Dining Secrets of Indiana

This weekend found me vsiting my parents in Indianapolis, and because they live 1/2 mile from Hollyhock Hill, we had takeout from there (and it was the usual, unusually delicious fried chicken and farm dinner sides for which Hollyhock is justly famous). Anyway, waiting at the register I spotted a small POS goody, a paperback titled "Dining Secrets of Indiana." The book includes blurbs on about 200 independent eateries in Indiana (and a few just across the border in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan). The book is not a triumph of journalistic reporting (the blurbs tend to have a lot of exclamation points and probably were written by the restaurant owners -- although the introduction clearly states that no fees are paid by the restaurants for inclusion in the book). Anyway, long story short, anybody wanting a recommendation just about anywhere in Indiana can send me a PM and I'll let you know what "Secrets" may await there. (By the way, all the places mentioned that I am familiar with I can attest are at least good, often excellent -- e.g., Hollyhock, Strongbow Inn, Iaria's Italian Restaurant in the tiny Little Italy on Indy's southeast side.)

Hungry Hooser is a site for LTH'rs who are looking to eat around Indiana and want to report back. I spent a little time this morning poking around his site and found it resourceful.

Jim,

I bought a copy of the very same book when we went to Hollyhock last summer. It does have a lot of information, though experience will eventually tell us how reliable they are. Of course, they do have Hollyhock, which by itself is fabulous. Since you are most familiar with Indianapolis, how did the restaurants highlighted there strike you?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Jim,

I bought a copy of the very same book when we went to Hollyhock last summer. It does have a lot of information, though experience will eventually tell us how reliable they are. Of course, they do have Hollyhock, which by itself is fabulous. Since you are most familiar with Indianapolis, how did the restaurants highlighted there strike you?

Regards,

Since posting on this, I have lost my copy of the book. From the dim depths of memory, I recall the selections being fairly conservative and uncontroversial. For example, as you note, Hollyhock Hill is in there, but I don't think the likes of Workingman's Friend make an appearance. Cathy, if you listed the names of places included in the book, maybe I or others could weigh in.

As long as we're talking about Indiana. I've got to be in Columbus, IN for two days next week. Anyone know of anything special in the area?

thanks
Wayne

HI,

When I figure out where my copy is, I will be happy to oblige.

Regards,

wesuilmo wrote:I've got to be in Columbus, IN for two days next week. Anyone know of anything special in the area?

Can't help you from a food standpoint, but for its size of 40,000 people, Columbus has an astonishing number of buildings designed by world-renowned architects. Their public library was designed by I.M. Pei. Several buildings in town were designed by Harry Weese, Eliel Saarinen, and his son Eero Saarinen. And if you look in some of the public buildings, you'll find pieces of Dale Chihuly glass art -- the chandelier in the visitor's center is particularly noteworthy...

JimInLoganSquare wrote:From the dim depths of memory, I recall the selections being fairly conservative and uncontroversial. For example, as you note, Hollyhock Hill is in there, but I don't think the likes of Workingman's Friend make an appearance.

I had a look at Cathy2's copy of Dining Secrets of Indiana and agree completely with those statements. Even though I was unfamiliar with most of the restaurants I could get a pretty good idea of the sort of place considered suitable for inclusion. Workingman's Friend is certainly not mentioned nor is Shapiro's (if I remember correctly). How can you write a book on Indiana restaurants and not include Shapiro's?

At the end of my last visit to Indianapolis I found a book far superior to Dining Secrets of Indiana. A new edition of Reid Duffy's Guide to Indiana's Favorite Restaurants has recently appeared. It begins with 30 extended essays on "iconic" restaurants (e.g., Hollyhock Hill and Shapiro's) followed by several hundred shorter reviews. He covers the spectrum from high-end steak houses to dive bars. Both Workingman's Friend and John's Famous Stew are included. Strong points of the book are its sheer comprehensiveness and his interest in the history of each establishment. I wasn't as impressed with his coverage of ethnic restaurants and amazingly there is no index by location, making it tedious to look up places in a particular city. Still, it's an excellent book that I wish I had on my previous visits to Indianapolis. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Hoosier eats.

Here's a link to the publisher's page on the new edition. And here's one for the earlier edition that provides more detail.

wesuilmo wrote:As long as we're talking about Indiana. I've got to be in Columbus, IN for two days next week. Anyone know of anything special in the area?

Unfortunately this is too late for your trip but just in case there's another coming up, here's what Reid Duffy has to say about Columbus. Zaharako's Confectionary is Indiana's oldest ice cream parlor, virtually unchanged since it opened in 1900. This place looks absolutely amazing. Lucas Brother's Sandwich Shop has been making their onion-covered hamburgers the same way since 1920. These two had me looking at maps to see how far Columbus is. A couple newer places are also listed. Bistro 310 doesn't sound all that exciting to me but could be useful if you need a "nicer" place in Columbus. Smith's Row is in what sounds like an interesting old building and their specialty is Pork Wellington. Where did you end up eating in Columbus?