"indiana" news and stories

Photo: Buffalo Wild Wings

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly establishments across the country.

Craft beer at corporate chains? It may seem a bit like an oxymoron, but a lot of restaurants could learn a lesson from national eatery Buffalo Wild Wings.

Franchises in the Buffalo Wild Wings family are able to stock whichever beers they like, so when Sam Hookway took over as bar manager at the Indianapolis location back in February, he had one thing in mind: "to have the best draft beer selection in the city."

Since the restaurant is part of a large, nationwide chain, Coors, Miller and Bud Light will probably always top the Buffalo sales list, but Hookway saw opportunities in other areas: "I got rid of beers like Peroni and Molson, which aren't that different from the other light lagers we sell."

The plan has worked: About half the beer they sell is craft, enticing patrons who might otherwise not frequent such an establishment. And how about beer lovers who scoff at the notion of sipping indie suds on a corporate-controlled stool? "That's a battle I've been trying to fight," Hookway says.

One of the responses to my call for help with Indianapolis foods is the Sugar Cream Pie. I had no idea that such a thing existed, but What's Cooking America, has a litle bit of background on the Indiana-based dessert that's also known as Indiana Cream Pie, Sugar Pie, and Finger Pie.

Finger pie?! Yes, according to the history, the recipe originated with the Shakers in the 1800s. It was called "finger pie" because "the filling was stirred with a finger during the baking process to prevent breaking the bottom crust." The pie is very simple: a pie shell filled with creamed butter and sugar and vanilla-flavored cream, then baked.

The Hungry Hoosier has a recipe for Sugar Cream Pie, as does Paula Deen over on the Food Network. Whether you use you finger to stir the pie, though, is up to you!

We know that for every subject related to food, there are at least a half-dozen food blogs. Baking? Our very own Nicole rules the blogosphere with Bakingsheet. Gluten-free foods? Try Gluten-free Girl. Restaurant reviews? Extreme eating? They are all out there.

And who'da thunk that there would be so many food blog based out of Indianapolis? Here is just a sampling of blogs to browse through, after the game, of course, when Indianapolis wins!

• Indy Foodie
• Too Much Too Love
• The Hungry Hoosier - Traveling Indiana in search of food, family, and community
• Hoosiers Ate My Brain - Notes from the midwest on politics, food, sex, and shoes. Really, for what more could you ask?
• Indiana Blog Review
• A Woman on Wine - Wine Educator Lisa Cunningham shares her thoughts on wine, and everything gourmet.
• Consuming Indy - very good things to eat, buy, and do in the Circle City
• Emily and Christopher - Indianaplis restaurant reviews
• Feed Me, Drink Me - Indianapolis food, wine, and commentary. Gratuity not included.
• Foodie Mom - find out what's for dinner
• My Plate or Yours - Because Good Food is Better Shared

Unlike some states, there is no state food of Indiana, but if you want to inject something from the state into your SuperBowl menu, there are lots of foods that originated in or are otherwise associated with the crossroads of America. For example, Van Camp's Beans was established in Indianapolis in 1861 as a result of the popularity of pork and bean dishes with the early residents. Clabber Girl baking powder, Wonderbread, Gatorade and Endangered Species Chocolate all originated in the state as well, and there have been many noted Indiana fans who also got into the food business, like Orville Reddenbacher.

So, an Indy-oriented menu will have baked goods (made with baking powder), pork and beans, chocolate and popcorn. If you can find some at the market, you could add deep fried strawberries in for dessert, or opt for other fair foods, like corn on the cob dipped in butter. But according to the Indy Star, the one food that really says Indiana is a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich (Hoosier rib-eye sandwich is a close second). You can find a recipe for this (semi) regional treat here.

An Indianapolis couple, Michael and Alexis Brennan, is suing Starbucks, claiming that they served their daughter a cup of hot chocolate, which subsequently spilled and left her with serious burns. The daughter, whose age was not given, but was young enough to fit in a car seat, was said to have been riding strapped into that car seat in the back of the car when she spilled the drink. The mother stopped the car and got out to discover that the "skin on [her] leg was falling off of her."

Starbucks is supposed to serve their kids sized drinks at about 20 degrees less than their standard temperature, putting those drinks at about 140F or so, which is hot, but not incredibly so when you consider the size of the cup and the fact that they are often topped with an inch or more of cold whipped cream, as this particular drink was. The baristas can make it at a lower temperature if requested. A high percentage of parents test the temperature of their kids' drinks by taking a sip themselves, but Ms. Brennan only subjected the drink to a visual inspection before handing it to her daughter. A small child holding a drink of any kind in the backseat of a moving car, especially if he or she is small enough to have to be confined to a car seat, sounds like a recipe for disaster, regardless of whether the drink is hot or not. The parents are, of course, seeking (unspecified) damages.

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