THE SWOON LIST: Five Things We Adore Right Now

  1. The creamed kale at Meridian Restaurant and Bar (5694 N. Meridian St., 466-1111).
  2. Taking a counter seat at Rock-Cola ’50s Cafe (5730 Brookville Rd., 357-2233) to watch the cook give three-quarter–pound grilled tenderloins and 10-ounce hamburger patties the smackdown on the grill top.
  3. Sweet caramelized onion and tender bits of roasted duck on a wafer-thin pizza at Harry & Izzy’s (153 S. Illinois St., 635-9594).
  4. The tongue-numbing, Pernod-spiked Buggs Zombie at Euphoria (337 W. 11th St., 955-2389), served over ice in a vintage patterned drinking glass.
  5. Learning how to roast a whole fish from The New York Times columnist Melissa Clark. Film highlight: watching Clark scoop up the cheek and eat it on the spot.