Friday, February 24, 2012
Special Events We Are City launches with 'A Matter of Taste'
Posted by Jim Poyser on Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 11:03 AM
- IUPUI executive chef Nate Jackson leads a discussion in the Nourish Cafe following a We Are City screening.
The documentary was called A Matter of Taste, a fascinating film that followed the ups and downs of a New York City chef.
Afterward, a panel was convened for conversation, including co-presenter Michael Kaufmann of the Health and Hospital Corporation of Indiana and special guests Becky Hostetter of Duos mobile kitchen, Cynthia Wilson of Kountry Kitchen and Neal Brown of The Libertine and Pizzology.
After this lively conversation, "action tables" were formed in Nourish Cafe at the IMA, courtesy of We Are City co-presenter Anne Laker of the IMA.
Attendees listened and mingled for well over an hour talking about food from a social justice and city-identity point of view.
Next event is a bicycle documentary, On My Own Two Wheels, in March.
With My Own Two Wheels Trailer from Jacob SB on Vimeo.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Bratwurst prevails in Super 46 sandwich battle
Posted by Scott Shoger on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 4:00 PM
The bratwurst bested the Rock Cola 50s Cafe's Mile High Club in the finals. Schnitzelbank owner Allen Hanselman reports that bratwurst demand was high this month; the restaurant went through 100 pounds of bratwurst per week (about 500 to 600 links), as opposed to the usual January allocation of 30 pounds per week. The bratwursts are served with sauerkraut and red slaw atop rye bread or a soft pretzel.
The entire list of 46 sandwiches may be accessed at Super46.com. The Super 46 contest was created by the Indiana Office of Tourism, the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee and Emmis Communications.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Slideshow: Second Helpings' Souper Bowls
Posted by Stacy Kagiwada on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 3:30 PM
Slideshow
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Sunday alcohol sales: I can drink to that
Posted by Justin Cross on Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 12:00 PM
It's a lazy Sunday afternoon. You're watching football or a movie. You and your friends or significant other could go for an adult beverage right about now. Only one small problem... you live in Indiana and alcohol sales are prohibited.
Indiana is one of a handful of states that don't allow Sunday carry-out sales of alcoholic beverages (for the others, check out Wikipedia's list of state-by-state alcohol laws). And, it's definitely not from a lack of tasty beers around our great state.
There is a recent push to allow the sale of Indiana-brewed beers on Sunday. Members of the "Alliance of Responsible Alcohol Retailers" will ask lawmakers to amend the state's liquor laws during the upcoming legislative session. Past attempts at legalizing Sunday alcohol sales have failed.
The Hoosier state loses an estimated $9 million a year in tax revenue to alcohol sales in neighboring states.
With a large crowd of partygoers here for Super Bowl activities, beer will be in high demand. For a short time, booze sales and Sunday will coexist: The law has been relaxed ever so slightly in Indianapolis for Super Bowl Sunday. The changes that will bring the greatest joy to most visiting patrons are the available sales of alcohol the Sunday prior to the Super Bowl and of course the day of the big game.
But please be on your best behavior. If all goes well with the two Sunday sales, maybe you too can soon buy a nice cold beer on your lazy Sunday afternoon in Indiana.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Special Events Review: Caramel Apple Festival
Posted by Paul F. P. Pogue on Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 7:00 AM
Caramel Apple Festival, Tuttle Orchards, Sept. 10
4 stars
Autumn! Best time of year if you ask me. Boiling hot days receding into the background, not yet freezing cold, fresh fruit in the air, Halloween just around the corner and the kickoff to the holiday season. Brings out the youth in all of us.
And the Caramel Apple Festival at Greenfield's Tuttle Orchards on Saturday was the ideal way to start it all off. All the best parts of being young at Halloween time, with the added bonus of coming a few weeks early. Tuttle Orchards strikes me as a place best visited with the young in tow. (I mean, really, who else looks at a caramel apple that's Nerds on one side and Oreo cookie on the other and thinks that's a good idea? Eight-year olds, that's who. And, erm, possibly me.) It was a fine opener to the Halloween season, with the promise of cider and pumpkins on weekends to come.
First off, the build-your-own caramel apple bar. I wasn't kidding about the candy Nerds. Or sprinkles. Or Heath bar. Really, if it's sweet and you can stick it to an apple, it's probably there. Alas, it was only a one-day thing, but everything else will be around the rest of the season, like the chance to pick your own bucket of apples at 85 cents a pound, which combines family fun, fresh fruits and a price that is, quite frankly, half of what you'd pay at any local supermarket.
For maximum autumn fun, thought, the extensive children's play area comes approved by both my four-year-old and me. I loved their nicely constructed kid-sized hay-bale maze and corn-husk tunnels, and their corn maze is big but not so much so that you'll lose family members. Great fun indeed.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Markets & Cooking Dig-IN: Gastronauts delight in Sunday festival
Posted by Neil Charles on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 12:29 PM
With a blistering summer behind us, and an equally brutal week still to come, the weather gods must have been feeling kindly this weekend when they bestowed an almost perfect day on the Moto GP and our favorite food event, Dig-IN, held at White River State Park.
Eighty degrees, sunny and dry was the order of the day as five thousand hungry gastronauts strolled the grassy thoroughfares of this, the second iteration in what looks set to become an institution on the culinary calendar.
With thirty restaurants and an equal number of wineries and breweries displaying their wares, there was plenty to eat and drink. Another couple of dozen artisan vendors rounded things out, offering a vast array of gustatory delights, from maple syrup to bread to lamb and everything in between.
With the attendance as vast as it was, there were naturally some long lines. Longest of all was for Aaron Butts of Joseph Decuis, an Indiana destination restaurant that food lovers should visit at least once. Almost as long was the wait for Tallent’s restaurant from Bloomington, but there seemed to be few, if any complaints about any delays. Lines moved smoothly as hungry punters enjoyed the beautiful day.
Surprisingly, the shortest waits of all were for the beer and wine tents, which is no reflection at all on the generally high quality of the various offerings. In all, a great event, and an excellent introduction to Indiana’s culinary delights.
Slideshow
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Dining Out A celebration of Hoosier cuisine at Dig-IN
Posted by Matthew McClure on Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Food and drink aren’t the only things on the menu at this Sunday’s Dig-IN event at White River State Park. Leaders from the Indiana food community will be on hand to speak about a cornucopia of culinary topics.
Scott Hutcheson, economic development expert at Purdue, and Christine Barbour, IU professor and co-director of Slow Food Bloomington, will be at Dig-IN to discuss Home Grown Indiana, their heavily researched guide to the best sources of local food in Indiana.
“It’s easy to associate places like New York City with the foods it made famous,” Hutcheson says. “But aside from tenderloin sandwiches and sugar cream pie, neither Hoosiers nor the rest of the world has paid attention to foods that are truly part of Indiana culture. That has begun to change as more and more people are regaining an appreciation of what we can produce from our rich Indiana soils.”
Home Grown Indiana highlights the efforts of farmers and producers throughout the state, such as Medora-based Burton’s Maplewood Farm, a producer of 100% pure maple syrup that’s used by top chefs in Chicago, as well as Capriole Farms, a purveyor of award-winning goat cheese in Greenville.
Hutcheson cautions Hoosiers against taking their state’s natural resources for granted.
“We should all consider a longer term view as we make decisions about our economy, our environment and social equity,” he says. “Whether we are growing food, building new buildings or enacting public policies, we need to ask ourselves not only, is this good for us, but also, will this be good for our children and grandchildren?”
Dig-IN kicks off at noon and ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28. Hutcheson and Barbour are scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m. See Neil Charles' feature on Dig-IN.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Slideshow: 2011 Microbrewers Festival
Posted by Matt Market on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 9:00 AM
Slideshow
Monday, July 11, 2011
Beer & Wine ISF Brewers Cup winners announced
Posted by Rita Kohn on Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 3:00 PM
The 13th Annual Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup Competition, July 8 and 9, with 1,071 entrants became one of the largest U.S. craft beer competitions. Ninety nationwide judges tasted and rated brews in 23 main categories with 78 subcategories.
Newcomer Bier Brewery won the Brewers of Indiana Guild Champion Brewery trophy over runner-up Crown Brewery and third-place Upland.
Michael Pearson (Indianapolis) won Homebrewer of the Year for a second time (2008) with four first-place brews, narrowly defeating fellow MECA Brew Club member and best friend Bill Ballinger.
Upland's Persimmon Lambic Sour Ale won Professional Best of Show. Chris Ingermann (Muncie) won Homebrewer Best of Show.His winning recipe will be brewed and served at Broad Ripple Brew Pub.
Indiana's homebrew clubs featured their brews at the awards banquet in the State Fair's Farm Bureau Building.
All the gold, silver, bronze winning homebrew and professional beers will be on display in the Ball State Agriculture/ Horticulture Building during the Indiana State Fair, Aug. 5 – 21.
Full list of winners at www.Indianabeer.com and www.brewerscup.org
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