Dining

On Friday—within weeks of the grand opening—scores of casual diners packed the tables of Fire by the Monon (6523 Ferguson St., 602-8590), in the former L’Explorateur spot. Servers at the tucked-away Broad Ripple restaurant seemed a bit overwhelmed by the crowd, their style resembling a sort of hospitality triage as they rushed glasses and plates around the noisy dining rooms. We made quick wo

Pei Wei Asian Diner (6159 N. Keystone Ave., 205-9380) opened on Monday in the Glendale Shopping Center, offering a menu of eastern dishes inspired by food from China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The casual-restaurant chain was developed by P.F. Chang’s China Bistro in 2000 as a smaller version of their already popular restaurant. Edamame and Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls are listed among the starters. Mains include Japanese Teriyaki and Korean BBQ, with plenty of gluten-free options and a kid’s menu. And just to avoid any embarrassment, the correct pronunciation is “pay way.”

There is a lot of nowhere in indiana. I know this. I've seen it, grown up in it, lived in it. And right now my wife Michelle and I are poised at its edge, in search of the best breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in the state of Indiana.

What makes this Columbus institution really sweet is the counter-side charm of Wilma Hare and her fellow soda jerks, who will pull you an ice cream soda the way it was in 1900 and serve it with a side of sass: “When that ice cream hits the carbonation, it will explode like a volcano. And I will laugh at the look of panic on your face.”

You were thinking of the sweet, bubbly variety, right? Great. If you work near the Circle and need a soda for your morning jolt ... and maybe an afternoon pick-me-up ... and maybe one more to pull you through a late night ... you need to know about the free refills all day, every day, at The South Bend Chocolate Company. 

If you’ve ever jostled your way into Giorgio’s Pizza during the lunch rush, confused about where, exactly, to stand in line and whether you are the one currently being barked at to place an order, the first thing on your mind was probably not romance. But after work, as the sun starts to drop low, the popular pizzeria ups the amore factor. Staffers dim the lights that, by day, glare onto the laminated tables and well-trod tile flooring. Track lights illuminate recently installed murals depicting the kind of lush Italian scenery you wish you could jump right into, Mary Poppins–style. It’s around this time that you might suddenly notice the flowers that were always on each table, if only you’d taken time out of your hectic lunch half–hour to stop and smell them (OK, they're plastic, but still). And the ultimate ingredient for dinner, Italian–style—red wine—is just $20 a bottle.

An idea three years in the making, Smoking Goose (407 N. Dorman St.), a wholesale charcuterie from Goose the Market’s Chris Eley, is weeks away from its grand opening. The 12,000-square-foot space in the Holy Cross neighborhood will house sausage-making and curing equipment, and though the majority of the business will be in selling smokehouse and sausage offerings (packaged with the Smoking Goose label) to restaurants and stores around the country, Eley will open the doors to the public on select evenings, a la Friday nights at Sun King Brewery.

Indy has no shortage of brand-new craft beer options, from the near-eastside’s Flat12 Bierwerks (414 N. Dorman St., 635-2337) to the far-westside’s Three Pints Brewpub (5020 Cambridge Way, Plainfield, 839-1000), which is serving beers from around the state while its own production facility is under construction.

A cheese cave is on the list of possible expansions at Traders Point Creamery (9101 Moore Rd., Zionsville, 733-1700), says cheesemaker Lindsay Klaunig. By fall, the creamery should have more concrete excavation plans for the addition, described as a 50-degree room where new products such as bleu cheese and Camembert could age to perfection. In the meantime, Klaunig wants to start aging (for four to eight months) the Fleur de la Terre, raw-milk Gouda, and raw-milk cheddar in the current TPC lineup for deeper, more interesting flavors.

Given the stranglehold sports fans have on this town, as well as a certain big game Indy expects to host next winter, it’s surprising that the two-story brick storefront near the industrial corner of South and Minnesota streets remained untapped as long as it did. Little more than 100 feet from Lucas Oil Stadium, Tavern on South is a spiffy surprise—a sportingly handsome spot where your game-day eats might be drizzled with a shagbark hickory–soy syrup or arrive with a side of pistachio couscous.