Northside Kitchenette

Northside Kitchenette

Northside Kitchenette is the kid sister to next door's Northside Social.  While Northside Social serves only dinner, Kitchenette serves only breakfast and lunch.  I've been a fan of Northside Social for awhile now (though it hasn't been as consistent as I had hoped), and I've been dying to try Kitchenette.

Brandon, a colleague of mine from the Greater Indianapolis Chamer of Commerce ChamberAction Committee, invited me to lunch to talk shop, and I was delighted when he suggested it.  Walking in was a pleasant surprise.  Kitchenette is light-filled and airy, with a decidedly chic city feel.  It is definitely the daytime counterpart to hip, urban Northside Social.

As I wait for Brandon, I order a house brewed citrus green tea (they have 2 daily brews).  It is spiced and lovely. I am so appreciative of places who offer an iced tea selection, especially in the summer.

Northside Kitchenette

Summer Veg

The menu is chock full of interesting sandwiches and salads.  In fact, Brandon and I have a hard time choosing.  I decide on AK's Grilled Cheese, which sounds like perfection: baby spinach, balsamic marinated grilled portobella mushrooms with melted brie and fresh mozzerella on whole grain bread.  Brandon gets the Summer Veg: avocado, cucmber, hummus, field greens, sprouts and tomato on whole grain.  The sandwiches are served with house made potato chips, but an upgrade of hand-cut fries or fruit is available.  We both opt for chips.

AK's Grilled Cheese

The sandwiches arrive and look beautiful.  Before I take a bite, Brandon decides he is ordering mine next time (it looks that good). Both sandwiches are delicious.  I do wish mine had been on different bread, as the texture of the whole grain didn't quite jive with the delicacy of the brie and mozzerella. 

Service is prompt and friendly. The prices are incredibly reasonable (I think our lunch was about $23 with tax and tip). Northside Kitchenette gets 4/5, and I can't wait to go back.  Cheers!

Palomino

When my boss comes to town (she's based in Chicago), I always look forward to sharing a meal with her.  She has impeccable taste in wine and enjoys food as much as I do. Not only is she a fantastic conversationalist and a great listener (with many tales of triumph, folly, and humor), but she is just fun!

Since she is from Chicago, I can't help but be on a subconscious quest to brag on my city and all of its best parts.  I've taken her to many of my favorite spots to eat (Petite Chou, Harry & Izzy's) and drink (Midtown Grill, Olive's) in a constant quest to show off how great Indy is.  So far I think I'm doing okay, as she regards Indianapolis as clean, safe, accessible, and pretty, with very nice people and a lot to do. (I second those sentiments.)

The Albarino flight at Palomino

Because of her truly insane travel schedule, I often have to meet her at or near her hotel.  This time, staying downtown, we choose Palomino (we can't completely break the company bank, but it's dinner rush hour and we don't want to have a long wait). Our server is a handsome, exuberant mid-20s foodie and he starts us off straight away with a flight of Albariños:  Martin Codáx Rias Baixas (Spain), Bonny Doon Ca-Del Sol (Monterrey County), Don Olegario Rias Biáxas (Spain).  This is the perfect flight to illustrate the difference between old world and new world wines.  The old world wines (the two Spanish selections) were subtly crisp, refined, and very balanced.  The new world wine (Bonny Doon) was bold, in your face with its almost briny, green acidity.  See more on Albariño below (such a great choice this time of year!):

Albariño (Galician pronunciation: [albaˈɾiːɲo]) or Alvarinho (Portuguese: [alvaˈɾiːɲo]) is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain) and Monção (northwest Portugal), where it is used to make varietal white wines.

Albariño is actually the Galician name for the grape, with Albarín Blanco an occasional synonym. In Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco. [1]

It was presumably brought to Iberia by Cluny monks in the twelfth century. Its name "Alba-Riño" means "the white from Rhine" and it has locally been thought to be a Riesling clone originating from the Alsace region of France, although earliest known records of Riesling as a grape variety date from the 15th, rather than the 12th, century. It is also theorized that the grape is a close relative of the French grape Petit Manseng. [2]

It should not be confused with the Alvarinho Liláz grape of Madeira.  The above article is courtesy of Celletracker.com  Acccess the full article here.

 

Anyway, we both liked the two old world wines much better than the Bonny Doon, and we were very happy with all of this albariño in front of us.  We split a Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread with arugula pesto, roasted peppers, and romano cheese.  It is very tasty, but not life-changing.  It does hit the spot though while we wait for the main events.  I order paella and my boss orders Halibut.  

Heaven-sent Paella

The paella is a risk, and I know it.  Since tasting paella in Spain years ago, I have been drastically disappointed in most versions I have ordered stateside.  Our adorable server swears on his life that it will be amazing. Skeptical, I hope for the best. I must say, this is absolutely the best paella I've had since Spain (maybe even better).  The fish wasn't dry, there was lots of flavor from the spicy chorizo, the saffron was perfectly aromatic.  It was heaven.  My companion thoroughly enjoyed her halibut, but I don't think it was quite the transformative experience of the paella.

While dessert sounded good, we are both too full of albariño and fish to move (except we did somehow end up at Harry & Izzy's for a nightcap).  I really don't know precisely what this meal cost, but I do know two things.  First, it wasn't the most expensive meal either of us had eaten; secondly, it definitely wasn't the most affordable either.  All I know is that I would pay plenty for that luscious, take-me-back-to-Barcelona-in-one-bite paella. ¡Fantástico! I give Palomino 4/5 for excellent service, great food, and a paella that is mind-blowing. I'm sure the company and conversation did make a bit of difference, but isn't that always the case? By the way, my boss only reads this blog on occasion, so this is not a shameless brown-nosing attempt.  Cheers!

Cafe Patachou (the original)

I must confess, I love the Patachou brand.  This will not be my most un-biased review.  It will, however, like everything on this blog, be completely honest.  The entrepreneurial spirit in me loves how Patachou started, its evolution, and what it means to Indy today.  I happen to call Martha Hoover, the chains proprietress, an acquaintance.  Martha was formerly my neighbor for 5 years after moving back to Indianapolis after being in Atlanta for awhile. I find Martha to be everything fantastic about successful women in business:  a true visionary with an exacting sense of what she wants and how to get it done.  She is also a great conversationalist and very involved in our community.

My admiration of Martha aside, the foodie in me just loves what Patachou stands for.  Martha Hoover wanted a neighborhood eatery that would provide the type of food she cooked for her friends and family:  fresh, locally-sourced when possible, and French inspired deliciousness.  So she created it.  I give thanks for this often, as I find myself in one of the Patachous frequently.

What is Patachou?  A quick search revealed the following:

-Patachou was the stage name of Henriette Ragon (born 10 June 1918), a French singer and actress. After very humble beginnings, she was awarded as Officier of the Légion d'honneur in 2009. Plenty of her performances are available on YouTube if you are interested.

-After some more serious Googling of the term "patachou," and no actual definitions of the word itself, I have 2 hypotheses.  First that the name came from "pâte à choux," "cream puff pastry," in French. Or perhaps the term originated from the actress's stage name.

-The moral of this little exercise is a somewhat surprising one: 6 out of the top 10 Google search results for Patachou are in reference to the Indianapolis Brand (dozens of reviews, interest pieces about Hoover, et cetera). It is such a lauded establishment that it is hard to find the actual meaning of the word. Now that's what I call impact.

So how was my lunch? It was delicious as always.  I was having a business lunch with a colleague and our server let us linger over our lengthy conversation well beyond finishing our meal.  I had the Hippie with a Benz omelet (mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and feta) with a side of whole wheat cinnamon toast.  It was more food than I could eat, which is saying something.  The omelet was perfectly prepared, the toast was house-made, thick-cut bread and the fruit cup was fresh and filled with seasonal berries and more. Yum.

It's not the cheapest place to eat for breakfast or lunch, but the serving sizes are generous and the ingredients are only the best. I've heard people complain about the cost before, and I never understand why given the portion size, as well as the freshness and quality of the ingredients and preparation techniques.  I give Cafe Patachou a 4/5.  It is such a treat every time I go (and yes, I have had wonderful experiences at every Patachou in the city). Cheers!