Best Food & Drink

Bacon Cheeseburger
Usually, bacon, cheese, and burger form a happy enough trio. Those who have tasted the ingenious BadaBoomz Burger, however, know that adding one more component ups the enjoyment factor exponentially. By replacing the bun with two glazed doughnuts that cut the grease with a bit of sweet, the brewpub proves that it’s serious about its burgers. Serious as a heart attack. 4930 Lafayette Rd., 291-6932, badaboomz.net.

Hot Chocolate
It’s hard to keep your focus on hot chocolate when you step inside Carmel’s Simply Sweet Shoppe. But trust us on this: Hold out for the hot chocolate. The candy shop uses Venezuelan chocolate shavings from Chuao Chocolatier in its rich, silky cocoa. Just one tiny cup is enough to send you into a chocoholic swoon, but if you are feeling adventurous, go for the Spicy Mayan, with hints of cayenne pepper and cinnamon. 30 N. Range Line Rd., Carmel, 818-9866.

Vegan Treat
You can sugarcoat it all you want, but most vegan baked goods—made without eggs, milk, or butter—taste like sawdust. The individually wrapped vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies at Georgetown Market, on the other hand, are chock full of creamy vegan chocolate chips, making them both animal- and taste bud-friendly. 4375 Georgetown Rd., 293-9525, georgetownmarket.com.

Chicken Salad Sandwich
It is not the hickory-smoked St. Louis–style ribs or even the beer-battered onion rings that won us over at Smokehouse on Shelby, but rather the smoky, tender chicken salad. Chef Matt Schwartz, who also oversees the Shelbi Street Cafe & Bistro, mounds the meaty salad onto a toasted bun and serves it with a pickle spear and two sides for $6.95. 1105 E. Prospect St., 685-1959.

Homemade Pasta
Indy owes a debt of gratitude to Capri Ristorante and Lounge for showing us the way pasta should be done, with seven varieties of made-from-scratch noodles on the menu. We will always have an al dente spot in our heart for the tangle of thick strands that nest beneath tiny veal meatballs and the soft sheets of ravioli. You might curse the day you first taste Capri’s version of Tortellino Alla Papalina, ham and mushrooms delicately encased inside a paper-thin wrapper, because never again will you settle for anything less perfect than that. 2602 Ruth Dr., 259-4122, capriindy.com.

Yerba Mate
For the tastiest option in caffeinated beverages, stop by Tea’s Me Cafe and order a pot of toasted yerba mate tea. Like most best-kept secrets, this tea is not listed on the menu, and while it takes about seven minutes to steep—twice as long as black tea—the creamy sweetness is worth the wait. Served in a clear glass pot warmed from underneath with a tea light, it doesn’t get bitter as it sits, making it perfect for lingering over all afternoon. Take owner Wayne Ashford’s advice and try it mildly sweetened, flavored with a hint of tiramisu syrup, and topped off with a splash of soymilk. 140 E. 22nd St., 920-1016, teasmecafe.com.

Asian Market
When you want to make a batch of mochi but find yourself stuck in a sweet-bean-curd rut, you will find enlightenment among the dizzying array of options at Asia Mart. The grocery store is surprisingly roomy, with plenty of space to display oodles of noodles, obscure sauces, and prepackaged items such as duck with barbecue sauce. You’ll find whole plucked chickens and several species of fish piled in the freezer case, and baked goods from local Asian bakeries. Push one of the tiny grocery carts through the shop just to marvel at the offerings, and let us know if you hear of a good recipe for spicy squid. 6103 E. 86th St., 845-8892.

French Fries
We live in a time when sandwiches are accompanied either by barely thawed potato chunks that smack of freezer burn or fancy seasoned “frites” that are only as good as the exotic dipping sauce you’re supposed to drown them in. That’s why it’s nice to find a friendly fry that holds up on its own and actually tastes like a french-fried potato. Harry & Izzy’s serves sturdy peel-on, house-cut spuds that aren’t too greasy, over-seasoned, or dependent on the sauce. 153 S. Illinois St., 635-9594, harryandizzys.com.

French Toast
Breakfast purists may argue that the creme brulee French toast at Zest Exciting Food Creations—challah bread soaked overnight in cream and egg then baked in a water bath—isn’t French toast at all. But one bite of this sugary, gooey treat is enough to sway any stickler to realize that, in this case, cheaters—and eaters—get the prize. 1134 E. 54th St., 506-9252.

Produce Section
What sprawling Saraga International Grocery lacks in ready-for-their-closeup bushel baskets spilling out shiny waxed apples and peppers, it makes up for in bin after bin of exotic offerings from around the world. On one visit, the 200-foot-deep section brimmed with nine kinds of bananas, the same number of mushrooms, and a dozen yam varieties. And don’t even get us started on the anthology of peppers you will find among the durian, chayote, epazote, and sesame leaf. 3605 Commercial Dr., 388-9999, saragafood.com.

Taqueria
When it comes to the best Mexican eats, the key word is “autentico.” And in Indy, it doesn’t get much more autentico than Taqueria Guanajuato. Tucked in a back corner of the Carniceria Guanajuato II, this Hispanic hole in the wall serves up traditional offerings like beef tongue and tripa along with more-mainstream chorizo and carne asada, packed into burritos and tacos or onto a grilled bun for a piled-high torta. 3110 N. Shadeland Ave., 546-5150.

Enchiladas Suizas
Every Mexican restaurant in town has its own interpretation of green enchiladas. Sol Azteca gets it right: four corn tortillas rolled around juicy shredded chicken soaked in green tomatillo sauce, sour cream, and queso with south-of-the-border cred. Expats cherish it as comfort food, but this is Sol food, no matter where you’re from. 5354 W. 38th St., 297-7192.

Sushi Roll
No one at Wasabi On 82nd seems to know why one of its most popular maki sushi offerings is called the mistake roll. Spicy tuna tempura and rice are wrapped in seaweed paper, lightly fried, and then covered in the tang of the house’s secret spicy sauce. We don’t really care about the name. The real mistake would be overlooking it on the menu. 5025 E. 82nd St., 594-1188.

Cannoli
Sisters Dollyne Sherman and Dame Prout have given their grandmother’s Sicilian recipes a new showcase in their tiny Lucia’s in City Market. Thank goodness they inherited the dreamiest whipped ricotta-filled pastry tubes in town (and maybe even the dreamiest dessert in town). The deep-fried, handmade cannoli shell gives just a moment’s resistance before the edge of your fork cracks through to sweet chilled cream, thick with ricotta and yet light as air, with bits of almond sealing the deal. City Market, 917-1487.

Blondie
No one likes to be spotted in the checkout lane with nothing but a roll of cookie dough and a spoon, and Hoaglin To Go Cafe & Marketplace is there to save us from such humiliating sweet-tooth attacks. The blondies are a fixture in the take-out case, stacked like gold bricks at the bargain price of $1.50. Each bite is embedded with milk-chocolate chips and white-chocolate slivers. Now when you buy just a carton of cold milk at the grocery, we’ll know why. 448 Massachusetts Ave., 423-0300.

Vietnamese Dish
Rice, vermicelli noodles, julienned veggies, and slivers of meat come together in one steaming bowl to make the Vietnamese comfort dish, bun. We found the best at homey Saigon Restaurant on the northwest side. Our favorite is the bun thit nuong, cha gio (otherwise known as No. 78), a huge bowl with sweet grilled pork and—surprise—slices of egg roll nestled within the noodles. 3103 Lafayette Rd., 927-7270.

Pizza by the Slice
At Giorgio’s Pizza, the crust has a crackery-crisp bite with a cornice that’s airy and chewy; the moz is slightly salty and flecked with oregano; and the sauce—which dances between sweet notes and garlicky ones—is made from Stanislaus tomatoes, staple of the New York masters like Lombardi’s, Patsy’s, and Totonno’s. So, hurry up and order already—you’re holding up the line. 9 E. Market St., 687-9869, giorgiosindy.com.

Beer Selection
With more than 600 bottled selections and another 40 brews on tap at Shallos Antique Restaurant, you can drink your way around the world and never leave Indy’s south side. The menu changes weekly, and with so many choices, you might have trouble deciding which beer to try first. Our advice: start at the beginning—have a He’Brew Genesis. 8811 Hardegan St., 882-7997, shallos.net.

Hot Cookie
The Pizookie dessert at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse is a deep-dish cookie closer that melts in its own little pan—not in your hands. You will need a spoon for this bad boy, in which gooey chocolate chunks combine with soft buttery dough and two slowly melting scoops of vanilla-bean ice cream. At $5, you can’t miss this sharable, crowd-pleasing treat. 1251 U.S. 31 N., Greenwood, 881-3500.

Local Produce
Sure, you want to have the sort of altruistic mindset the world expects of us these days. But hey, the farmers’ market is closed for the season, and that hip new CSA you joined left you with more kale and fennel than you knew what to do with. Enter Farm Fresh Delivery, which partners with farmers and artisans to deliver the best in grass-fed, antibiotic-free, good-for-you local foods. For a minimum order of $35, you can have all those fruits and veggies delivered to your door without having to sign up for any kind of long-term relationship. 7503 Crews Dr., 377-0470, farmfreshdelivery.com.

Late-night Eats
Open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, The Brass Ring Lounge serves pub grub with a gourmet twist. Massive potato skins somehow span 8 inches and come three to an order with your choice of toppings; the quesadillas look and taste more like pizza, stuffed as they are with sausage, mushrooms, marinara, and other morsels; the warm spinach-artichoke wrap is studded with chunks of artichoke. And when the weather is right, they’ll roll up the garage-door front wall of the building, and you can sit out under the stars on a patio that really feels like part of the bar. 1245 Shelby St., 635-7464.

Custom Cookies
Give The Whimsical Whisk a picture of something you cherish (like your pet or kid), and the bakery will transfer the image into a sheet of sugar and place it on a cookie “frame” with a hand-painted border. Pricing starts at $5, with a minimum order of two dozen. They’re almost too pretty to eat. 730-6802, whimsicalwhisk.com.

Sliders
The codwich slider in the bar at Mitchell’s Fish Market rides the mini-sandwich wave with a chunk of Pacific cod dipped in Sam Adams beer batter, fried, and topped with cheddar. And the big bonus: You can pop one of these little munchers in your mouth for just $2.95 after 4 p.m. 14311 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel, 848-3474, mitchellsfishmarket.com.

Bar Menu
The barstool menu at Peterson’s is the perfect loosened-tie version of executive chef Jeff Heaviland’s fine-dining lineup. Kobe beef brisket ravioli are plump half-moons drizzled with a Roma tomato emulsion. The grilled and chilled asparagus is adorned with Parmesan, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, and Meyer lemon oil. Even the burger—a whopping Kobe patty served on focaccia with a tangy house-made steak sauce—raises the bar on bar menus. 7690 E. 96th St., Fishers, 598-8863, petersonsrestaurant.com.

Kids’ Menu
At Oakleys Bistro, chef Steven Oakley treats the wee ones with respect, offering a pint-sized menu that features smaller portions of some of his renowned dishes. The famous Oakleys barbecue-glazed meatloaf is on this children’s menu (made from the chef’s grandfather’s recipe), along with fettuccini with tomatoes and basil. Even the menu itself has special touches, offering a table-manners quiz in lieu of gimmicky coloring pages. 1464 W. 86th St., 824-1231, oakleysbistro.com.

Ceviche
Fresh is the key word when it comes to a dish composed of raw seafood “cooked” in citrus. The rotating selection at Z’s Oyster Bar & Steakhouse shows the kitchen’s confidence in its fresh catch—be that ahi (with lemon and lime pico de gallo), nigiri (with orange and mint), shrimp and scallops (with avocado), or a textbook combo studded with diced tomatoes, onion, and cilantro that is as refreshing as anything you’d eat in a Caribbean resort. 6220 Castleway W. Dr., 644-8000, zsoyster.com.

Lamb Chops
Carved straight from the spit on which it is roasted, the rack of lamb at Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao yields tender, still-sizzling chops that can only be eaten like delicate meat lollipops. Each bite contains the perfect flavor combination of fat, char, and meat seasoned with lemon pepper that will test your limits of all-you-can-eat. 117 E. Washington St., 638-4000, fogodechao.com.

Soup
The smoky aroma wafting up from your bowl of corn puree at Meridian Restaurant & Bar is your first clue that you have picked a winner. The second clue? Your first bite. Topped with crunchy bacon and potatoes, it is the essence of summertime in Indiana. 5694 N. Meridian St., 466-1111, meridianonmeridian.com.

Fro-Yo
There is no line snaking out the door of Yogokiss, the way there is at L.A.’s fro-yo pioneer Pinkberry. No line yet. The shop serves original, green tea, chocolate, and berry frozen yogurt, and piles on toppings as exotic as pomegranate and Asian pear. Take it to go or scoop it up while lounging on Yogo’s overstuffed red couch. 4825 E. 96th St., 815-1988, yogokiss.com.

Butters
Truth be told, clever packaging drew us to Avon-based Country Mouse City Mouse’s line of flavored compound butters. But these biscuit-toppers, layered with knowingly paired flavors (like bleu cheese and dried cherries), are no gimmick. countrymousecitymouseindy.com.

Sandwich
Bon Appetit rated Goose the Market’s Batali among the best sandwiches in America, though we prefer its Goose sandwich, served just warm enough to melt mozzarella over layers of paper-thin Prosciutto and peppery basil. Bon appetit, indeed. 2503 N. Delaware St., 924-4944, goosethemarket.com.