Post-Corona Food Crawl 2020

Addressing COVID 19

I know the past few months have been really hard on all of us for a myriad of reasons. But my sadness comes from my third world problem of lack of perfect food. I have been attempting to make some of my favorite dishes at home, but who am I kidding? I'm not a chef. Is my food good? Yes, but it is elegant? Is it plated beautifully? Does it taste like manna from heaven? Absolutely not! 

I tried making grilled cheese, chili, mac and cheese, homemade subs and nothing seems to be hitting quite right. So, I've decided to go into a Peter Pan state of mind ("Hook"  Robin Williams movie version) and start imaging how my favorite foods tasted in my mouth. Today I scrolled through my instagram and facebook and saw my food posts and I involuntarily started salivating, so I thought I'd share my top dishes I've been craving and will be getting as soon as COVID-19 is wrangled in and it is safe again to once share a meal in public.

Let's Imagine a Post-Rona Food Crawl

When this is all over, where will be the first 5 places you'll dine for your Po-Ro Food Crawl?? My personal Po-Ro would include the following restaurants in no particular order. Though some of these restaurants do offer carry out, it's the ambiance and bustle that I miss and the overall dine in experience.

The Eagle on Mass Ave & Delaware 

Macaroni and Cheese with Chicken on top 

The Eagle is a southern food, soul food restaurant, whose menu contains chicken light and dark in various quantities, sandwiches, cornbread, sweet potatoes with marshmallow, collards greens and more. Anyone who knows me, knows I go weak in the knees for a bowl of creamy cheesy mac and cheese. The Eagle does this unique thing where they add these delicious breadcrumbs on top of the soft elbow pasta noodles, served in a personal hand sized cast iron skillet. 

If I'm being naughty I would order boneless crispy chicken, on top of the mac in cheese, that comes in strips. You are not living life until you have had The Eagle's spicy honey syrup drizzled over everything you've ordered. I look forward to assassinating some chicken as soon as Rona ends; death by drowning in spicy syrup.

#TheEagle #Thunderdome #crazyforbreadcrumbs #MacAndCheeseCrazy #MoreCheesePlease #PourSpicyHoneyAllOverMe #HotSauceInMyBagSwag 

Yats on 52nd &  College

Chili Cheese Etoufee with Crawfish & Peanut Butta Pie

As a lover of all things New Orleans and having experienced it first hands on visits, I'm convinced the city produces some of the best food in the world. Joe Vuskovich, a Broad Ripple neighbor and the friendly owner of the Yats Franchise has created a taste of NOLA here in Indy. This restaurant has been a favorite of my family and mine since High school, since I went to the public school down the road.

My favorite dish at Yats is still to this day the Chili Cheese Etoufee with Crawfish for entree and the decadent Peanut Butta Pie to share for dessert.  The Eotufee is a variety of spices and sauces, cooked in a cheesy spicy roux along with vegetables and crawfish, poured generously on top a wide plate of white rice. The texture is creamy and thick like curry, filled with density by the cooked veggies, garlic and other spices. The heavily buttered and toasted loaves of baguette bread served on the side add as a critical needed crunch factor to complete the meal...in my opinion.

If you decide to dine in at the Mass Ave or College location (College location is the original) you will find a hot sauce sauce bar for patron use. There are typically anywhere from 6-10 different seasonings or sauces you can use to customize your dish to desired taste! If that's not NOLA, I don't know what is.

If you're not full after your half plate or full plate of etoufee, then there's only one thing left to do! Order the peanut butta pie! I'm the type of person who only craves sweets once a month or when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the original) comes on tv, then I just have to eat some chocolate with Charlie. However, when I'm at Yats and they have the peanut butta pie on the menu I just gots to get me a slice. Also, let me say this is not a normal pie.

The peanut butter pie's base is a thick chilled peanut butter mousse inside of a graham cracker crust. It's decorated with a heavy whipped cream dollop atop and chocolate drizzled all around. Said chocolate drizzle is probably meant for its aesthetics, but I love sopping it up with each fork full. Ugh. I miss this pie. I always look at the slice they give me and I think, Psh I could eat this in one bite. Then you take your first bite and its so rich & creamy that you have to take time and pause and maybe moan a little bit. It's really quality over quantity. I look forward to dropping by to see Joe this summer and grabbing a slice of this pie to share with a friend after Rona.

#Yats #EtoufeeforDays #PeanutButtaPieOrDie

Beholder on 10th & Irvington

Fish Tacos My Ass

Typically I wouldn't rush to order fresh fish anything here in landlocked Indiana, BUT I was really intrigued when I heard that Jonathon Brooks of Beholder had an oyster taco on the menu. At first I thought Huh? How can he put oysters in a taco? I had to investigate this culinary art project. During my visit I tried a few things from the menu but you know my eyes got wide when he brought the oyster fish taco to the table. 

This was a beautiful taco from first glance. I was not expecting from an upscale fine dining restaurant to serve such an authentically made and cultivated taco. The tortilla looked like it had been palmed and cooked on a flat stove by an old grandmother and had a loving crispness to the texture, but still held some flexibility. Inside the tortilla appeared to be a bed of a house made slaw that added some crunch and variance of texture. Laying atop the slaw were perfectly breaded crispy oysters. The smell, I can still remember, wafted up my nostrils and I almost missed the caviar/fish eggs that sprinkle the top of the taco. That first bite was wild. The fish eggs on top, when they burst in your mouth, you get this really fresh fishy taste that plays an excellent second fiddle to the oyster flavor and it really gives you this overall flavor harmony that I was surprised to get in such a cute little taco. 

I'm sad it's a seasonal item on their menu, but boy I can tell you, the moment it makes a comeback I'll be headed to Beholder to SMASH. Who's going to be joining me after to Ro Ro?

#Beholder #BrooksLetMeKnow #BringBackOysterTacos #NotJustAFishTaco 

Olly's Downtown on Illinois

Fabulous Steak is Medium Rare

When you think of a great place to get a steak downtown, I'm sure spots like St. Elmo's and Harry & Izzy's pop up on your google search first. What would you say if I told you that there's hidden gem you've been overlooking? Olly's is a serve all LGBTQ friendly restaurant and bar located near Downtown Indianapolis. Most wouldn't associate a gay bar/restaurant with good steak, but I'm about to rewire your brain honey. 

Though most know of Olly's as a bar and drinking environment, the patrons rave about the food, those both drunk and sober alike. Talking to other patrons I would hear what their favorites were on the menu and I shared my love for the Steak and Eggs. Regardless the time of day, if Im going to Olly's I'm getting my steak (ribeye) medium rare with eggs scrambled with cheese. If you've cooked your steak more than medium, you've ruined it...in my opinion.

The staff is friendly and open, but don't push them. They speak their mind and the bar top patrons will jump into an argument if they feel their beloved bartender is being treated ill. This is truly a community watering hole, that also produces some exquisite and surprisingly delicious dishes that you wouldn't expect, from savory steamed mussels to a perfectly cooked medium rare steak.

*Side note: Olly's does something magical with their eggs and I don't know what it is. They taste buttery and fluffy and I need to know the trick!

#OllysDowntown #OllysforSteak #MagicalEggs #LateNightSteakNight

LouVino on Mass Ave

Incredulous Crab Cakes

LouVino has such a charming Italian upscale feel. The moment you walk in, you feel you should be ushered to the best table in the house with a bottle of white wine waiting on the table upon arrival. Just lush, but a classic clean interior design. The warm wood and cream color palette have me soothed and ready to order. When perusing their menu I remember getting giddy and excited when I saw the crab cakes on their menu. The server said they were insanely good, so I eagerly ordered. 

Dear Lord in heaven, when I say these crab cakes were on point; I do not lie. I do not joke. When it comes to something like crab cakes, I feel, its easy to mess up. You could overcook the outside, but the inside doesn't cook through. Or the outside looks cooked well and the inside is cooked as well, but is not as warm or hot as the exterior. The TEXTURE is what's a critical hit or bonus points. This crab cake was crisp on the outside, enough to make a crunch sound with each bite. Inside the crab cake was just as warm and hot, well cooked and flavorful. Though the crab cakes are smaller than what I'd wish them to be, they are very savory and sat substantially in my stomach, and made me dance a little in my seat with each bite. Truly a gleeful eating moment eating these bad boys and I cannot wait to put on a cute dress and wedges and visit LouVino with my pinky up!

#LouVino #TextureIsEverything #CrabCakeCapital

Until Next Time...

There are so many other establishments I am looking forward to dining in, when that is possible and safe again, but these dishes have been dancing in my head recently. Which of this dishes calls out most to you? Quarantine Homework: Make your List of Your Top 5 Restaurants or Dishes that You'll be looking forward to after Rona! If you're like me, making 'Lists' can really help you organize your days and maintain some semblance of control.

I hope so far you guys have enjoyed this post. I'm going to do my best to post more of my reviews on The Edible Culture for some of my favorite restaurants. It's less of a restaurant review and more of an analyzation of the food, how it tastes, talking texture etc. Continue to Enjoy! 

-Alicia 
The Edible Culture