Hello, friends! As last week’s July Fourth holiday fell on a Friday—or in my world, The Feed day—we have an especially jam-packed column today. For the sake of brevity, I am including copious links in each entry, so please click through for more intel on all. –Eve
LA MARG RISING: After opening for carryout in May, La Margarita (501 Virginia Ave.) is officially opening its Fletcher Place doors on July 17.
RUFF LIFE: Dog bar Crate Escapes (18595 Carousel Ln., Westfield) has been open for about five months now, but their full liquor license just came through—which means a grand opening weekend event July 19–20.
WHO MOVED MY CHEESECAKE: H/t to the Star’s Indylicious newsletter, which noted that the shuttered Cheesecake Lady has reopened at 3002 N. Illinois St.
NEW AND NOW: Encanto Alebrije Mexican Restaurant has opened at 10 W. Washington St. (aka the former Rock Bottom), which is nice news—but an early visit suggests one should wait to visit until the business is in more of a rhythm. Have you been yet? If so, please let me know what you thought!
ON THE MOVE: Pier 48 Fish House and Oyster Bar closed its downtown doors last week, Fox 59 reports. The business says construction in the area spurred it to move its staff and menu north to sister business George’s Neighborhood Grill (6935 Lake Plaza Dr.).
MASS APPEAL: The Mass Ave location of Fernando’s Mexican and Brazilian Cuisine has finally swung open, with two bars and ample seating in the distinctive flat-iron space at 888 Massachusetts Ave.
BILLY JOEL’S DELIGHT: Westfield’s newly opened Uptown Bakery (3204 E. SR 32) has roots in some of the area’s favorite bakeries and restaurants including Pat-a-Cakes and Uptown Café, reports the Towne Post.
STAR QUALITY: With a grand opening in late June, Westaurant (3003 Madison Ave.) is Indy’s newest Haitian restaurant, but just as notable is owner Westerlie Sho, a French-language broadcast celebrity and entrepreneur with a vast social media following.
SPEEDY DELIVERY: Longtime catering and festival operation Pronto Taco just opened a Beech Grove storefront at 403 Main St., a move so recent that it’s not noted on its website as of publication. Expect made-to-order tacos piled with chicken, pork, and more.
IN HAND: A recent visit to the Garage food hall (906 Carrollton Ave.) reveals that work on the upcoming retail location for coffee shop favorite 4 Birds Bakery is well underway. The spot’s in a prime location near the center of the hall’s west wing, and it’s already staffing up. In related news, its kitchen space has just extended walk-in hours for preorder pickup, it’s at 607 N. Fulton St.
MALL WALKER: The Fashion Mall location of Blondie’s Cookies has moved to a new space near Nordstrom. The bigger location offers about 20 cookies from the Greentown-based bakery, all of which are made fresh daily.
SHAKE IT: A Nora location of Pittsburgh-based chain The Milkshake Factory has opened at 1340 E. 86th St. Owners of the franchise location are based in North Carolina, and tell Current its grand opening will be Saturday, July 12, “with a DJ, promotional prices and giveaways.”
HEAD EAST: It’s easy to speed past Yazsh Cafe and Bistro, which recently opened at 1705 E. Michigan St. But don’t: Its Bulgarian-meets-Midwestern menu of breakfast and lunch items is fresh, fun, and unique. Owner Lora Popov is a familiar face to local dining insiders, with experience at Goose the Market, Auberge, and Chatham Tap.
