The Next Course

IN A YEAR OF GRAND OPENINGS, T H E S E 1 0 N E W R E S TA U R A N T S (AND YES, SOME FOOD TRUCKS, TOO) ROSE TO THE TOP OF THEIR CLASS.

by Terry Kirts, Trisha Lindsley, and Julia Spalding type illustrations by Mary Kate Devitt

/ L AT E H A R V E S T K I TC H E N / // THE NEXT COURSE //

8605 River Crossing, 663-8063, lateharvestkitchen.com

at a time when the Super Bowl’s magnetic pull was filling downtown with ambitious startups, Late Harvest settled quietly into its northside slot. Within months of the November opening, Ryan Nelson’s handsome lumberjack of a restaurant had us hooked on ruggedly luxe fare, like hulking, bacon-topped hash browns, housemade kielbasa with mustard spaetzle, and meaty short ribs hunkered over rootvegetable risotto—an elegant pot roast. Just mentioning the word “brandade” in certain gastro-nerd circles would trigger testimonials, reverent descriptions of salted cod and fresh cod poached in cream, pureed, and broiled until the top of it goes crisp—served with toasted brioche for scooping. Zipline? What zipline?

Granted, people knew who Nelson was.

The former executive chef at downtown’s Oceanaire had been talking up his idea of “fine dining with the accessibility of a neighborhood restaurant” ever since leaving his high-profile corporate-kitchen post last year. The Minneapolis transplant—an avowed white-wine drinker with a passion for hockey—seems to have found his restaurant soulmate. Though deliciously thought-out and well-presented, these are rustic dishes that make you want to roll up your sleeves and dig in. All arrangements of beiges and browns, with not a squeeze bottle’s squiggle in sight. “I wish we would have done this years ago,” says Nelson, whose wife, Laurie, serves as the restaurant manager.

Better late than never, Late Harvest rises to the top of this year’s freshman class, showing us that exploring new territory doesn’t have to take us too far from the comforts of home.

Pork chop with butter beans and bacon marmalade

>> SIMILAR TASTES

Fans of pitch-perfect surf and turf always have the fallback lushness of Peterson’s (7690 E. 96th St., Fishers, 598-8863, petersonsrestaurant.com), especially in its tender osso buco, and row of seared Maine Diver scallops with alternating disks of apple tuille on a bed of risotto > Sporting dark paneling and Germanic robustness, The Rathskeller (401 E. Michigan St., 636-0396, rathskeller.com) pioneered the civilized rustic theme.

Oxtail is listed among the soups, and the sides include spaetzle, red cabbage, and warm potato salad.

French fry salad atop beef carpaccio

SIDE STORY

THE CAVIAR PIE at LATE HARVEST KITCHEN Ryan Nelson’s favorite item looks elaborate: a wedge of cream cheese topped with stripes of caviar on a plate scattered with capers, red onions, and fluffed egg. Nelson adapted the recipe from a chef he once worked with, and has used the combination of savory cream and salty roe as a quick home-entertaining fallback. “I’ll get a jar of creme fraiche and dump it out, and then dump a jar of small krill on top of that and throw out some crackers or chips,” Nelson says. “It’s as good as it gets, as far as I’m concerned.” Late Harvest presses the combination into a tart pan and lets it shore up overnight.

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RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

“

I GUESS I’M MOST PROUD THAT PEOPLE ARE TRYING NEW THINGS. >>Ryan Nelson

”

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/BLACK MARKET/ // THE NEXT COURSE //

922 Massachusetts Ave., 822-6757, blackmarketindy.net

>> SIMILAR TASTES

Regina Mehallick set the standard for elegant locavore cuisine one block over at R Bistro (888 Massachusetts Ave., 423-0312, rbistro. com) > Farm-to-table fans can dine in a funky restored service station mere feet from bins of fruits and veggies at Locally Grown Gardens (1050 E. 54th St., 255-8555, locallygrown gardens.com), or head directly to the farm at The Loft Restaurant at Traders Point Creamery (9101 Moore Rd., 733-1700) > The Local Eatery and Pub (14655 Gray Rd., Westfield, 218-3786, localeatery andpub.com) made local eats accessible and fun with lamb burgers and a killer poutine.

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Duck buns with hoisin mustard

with exposed-brick walls, raw wood beams suspended above the bar, and bell-shaped lamps that look like they could be lighting a henhouse, Black Market feels like the most stylish barn you’ll ever dine in. But the black-topped bar and skinny-legged chairs are all uptown, as is the vibe at this clever collaboration by Ed Rudisell and Micah Frank. The owners themselves are a study in contrasts: the gregarious front-of-the-house man already with one smash hit (Fountain Square’s Siam Square) and the quiet, methodical chef who honed his skills at nearby R Bistro. No wonder this Mass Ave eatery, with the chummy communal tables that never seem forced, already feels like it has been here for years.

Frank’s menu hearkens to days of home butchering, when no part of an animal was wasted and pickles were “put up” for winter. His refreshingly whimsical “cocktail” of tender beef tongue dressed with silky cottage cheese, crisp potato chips, and a bracing shower of grated horseradish helped garner Frank a mention as one of Food & Wine’s “People’s Best New Chefs” for the Great Lakes region. Entrees such as fall-off-the-bone rabbit with homey housemade dumplings, apples, and roasted root vegetables demonstrate how Frank is pushing timid, steak-loving Hoosiers toward lesser-known meats sensibly balanced with hearty side dishes—unpretentious fare that rarely panders.

/THE LIBERTINE/

38 E. Washington St., 631-3333, libertineindy.com for sheer wow factor and Super Bowl shout-outs from Tom Colicchio, no place did more this past year to put Hoosier food and drink on the map than Neal Brown’s temple to vintage mixology and small-plate cuisine. “Katy Perry DJ’ed here” might long be this hip draw’s claim to fame. But Brown earned the ovation long before the red carpet rolled out.

Every detail—lamp-lit tree branches sprouting from the back wall, cubbyholes filled with jars of housemade potions—seems bent toward the pure, unadulterated pleasure the bar’s name implies. The Libertine’s old-meets-new cocktails, mixed by barkeeps in vests and rolled sleeves, set a new standard with their herbal undertones, fresh-squeezed juices, and gorgeous garnishes. Recent star elixirs include the Gun in the Glove-

box, a smooth mix of spiced rum and Cocchi vermouth, and the Gaslight, an old-fashioned charmer with bourbon, bitters, maple, and a floating lime wedge set aflame.

Chef de cuisine Erin Till proves her muster at coining cleverly decadent bar snacks and heartier fare, including sumptuous duck meatballs atop springy gnocchi flecked with herbs, all crowned with a single, jewel-like egg yolk. If you want your eggs cooked, Till takes deviled eggs to new heights with smoked fish and caviar. A constantly evolving menu with sincere vegetarian and sustainable seafood offerings, as well as Lindy Brown’s expert wine list and plenty of local brews, makes this place both the one to impress out-of-town friends and to call your regular downtown haunt.

>> SIMILAR TASTES

To experience some speakeasy decadence (and that famous shrimp cocktail), climb the stairs to St. Elmo Steak House’s second-story 1933 Lounge (127 S. Illinois St., 635-0636, stelmos. com) > Sazeracs and Chartreuse Swizzles are among the classic pours at Ball and Biscuit (331 Massachusetts Ave., 636-0539, ballandbiscuit.com), paired with Chef Brad Gates’s small plates > Vodka drinkers flock to Tini (717 Massachusetts Ave., 384-1313).

Deviled eggs

Artichoke fritters

A riff on chicken and waffles, with pate and spiced maple syrup

SIDE STORY

THE GNOCCHI at THE LIBERTINE Chef Erin Till started the “Gnocchi Program” at Pizzology while she was Neal Brown’s chef de cuisine at the popular Carmel pizzeria. She researched the classic Italian dumplings, practiced several recipes, wrote the specials, and made the dumplings herself every week. “It was my special project, and I spent a great deal of time perfecting my recipe,” she says. You can taste the fruits of her labors in tender, delicate gnocchi with just the right amount of bite.

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/ROOM FOUR/

// THE NEXT COURSE //

4907 N. College Ave., 925-7529, recessindy.com

SIDE STORY

THE CANDY BAR COOKIE at ROOM FOUR Originally, Greg Hardesty wanted to serve candy bars as the exclusive dessert at Room Four. People never just sit down and enjoy that candy freak sensation, he felt. But after stocking up, he noticed that no one was buying them. Not wanting the bars to go to waste, he crushed them, mixed them into cookie dough, and offered fresh-from-the-oven cookies for dessert one night. They were such a hit that, while the Room Four menu changes daily, candy bar cookies are always available.

/SENSU/ 225 S. Meridian St., 536-0036, sensuindy.com

in a roughly 500-squarefoot space that opened in June next to sibling fixed-price restaurant Recess, owner Greg Hardesty’s team doles out twists on global and Hoosier fare, like a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, heartily prepared with extra fried pork, and a Mexicaninspired pork carnitas tortilla soup with avocado, queso fresco, and cilantro.

Hardesty, who got his start more than 20 years ago at the now-shuttered Glass Chimney, serves up clean-tasting, boldly textured foods in this, his fourth restaurant. As each dish arrives, Hardesty reminds us that comfort food doesn’t have to be predictable.

What impresses you first is the intricate layering of flavor—with sauces that are so good, you want to tilt the bowl to get every drop. Standout starters have included a crisp and buttery seared moonfish nestled in a pool of Maggi pan sauce, and crisp browned salmon cake that comes topped with a bright Meyer lemon sauce and crowned with a tussle of arugula. Notable among the entrees is a Fischer Farms cheeseburger that combines burliness with creaminess on a crusty sesame roll.

A hunky breaded skate-wing sandwich with avocado, pickled jalapeños, and pepper-jack cheese comes with a justlike-Mom’s elbow macaroni salad and represents everything irresistible about Hardesty’s playful style.

>> SIMILAR TASTES

o one visits sensu on a Saturday night for a quiet meal. This downtown restaurant-nightclub treats dining the way Vegas traditionally does: as an excuse to get dolled up, drink, dance, and maybe share a light bite or two.

Restaurateur Jeremiah Hamman (of Mo’s ... A Place for Steaks, Detour—An American Grille, and Mo’s Irish Pub in Noblesville), creates eye candy with his chic, 15,000–square-foot Jetsons-modern space. Along one wall, huge plasma screens stream a trippy loop of anything from wine splashing to foliage scenes. The lower level buzzes with thumping beats and bumping bodies—among them, a fair share of scantily clad 30-something women and men in tight black T-shirts. Meanwhile, the most surprising thing about Sensu is the food served upstairs: It’s actually great. For dinner service, a young and distracted hostess on the downstairs level radios up to a manager donning a wireless headset to find out if a table’s ready. Guests are escorted up a curvy black staircase and directed to high-backed, curvaceous banquettes, or front-and-center tables against the railing, the prime spot for taking it all in.

Sensu’s refined pan-Asian fare is clean-cut and extraordinarily poised, with more than a dozen maki rolls and several hot and cold sharable dishes. Standout starters include roasted shishito peppers drizzled with a ginger-infused yuzu vinaigrette and rock shrimp tempura with a creamy, spicy sauce. Among the larger shared plates, caramelized black cod with a melt-in-your-mouth white miso sauce should not be skipped, even at $28 for the nibble. The crab-and-shiitake-crusted filet mignon, served with hoisin jus and wasabi mashed potatoes, sounds like too much of a good thing, but the assemblage is so skillful, you won’t mind.

>> SIMILAR TASTES

While Hamman and his team may have glitzed up the formula, they aren’t the only ones dishing out polished Asian-inspired fare. H2O Restaurant & Sushi Bar (1912 Broad Ripple Ave., 254-0677, h2osushibar.com) is a favorite due to starters like the bright, clean tuna tartare served with wonton chips > Bu Da Lounge (148 E. Market St., 822-8522, budalounge.com) wows downtowners with its cigar-bar swankiness and sauced-up, Western-style rolls, like the Hot Blonde with tuna, Sriracha, and jalapeño > Naked Tchopstix (6253 N. College Ave., 552-5555, tchopstix.com) is our go-to spot for octopus salad and flaming sushi > Winner’s Circle Pub, Grille & OTB (20 N. Pennsylvania St., 656-7223, hoosierpark.com/winnerscircle) serves those roasted sweet Shishito peppers.

Salmon sashimi

Other scaled-down epicurean spots include Northside Social (6525 N. College Ave., 253-0111, northsidesocial. com), which prepares its mac ’n’cheese with bacon, pancetta, and prosciutto > Taste Cafe (5164 N. College Ave., 925-2233, tastecafeandmarketplace. com) serves approachable gourmet > Oakleys Bistro (1464 W. 86th St., 824-1231, oakleysbistro.com) keeps us entertained with upscale versions of (shrimp) corndogs and (goat cheese and fig marmalade) pizza.

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// THE NEXT COURSE //

/ C H E F J O S E P H ’ S AT T H E CONNOISSEUR’S ROOM/ 115 E. Ohio St., 600-3577, chefjosephs.com in the category of new restaurant venue that has revitalized a chef’s talents, Chef Joseph’s definitely wins this year’s award.

But what chef wouldn’t shine in this clubby, brick-and-mahogany throwback to the mid-century glory days of executive dining? A sleek granite bar behind a brass rail might just inspire you to lounge on a crushed-velvet banquette and enjoy a three-martini lunch. When Joseph Heidenreich’s former employer Agio closed last August, this onetime up-and-coming culinary wizard quickly found a new showcase for his talents, reminding local diners he’s still got plenty of tricks hidden under his toque. Now he’s plating up such dainty jewels as puff pastry empanadas plump with duck and goat cheese

and lacquered in a scarlet tomato jam, and crispy stuffed artichoke hearts budding in a pool of red-pepper jelly.

These are the kind of fine touches Heidenreich was known for when he made a splash at Circle Centre’s California Cafe in the mid-’90s, and they have already made customers clamor for owner John Mays to open the restaurant and lounge for dinner Thursday through Saturday. With live music, wine events, and cabaret nights, Chef Joseph’s has restored a bit of the joie de vivre and formality that has been lost in contemporary dining. Think about the last time you dressed up for lunch or made dinner your entire evening’s entertainment. Then head here.

>> SIMILAR TASTES

For the sheer luxury of hotel dining, stop in for a martini and a plate of Dover sole at Turner’s at the Canterbury Hotel (123 S. Illinois St., 634-3000, canter buryhotel.com) > Dine by a stately fireplace with arched windows overlooking Delaware Street at The Villa Inn Restaurant (1456 N. Delaware St., 916-8500, thevillainn.com) > Or linger over a beggar’s purse or pecan-crusted chicken salad at Kelties (110 S. Union St., Westfield, 867-3525, kelties.com).

Seafood bisque

Bacon-andcambozola quesadilla

SIDE STORY

THE CASSOULET at CHEF JOSEPH’S A decadent cassoulet with plenty of locally sourced comestibles came about during a bourbon-tasting in the main bar that was attended by Andy Cochran of Smoking Goose. Chef Joseph Heidenreich consulted with him on the subject of cassoulet and came away with this recipe for a spin on the classic French white-bean dish, with duck confit, bacon from Smoking Goose, and smoked Viking Lamb sausages.

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X /EGGSHELL BISTRO/ 51 W. City Center Dr., Carmel, 660-1616, eggshellbistro.com

Parisian Toast

>> SIMILAR TASTES

Other gilded bistros were working their magpie charms long before Eggshell Bistro made its debut.

Petite Chou (14390 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel, 566-0765; 823 Westfield Blvd., 259-0765; cafepatachou. com) sparks a craving for crepes and broken yolk sandwiches in a dining room that looks like Martha Hoover’s Pinterest board > The brunch crowd gravitates to Good Morning Mama’s (1001 E. 54th St., 255-3800, goodmorningmamas. com) for innovative breakfast-tobrunch fair in a brightly refurbished car repair shop. We love the Hoosierfied Hawaiian Loco Moco with cheesy grits and sausage gravy, and the blueberry pancakes.

The Quintessential Quiche

where the prevailing theme in restaurant design calls for dark paneled walls and Scandinavian noir, Larry Hanes’s playful gastro-cafe goes into the light. Marble bistro tables and vintage metal Tolix chairs imported from France are arranged against floorto-ceiling windows. Battered Orangina signs, old hotel china, loads of salvaged subway tile, and a magnificent 1950s manual Italian Gaggia espresso machine have all come here to retire in style. How could you not start your day properly in such a setting?

The menu is equally quaint, short and sweet, with a focus on brunch. The lineup includes truffled egg brioche (a buttery slab of bread with fontina and chopped asparagus), and sweet potato hash studded with chorizo and black beans, served with a dollop of lime-zested creme fraiche. A Bistro Salad topped with warm Capriole goat cheese and a Chinese herbal tea egg redolent of cinnamon and star anise is a work of culinary art.

The only restaurant in the Midwest to carry the coveted Blue Bottle Coffee out of San Francisco, Eggshell takes coffee-making seriously. The menu calls out two coffee blends, two single-origin coffees, a roster of Hayes Valley espresso drinks, and two iced coffees (one of them the sweet, potent “New Orleans,” mixed with chicory and topped with raw sugar and organic whole milk) brewed by way of a 14-hour slow-drip process. There is no mention of flavorings or syrups, no fripperies of whipped cream or chocolate. No free refills, either. So don’t ask.

Just enjoy it while it lasts.

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/DIVVY/ // THE NEXT COURSE //

71 W. City Center Dr., Carmel, 706-0000, divvycarmel.com

Ostrich tartare

>> SIMILAR TASTES

Small-plate dining has taken off in Indy, but people have been sharing plates for a while here. They just called it “ordering off of the bar menu.” Meridian Restaurant & Bar (5694 N. Meridian St., 466-1111, meridianonmeridian.com) has an intriguing lineup of nibbles such as roasted beets and spiced popcorn > The happy hour menu at The Oceanaire (30 S. Meridian St., 955-2277, theoceanaire. com) ranges from crab cake bites to luscious shrimp and grits > The wafer-thin flatbreads at Palomino Restaurant & Bar (49 W. Maryland St., 974-0400, palomino.com) pair nicely with GNO beverages.

Chef Richelle Rider

Scallop Rockafellas

using the term “American tapas,” the airy, modern eatery that brought shared plates to Carmel City Center steers a course straight through all of the major food trends. The cured pork fetish is represented in wonton-wrapped pigs in a pocket; andouille sausage with apple butter; and little hunks of pork belly sauced with cranberry-cherry chutney on bamboo picks. You will find comfort food with a swagger: lobster-flecked mac ’n’ cheese; creamed corn that has been bruleed and topped with red sea salt; and fried biscuits with apple butter and mango marmalade. Also, clever updates of classic cocktails (Elderflower Gimlet and Maker’s Mark Maple Manhattan) and far-out meats (lamb latkes, buffalo burgers, ostrich tartare). Through it all, Divvy has loads of fun with the sharables theme. Some of the small plates are eloquent. Some are a little weird. All of them are playful.

Owner Kevin Rider—a champion of the Carmel Arts & Design District who got in on the ground level in 1998 when he opened Woodys Library Restaurant on Main Street—joins forces with his wife, Richelle, a former chef at Scholars Inn, at this wildly popular newcomer.

SIDE STORY

THE CORN CREME BRULEE at DIVVY Owner Kevin Rider and his wife, Richelle, spent years traveling the country and eating at restaurants. The result is the Divvy menu, a condensed version of all of their favorite dishes that they sampled during their travels. The creamed corn brulee, in which a ramekin of jalapeño-spiked creamed corn is sprinkled with sugar and torched on top, is a marriage between a dish they tried at a funky small-plate restaurant in Chicago and a jalapeño creamed corn recipe that Richelle served at Scholars Inn.

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/BRU BURGER BAR/

410 Massachusetts Ave., 635-4278, bruonmass.com there is only one proper way to eat a hamburger at Bru Burger Bar, Mass Ave’s crowd-pleasing paean to ground beef in all its embellished glory. And that way is not proper at all. Shredded lettuce tumbles out before the thing is even lifted off its plate. Cheeks become smeared with house-made sauces and gobs of aioli, and streaks of meat juices run down the arms. Things get very messy, very quickly.

Conservatively decorated in American-brewpub dark woods and russet tones, Cunningham Restaurant Group’s latest creation has picked up the scent of the gourmet burger trend that caught fire when Southern California’s Umami Burger started exploring the Japanese “fifth taste”— savory—using hamburger as its vehicle, three years ago. Bru Burger, like its Cunningham forebears Mesh on Mass, Stone Creek Dining Company, and

Boulder Creek Dining Company, took off at full speed. Make no mistake; Cunningham runs its restaurants with a corporate snap-to-it. Dishes tend to be the kind that appeal to wide swathes of diners—tamed and safe.

But hats off to whatever focus group came up with Bru’s signature threemeat grind of sirloin, chuck, and brisket, and genius topping combinations like Porter-onion gravy with Swiss cheese. Or, in the case of the signature Bru Burger, taleggio cheese with bacon, tomato jam, and caramelized onions. Factor in a handful of entree salads, a respectable lineup of craft beers, and a stellar ice cream–topped Peach Cobbler White Chocolate Bread Pudding (yes, that’s all one dessert), and it’s no wonder the tables fill up fast.

Apparently, the people behind Bru Burger knew that good burgers never go out of style. And, thankfully, neither do sweatpants.

The Provencal

>> SIMILAR TASTES

Burger connoisseurs rally behind their favorite patties, perhaps none more beloved than the crispyedged standards at Workingman’s Friend (234 N. Belmont Ave., 636-2067) > At MacNiven’s Restaurant & Bar (339 Massachusetts Ave., 632-7268, macnivens.com), the Angus Burger spans the entire plate, wide and flat like a Frisbee. Fold it twice, like hamburger origami, to make it fit the bun > Those who like their burgers thick and artfully garnished will find bliss in the dozen-plus one-third–pound varieties at Boogie Burger (1904 Broad Ripple Ave., 255-2450, boogieburger.com) and in the hand-pattied creations at Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream (210 W. Main St., Carmel, 706-2827, bubsburgersandicecream.com).

Peach Cobbler White Chocolate Bread Pudding MAY 2012 | IM 61

1058 Virginia Ave., 423-2421 peruvian food, a culinary mash-up of that country’s Spanish, African, Chinese, Japanese, French, and Italian influences, could not have more exotic roots. But dishes like aji de gallina, shredded chicken in a creamy, nutty white sauce over a single lengthwise slice of potato, and seco de res, a deconstructed beef stew plated with rice and beans, feel almost homespun at Fountain Square’s tiny Mama Irma Restaurant. That has a lot to do with owner Hilda Cano, who moved from Lima to the United States at age 10 and acts as if her 10-table dining room is her own home. Petite and perky, with short-cropped hair and an endearing smile, Cano shouts a warm welcome from the back of the room when new customers walk in the door: “Hi guys!” And she wants to make them happy. “Guys, if you don’t like what you ordered, just let me know and I will make you something else.”

We have never taken her up on that offer.

To the unacquainted, the menu is deep and mysterious, with descriptions that don’t even begin to give these complex dishes full justice. Fortunately, servers are patient, wise, and always ready with spot-on recommendations. We owe a debt of gratitude to the one who first pointed us in the direction of the tacu tacu, a plate-spanning rice-and-bean cake that has a core of sliced steak and peppers. Having tasted that, we never wanted to order anything else, though fortunately we did. Seafood, a coastal Peruvian staple, gets a lot of love here, most spectacularly in the form of a light seafood bisque, in which bits of potato, boiled egg, and cobs of starchy Peruvian corn bob around the hunks of fish and shrimp. Every slurp holds a hint of exotica. Simpler seafood presentations include an elegant hunk of poached tilapia in a deep-red sauce of blended tomatoes, onions, and wine.

The spicing is subtle in some dishes, striking in others, but always precise. Sometimes the combination of ingredients challenges our middle-American notions. When was the last time you had chilled, spiced mashed potatoes molded around chicken salad? But dishes assembled with such care and presented so lovingly can grow on you and become familiar. As Indy’s ethnic food scene expands and (hopefully) fills in all of our international cracks, Mama Irma gives us a place to call home.

Chupe de camarones (shrimp chowder)

>> SIMILAR TASTES

Peruvian restaurant Machu Picchu (5236 W. 38th St., 388-8696) keeps lunchtime regulars hooked on spicy aji dipping sauce and a perpetually fresh rotation of ceviches > World diners have options along the 38th Street corridor, from the injeras of Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant (5352 W. 38th St., 299-0608, abyssiniarestaurant.com) to the soothing phos of Saigon Restaurant (4760 W. 38th St., 927-7270, saigonrestaurantindy.com) > Recently, Virginia Avenue has emerged as a world-cuisine borough as well. Tortas Guicho Dominguez y el Cubanito (641 Virginia Ave., 658-0735, tortasguicho.com) specializes in oversized Mexican sandwiches named after Latin American celebrities, and empanada fans get their fix at Esperanza’s Kitchen (1026 Virginia Ave., 644-0509).

SIDE STORY

THE PESCADO A LO MACHO at MAMA IRMA RESTAURANT Owner Hilda Cano’s recipe for this rich seafood soup was adapted from the version her mother (the Mama Irma) used to cook for the family in Peru. Cano has had to make some adjustments due to the local scarcity of some Peruvian chile peppers. “In order for me to get all of the spices together for the base of it, I prepare it with dehydrated red peppers,” Cano says. “It still has a kick to it.”

PESCADO A LO MACHO PHOTO BY STACY NEWGENT

// THE NEXT COURSE //

/MAMA IRMA R E S TA U R A N T /

“

PERUVIAN INGREDIENTS ARE HARD TO FIND HERE. I GO TO CINCINNATI AND NEW JERSEY IN ORDER TO GET THEM. >>Hilda Cano

”

. /THE FOOD TRUCKS/ did you think we could write a roundup of this year’s culinary new arrivals and not mention the food trucks? Not when every week, some new brightly painted box van was tweeting its whereabouts, offering everything from gourmet mac ’n’ cheese to Korean burritos. But let’s be honest, not all food trucks were created equal. If we are going to stand in line for lunch, outside, in all kinds of weather, with not a table in sight ... well, then the food had better be good.

The trucks that held up their end of that deal (following in the tire tracks of last year’s Duo’s and West Coast Tacos) include Scratch Truck, which assembles a grilled cheese with red-wine–braised short rib, caramelized onions, and arugula that spawns midday cravings, and a banana pudding featuring a single Pepperidge Farm cookie in place of the vanilla wafer. The portable Indian food at Spice Box, and Seoul Grill’s spicy pork tacos will flush us out of the office faster than the ice cream truck. We love Some of This! Some of That!, especially on days when it serves catfish po’ boys with red beans and rice. We also praise Taco Lassi for (finally) bringing a decent fried-fish taco to town.

Keep on truckin’.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC LUBRICK AND TONY VALAINIS