Say Good-Bye, Wolgang. "Good-bye, Wolfgang"

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

And finally, the end to the worst kept "news" in Indy's food world. Last fall, the emails started coming as IMA decided not to renew the Puck's Catering contract. Next, they heard formal presentations from several companies (including a few local faves) interested in taking over the restaurant and catering at the IMA. At that time, they chose Sodexo for the primary operation and retained Kahn's as a second option for catering. At least one other well-known local caterer presented, but for those of you wondering how the IMA could choose a national, corporate food company over a local shop? Think of what's involved -- sourcing product for enormous events, some with hundreds of attendees and little notice. Running -- cost effectively -- everything from sandwiches to canapes day in and day out -- at an efficient price? Someone's got to be able to control food costs using national benchmarks to ensure you're making a profit in what can be a low-margin business. Someone's got to deal with staffing, prep, and hiring in a high volume and low cost business. Think of it another way, Sodexo runs food for St. Vincent Hospital. Not so many formal events, but lots of people to feed 24/7. Formal announcements were made yesterday -- Sodexo in. Puck's out.

No word yet on what they'll do with the former Puck's restaurant space although reports are the company will develop a concept and menu for a new restaurant in the next few months. Not sure if that's for the museum cafe or another fine dining enterprise. They're looking for an executive chef.

Puck's Discontinues Dinner Service

Plate o' Puck's shrimp. Susan Guyett reports in her column today that Puck's will be discontinuing dinner service effective Saturday. They'll still be open for lunches and Sunday brunch. The cafe will expand their hours and they note that a Thursday happy hour (who knew?) will remain but without hot food. Umm. OK.

Change is good, but what I want to know is when they're finally going to cut Puck's loose!

When Will Puck's Go? Please say "soon."

Is Puck's on the way out? (Please say "yes.") In mid-September, Susan Guyette reported the IMA was once again reviewing its contract situation with caterers and, finally, with fine-dining restaurant Puck's. Every year about this time, we hear from the IMA that they're unhappy with some aspect of Wolfgang Puck's corporate operation. Puck's has limited hours and the issue on the face of it is that museum-goers can't get a snack when both Puck's and cafe are closed. The real issue is that the contract between Puck's and the IMA requires the museum to make up revenue shortfalls for the restaurant operation. In other words, the board writes a sizeable check to Wolfgang Puck at the end of the year when they don't meet minimums. Many at the IMA feel having the cache of a Puck's at our museum is worth it. Others feel the food-service provider should be local. (Kahn's Katering runs the Sky City Cafe at the Eitlejorg.) Ultimately, it's about the quality of the food and service relative to the price. Frankly, I've always had an issue with a non-profit -- and fundraising machine -- like the IMA paying a significant amount of money to Puck's -- especially when the product has been so sub-par. (Who here hasn't seen that Chinois chicken salad on the menu and snickered thinking it will be the same as the airport version -- and it is!)

So the question is what should be next for dining at the IMA? Wouldn't it be great to see them bring in an honest-to-goodness *good* chef who could build a terrific fine-dining restaurant there as a destination? Catering options are on a separate contract, so it could run independently. However, catering can be a lucrative side-business if handled correctly. Regardless, service issues *must* be addressed. Puck's has always had ridiculously high-brow service, mis-information, and reservations screwups with no recourse but attitude. The space is beautiful and a chef-driven restaurant could be a great ticket. Hey, it seems like we have a few of our best chefs "taking some time off" these days. Maybe the stars will align with a great food opportunity.

Three Latest and Best

Broad Ripple Farmer's Market: Ahh, the bounty of the Broad Ripple farmer's market on Saturday morning. It was a crisp, cool morning and every stand had plentiful, colorful fresh peppers, purple, ripe eggplants, the last of the fragrant basil, wonderful colors and shapes of squash, pie pumpkins, carving pumpkins, and even wonderful Asian greens, herbs, and zucchinis. There was a long line at the Royer meats stand which ought to tell most small, local meat producers that there are a lot of people who want to buy your product. I made out with a pound of fresh shitake and oyster mushrooms. (I smell risotto in my future.) Next weekend will be the last Saturday.

Lunch at Oakley's Bistro: While it didn't seem up to their usual standards, even a sub-par lunch at Oakley's is better than 90% of the other restaurants in town. The butternut squash maple soup was great (although instead of the usual lovely diced veggie bits, something in mine was a bit soggy), the pork scaloppini was delicious (although not as tender as its veal counterpart can be), and the dessert crepe was a tasty peach treat (although we had to skip the overly sticky candied walnuts after the first bite.) I still love this reliable old standard and the menu is pretty much exactly the same, even if you haven't been there in a year. Don't forget their three-course tasting menu for $29 every Tuesday and Wednesday evening.

Pho at Sandra Rice and Noodles: Saturday, popped out for lunch at this delightful little place out on Pendleton Pike. With a lighter, updated Vietnamese menu, we enjoyed traditional fresh spring rolls with shrimp, cold spicy chicken spring rolls, chicken satay with a light peanut sauce, and then a flavorful cooked pork on rice noodles along with perfectly elegant pho. In a world where too many people think Asian food has to be a greasy, brown mess, this comfortable Geist-area bistro was a modern, light, and inexpensive treat.

Two Minute Warning: Speaking of a brown, nasty mess ... well, I had a pasta dish at Puck's for dinner the other night I can only describe as just plain screwed up. While nothing at Puck's is spectacular, it's rare at any restaurant for me to find something so bad I would send it back. However, I was with a larger group of very gracious and polite non-foodies as a guest, I didn't feel it was appropriate to make a scene. The manager said the pasta for the mushroom and asparagus linguine was fresh -- made by the pastry chef that day. If so, it was either too wet before cooking, or just cooked incorrectly. (Woe to the pasta station line cook who doesn't know how to handle fresh pasta differently from dry. Boil the water, dude!) As soon as it arrived at the table, it smelled great for 30 seconds, then solidified into a gooey ball of pasta dough that both tasted and looked pretty grim. (This happened to two of us.) I left half of mine and ate part of a bowl of mashed potatoes from my neighbor's chicken instead. The desserts were pretty uninspiring despite raves from the staff about this amazing pastry chef. For the price, I'm not sure I'd consider a few bites of mashed potatoes and chocolate ice cream for dinner a success.

My Weekend -- Trying to Get a Meal Edition

While this weekend was a big one, I never had so many problems just trying to get a meal! Honestly, with my own rush (see Friday), poorly managed crowd control (see Saturday), and just plain front-of-house customer service failure (see Sunday), I felt like I had to work much too hard to actually eat out this weekend.

Friday night: Popped into Mo's to meet a couple of pals with every intention of ordering dinner. But after running into more people, a having a few more drinks, and chatting up a storm, I, um, forgot. It was horrible, too, since I ended up with a stale, sad chicken sandwich from McDonald's on my way home.

Saturday night: Locals said Bonge's Tavern was more crowded than they'd seen in years, and with the 90 degree temps and clear skys I couldn't blame folks for wanting to come out and enjoy this Indiana institution. And it showed. We waited a record *4 hours* for our tables (and they still had to break the 12 of us up at different tables.) Luckily, most of that waiting time was passed with cold beers and a few snacks in a friend's home just down the road as opposed to the parking lot, but, as happens, by the time we were seated, it was noisy, crowded, and slow -- and we were hungry. We didn't order until ten o'clock and didn't eat until eleven. And while our meal was good, the enjoyment decreased proportionally to how long we waited. The stars? The elk lasagna, strip steak, and walleye. The chocolate sugar creme cake with sour cherries would have been lovely if we weren't exhausted and cranky by the time they tried to offer us dessert. Plus, the rest of our party was ready to leave. I like this place and generally like the food, but what's more crazy is how they've managed to turn a ridiculous wait -- that honestly is a kitchen and service problem -- into a draw. Still, a great way to spend a summer evening and we had plenty of time to catch up with old friends and new.

Sunday morning: To continue the trend, we *tried* to have brunch at Puck's. I say tried because my companion tried to brunch there Saturday but was told they only do "brunch" on Sunday. The person at the IMA desk told her they open at 10:00 a.m. When we arrived, a hostess told us they opened at 11:00 a.m. She neglected to tell us reservations were recommended and that they were booked until 1:30. We didn't find that out until we went *back* to try to have brunch. We settled for a pastry and 1/2 price champagne cocktails at Scholar's Inn (where we laughed about the seafood surprise "specials".)

IMA Revokes Puck's Exclusive Catering Contract

IBJ reported today that the Indianapolis Museum of Art has revoked Puck's contract for exclusive catering to IMA events. The museum sent has notified Puck's and sent letters to 10 local caterers to "gauge interest" in catering events for the museum. Puck's will continue to operate the museum restaurant and cafe. Museum executive director says a "handful" of companies will be selected to cater future events -- and for those who have events at the museum to use.

Tidbits Tidbits Tidbits

Puck's Out at IMA? Possibly. Based on an article in a recent IBJ, the museum eatery was late on a catering assignment for the museum two weeks ago and the IMA has put them on notice that they may terminate their contract. Puck's denies there was a problem, but it may be that museum officials are looking for reasons to get out of their relationship with the expensive enterprise. Rumor has it that the restaurant has been losing money (or not making minimums) for months and the museum has paid extensive sums to fulfill contract commitments. It's no surprise the restaurant's location and pre-packaged meals fresh from their corporate center haven't been a draw for diners or chefs. Word is that several caterers in the city are eager to take over the IMA's event contracts. Look for some changes in the next few months.

Hardesty Represents! Star columnist Susan Guyett reported Sunday that Element's chef Greg Hardesty will represent Indianapolis in the annual Taste of the NFL in Florida on Superbowl Sunday. Chefs representing NFL team cities prepare a tasting sample every year for this hunger relief charity event. Hardesty will prepare 3000 portions of carpaccio with Fischer Farms beef and Trader's Point Creamery cheese.

The Chef's Academy: I recently spent two afternoons with Chef Tony Hanslits, director of culinary education for the new Chef's Academy on East Washington downtown. The state-of-the-art new facility is setting a new bar for full-time culinary students and will be ramping up their next classes and pastry program in the coming weeks. If you get a chance to visit their school, part of the Indiana Business College, make sure you do!

Sometimes It's the Small Things: Hey, did you notice? Sunflower Market finally put handles on their paper bags! Paper bags lugged the old fashioned way was my least favorite part of this quick little market. Thanks!

There's Always a Catch: While I love R Bistro, I find my opportunities more limited each time they send out one of their menu announcements. On New Year's Eve, they made it clear they would be asking people from the first seating to leave if they delayed the next round of diners. Now for Valentine's Day, they've announced a special menu but with the caveat -- two-tops only! Since I almost always dine in larger groups -- with or without a date, it sounds like we'll be skipping RBistro on Wednesday, February 14.