- Crisp and browned salmon cake at Room Four (4907 N. College Ave., 317-925-7529), topped with a bright Meyer lemon sauce.
- The Mixiote at El Sol de Tala (2444 E. Washington St., 317-636-1250), braised lamb shank steamed inside a banana leaf with guajillo chiles, tequila, and spices.
- Traders Point Creamery’s Bloomy, an exquisitely stinky cheese “rolled in carrot ash and covered in moldy rind.” Packaged in cute little individual wheels, its flavor is somewhere between Brie and Camembert, creamy but sharp.
- The Heaven Roll, on the sushi list at downtown’s Naked Tchopstix offshoot, Bistro Chopstix (251 N. Illinois St., 317-636-9000). These rice-free cucumber pinwheels have a core of avocado, krab, sweet potato, and raw fish, and they are dressed with sesame seeds and sweet vinaigrette. The trick is to eat an entire piece in one bite—to appreciate the spot-on combination of textures and flavors (the fresh seafood, the starchy sweetness, the cool vegetable snap, and then the sesame finish). A tiny masterpiece.
- Deep-fried green beans at Kitley Inn (825 S. Kitley Ave., 317-357-3160).
