» 22nd Street Diner (2205 N. Delaware) is now open. The family-friendly restaurant in the spot formerly occupied by LongBranch serves dinner starting at 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and opens at 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday for “Second Breakfast” hours. Chefs John Herndon and Josh Baker are in the kitchen, and they split their time aboard their brand-new food truck, Tongue ’N Cheek. Check out their Instagram feeds for menus and a detailed schedule.
» When chef Brad Gates and his wife Meggin announced they were closing their seven-year-old Brad Gates catering business last month, they teased a still-secret next move for Brad. Last week, word finally came that Gates has accepted the head chef gig at Kimbal Musk’s forthcoming Hedge Row Bistro (342 Massachusetts Ave.). He’s currently in Denver training at the first Hedge Row location, opening later this month, before heading back to Indy for a fall opening downtown.
» Iozzo’s Garden of Italy (946 S. Meridian St., 317-974-1100) is launching its first wine, 100 years after the restaurant opened in Indianapolis. Owner Katie Harris, great-granddaughter of the eatery’s founder, Fred Iozzo, traveled to California with her staff to oversee the blending of Santora’s Sangiovese, available exclusively at the restaurant.
» Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery is expanding coast to coast, in a deal that will distribute the locally made spirits to 15 Naval bases across the United States. Owner Travis Barnes, a Marine veteran who served aboard the USS Anchorage, hopes this is the first step in expanding the Hotel Tango brand to military bases worldwide.
» If a gluten sensitivity is cramping your fried chicken style, Punch Bowl Social (120 S. Meridian St., 317-249-8613) feels your (belly) pain. The restaurant is now serving OMFG GF Southern Fried Chicken, a buttermilk-brined bird that’s coated in a batter of organic brown rice flour. The chicken is served with a tomato-and-jalapeño salad.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV3gOArDL70/?taken-by=punchbowlsocial
» St. Louis-based Sugarfire Smokehouse is planning a fall opening at 24 West Washington Street. The downtown spot will be its seventh location, and the first outside of Missouri. Indiana diners got their first taste of Sugarfire’s brisket, pulled pork, and ribs this year when it was the official barbecue of the Indianapolis 500. The fast-casual, counter-service restaurant will seat about 50 diners inside, with limited seating outside.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWAUdJlAjKw/?taken-by=sugarfiresmokehouse
» Tasting Table caught our attention with its story about the most popular brunch recipes by state, as catalogued by Pinterest. We could give you three guesses, and still doubt you’d pick the right one for Indiana. (Hint: It’s fruit pizza.)
» Indianapolis-based HotBox pizza opened its 20th location this week at 8938 East 96th Street in Fishers (317-863-3303).