Bluebeard

When it opened in 2012, Tom and Ed Battista’s charming restaurant led the charge in getting Indy’s dining scene on the national radar. A perennial nominee for the prestigious James Beard Awards, with mentions in the likes of The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, and Bon Appétit, Bluebeard—which takes its name from one of native son Kurt Vonnegut’s novels—still delivers on the hype. The menu has settled into a comfortable groove, starting with sharable small plates such as house-frizzled chips and French onion dip, gourmet bar nuts, and grilled bread from sibling bakery Amelia’s served with a flight of slatherings.

Midsized dishes diners have grown to love: chopped salad; fat scallops over celery root puree, topped with pickled apples and jalapeño; and spaghetti tossed with créme fraiche, parmesan, and gremolata. A plate-spanning Faroe Island salmon, beef-and-pork Bolognese, and other larger entrees make for a nice, lingering dinner accompanied by cocktails in a delightfully shabby dining room decorated with shelves of books and Vonnegut-era typewriters.