- Cerulean’s (339 S. Delaware St., 317-870-1320) pitch-perfect pair of vanilla-bean macarons—one big and one little—on a plate artfully balance with freeze-dried raspberries.
- Tiny pan-fried bluegill filets atop stone-ground grits at Black Market (922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757). Flavor-packed hunks of ham hock are fried just enough to crisp the edges and scattered on the plate for the requisite bacon notes. All of that, plus gravy.
- The Suzy Edamame at H2O (1912 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-254-0677). The cooked pods are tossed in a slightly sweet hoisin sauce with finely diced jalapenos and torn cilantro. They’re worth the messy fingers!
- The spicy mac-and-cheese appetizer at Bru Burger Bar (410 Massachusetts Ave., 317-635-4278), a bowl of long cavatappi twists, biting roasted-jalapeno cheese sauce, Andouille sausage, and juicy shrimp, enough for a light lunch. The servers know to keep the ice water coming.
- Sugar-dredged hot doughnuts that you drizzle with honey-sesame sauce at Naisa Pan-Asian Cafe (1025 Virginia Ave., 317-602-3708).