Interstate Adventures

After being in France for five weeks and discussing our food with some of the locals, I found myself defending the American food experience. It is possible to eat foods made without preservatives and locally sourced here in the U.S.A.

So when I knew we were heading to Indianapolis I decided to do some research and make a deliberate choice for an early dinner at an award winning farm-to-table restaurant and Jame’s Beard semi-finalist, Bluebeard Indy.

We were seated in the small indoor dining room. After we got settled with cocktails we poured over the menu. We decided to share the basket of restaurant made grilled bread and flavored butters, an assortment of pickled vegetables, and a gem salad that had peas, dill, crispy shallots, and lemon vinaigrette. Bruce had a miller amish semi-boneless half chicken with heirloom blue grits, braised radish, fried ramps, and harissa. I had spinach ricotta dumpling, fontina fondue, confited leek, aged balsamic, fried parsley. All this was enjoyed with a Chenin Blanc that had the acid, floral, and mineral notes of a Reisling with the relatively heavier mouth feel of a Chardonnay. It was the perfect versatility for both of our dishes. We sat near a young couple heading off to their senior prom. When I heard one of them say “mom” my head shot in her direction, like all mom’s do! It turns out the couple both worked at this restaurant and one of them was the daughter of the owner.

This is the kind of restaurant you would find in France. It is family owned and operated. There were many tables outside and inside. All of them were close together. The server was professional and focused on our dining experience. She scanned the room so that whenever we needed something we could catch her eye. The sommelier introduced himself. All the ingredients came from nearby and the portions were enough that you could order a few courses to taste all the unique-to-Indiana offerings without feeling stuffed or breaking the budget. This experience is something that will pop into my head whenever I hear someone from France tell me that we don’t have the same quality of food and dining experiences as they do. It might not be the default or as easily found as in France but I’m going to keep up the search and continue to support.