Credit: Tony Valainis
HAND ME MY LACTAID: According to a Facebook post from the American Dairy Association of Indiana, its Dairy Bar at the State Fair sold 76,000 milkshakes this year, 36,000 grilled cheese sandwiches, and 12,000 cups of good old white or chocolate milk. The top-selling shake flavor was chocolate, and the top-selling sandwich was the Smoked Gouda’cue, a concoction of “smoked gouda, sharp cheddar, and tangy barbecue sauce between buttery, golden Texas toast.” Fairgoers also purchased 12,000 bowls of ice cream from the bar and 4,400 cones.
FINAL INFELIZ: Food and culture festival FIESTA Indianapolis has been canceled this year over concerns that ICE agents would target the September event. Since 1980, the annual street party has brought crowds to downtown Indy for what organizers La Plaza say is the state’s “premier Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.”
In a statement, La Plaza President and CEO Miriam Acevedo Davis says that “circumstances this year have made it impossible to host the event in the way our community deserves.” The decision follows similar cancellations in the Carolinas, in the Indiana town of Huntingburg, and in Los Angeles. Last month, organizers of Chicago’s Fiesta del Sol event noted that the often-masked troops had made a show of force at the city’s National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, which suggests the agency is increasing its focus on community and cultural gathering places as a way to further an increasingly troubling agenda.
INCOMING: It looks like the new restaurant at the old Amara is close to launch. Balena Cucina Italiana has been under construction at 1454 W. 86th St. since spring, posting occasional updates as the months went on. An updated description on its website says the spot is “a small, woman-owned business that draws on over 45 years of family experience serving the Indianapolis culinary community,” and says it’s “Heavily influenced by the Pizzi family heritage,” a reference to prolific restaurateur Gino Pizzi (Ambrosia, Blupoint, many others). The business is making its final staff hires now, and an opening date is on the horizon.
SHINDIGS OF NOTE: Two food-focused events to place on your calendar in the coming days:
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The 18th Annual Taste the Difference Festival will be held at Indy’s Global Village Welcome Center (4233 Lafayette Rd.) from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 23. Vendors span businesses from the International Marketplace neighborhood; adult tickets are $30 (kids under six get in free) and are available online.
- The second Epicurean Women In Indy dinner is set for Wednesday, August 27, at Borage with an all-female lineup that includes some of the city’s biggest names in dining. Tickets are $150 and typically sell out, so get on this one now.
PATIO PROBLEMS: Indiana’s long summers have always made us a hot spot for lingering outdoor meals, and the increased interest in alfresco seating spurred by the pandemic has made patios a reliable way to expand seating for many local spots. But this summer’s oppressive heat and rainy weather have made outdoor dining less desirable, a frustrating state of affairs for a business that already operates on narrow margins and can suffer from sudden fluctuations in ingredient costs—a situation analysts say could worsen as additional tariffs take hold.
A spokesperson for the Wolfpack Restaurant Group (Wolfie’s, Nyla’s) tells Fox 59 that “We have tons of patios, we’ve got beer gardens, we have all this available space and when diners are only wanting to sit inside, you might lose business because of that,” while Ash & Elm Cider Co. owner Andrea Homoya tells WRTV that even their shaded patio has been too warm for patrons to enjoy. This isn’t a problem that’s going away, as experts in climate science say that the summer heat we’re experiencing now will pale in comparison to what’s to come. Restaurant owners might be wise to look to eternally hot places like Palm Springs to see how businesses grapple with dangerously hot weather. Could mid-day closures and misters be in the Indy dining scene’s future?
