IF YOU’RE LUCKY enough to catch Nick Detrich out of the kitchen at Magdalena, the spirits-forward, New Orleans–inspired oyster bar and bistro he opened in the former Thunderbird space on Shelby Street late last autumn, he’s bound to tell you a story. It might be about the Murder Point oysters he’s sourced from Bayou La Batre, Alabama, with a deep bowl-like shell that’s great for presentation. It might be the history of one of his favorite spirits, Madeira, first discovered when wine from Portugal was “cooked” by the high heat of ships’ holds on long ocean voyages. Or it just might be the story of how he never intended to open another restaurant when he returned to Indiana in 2021.
But restaurants get into your blood, and they become part of a restaurateur’s personal narrative. After years spent opening and operating such esteemed New Orleans spots as Manolito and Jewel of the South (the latter a James Beard Foundation and World’s 50 Best Bars honoree), the westside native came home to open Southern-
inflected Small Favors in Bloomington, which he shuttered in February of 2024 when the college town’s summer down-season made it financially unsustainable.
Now, he’s at the helm of a raw bar and hearty small plates spot that could have been transplanted to the heart of Fountain Square from the French Quarter. A penny tile floor (“I’ll have to regrout it each year,” he says), limewash walls (“The same finish was used on Sumerian pyramids.”), and a milky white marble bar top (“I framed it and then got the marble custom cut.”) are the distinctive decor features. They’re a clean, straightforward backdrop for sipping one of the smoothest Sazeracs you’ll get outside of the Big Easy, made to the original specifications.
You could do well with just a drink at Magdalena or perhaps a platter of one of the most thoughtful oyster selections in the city. You can get Pink Moons, another of Detrich’s favorites, from New London, Prince Edward Island. They’re small, mild, and transport well, and they come beautifully dressed with cocktail sauce and an eyedropper of shallot and red wine mignonette. Among other seafood starters, a Northern nod of smoked whitefish dip or pickled shrimp, both served with fried saltines, are standouts. When the tiny tips of blue crab claws dressed in aromatic Meyer lemon and fennel, both bulb and fronds, are on the day’s menu, get them.
A plate of crisp, lightly battered chicken livers, Detrich’s homage to local fried chicken traditions, could make a meal, served with buttermilk-tossed chicory and pepper jelly. Hearty eaters or avid sharers would do well with a cast iron-seared slice of city ham atop pimento cheese grits and a deeply savory “redder” eye gravy. Collard greens “stuffed” with boudin, bacon, and purple-eye peas, as well as Brussels sprouts that deviate from the typical with fragrant benne seeds and a rich miso bagna càuda, show a rare attention to side dishes.
While the kitchen’s influences are solidly from the Louisiana bayou and the Lowcountry cuisine of Charleston, which Detrich has visited for years to promote his NOLA restaurants, he’s brought on Brian Kanne, formerly of Bluebeard, and Eric Neylon, most recently of Tinker Street. Detrich eschews the brigade system (that is, the “yes, chef” style kitchen made famous by The Bear), and each cook contributes as a team. This successful partnership is exemplified by Neylon’s rich, comforting mushroom agnolotti filled with ricotta and blue oyster mushrooms from local Forage & Cultivate, enlivened with marinated king oysters, lemon zest, and fines herbes.
Among desserts, cornbread pudding with a rum glaze and buttermilk ice cream is a lusciously restrained finale. If that’s not available, a thick, custard-like posset set with Cara Cara orange juice and finished with the sweet, tannic notes of dates soaked in coffee and chicory is an excellent substitute.
Detrich left Indiana with an English degree in 2007, following friends who moved to New Orleans. (Full disclosure: Detrich took an IUPUI creative writing course I taught in the early 2000s, back when his only restaurant experience was as a pizza shop dishwasher.) And while he never figured he would go down the path of restaurant life, he just kept taking jobs at bars. “Working behind the bar is all about storytelling,” Detrich says. “I’ve heard so many.” Whether or not he gets to tell you his story in person, you’ll definitely read it in every dish that arrives at your table.
Magdalena
1127 Shelby St.
317-691-8021
magdalena.bar
Hours:
Sun–Tue 5–10 p.m.;
Thu 5–10 p.m.;
Fri–Sat 5 p.m.–12 a.m.
Vibe: New wave oyster bar
Tasting Notes: New Orleans and Lowcountry-inspired raw bar, small plates, and seasonally inspired dinner offerings with classic Crescent City cocktails and innovative rotating elixirs.
Neighborhood: Fountain Square
Must-Order: Ultra-fresh oysters with red wine and shallot mignonette; sweet blue crab claw tips; light, crispy fried chicken livers; Brussels sprouts with ricotta and miso bagna càuda; cast-iron ham steak with pimento cheese grits and a rich red-eye gravy.
