Editor’s Note: This location is now closed for business.
We are occasionally reminded—even four years after Indigo Duck opened—that this little bistro on Franklin’s courthouse square is still flying under the radar. Yet another blown-away diner will breathlessly recount, in delicious detail, a recent meal at this new “discovery” off the beaten culinary path. Yes, please. Tell us again about the she-crab soup kissed with golden sherry, the grilled duck splayed over a medley of hominy and bacon, the Wee Mac–braised lamb shank, the [fill in the blank] and grits. It’s even hard to read the menu without lapsing into a foodie trance, getting the urge to point your car south down I-65 toward the college-town restaurant that carried on valiantly following last year’s death of original owner-chef Joseph Hewett, the dreamer who first imagined the likes of lump-crab salad on top of avocado pancakes drizzled with mango puree. With new chef Ryan Kernodle in charge of the food, the kitchen continues to crank out delightfully elaborate dishes that are worth discovering over and over again.
VIP SEATING: The limited tables fill up fast on busy nights, but don’t fret. The full menu is available at the small bar just inside the entrance.
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Sunday brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring delights such as redeye shrimp and grits and a fried-green-tomato BLT.
PREVIOUS MENTION: Best Restaraunts 2013
39 E. Court St., Franklin, 317-560-5805, theindigoduck.com
See all 25 Best Restaurants here.
This article appeared in the May 2014 issue.
