Table of contents for September 2020 in Indianapolis Monthly

If you had shown up to my house on a Saturday night when I was a teenager, chances are you were there for a slice of my dad’s homemade pizza. He typically had the makings of four or five pies, yet somehow he quietly served wave after wave of family, friends, and the uninvited. He was like Jesus feeding the multitudes, but with pepperoni and sausage. With a name like Rubino, you might think pizza-making was coded into his DNA. But Dad is as German as he is Italian, neither of his parents ever lifted a single anchovy, and he made his real dough as the president of a company that manufactured office furniture. Still, he is a great self-taught home chef, and his reputation as a genuine eye-talian pizza…

“Very cool to be one of the 200 Voices. Even cooler when I see how many other incredible people are part of the mix.”—LEAH NAHMIAS, via Twitter “I loved seeing Jeffrey Tompkins’s answer about the accessibility of city leaders here. It’s a thing that makes us special.”—BRANDON EVANS, via Twitter “So many great people on this cover.”—JONATHAN SCOTT, via Facebook “This is beautiful. Missing home a little more than usual today.”—ALDEN WOODS, via Twitter WHAT WORD DESCRIBES INDIANAPOLIS BEST AT 200? LOOK FOR OUR NEXT POLL ON TWITTER. FOLLOW US @INDYMONTHLY FOR DETAILS. 37% Hospitable. We live up to our reputation as great hosts. 19% Cautious. Always waiting for another city to try it first. 11% Scrappy. We never let our size or location limit our ambitions. 33% Segregated. The…

UNPLUG SOY CANDLES 12550 Promise Creek Ln., Fishers, 317-505-9000, unplugsoycandles.com DON’T MISS The three-wick wine boat ($40); later, refill or plant with succulents. WHEN JENNIFER STURGILL began making candles at home in 2015, she and her husband, Joe, never imagined that they would catch fire in the industry. By 2019, they were supplying 400 stores across 45 states from their Fortville storefront. They’ve already outgrown the space and recently moved into an airy studio in Fishers decorated like one big Instagram backdrop. Unplug uses pure soy wax, which has a lower melting point than traditional paraffin, translating to an 80-hour burn time for a standard 12-ounce candle. Environmentally friendly lead-free cotton wicks and natural fragrance oils create a clean burn without sacrificing ambience. The storefront is stocked with finished products…

NESTLED AT THE END of a long driveway, mature trees and blue skies flank this unique Carmel estate—a barn built in the 1880s that was converted into a spacious home about 50 years ago. The origins are still evident. The hearth room’s soaring vaulted ceiling retains its exposed, hand-hewn beams, and the entire post-and-beam construction was done with wooden pegs. Yet nothing about the space seems stuffy or aged. The owner loves how livable the home feels, and it’s clear that plenty of effort went into making it a cozy space to raise a family. She recalls standing in line at the grocery and seeing a photo of a fireplace at a home in Williamsburg—she knew right away that a larger version would be perfect for their hearth room, and…

“Keep Calm & Monocle On” is the motto Michael and Stacey Spencer chose for their Noblesville-based motorized food trolley, The Urban Artisan. The catchphrase fits the personality of a business that sells sandwiches with names like Tho Cocky Joe from the window of a vehicle with strong 19th-century vibes. “I took one look at the trolley and thought, There’s our food truck. We have to make it happen,” says Michael, who bought the 1985 trolley bus from a dealer in Peru, Indiana, rehabbed it, and outfitted it for food service. The menu includes popular sandwiches from the Spencers’ catering business of the same name, including a Chicago Italian beef and a pulled-pork Cuban with pepper jack, barbecue sauce, mango salsa, and sweet chili sauce. The trolley also offers scratch-made French…

Check out OAKLEYS BISTRO’s full description on page 142.…

LAST MARCH, as COVID-19 carved a path from the coasts to the Midwest, the Indiana Repertory Theatre was in the middle of a run of Murder on the Orient Express, the seventh entry in its nine-show season. “We were hoping we would be able to produce the final two plays of the season,” IRT managing director Suzanne Sweeney says. “Looking back, we were so naive.” IRT shut down Murder on the Orient Express on March 16. Its stages have been dark ever since. The company kept its staff employed for a few months thanks to cash reserves and a Paycheck Protection Loan, but when funds ran out in June, it furloughed its production team and half of its administrative employees. The dire circumstances the IRT finds itself in are not…

“I always do 400 degrees for six to eight minutes, depending on how thick it is.”Megan Jackson, baker at Bluebeard and Amelia’s “I have an air fryer/toaster that reheats pizza in two minutes and changes the texture of the dough. It’s gonna be gooey in the right parts and crispy (more caramelization than the first cook) on the edges. It’s a different meal than the first one. On pizza night, we always make the next day’s meal because reheating is so good.”Dilly Morse, owner of Knuckle Puck “I love it cold, but if I reheat, I get bougie with it and throw my pizza stone on the grill and get it really hot.”Susanne Ebacher-Grier, Ivy Tech chef instructor…

INCLUDES Beech Grove, Irvington 10th Street Diner VEGAN Surprisingly familiar and hearty plant-based takes on diner classics occupy the entire menu at this creative mother-son collaboration of Karen and Will Holmes. A painstaking rehab of a former pawn shop, complete with a side patio, provides a comfy backdrop for enjoying such tasty fakeouts as a gooey and satisfying seitan Reuben, a “chicken” pot pie, and house chili that rivals your favorite version con carne. Showstoppers include the many-layered lasagna with plenty of fresh veggies, a bright tomato sauce, and a tangy “cheese” concocted from tofu and cashews. A burrito plentifully stuffed with spicy soy “chorizo” is also a hit, as is a colorfully dressed arugula salad with pecans, apples, and cherries. 3301 E. 10th St., 463-221-1255 1718 Bates-Hendricks Housebar BAR…

On the 25th anniversary of Circle Centre (p. 11), our staff recalls the businesses there they miss most. “Doubleday Book Shop, where I worked part-time. I was off the night Michael Jackson came in after-hours and bought bags of books for his kids.”—MEGAN FERNANDEZ, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL OPERATIONS “California Pizza Kitchen. It was one of the few places to grab a bite downtown late at night when I first moved to Indy.”—TODD URBAN, DESIGN DIRECTOR “The short-lived but spectacularly named Cup of Corn.”—DANIEL COMISKEY, DEPUTY EDITOR “Nordstrom. But my wallet is happy it’s gone.”—LAURA KRUTY, SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR “I miss dancing into the wee hours at World Mardi Gras. At closing time, it was chaos as people crammed the escalators to the parking garages.”—JULIA SPALDING, DINING EDITOR…

CIRCLE CENTRE MISSED ITS MOMENT. When Mayor William Hudnut pitched the idea of a downtown mall to the Simon brothers in 1977, mallrats were a thriving breed. By September 1995, when Circle Centre opened, the indoor mall boom was over. BUT IT STARTED OUT PROMISING. In 1979, Melvin Simon & Associates unveiled a plan for a $100 million shopping mecca between Meridian Street and Capitol Avenue that would connect the two retail titans of downtown, L.S. Ayres & Co. and William H. Block Co. Hudnut saw Circle Centre as a crucial part of his vision for a vibrant downtown—along with a convention center, hotels, and a stadium for a potential NFL team. SO WHAT TOOK 16 YEARS? Property squabbles, funding shortages, and a recession in 1990. But buildings had already…

Quarantine life got you on edge? Experience the tranquility of a Zen garden in Kyoto without dealing with travel and, you know, people. Zen Fox Studio rock gardens, made in West Lafayette by artist Sarah Vrabely, come in a variety of sizes and styles, from more traditional to kooky-kawaii (crazy-cute). So when you feel yourself getting worked up, dial back down with this tabletop retreat. The 5-inch-square oasis offers the healing power of crystals and the subtle scent of lavender essential oil to ease your mind as you forge expletives into the sand with the included stylus. When done, embrace the Buddhist principle of life’s impermanence by simply raking over your work to create a new design. $32. zenfoxstudio.com…

YOU HAVE QUITE THE JEWELRY COLLECTION. I don’t leave home without wearing a cuff on each arm, statement earrings, rings on all of my fingers, and something around my neck. WHERE DID YOU FIND THOSE EARRINGS? I collect bones and process them—I made these myself. I’m a tribal member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, and I like to incorporate my heritage into my accessories line, Tribe 79. Culturally, we use feathers, bone, hide, antler, and fur on our dance regalia. WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO SHOP LOCALLY? I love thrifting and finding those diamond-in-the-rough pieces. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO MIGHT CALL YOUR STYLE OVER THE TOP? ‘Why, thank you!’…

You’re familiar with walk-in closets, so why not enjoy that same easy access in the bathroom? Curbless showers are trending in the design world, transforming bathrooms into unencumbered, modern spaces that should be at the top of your list if you’re remodeling to sell. Also called zeroentry showers, curbless means there’s no lip or pan to step into, and the area can be enclosed with glass panels or left completely open to the rest of the room. Cool looks aside, the design also offers peace of mind for those with mobility concerns, as it’s safer than having to step over an edge. Local remodeler and design studio A\co has seen a surge in the popularity of this style as clients revive their bathrooms. If you’re worried about water going everywhere,…

Making a meal from the fruit tartlets and elegant entremets at Gallery Pastry Shop has never been a chore. But now, owners Alison Keefer and Ben Hardy are gilding the lily in a savory way at their beautifully appointed downtown bar, brunch, and supper spot, Gallery Pastry Bar. Shimmering Moroccan-style lighting and exposed-brick walls provide a soothing patina for grabbing one of these breakfast croissants topped with honeycomb, or lounging later in the day over scallops, oysters, and bartender Corey Ewing’s coffee Old Fashioneds, concocted with West Fork Old Hamer bourbon and a syrup made with the morning’s spent grounds. 10 S. Pennsylvania St., 317-820-5526, gallerypastryshop.com…

CATCH KNUCKLE PUCK founder Dilly Morse at one of his double-smashburger pop-ups, and he’ll be the guy calling out your name from the grill and shooting customers high fives. A native of Bremen, in Northern Indiana, where he starred as the Beast in his high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast, Morse’s flair for performance makes him a natural at restaurant work. His first role was as busboy at Amish Acres in Nappanee. Later, while working on a communications degree at IUPUI, he landed a job at Pipers Restaurant on Indy’s south side and eventually worked his way up to general manager. But he longed for more like-minded creative types to bounce ideas off of. Tinker Coffee Co. co-founders Steve Hall and Jeff Johnson gave Morse exactly that opportunity,…

California West Coast chefs like Wolfgang Puck of Spago and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse are considered the inspiration for these super-thin pies that tend to be topped with themed gourmet sauces and cheeses, as well as fresh vegetables. The elaborate wood-fired style trended hard in the ’80s and ’90s at popular chains like California Pizza Kitchen and ushered in the age of the oven-centric performance kitchen. Chicago Deep Dish Lampooned as a bombastic casserole by the likes of Jon Stewart, the Midwest’s most celebrated contribution to the pizza lexicon traces its slightly fuzzy lineage most likely to Pizzeria Uno in the early 1940s, though it may be older. Suffice it to say that it has won legions of pizza purists over the last 80 years with its thick, buttery…

“I’m a sucker for Detroitstyle pizza. Thick bread-y crust that’s chewy with the super-crispy edges. Lots of good texture.”Pete Schmutte, owner of Leviathan “Old-fashioned yeast dough in a cast iron on a campfire. Toppings are traditional red sauce, ricotta, wild mushrooms, roasted leeks, fresh thyme and oregano, and fresh mo zzarella.”Savannah Norris, food stylist “Chicago tavern-style pizza (not to be confused with Chicago deep dish) topped with giardiniera, mushroom, and onion.”Ally Benedyk, co-owner of Love Handle, Strange Bird, and Bubbatown Burritos “Crispy crust, olive oil and garlic base, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and Swiss chard.”Robyn Lukens, chef at GoldLeaf Savory & Sweet “Nothing beats a perfect margherita pizza. The holy trinity of buffalo mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes is heavenly.”Ed Rudisell, owner of Black Market, Rook, Siam Square, Thunderbird, and Inferno…

INCLUDES Fletcher Place, Fountain Square, Mass Ave, Mile Square Bazbeaux PIZZA As some of Indy’s most celebrated restaurateurs open pie places all over town, we haven’t forgotten where we first found artichoke hearts and goat cheese on our ’za. Bazbeaux has changed little since 1986, when it opened in Broad Ripple, and it hasn’t really needed to. Flat crust baked crunchy. Toppings you won’t find at Domino’s, like pine nuts and prosciutto. And the cheese—mounds of mozzarella blended with provolone and pecorino. 333 Massachusetts Ave., 317-636-7662, bazbeaux.com Beholder CONTEMPORARY A former car-repair shop just outside Woodruff Place sets the stage for daring performance art that has featured pig-skin noodles, and granita-topped uni designed to melt on the tongue, as well as buttermilk fried chicken with wildflower honey. Labor-intensive cocktails are…

INCLUDES Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville 101 Beer Kitchen CASUAL The energy is high and the flavors are forward at this Ohio import that debuted in December 2019 in the first wave of business to open at Hamilton County’s The Yard at Fishers District. In a dining room that combines the best parts of a craft brewery and an unfussy family haunt, crowd-pleasing dishes like loaded tater tots, Andouille sausage–spiked shrimp and grits, and brown-buttered pierogies have lots of moving parts, complex but more fun than fancy. A full bar runs parallel to the booths, offering a row of taps and special attention to honeyed meads. The Yard at Fishers District, Fishers, 317-537-2041, 101beerkitchen.com 1933 Lounge STEAK AND COCKTAILS A younger, sexier remake of Indy’s fine-dining institution, St. Elmo Steak…

INCLUDES College Park, Lafayette Square, Traders Point Byrne’s Grilled Pizza PIZZA What began as a food truck became one of Butler-Tarkington’s most popular brick-and-mortar eateries in 2015. The simple menu here focuses on a tasty gimmick: Pizzas are grilled over an open flame, which chars the thin crust in a manner familiar to Neapolitan lovers. The Hey Zeus (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onion, banana peppers) is a neighborhood favorite. Open-faced strombolis, such as the Buffa-Boli (buffalo sauce, baked chicken, onions, banana peppers, blue cheese crumbles, and ranch dressing), also tempt basketball fans on their way to games at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 5615 N. Illinois St., 317-737-2056, byrnespizza.com Oakleys Bistro CONTEMPORARY The meticulously plated fare at Stephen Oakley’s northwestside eatery hails from a culinary era when sprigs of herbs and puddles of purées…

INCLUDES Brownsburg, Plainfield The Iron Skillet FAMILY DINING Heaping platters of skillet-fried chicken and bowls of buttered corn and mashed potatoes rule here, where everything from the flowered wallpaper to the antique furnishings suggest days gone by. Passed helpings of old-school baking-powder biscuits, apple butter, and pickled beets round out the meal. 2489 W. 30th St., 317-923-6353, ironskillet.net Oasis Diner DINER An original 1954 diner from New Jersey was moved to the heart of Plainfield and restored to its polished original lustre. The structure experienced some expansion along the way, as did the menu, which has been updated to include more timely things like Disco Fries (a gut-busting take on poutine) and a chicken-and-waffle basket with sides of syrup and sausage gravy. But the thick tenderloin is still the best…

Ebony Chappel Freelance writer Ebony Chappel has leaned on comedy to get through the pandemic. So her piece about Hoosiers on Cameo (p. 14) includes plenty of satire. When it comes to non-Hoosiers she’d love to get a Cameo from, LeVar Burton tops her list. “Something in his voice makes me feel like this world isn’t a complete dumpster fire,” she says. Chappel is the former editor of the Indianapolis Recorder. Ryan Johnson When he’s not illustrating for clients such as The New Yorker, freelance artist Ryan Johnson enjoys painting outside. That has been harder with the recent stay-at-home orders. So Johnson feels some empathy for the lonely monkeys at the Indianapolis Zoo that are the subject of his illustration this month (p. 16). “I took some inspiration from my…

Feeling lazy? You can still park at the north end of the 300 and 400 blocks. The 800 block remains open. It would be a shame to wait for a vaccine to try Slapfish’s lobster roll. A QR code is the new paper menu. BYO pen to sign a receipt. Optional but nice. If you want to dine al fresco, walk and look for a restaurant with tables spaced well apart. Bakersfield has a good tent for inclement weather. Don’t just sit down at an open table outside. Go to the hostess. Nine Irish Brothers serves drinks in plastic glasses so you can leave anytime and take the Guinness with you. Mask on before standing up from the table. Make some time for the shops with the Black Lives Matter…

These lightweight, locally designed masks have you covered. If you want form-fitting, the adjustable loops at Rebel Vintage (1051 E. 54th St., shoprebelvintage.com) won’t tug on your ears, $12. For utilitarian pleats in high-quality cotton, $10, head to Howl + Hide (1651 English Ave., howlandhidesupply.com). You might see your favorite print at Vera Bradley (The Fashion Mall, verabradley.com), $8. Stitchworks (stitchworksindy.com) has versions featuring sugar skulls and superheroines, $15.…

IT ALL STARTED with a Dumpstered porch swing that Ross Tuggle’s wife saw as they walked by. She expressed her disappointment that it was headed to a landfill. “I thought, I’m going to fix that and give it to her,” Tuggle says. But much of the swing had rotted. Salvaging what he could, he tried to build a picture frame instead. “I was in over my head,” he says. “I gave up on that and thought, What if I just arrange the wood in a funky way?” His sweetheart loved it. Just a year later, the Indianapolis resident now sells his work to the public under the name Tuggle’s Timber. When he’s not at his day job with the Marion County Department of Child Services, he reworks old wooden pallets,…

PARTY It’s only 6 years old, but the Amish-built Barn at Kennedy Farm (1) feels like OG Indiana. It’s rustic, rural, and quiet, save for the cathartic whisper of cornfields. Rent the 5,000-square-foot barn for a wedding or corporate event. Or relax in the old-growth oak trees’ greatest gift—shade. 525 N. State St., 317-646-9191, thebarnatkennedyfarm.com GRUB Self-professed “officer of Southern culture” Rob Ecker, who cut his teeth as a chef at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, opened Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House (2) in 2018. His slow-cooked brisket, ribs, pork, and chicken are appropriately moist (yes, m-o-i-s-t) and leave you with a sauce-stained shirt and the scent of smoke. 411 N. State St., 317-994-6145, rustedsilobrewhouse.com TREAT The Lizton Dairy Bar (3) is one part roadside attraction, one part…

DENSON YANG and Nini Ye hadn’t planned on operating an Asian takeout. But when the Rhode Island natives realized the March grand opening of Mori Sushi, the lively sush-and-ramen spot they had installed in the cherished former home of Italian standard Milano Inn, would also go down in local history as the day restaurants were closed to dine-in service because of coronavirus concerns, they quickly found themselves shifting gears. They didn’t miss a beat. The couple, with years of experience in banking and restaurant work (including Fishers favorite Wild Ginger), switched their entire menu—which stretches to 20 pages of sushi rolls, soups, fried rice, stir-fried noodles, and salads—to carryout, and banked their early following on bags customers snagged from the foyer. Having inherited a spacious patio as part of the…

IT’S EASY to spot co-owner Kristine Bockman behind the counter at GoldLeaf Savory & Sweet. She’s the one wearing the glittery gold mask. Her customers who line up, six feet apart, to order their breakfast wraps, coconut-milk chia puddings, and walking lattes might not even recognize her without that signature protective bling. After all, Bockman and her husband, John-Christian, opened this snug neighborhood cafe in mid-June, during that brief quarantine moment before masks became mandatory in public spaces yet essential anywhere that people wanted to slow the spread of COVID-19. “At first, it was just this awkward suggestion,” Bockman says of the restaurant’s mask policy posted on the front door. “Now with the city backing us, I get to be bossy and tell people they can’t be in here without…

A FEW YEARS AFTER my wife and I moved to Danville, our elderly neighbor sold her house to a young couple, Brian and Jennifer, who were expecting their first child. Occupied with moving, getting their old house ready to sell, fixing up their new one, and preparing for a baby, they neglected to bring me a plate of warm cookies welcoming me to their new neighborhood. I kept dropping hints about how much I liked cookies, but their minds were apparently elsewhere, and I resigned myself to having self-centered neighbors. When their daughter was born, my wife and I walked next door to inspect the child. While my wife was chatting with Jennifer and admiring their baby, I sampled the food their friends and family had brought, then poked around…

So Italian The stuffed breadsticks at this westside red-sauce restaurant are sliced in half and stuffed with cheese and pepperoni, then put back in the oven to brown up the cheese and toast the edges of the bread. (See page 61) Hot Box Pizza A classic college-dorm go-to with a crunchy exterior that tears away to a chewy interior, the carb zeppelins at Hot Box are designed for neatly dunking into tiny plastic cups of the pizza chain’s hot cheese. Multiple locations, hotboxpizza.com Pearl Street The intoxicating aroma of yeast and sauce hits you when you step inside the downtown pizza spot that opened a second location last year. Tuck into a basket of these gooey, well-browned strips of cheese bread before the main course arrives. (See page 62) Greek’s…

STUART HYATT hears music everywhere he goes. He hears an uplifting rock song in the collective voices of children counting to 100 inside an empty grain bin. He hears a pop tune in the raucous sounds of wildlife as he and his crew traipse through the Brown County woods looking for Sasquatch. He hears a hip-hop beat in the police sirens on Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis. And as he sits in his Broad Ripple home, he can almost pick out a dance-track duet between the squirrel scratching at his window and the hammering of a construction crew working next door. Though that last one might just be a sign of Hyatt finally succumbing to COVID-era cabin fever. Like most people in 2020, Stuart Hyatt is feeling a little stir-crazy.…

INCLUDES Broad Ripple, Castleton, Geist, Herron-Morton, Kennedy-King, Keystone at the Crossing, Meridian-Kessler, Nora, SoBro Ambrosia ITALIAN Regulars have happily returned to this storied Broad Ripple trattoria run by the Pizzi family for three decades. Antipasti are a must, especially the goat-cheese torta or grilled shrimp wrapped in prosciutto. Veal marsala (a true trattoria test) might be less than crispy, but other classics hit the mark. 5903 N. College Ave., 317-255-3096, ambrosiaindy.com Baby’s BURGERS This playful, family-friendly joint limits its menu to smashburgers, broasted chicken, milkshakes (spiked or not), and cocktails, which means it hits every pulse point for its faithful Herron-Morton clientele. Housed in a former drag-show bar, it also has fun with the building’s artsy legacy—the house burger is called a Strut Burger, and all of the cocktail names…

INCLUDES Greenwood Brozinni Pizzeria PIZZA Owner James Cross grew up in New York, and everything on the menu is named after an iconic NYC location, from the Madison Square Garden sandwich (meatballs, mozzarella, and marinara) and Hell’s Kitchen calzone (Frank’s hot sauce, chicken, mozzarella, and bacon) to the Canal Street Pizza (pepperoni, sausage, bacon, black olives, red onions, and green peppers). Don’t skip the garlic knuckles, curled into knots and drenched in garlic butter. Save the extra sauce pooling at the bottom of the basket for your pizza crust–dipping delight. 8110 S. Emerson Ave., 317-865-0911, brozinni.net Egg Roll #1 CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE Customers order at the counter—newbies guided by an elaborate photo menu on the wall and regulars reciting their orders by memory—at this unembellished dining room off a busy…

VINTAGE: 1930s Resides in the Indiana State Police Museum LONG BEFORE the Breathalyzer (also invented in Indiana), this bulky contraption put the brakes on drunk driving. In 1936, Rolla Harger, a young professor at the IU School of Medicine, patented the device, which measured the amount of alcohol in a person’s breath. Indiana State Police officers were the first to use it, but Harger went on to advocate for impaired driving laws nationally. His Drunkometer—a placeholder name that beat other options, such as Harger’s Gin Gadget—eventually found its way to police stations across the country. So, raise a toast to the man who made us all a little safer on the roads. Just don’t overdo it. Have an idea for a future Artifact? Drop us a suggestion at letters@IndianapolisMonthly.com…