Food & Drink Page 1

Fried Oysters
Their raw counterparts get all the hype, but the plump, sweet fried bivalves at Z’s Oyster Bar & Steakhouse make a compelling argument for a tight, crunchy crust dropped in hot oil. The bite-size morsels are served elegantly in a paper cone, each one so creamy and succulent on the inside that they do just fine without the housemade tartar sauce that comes on the side. Aw, shucks. 6220 Castleway W. Dr., 644-8000, zsoyster.com

Artisan Marshmallows
Handmade with organic Tahitian vanilla and premium ingredients, 240SWEET’s gourmet flavored cubes (from Lemleys’ Catering in Columbus) come six to a pack, sugar-dusted or decadently dipped. Renditions like Chai Spice, Cranberry with Grand Marnier, Sweet and Salty Caramel, and Chocolate-Chocolate Chip (which has Hershey’s cocoa and embedded chocolate chips) are not your standard campfire treats. 240Sweet.com

Chicken Sandwich
Maxine’s Chicken & Waffles is best known for its … well, you can probably figure out that one. But what it isn’t known for is its fabulous crunchy-on-the-outside-moist-on-the-inside fried chicken-breast sandwich, an embarrassingly massive butterfly of white meat with crisp mahogany edges and steamy crevices of meat. 132 N. East St., 423-3300, maxineschicken.com

Dining Nooks
The secluded tables that dot Adobo Grill let you steal away from the crowd yet still be in the middle of things. The most popular of the cubbies is the Mesa Grande, a 10-top in a tiny room carved into the main-floor dining area. 110 E. Washington St., 822-9990, adobogrill.com

Food Club
The Tamworth, Ossabaw, and noble Duroc. The endangered Red Wattle, which arrived in New Orleans in the late 1700s, with the French. These are the storied breeds from whence cometh your one-pound allotment, if you join the Indiana Bacon of the Month Club at Goose the Market. Proprietor Christopher Eley receives fresh pork bellies from farms around the state and then works his curing magic on them—a series of original recipes that have in recent months included Chinese Five Spice, Rum and Cherry Wood Smoked, and Molasses and Ginger Cured. 2503 N. Delaware St., 924-4944, goosethemarket.com

After-Work Drinks
After being cooped up in a cubicle all day, who wants to spend happy hour cooped up in a stuffy bar? Especially when you can decompress on the outdoor patio at Scotty’s Brewhouse downtown. Bask in the spring and summer sun pouring between the shifting skyscraper shadows, and feed off the buzz of the city bustling around you while you build your own buzz with one of Scotty’s daily drink specials. 1 Virginia Ave., 571-0808, scottysbrewhouse.com