Table of contents for August 2021 in Indianapolis Monthly

IT’S EASY TO get sucked into the messy details of contributing editor Adam Wren’s profile of entrepreneur Scott Jones (p. 60). Jones, it seems, is broke. He says he’s lost a fortune of some $400 million over his career, information that has recently come into focus because of a contentious divorce. To some, this news will deliver a measure of schadenfreude; by most accounts, Jones enjoyed an ostentatious lifestyle, and Wren’s story is filled with colorful bits about a man who appears to derive his self-worth from net worth. Enjoy the drama, if that’s your thing, but please don’t miss some of the bigger issues. Jones says he has made and lost $100 million four times, and tells Wren that this is a badge of honor. And it is admirable…

Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this month—and a whole era of football will go into the history books with them. IT’S INDY’S HALL OF FAME THIS YEAR. The pandemic delayed last year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions, resulting in a doubleheader ceremony where the classes of 2020 and 2021 will both enter the sport’s hallowed halls in Canton. That, combined with the tendency of sportswriters to make deserving Hall of Famers wait a while before getting their due, means iconic Colts Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James are entering the Hall together this August. IT’S ABOUT TIME FOR JAMES. The team’s pace-setting running back from 1999 to 2005 will finally get his well-deserved induction ceremony, 11 years after his retirement.…

In 2017, The Village Voice’s Greil Marcus raved about your essay collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. “Not a day has sounded the same since I read him” is the line that often gets quoted, but I wanted to ask you about another one. Marcus identified you as “a pop critic from Columbus, Ohio.” How has coming from Columbus shaped you as a writer? I think the best way to say it is that I have always felt like an outsider to much of the culture I’ve loved. But there has been a real generosity to that. Because of that outsider nature, I can be a little more patient. I can take my time listening and witnessing, and that helps me write slower, more thoughtfully. I don’t…

THE TICKET JUSTIN BRADY has every reason to feel a litt le nervous this month. As the newly minted chief executive officer of IndyFringe, he replaces Pauline Moffat, who put her stamp on the organization’s August theater festival as its first and (until now) only leader. The transition couldn’t come at a more precarious moment. COVID-19 scrubbed the 2020 festival, leaving Brady to figure out how, and in what format, to bring it back. Yet he isn’t at all anxious. Mostly, he says he feels something that doesn’t come easily to him: optimism. “I wouldn’t normally classify myself as an optimistic person,” he says. “But I’ve just decided there’s no reason not to be.” His association with IndyFringe began in 2007, when Moff at selected him as the program’s first…

DOES YOUR SHIRT SAY “NO FRIENDS”? Yes. No Friends is both a punk band name and a statement. I’ve had this T-shirt since I was 16. It’s the one piece of clothing I will continue to style, even as it grows closer to being scraps. IS PUNK ROCK YOUR STYLE? Rock ’n’ roll housewife. My inspiration comes from female musicians of the ’90s. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ACCESSORY? Jimmy, a chihuahua I just adopted from Misty Eyes Animal Center in Avon. OF COURSE. BUT FROM YOUR CLOSET? Hot-pink Maison Margiela boots that were the ultimate splurge. I’ve worn them twice.…

TRAVELER SOME MUSEUMS have banned the 21st-century norm of selfie-taking at their exhibits, viewing it as a superficial approach to engaging with art. But others encourage it, att racting Instagraminclined visitors to their picturesque space. In the Midwest, the best one hands-down is WNDR Museum ($30 timed admission, 1130 W. Monroe St., wndrmuseum.com). It’s more comparable to an adult playground than the Louvre with its lively, interactive, technology-focused exhibits that insert you right into the art. Pop-up selfie museums have flooded social media timelines for several years and have proven popular enough to become permanent att ractions with static backdrops like flower-filled clawfoot tubs. WNDR takes the concept much further with multisensory, cutt ing-edge installations that are just as enjoyable IRL, if selfies aren’t your thing. A linear path guides…

IF YOU’VE ever dreamt of having Turkish neighbors to invite you over for meze platters and kebabs, a new Broad Ripple spot may be the next best thing. In April, Istanbul natives Sakin and Gulay Demir opened Usta Mediterranean Restaurant, the perfect spot to try a dry Turkish wine while snacking on haydari, a yogurt and dill dip with a punch of garlic, or ezme, a pepper relish with plenty of fresh herbs. Other appetizers include sigara borek, cigar-shaped phyllo pastries stuffed with feta and parsley, and lightly fried zucchini-and-carrot pancakes paired with a zippy tzatziki. For an entree, all of Usta’s kebabs will satisfy, though the juicy ground lamb and beef Adana kebab is a true taste of Istanbul. 6334 Guilford Ave., 317-970-3601, usta restaurants.com…

DRIVE TIME 2 HOURS THREE SCENIC RIVERS converge in downtown Fort Wayne, and they drew people here long before Europeans built the log structure that gave the city its name. A replica of the Old Fort (1201 Spy Run Ave., oldfortwayne.org) occupies a park along the St. Marys today, but everything around it has been modernized in one of Indiana’s most ambitious riverfront development projects. The best place to start your adventure is Fort Wayne Outfitters (1004 Cass St., 260-420-3962, fwoutfitters.com). There, just a few feet from the water and greenways, you can rent bikes and kayaks to explore the city’s riverfront. More than 8 miles of trails (fwtrails.org) line both sides of the tributaries, with pedestrian bridges across in multiple places. Colorful kayaks hang from an elevated path across…

DRIVE TIME 1 HOUR, 45 MINUTES AGAINST A BACKDROP of rolling hills, Madison may be Indiana’s quintessential river town. With a couple miles of river frontage and rows of Federal and Greek Revival architecture, the entire downtown is a National Historic District. But the place still knows how to have a good time, hosting festivals throughout the year (visitmadison.org). An old-fashioned carriage ride (Broomtail Carriage Co., 812-756-4168) provides a good introduction, but be sure to hop offand explore Main Street to get a closer look at the town’s many boutiques. With women’s fashions upstairs and home goods in the basement, Betty Jeffries (129 E. Main St., 812-274-9353, bettyjeffries.com) offers vintage-inspired styles. James Dell Men’s Shop and Barbershop (108 W. Main St., 812-274-9396, jamesdell.shop) sells dress shirts, ties, and a shave…

“I’m not sure I want this written all over the place.” Scott Jones delivers this verdict not long after he settles into a booth at Chatham Tap, the sports bar on the campus of Butler University. Bags droop beneath his suddenly wide eyes, and his face is rounder than it once was in the professional headshots and file photos that regularly popped up in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company. It is an uncharacteristic thing for one of the city’s most swaggering entrepreneurs to say. The world’s business writers have chronicled his monied conquests in a career spanning more than three decades: At 25, he was a founding partner in Boston Technology, the company that made voicemail stick. He later founded Gracenote, the music search…

INCLUDES Beech Grove, Irvington 10th Street Diner VEGAN Surprisingly familiar and hearty plantbased takes on diner classics occupy the entire menu at this rehab of a former pawn shop, 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. Arrive early, before the day’s supplies run out. 3301 E. 10th St., 463-221-1255 18th Street Brewery BREWPUB In a snug family-friendly pub setting, the Indianapolis branch of a decorated Northwest Indiana craft brewery works small miracles with its food pairings. Rustic sandwiches put pork belly, house mustard, and Amelia’s…

Athens on 86th GREEK Whether you select a large chicken gyro or the kota psiti—a roasted chicken with green beans and Greek potatoes—add an order of the fries, served here with feta, Mediterranean spices, and Greek dressing. For the hungry, indecisive, or just plain adventurous, the sampler platter, which gathers nearly everything in the expansive menu onto one plate, is an epic choice. 2284 W. 86th St., 317-879-8644, athenson86th.com 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 favorite. 5615…

I BEGAN DRIVING in 1977 and bought my 15th car this past spring, my fourth Toyota. I’ve also owned four Fords, three VWs, three Hondas, one Subaru, and an Eagle. In the interest of accuracy, I didn’t buy one of the VWs, I appropriated it from my brother Glenn when he joined the Coast Guard. He was on a ship at the time and had no use for a car, so rather than let it sit in our driveway and rust away, I decided to do him a favor and drive it. The next year, knowing he’d want me to be happy, I forged his name on the title and traded it in for a newer VW. For the first 30 days, the length of the warranty, it ran superbly,…

SUSAN SALAZ Freelance writer Susan Salaz began seeing all that Indiana’s rivers have to offer (p. 46) when her dad took up kayaking during the pandemic. “Paddling with him gave me a new appreciation for this landlocked state,” she says. Salaz hopes recreation on Indiana’s waterways leads to conservation. “The more people enjoy them, the bett er they’ll understand the importance of caring for them.” CRAIG FEHRMAN Freelance writer Craig Fehrman read each of Hanif Abdurraqib’s books while preparing to interview the author this month (p. 18). “He writes so well about music, history, money, and race,” Fehrman says. “But he also writes about the Midwest. I knew he was from Ohio, but I didn’t realize the area was one of his big themes.” Fehrman published his first book, Author…

Q: SOMEONE IS FLYING A DRONE AROUND MY NEIGHBORHOOD, AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS A CAMERA. IS THIS LEGAL IN INDIANA? CAN ANYBODY FLY OVER MY BACKYARD AND TAKE PICTURES? A: It depends whom you ask. The Federal Aviation Administration says that licensed drones don’t need permission to travel above your property, any more than a 747 does. They can even linger if they like, provided it’s not at obnoxiously low altitude. However, Indiana law is more sympathetic to your desire to prevent strangers from posting footage of you sunbathing on YouTube. According to a state statute, conducting electronic surveillance of someone’s property without their permission is a Class A misdemeanor. And if you live on Indy’s west side, drones are out of the picture entirely. Federal law prohibits…

VINTAGE: LATE 1920S Resides in the Rhythm Discovery Center IN ADDITION TO BEING a state legislator from Terre Haute, Jack O’Grady played a mean set of drums. His group, Jack O’Grady’s Varsity Entertainers, toured the Midwest in the years leading up to the Great Depression, and they were the house band at Terre Haute’s Grand Opera House. O’Grady’s eye-catching bass drum may look ornate by today’s standards, but it was fairly typical for manufacturers to paint the head of their products in those days. Some offered a choice of several scenes and employed a full-time artist. After O’Grady died in 1971, a collector acquired his kit and donated it to what is now the Rhythm Discovery Center downtown. Unfortunately, this drum’s thumping days are over. The gold paint on the…

Kitchens are the place where kitschy design thrives, so toss the rags for a new Mab Graves cryptid tea towel. The local Pop Surrealist superstar made ink-drawn depictions of Indiana’s infamous Churubusco Beast of Busco lake monster, the Dupont Gully Wompus, and other forest creatures roaming Hoosier imaginations. If you can’t bring yourself to soil such a work of art, Graves suggests styling it as a headwrap instead. Her work is hard to find, but legend has it you might spot one of these at Homespun: Modern Handmade if the artist’s website is sold out. $28, etsy.com/shop/mabgraves…

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then selfproclaimed “Mayor of Biscuit Town” Clint Rollins has a platform we could all get behind. He and Big Mouth Biscuits co-owner Travis Zinger opened their tribute to light and fluffy carbs in April, whipping up plain, blueberry, and jalapeño-cheddar biscuits at Indy’s Kitchen. Pick up a breakfast sandwich stuffed with ham and cheese or pot roast with beef gravy, or the massive Hangover Biscuit stacked with your choice of meats, cheese, avocado, and a layer of scrambled eggs. 2442 Central Ave., 940-300-1208, bigmouthbiscuits.com…

DRIVE TIME 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES INDIANA IS HOME to two St. Joseph rivers, and while the one that winds its way through Fort Wayne is native to our state, the St. Joseph in South Bend, which begins and ends in Michigan, is just visiting. This guest flows north through the city past the University of Notre Dame and has a lot to offer along its shores. While recent floods damaged several pedestrian trails there, South Bend is in the process of building them back, and much of the construction in the area should be done by next year. Centrally located Howard Park (219 S. St. Louis Blvd., 574-299-4765, visithowardpark.com) is a great hangout along the water’s edge, offering outdoor yoga, fountains, a summer concert series, and ice skating in…

DRIVE TIME 3 HOURS SOME SAY New Harmony is a “vortex” —one of those rare places where extra energy swirls. Others will tell you that it’s a “thin place,” where very litt le separates the worlds of the living and the dead. Regardless of what you believe, the Southern Indiana village’s Utopian history, along with its serene sett ing along the Wabash River, makes it a great place to unwind for a weekend. Begin your visit steps away from the river with a meditative walk through the Cathedral Labyrinth (301 North St.), the Labyrinth State Memorial (1313 Main St.), or the Philip Johnson–designed Roofless Church (420 North St.). The Atheneum Visitors Center (401 Arthur St., 812-682-4474, visitnewharmony.com/location/atheneum-visitors-center) offers guided history tours and golf cart rentals, which are the best way…

DRIVE TIME 1 HOUR, 45 MINUTES WITH ITS SWEEPING views of Louisville, miles of bicycle trails, and nearby Falls of the Ohio State Park (201 W. Riverside Dr., 812-280-9970, theohio.org), Jeffersonville squeezes a lot of att ractions into a compact footprint. Big 4 Station Park (304 Mulberry St., 812-285-6440, jeffparks.org) acts as a hub for much of it. There, you can access the Big 4 Pedestrian Bridge to cross the river, shop the Saturday-morning farmers market, or sip a bubble tea near the foot of the bridge at Fresco Tea Bar (223 Pearl St., frescoteabar.com). Steps away from the park is Union Restaurant and Gameyard (115 W. Chestnut St., 812-590-1285, uniongameyard.com), an eatery and outdoor play space with giant beer pong, fowling, and other goofy sports. On nearby Spring Street,…

A COMMON MISCONCEPTION about Brandon Bart and Tyler Knox’s three-story home in Indy’s Hillside neighborhood, just east of Kennedy-King and the Monon Trail, is that it’s prefabricated or made from a shipping container. In fact, the custom design was built from the ground up for two real estate pros who knew what they wanted: a fuss-free, function-first approach to modern design. In Indy, homes with these shapes and styles started popping up several years ago, especially in Fountain Square and other revitalized neighborhoods close to downtown. But while all modern homes are contemporary, not all contemporary homes are modern. “Just because something is boxy and doesn’t have traditional detailing doesn’t make it modern,” says James Poisel, the local architectural designer behind the home, which was completed in 2019 by The…

INCLUDES Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville 3UP Rooftop Lounge COCKTAIL BAR Don’t come here looking for the high-end steaks of its downstairs neighbor, Anthony’s Chophouse. This sexy perch three stories above downtown Carmel has a menu as minimal as its square footage and a brief but smart cocktail list. Order a charcuterie board or the burger sliders with crisp Parmesan fries. Or lean into a shared plate of steak-topped nachos with your Smoke & Cider–sipping date. The true draw of 3UP is its heated east-facing deck, a sleek hangout overlooking the sidewalks and Monon Trail crossing. 201 W. Main St., Carmel, 317-740-0930, 3uprooftop.com 1933 Lounge STEAK AND COCKTAILS This clubby cocktail lounge offers a younger, sexier take on fine-dining institution St. Elmo Steak House. The twist here is that the…

Bar Louie CASUAL This fun-loving Illinois chain with a mall-side location in Greenwood Park Mall hearkens to the good old days of artichoke dip and California chicken clubs, when a person could order a glowing-green Honeydew martini without so much as a sideways glance from the bartender. Though the big American menu makes a lot of family-friendly concessions, the emphasis at Bar Louie is on the first word—bartenders are masters of the quick pour. Greenwood Park Mall, Greenwood, 317-215-5400, bar-louie.com 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,…

Flat-Out Great Readers devoured our May story on the state’s best tenderloin sandwiches. Terrific review on an underreported, yet important topic. We haven’t tried all of these, but if there’s a bett er tenderloin than Zionsville’s Friendly Tavern, let’s schedule a lunch there soon. DALE WINGER Via Twitter God bless you for putt ing this together. But you missed the Crawfordsville Sunoco, and I’m not kidding. GREG CASTANIAS Via Twitter Zaharakos in Columbus has a fine pork tenderloin, and you’re surrounded by the finest midcentury-modern architecture. CHARLES SNIDER Via Twitter I feel that Southern Indiana never gets enough att ention in the tenderloin conversation. There are so many great small-town places. TOM ROLLER Via Twitter Making it a point to try each one. ANDY SPARKS Via Twitter Ford Focus Our…

Grab a lemon shakeup beforehand. The tractor pulling the open-sided cart is slow and makes plenty of stops, so it could be a while. Keep an arm around your kid. Litt le ones have a habit of jumping off while it’s moving. Fold the stroller while you wait. Take a full loop or two. It’s the best way to people-watch at the fair. No manspreading. It’s a popular att raction and seats fill up. It will be even more popular this year because rides are now free. Catch it anywhere except the crowded start/finish stop on Main Street. No need to squeeze onto a packed shutt le. Another one will be by shortly.…

Interested in receiving a weekly guide to concerts, festivals, and exhibits? Subscribe to The Ticket newsletter at IndianapolisMonthly.com/newsletter (1) St. Paul & The Broken Bones August 26 If you haven’t checked out this Alabama soul band’s rousing Tiny Desk concert on YouTube, you should join the 7.3 million people who have done so. Or just catch them at the Holliday Park ruins this month. facebook.com/indyparksconcerts (2) Sausage Fest August 20–21 St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church takes over the intersection of 46th and Illinois streets, where a festival devoted to spicy sausages from Kincaid’s Meat Market, Sun King beer, and live bands has been resurrected. staindy.org (3) Indiana State Fair July 30–August 22 Appropriately enough, the theme of this year’s event will be “Celebrating the Resiliency of the Hoosier Spirit.” We’ll…

LOVING yourself is easy at Josephine’s in Irvington, a new boutique with clothing for petites, plus sizes, and bodies in between. One owner of Black Sheep Gift s, a neighborhood fixture, added a feminine touch to the area’s commercial strip by opening Josephine’s a couple doors down in April with two partners. It’s where cool kids’ moms will love to shop for flowy summer pieces that transition with ease into fall and slimming NYDJ jeans that tempt you with an embroidered scallop hem to wear white denim well aft er Labor Day. Blouses with ruching and side knots add texture and flatt er curves—try on the colorblocked white-and-sage Adora shirt for effortless flair. Vegan-leather tote bags in sage or apricot from Pixie Mood and trendy resin earrings will tie the…

IT’S WHAT HAPPENS off-screen at downtown’s new Bott leworks District movie theater that has critics raving. The third and largest location of the boutique chain Living Room Theaters houses a second-floor concession stand serving cocktails on par with nearby Mass Ave taverns. Enjoy a spot-on blood orange gimlet or a playful signature Old Fashioned with bourbon and a salty-sweet popcorn syrup. The menu spares no cinematic pun (Inglorious Bratwurst, Secret Garden Salad) and includes a starring performance from “Hamburger Mountain,” nicely charred grass-fed beef dressed up with smoky aioli. Pretzel crusts support generously topped pizzas such as the meaty “Animal House” or the vegetarian-friendly “Into the Woods.” And with Smoking Goose meats featured on charcuterie platt ers, local food makes a cameo appearance as the art films and blockbusters play…

REVIEW FOURTEEN SHIPPING containers, some painted bright turquoise, green, orange, and pink, are arranged in a colorful grid across the polished-concrete floor of a former service bay. Their corrugated exoskeletons bear cheery restaurant branding and hand-lett ered menus. Their innards glow with refrigerated cases and tidy metal countertops. Retro pop music (think Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony”) bounces off the high ceiling, amplifying the buzzy Tibetan sound bath of food-court noises, as customers perched on metal stools eat their poke bowls and Buffalo Indy salads. Displayed prominently over an open steel container left empty for live entertainment, three gleaming capital lett ers remind everyone that they are spending their precious lunch hour at the AMP—a fitt ingly cool acronym for this “artisan marketplace” on the edge of IUPUI. If you no…

DRIVE TIME 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES WHEN A HULU production team came to town in 2016 to film the eightpart series Small Business Revolution, downtown Wabash—with its three-story Victorians and Italianate commercial district—was showing its age. Thanks to the exposure and more than $1 million in façade improvement grants that followed, its status as one of Indiana’s best river towns has been restored. White Rock Recreation (800 S. Wabash St., 260-563-9060, whiterock.eco) should be your first stop. In a town where some of the riverfront is still occupied by industry, White Rock offers a fun place to grab ice cream or pizza, play pingpong, and, most importantly, rent kayaks and canoes. Once you’ve taken one of their paddling trips, which range from one to six hours, a walk around the…

DRIVE TIME 3 HOURS SITUATED ON a horseshoe bend in the Ohio, this “River City” oft en gets overlooked despite its miles of waterfront. Exploring it by foot is doable but can take all day, so consider borrowing from Upgrade Bike Share (various locations, walkbikeevv.org). The Pagoda (401 SE Riverside Dr., 812-421-2200, visitevansville.com) has been a popular gathering spot for more than a century and now houses the city’s visitor center. Along the adjoining Pigeon Creek Greenway, you can visit the excellent Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science (411 SE Riverside Dr., 812-425-2406, emuseum.org) or tour the World War II ship USS LST-325 (610 NW Riverside Dr., 812-435-8678, lstmemorial.org). Nearby, the state’s coolest location of Bru Burger (222 Sycamore St., 812-302-3005, bruburgerbar.com) resides in an Art Deco former Greyhound…

If you want to cruise the river in style, listen for the calliope’s whistling tunes and look for the bright red paddlewheel of the American Queen Steamboat (833-598-0119, americansteamboatcompany.com), the world’s largest river steamboat. This six-decked ship, modeled aft er historic steamboats but with all the modern amenities, offers several luxurious river voyages that allow you to experience Indiana’s southern border from a new perspective. The Ohio River Exploration travels from Louisville all the way to the origin of the river in Pitt sburgh. A trip on a “floating wedding cake,” as Mark Twain referred to the boats, is slow and full of charm. Not ready to plan a full-blown riverboat vacation? The historic Belle of Louisville (401 W. River Rd., 502-574-2992, belleoflouisville.org), built in 1914, offers short sightseeing tours,…

INCLUDES Fletcher Place, Fountain Square, Mass Ave, Mile Square Amberson Coffee & Grocer COFFEEHOUSE The cinderblock shell of a former service station houses this neighborhood coffee spot with grocery cases, outdoor seating under the awning, and a drive-up window. In addition to expertly poured vanilla-date latt es and a signature Summer Dandy with Onyx Coffee Ecuadorian espresso, plum reduction, and oat cream sweetened with maple syrup, the shop offers a small daily selection of baked goods, like a tasty “bisquet” grilled up with fig jam and butt er, and a scone enriched with Asian pears and maple. Heartier fare comes in the form of an avocado toast topped with goat cheese crumbles or an equally fine toast with ricott a and poached nectarines. 401 S. College Ave., 562-293-8962, ambersoncoffee.square.site Aroma…

Apocalypse Burger BURGERS The Patachou crew repurposed its shutt ered Crispy Bird location into this modernday diner. The focus is on a handful of burger variations and clever greasy-spoon sides like Old Major bacon–loaded fries and blocks of fried macaroni and cheese. Originally conceived as a carryout-only COVID pivot, the concept has evolved to include cocktails and beer buckets served on the patio, as well as a few Sundaybrunch selections. 115 E. 49th St., 317-426-5001, apocalypseburger.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…

Abyssinia ETHIOPIAN This spot—where diners use a spongy sour flatbread known as injera in lieu of utensils—provides a thorough introduction to Ethiopian cuisine. Aficionados of East African food will be impressed by the seasoning of the stewed lamb, beef, spicy chicken, greens, lentils, and chickpeas. Try a stuffed meat or lentil sambusa pastry while you wait for your entrees. 5352 W. 38th St., 299-0608, abyssinianindy.weebly.com Barbecue and Bourbon BARBECUE Smoked meats and Kentucky whiskey feel at home in the honky-tonk environs of this downtown Speedway haunt. The focus is on spice-rubbed pork ribs, brisket, and pulled meats. 1414 Main St., Speedway, 317-241-6940, barbecueandbourbon.com Best Friends Coffee & Bagels CAFE Owners (and best friends) Bob Goodpaster and Chico Mbanu have covered all of the espresso drinks, pastries, and smoothies you might…