September Foodie: Kendall Lockwood

Ball & Biscuit operating partner Kendall Lockwood spent many of her twentysomething nights dancing with friends at Herron-Morton Place’s iconic LGBTQ nightclub, Talbott Street. When the neighborhood watering hole famous for its drag shows took its final bow in 2016, Lockwood—like so many of her Red Bull vodka–sipping tribe—mourned the loss. “Even before it was Talbott, it was a really cool disco club, a grocery store, and all of these amazing things,” she says. Lockwood, a pioneer of Indy’s craft-cocktail scene but also a veteran of old-school late-night downtown bartending, made it her mission to revive part of the historic address as a family-friendly, diner-style hangout called Baby’s.

Here, a new, all-ages clientele can fill up on chef Kevin Fry’s broasted chicken, smash burgers, and Baby’s-style corn bread, and sip vegan milkshakes (spiked or not) in the 3,500-square-foot former cabaret. Some of Baby’s design elements, like a bathroom’s “Slay” wallpaper, the dining room’s pink-glitter booths, and the cartoonish graphic merch featuring a French fry coming out of a lipstick tube, a chicken drumstick in a high heel, and a pickle wearing an earring are all winks to the location’s fierce past life. Though the new configuration, which features an 18-foot poured-resin bar top in the Baby’s pink-yellow-and-green palette, isn’t big enough to accommodate the production values of the old Talbott Street’s full-blown drag shows, Lockwood has a few colorful tricks up her sleeve, like drag trivia nights, drag bingo, or “How fun would it be to do a Disney Princess drag brunch?” she asks. Pretty fun.

Click here for Lockwood’s go-to recipe for a quick family meal of Chili-Lime Chicken Burger à la Lockwood-Fields.