Bon Anniversaire to the venerable RBistro celebrating 8 years in business on Thursday. Celebrating seasonal ingredients, local when possible, and an ever-changing (like clockwork each week), RBistro is one of our independent success stories. Kudos for Regaina delivering consistently great food and making her concept work.
Lunch at RBistro: Had a lovely late lunch with pals, spring pasta, and a chat with Chef Regina herself. A perfect way to introduce spring. Get the big table by the window. And the chocolate cake.
Dante at the Royal Sonesta in Boston: While my hostess had a lovely neighborhood French bistro picked, we were too tired to trek out again in the weather. Lucky for us, we stumbled upon one of the best modern Italian meals I've had in a really long time. Yes, Virginia, there are waiters who will intelligently answer questions about every menu item and wine on the list. (He had tried every wine on the list we asked questions about.)
Sushi Feed at BuDa Lounge: Sure, they've been open for six weeks or so, but Monday night, Stephen and Binh gave their new "regulars" a treat with a sushi-feed welcome. Dirty Geisha's for everyone! Thanks for the Opening Night festivities.
Spent the early part of the week in a rainy Boston and am heading to points Texas and Oklahoma next week for work and a wedding. Posting may be a bit sparse, but you people will all be out in your gardens, right? Here are just a few tidbits you might find interesting as we cruise in the long holiday weekend. (Long for me, anyway. Viva la day off!)
* Local Food Podcasts: Too Many Cooks may be gone, but Chef Daniel Orr has teamed with WFIU public radio for a new podcast, Earth Eats. Each week, Chef Orr talks about seasonal recipes, local producers, and the bounties of Indiana.
*A Seder's Delight: Local blog Wolfsong Enterprises has changed its name to Wolfsong Diner and is still your go-to source for Kosher delights and reports on great Seders and other Jewish celebration meals.
*Chef's Alliance: Don't forget the Chef's Alliance dinner with some of central Indiana's best chefs next Sunday, April 19. including Dave Tallent, Karl Benko, Ryan Nelson, and Regina Mahallick. Alas, I will miss it as I'm out of town, but it's always a fine way to spend a Sunday night. (Maybe, I'll grab a cab from the airport for the afterparty.)
Chef Ryan Nelson sent the news over yesterday. He's schedule the 5th annual Chef's Alliance Dinner for Sunday, April 19 and put together a fantastic line-up. One of the best dinners of the year, this event is one night when local chefs partner to both celebrate food and raise money for the Riley Children's Foundation. Nelson organizes the dinner and hosts at the Oceanaire each year.
Who's cooking? Last year's line up returns with Chefs Greg Hardesty, Tony Hanslits (Chef's Academy), Eli and Nicole Anderson (H2O Sushi), Karl Benko, Regina Mehallick (RBistro), Marc Urwand and Deidra Henry (Taste Cafe) and, of course, Dave and Krissy Tallent (Restaurant Tallent). Book your space now. This dinner will sell out.
6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 19
$150 per person
For tix, call Sheryl Parks, 317.955.2277
Pre-Opera Dinner at Meridian: Yes, it's official, those plump, crunchy little chicken-fried Oysters Rockefeller are one of my favorite things ever. Honestly, they're practically a fine-dining version of boneless chicken wings. Just without the chicken. And without the wings. Pirates for everyone!
A Spoonful a Day: Not kidding when I feel like I've rediscovered maple syrup. The dark, sweet nectar from Burton Maplewood Farms is so good -- so dark, smoke-filled, and sweet -- I could eat it by the spoonful straight out of the bottle. Maybe I will.
Food o' the Irish: At RBistro, Regina's Irish menu satisfied everyone at our table, enough so that our San Francisco-based guests declared themselves delighted. The corned-beef hash (complete with fried egg), the lamb, the vegetables, and the potted crab (swimming in butter, the way God and the Brits intended.) It was all A terrific way to welcome wine auctioneer David Reynolds and his lovely wife to town for the Elegant Vintages International Wine Auction!
We all look for balance, right? Work versus eating versus blogging versus staying fit versus the energy to do it all. Hey, I'll admit, lately, those of you who aren't regular readers have taken a look at my posts and said "What a cranky bitch!" And hey, you'd be fair to say so. ('Cause I kind of am in the winter.) But last week, I had a chance to run into quite a few of you, and it's energizing! Here's a big shout out to the folks The Urbanophile and I ran into on Friday night at R Bistro! Thanks for the mad props. Also, thanks to all of you who rolled out for Pecha Kucha Indy Friday night. I *promise* next time I'll present something on food.
White Cheddar and Apple Bread Pudding at RBistro: The waiter came over and asked how we liked the dessert we'd decided to split. My friend paused with a spoonful of Regina's rich savoury/sweet cheese and apple bread pudding on the way to his mouth. "I'm beginning to regret my decision," he said. "That is, I'm beginning to regret that I didn't order my own."
Guac at Adobo: Someone recently complained to me that Adobo only serves their margaritas straight up in a martini glass. My answer: Have you tried asking them to serve them on the rocks? That's what I do and it works every time! (They don't have a blender behind the bar to make the crushed ice nightmares -- which is as it should be.) Guac and fish tacos were a perfect weeknight stop for a girls discussion group. Looking for a deal? Check their long list of drink and food specials -- I'm all about the $1 pastor and fish tacos, 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1/2 price margs on Thursday.
Lunch at Elements: OK, I *swear* I'm ordering something different next week. I can't blather on to you again about the skirt steak sliders. I can, however, say the tomato soup was perfect -- and as always the pork belly croque madame with the perfectly fried egg on top made me envious of my neighbors' plates.
Lunch at RBistro: Popped in to RBistro for lunch a week or two ago and was warmed from the inside out by a rich vegetable curry with rice. And I learned somthing: The sticky toffee pudding makes me smile. Seriously, try taking a bite of this signature dessert and see if you can't stop a huge grin from spreading across your face when you taste how decadently delicious it is.
Also next week, I wanted to mention Regina's upcoming beer pairing dinner at RBistro with local brewer Ted Miller's Brugge beers. While a lot of amateurs try to pair beer on a regular basis, few do it well. The key is still the food, and Regina delivers. Two missing beers are a bit disturbing -- chefs need to create menus with the beverage, so I'm not sure what's up with that. However, in less sure hands than Regina's, I'd be more worried. (It's one reason I always ask who's doing the pairings and whose wines or beers are involved before choosing which pairing dinners to attend.) All of that said, if you're still waiting to be convinced about beer and fine dining, this is one event that should help change your mind. Plus, Ted's Belgian-style beers are just terrific.
Amuse Bouche -- Potato Rosti with Crème Fraiche and Smoked Eel
Brugge White
First Course -- Mussel and Clam Soup with Oysters and Rouille
Brugge Black
Second Course -- Mixed Grill of Rabbit with Grilled Belgian Endive, Roasted Figs and Hazelnuts
Brugge Beer (YTBD)
Cheese Course -- Kirkham’s Lancashire Cow’s Milk Cheese & Vermont Shepherd Goat Cheese
Brugge Tripel de Ripple
Dessert --Dark Beer Ice Cream with an Apple Scone
Brugge Beer (YTBD)
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
6:30 PM
$65 per person inclusive
Call RBistro for reservations
Hey, kids! It's that summer time of year! The weather is beautiful, the gardens are in full harvest, family is visiting, and I'm making jams, jellies, confits, and stock for the winter. I'm just checking in today but will be back next week with a full schedule of chefs, restaurants, openings, closings and more. I'll still be away for the weekend, but consider the next few posts just an amuse bouche. Or maybe a first course. In the meantime, here's my three latest and best!
Missed RBistro's Farm-to-Table dinners last week and I've been dying to hear how the spit-roasted goat worked out! In the meantime, Slow Food Indy gears up for the next one -- a joint-chef effort at Apple Family Farms in McCordsville on Sept 14.
That was quick! I'd heard R Bistro's Slow Food Farm-to-Table dinner, Tuesday, August 19, was close to sold out but before I could check, Regina announced she'll be adding a second night, Wednesday, August 20.
From Regina: "Tuesday's dinner has sold out, and availability for Wednesday's dinner is limited (most of the seating is pre-reserved for those patrons placed on the Tuesday wait list). If you were originally on the Tuesday list, please let us know if Wednesday will work for you. The dress code for both dinners is casual, as we will be spending part of the night outside next to a spit-roasted goat."
Indianapolis area Farm-to-Table dinners are in full swing presented by many of the chefs heading to Terra Madre as part of our Slow Food delegation. Chef Thom England reports a huge success with his own dinner last week at Chateau Thomas. Tonight, Chef Christopher Eley (Goose, The Market) presents his sold-out dinner at the Good Life Farms. (We'll try to take some great pics.)
Hey, kids, it's the summer version of Indianapolis restaurant week. Starting today and running through June 15, most of the restaurants downtown have $30 prix fixe menus. It's a great way to try something outside your budget, or get a great deal at a place that's one of your favorites. We did a little preview last week and here are a few tips:
It's not hard to believe RBistro, one of Indy's top independent restaurants, has been going strong for seven years. The idea of a menu using local, seasonal ingredients and that changed every week was ambitious for its time. But Chef Regina Mehallick delivered -- and still does with consistency and quality building her restaurant into one always mentioned in the city's top five. She's also taken what could have been a very tough location and made it an anchor for galleries and other new food businesses on the far end of Mass Ave. Toques off to Regina for this terrific milestone! Go have some sticky toffee pudding to help her celebrate!
That last weekend in April is starting to look a little crazy! Not only is Thursday, April 24 Dine Out for Life night, but the rest of the weekend is a star-studded food and wine fest!
Last week, a few of us did a pre-Devour Downtown tour to check out the prix fixe $30 three-course menus a few local chefs will serve starting January 21. A few dishes were impressive, a couple were disappointing, and many we know will be fantastic. Based on what we've tasted so far, what the chefs have to say, and who we know will deliver, here are a few of my recommendations for restaurant week:
Ahh, took a few needed days off from blogging. Ran into a pack of fellow food folks at The Oceanaire Thursday night and also at Meridian. (Here's a big shout out to our fans at Bradley and Montgomery!)
Deadlines are fast approaching for holiday take-out orders from Oakleys and R. Bistro. If you order, try to make the deadlines for cutoffs and make sure you pick up on time.
**Oakleys Bistro is offering their usual scrumptious line of holiday offerings including Steve's signature butternut maple soup, stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, turkey chestnut gravy, cranberry chutney, and a special salad dressing. Call for pricing. Deadline for all orders is noon on Saturday. Pick-up on Wednesday.
**R.Bistro has two pies available for ordering for the holiday season -- Pumpkin Nutella (that sounds good!) and Coconut Custard. There's no information in the email about order deadlines for Thanksgiving, but call them to inquire. $20 per pie.
Yes, I admit it, I'm a geek. After making the mistake of eating a very late lunch on Friday, I wasn't very hungry at Middle Eastern Fest which is a real shame because everything -- from the baked kibbee to the baklava -- looked fantastic. I sampled a meat pie and had a feta cheese snack.
Saturday, feeling hungover (for no apparent reason other than a few glasses of wine on Friday night), I skipped out on the Broad Ripple Brew Fest and curled up on the couch with a huge batch of gorgeous fresh cherries from Marsh and the new Harry Potter book. I finished both by the end of the day.
Seeing as my weekend was pretty low-key, I thought I'd catch up on the three latest and best.
Cocktails at Mo's: Popped into Mo's for a quick pre-dinner drink last week and ran into all my favorite people from National Wine and Spirits including the fabulous Catherine LaCross and John James who reps Moet/Hennessey. Need champagne? John is the guy to know -- Moet, Veuve, Domaine Chandon, and Dom Perignon are all his brands. Good champagne was had by all!
Indiana Sweet Corn: My favorite ingredient right now is the beautiful sweet corn in high season! Corn risottos, corn soups, corn on the cob, and even last week, at Elements, Greg's chicken "schnitzel" on a bed of creamed corn. Oh, so good.
Lunch at RBistro Again! Had lunch at RBistro two days in a row last week and it was yummy as always. I'm so glad to see this slightly out of the way spot becoming a favorite with arts and city people alike. I did, of course, have my standard applewood bacon panini eating only half so I could have dessert.
Having OD'd last weekend on greasy, rich food, I had to take a break this week and stick to fresh, simple and delicious. With the bounty of summer, it wasn't hard.
