"indianapolis" 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.

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

Alright, Slashfoodies. The challenge is on.

It's Super Bowl week, and one of the things that was so much fun last year this time was exploring each contending teams' city's foods. We couldn't have had a better matchup last year - Seattle (oysters, salmon, Pike's Place Market) vs. Pittsburgh (Polish sausage and pierogi).

This year, Joanne, who will be rooting for the Bears, has it easy with Chicago. I mean come on. She could just talk about not eating foie gras all week! However, while it makes my heart beat with all kinds of love and joy that Peyton Manning will be leading the Colts in the big game, do you know how hard it is to come up with Indianapolis foods instead of say, oh New England Clam Chowder?!?!

So, Slashfoodies, I need your help in putting together some foods that scream "Go Colts!" Please, no horsemeat, okay?

It has not been a good couple of weeks in terms of the number of people stricken with food-borne illnesses, even though the Taco Bell incident is officially over. There has been another E. coli outbreak, this time at an Indianapolis Olive Garden. Over 300 people, at least three of whom have been hospitalized, have been exhibiting the classic flu-like symptoms associated with E. coli, including "nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and in some cases fever." All of those afflicted ate that the restaurant (in the northwest part of the city) between December 9 and December 13.

It seems that the problem was first noticed after several employees became ill on Monday. The cause has not yet been identified, but the restaurant has been closed for the moment while an investigation is carried out.

It does seem likely that some kind of vegetable is the cause if previous outbreaks are any indication, but it is worth noting that there is no reason to suspect that this is related to either the spinach or scallion incidents.

Source

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.

Source