham among his clients) plans to supplement Dunaway’s traditional steaks and chops with local produce and in-house charcuterie. We have fallen hard for his scallops in lemon beurre blanc and a refashioned banana cream pie. What else can we expect from this new toque in town?

Tender medallions of monkfish wrapped in smoky house-cured lomo and served atop mustard greens and lentils at Peterson’s Restaurant (7690 E. 96th St., Fishers, 317-598-8863).

The elegantly simple, extra-cheesy margherita pizza at the JW Marriott’s

Tickets for Winterfest, Saturday’s beer event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, sold out quickly, and scalpers with extras were scarce at the event. Along with the snaking lines outside of the Fairground’s Agriculture and Horticulture building and inside at the more popular tents, signs point to this being one of winter’s most popular Indy events. Proceeds benefited Joy’s House.

Martha Hoover is putting the finishing touches on her second location of Napolese, at 30 S. Meridian St. (across the lobby from

The miniature cheeseburger off the kid’s menu at Oh Yumm Bistro (5615 N. Illinois St., 317-251-5656), a juicy little slider, respectfully seasoned and chargrilled, tucked inside a soft pretzel bun.

An ice-cold shot of house-infused banana liqueur delivered by self-appointed house mixologist Jarod at

Whether the restaurant menu is more out of 1913 or 2013 is an issue of some debate. Would our great grandparents really have ordered something called a “Pigwich” or called for their cheese plates, meats, and produce by farmstead producer? Were they really starting off their meals with bacon flights? No matter.
 
Whether the restaurant menu is more out of 1913 or 2013 is an issue of some debate. Would our great grandparents really have ordered something called a “Pigwich” or called for their cheese plates, meats, and produce by farmstead producer? Were they really starting off their meals with bacon flights? No matter. This was a hotel lunch menu to be reckoned with, offering everything from a small plate of free-range deviled eggs to its sole big offering, a “mess” of fried bluegill. We had to request one of those bacon flights from the dinner menu, but our somewhat deliberate, though utterly accommodating waitress made sure we got our strips of bacon served upright from a peg board on wooden skewers. She even brought us some extra barbecue sauce and a slightly sweet buttermilk dressing to go with them. With a loaf of warm soft bread with a crunchy herb crust, this was a stick-to-your ribs starter our forefathers probably wouldn’t have scoffed at—even if the bacon could have been one notch crispier. A darling short-handled copper bowl of “canned” tomato soup offered a rich, authentic tomato flavor, though an actual aluminum soup can of homemade soda crackers on the side seemed a tad flat.
 
Jumping in only partway on the house-made pickle plate trend, 1913 offers a board of some homemade items (crisp but slightly under-pickled wax beans with a hint of tarragon) and some out of the jar—Sechler’s quite serviceable bread and butter pickles. Perhaps the star here were some wonderfully sweet preserved Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes which offered up a much-needed taste of summer. These juicy little flavor bombs showed up on a hearty chop salad with tender local chicken, yet more bacon (this one from Gunthorp Farms) and Fair Oaks Farm cheddar, all tossed with crunchy greens and a nicely restrained buttermilk vinaigrette. This alone could have been a satisfying lunch. But then we wouldn’t have tried the house “root beer” ham shaved thin and served on thick-cut slabs of bread with no shortage of butter. The bread might have sent this hefty sandwich a bit over the edge, but the ham was definitely a treat, along with light and crisp fresh potato chips, which gradually won us over

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 (

More than five years ago, Cincinnati native John Lanni and his brother, Joe Lanni, opened one of their quick-service Currito food-court counters in Circle Centre. Now, the brothers are headed back to the Hoosier state to prepare for something a little more (okay, a lot more) spirited: Bakersfield Mass Ave, set to open this spring.

Martha Hoover knows when to leave a good thing alone—two words: cinnamon toast—and when to make a good thing even better. So when the Broad Ripple location of Petite Chou (823 Westfield Blvd., 317-259-0765) closed for repairs after (have your Facebook page open, please) this awfulness happened, she took the opportunity to improve the restaurant’s flow and give the place a romantic makeover.

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

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.

Crispy flatbreads at Severin Bar (40 W. Jackson Place, 317-396-3623). Roasted peppadew peppers and whipped goat cheese at Bru Burger Bar (410 Massachusetts Ave., 317-635-4278), with a slightly sweet balsamic reduction.  The chocolate lava cake from Fleming’s (8487 Union Chapel Rd., 317-466-0175). The rich Belgian cake is extra decadent when dipped in Chantilly cream.

Count us among the downtown office workers who have latched on to Neal Brown’s lunch delivery system, The Brown Bag. The team behind Libertine Liquor Bar and Pizzology created the concept, inspired by the bustling dabbawallas of Mumbai. Former Libertine chef de cuisine Erin Till prepares the Tuesday-Friday midday meals in the Libertine kitchen, sending out a daily rotating menu of portable lunches. The meals arrive with several surprise courses tucked into the sectioned tin pails, each day’s options including something for omnivores and vegetarians. Wednesday’s heady Thai Red Curry can be made with chicken or tofu, for example, and Friday’s popular pork carnitas tacos can be switched out for roasted sweet potato tacos with cabbage pickle. “You get the same caliber of ingredients as at the Libertine,” says Till. “You are getting all local meats and veggies—high-end stuff. And we try to pack them as full as possible.” Two bicycle couriers deftly cover the delivery area, which spans from White River Parkway to the west, College Avenue to the east, 11th Street to the north, and Prospect Street to the south. They even return after lunch to retrieve the pails.  

While being a successful restaurateur often means fussing over the smallest of details and logging late hours poring over the books in the back office, many restaurateurs like to get away from time to time to take a break and see what ideas they can bring back from the larger world of food. One local restaurant owner with a serious case of wanderlust is Ed Rudisell, who somehow manages to rack up impressive frequent-flyer miles despite his responsibilities at hit restaurants Siam Square (936 Virginia Ave., 317-636-8424) and Black Market (922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757), as well as his soon-to-open Vietnamese banh mi emporium Rook (719 Virginia Ave.). Most recently, he returned from a trip to Thailand with his wife, Sasathorn.