Tying the Knot

Congratulations to Bazbeaux's Deb Berman who ties the knot on Saturday with Chef Ryan Borchelt. (Ryan was most recently at Midtown Grill.) It should be a delicious affair at the IMA -- and in honor, I'll be ordering a large quattro formaggio with extra bacon! Salut!

Three Latest and Best

Call it the All Salad edition, but hey, with all the mac-and-cheese I've been eating lately, I've got to eat some vegetables somehow. It's going to be a big food weekend with a Bonge's run (complete with tailgating and cocktails) and the Slow Food Bloomington potluck. So, in honor of vegetables, here's this week's Three Latest and Best.

Black and Blue at Bourbon St. Distillery: Yes, I know I often tout the food at this popular downtown dive, but they do a great job for a pub that has $1 beer night. My latest fave? The black and blue salad including steak cut into strips, tomato, dressing of choice and lots of blue cheese. A perfectly balanced meal including protein, vegetable and dairy!

Garbage Salad at Mo's, A Place for Steaks: I know some of you don't like the term "garbage salad" (or "sweep the floor" pizza), but personally, I don't have a problem with any salad as loaded with good stuff as this one. Be prepared -- this antipasto salad serves two with generous portions of greens, tomato, roast beef (sliced thin), salami (diced), peppercinis, artichoke hearts, and black olives. (For extra non-traditional decadence, order bacon on the side.) Easy to share and with different dressings. It's perfect if you want to save room for dessert. Did I mention the strawberry shortcake is still fantastic with fresh berries, cream, and their good, salty, biscuity "shortbread."

Salad To-Go: It's no secret that I *love* pizza. So what do I do when I order a big, decadent Bazbeaux pie for takeout? (Greek with feta or quattro frommagio with bacon, mmmm)? I have them throw a giant salad into the mix. The best part? My favorite creamy basil dressing. And the salad is so big, I can eat all the 'za I want, still have a healthy meal, and have leftovers for the next day.

Three Latest and Best

Bacon Panini at RBistro: Attitude aside, the food is still a big hit at RBistro. (When you overhear a conversation of people at the next table saying "it's just a thing here. You have to ignore it", then you *know* you're not the only one who is noticing.) But popped in for lunch last week and enjoyed the recommended applewood smoked bacon panini with a sweet tomato chutney. Perfect with the tangy dressing on the greens. Plus, as always, we saved room for dessert. The star? The chocolate sheetcake with housemade ice cream.

Broken Yolk Sandwich at Patachou: Yes, I'm lame, and I hate crowds, so I haven't ventured out yet to the new Petit Chou in Broad Ripple. But, ready for a little Sunday morning coffee made by someone else, I took myself and the Sunday Times to breakfast at the downtown Chou. Hmm. Toasted whole wheat with butter, two eggs, and smoked salmon. Did I mention I'm a little in love with their fruit salad?

Sunday Night Treat: Two words, friends: Bazbeaux Pizza. Two ways: 1/2 Hawaiian, 1/2 Greek. Two favorite toppings, the sweet pineapple and the salty feta cheese. Oh, and, leftovers? Only two slices.

Three Latest and Best

Move Over Quattro Fromaggio: I'm in love with a new Bazbeaux Pizza -- the Greek. It's the closest thing I've ever found to North Beach Pizza's Verdi Special with spinach, onion, and feta cheese. However, I reserve the right to re-visit the four cheese as my favorite at any time. Any cheese pizza with bacon on it is OK with me. (For bonus points and a special San Francisco prize, can any ex-SF resident tell me the one big difference between Bazbeaux's Greek and North Beach Pizza's Verdi Special? No menu peeking!)

Perfect Flan and Sweet Berries: What a great turnout last Thursday for the Ethnic Food Feast at Ivy Tech, a dinner put on by the culinary program and Indy Ethnic Food.com! In a meal featuring everything from Spanish tapas to veal marsala, the star of the evening? The vanilla flan with fresh sweet berries that were perfectly fresh on a rainy, winter evening. Great work by all the students and professors all under the watchful eye of program chair and host, Chef Thom England.

Pumpkin Schmear and the Perfect Coffee: This weekend was a never ending round of holiday parties. After three on Saturday and one on Sunday, I'm already full of holiday cheer along with cookies and spinach dip. (And bourbon balls and smoked salmon and chili and chocolate cake and petit fours and...and...and...uggh.) After a party on Saturday that involved a punch fountain and a lot of cranberry juice and vodka, I enjoyed the perfect antidote on Sunday morning: A piping hot everything bagel from Einstein Bros and their holiday pumpkin cream cheese. So spicy, sweet and perfect accompanied by a perfect cup of coffee. Ahhhh, life's simple pleasures. Just what a hangover needs. Well, that and lots of water.