Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2015 i Indianapolis Monthly

BUZZWORTHY Baring Their Teeth The January review of Milktooth (“The Wild Brunch”) drew both cheers and jeers from readers, some of whom took issue with the restaurant’s “No modifications” policy. “Pretentious is pretentious. The food is good and the service is great, but it’s still just food.” Corrie Jagger, via Facebook “It looks like a lovely menu, but their modification policy is exactly why I will not dine there. Every restaurant is entitled to make its own policies, but they should know it keeps individuals with food allergies away.” Jonelle Redelman Chalmers, via Facebook “It’s so good. I adore watching the chefs at the counter. The coffee is divine, as are the inventive baked goods.” Kelly Ffuh, via Facebook “Best pancake I’ve had in forever.” Kate Krader (@kkrader), via Twitter…

Local tourism reached a record high in 2014, with close to 900,000 hotel nights booked for future stays. Translation: Now’s the time to monetize Hoosier hospitality by getting into the peer-to-peer rental game. Here’s some advice from local Airbnb hosts. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Gillian Shumway, who rents out her two-bedroom 1910 Bates-Hendricks home ($575 per night) and single bedrooms within ($75 to $95 per night) to a steady stream of convention-goers, suggests using Airbnb as a guest first before signing on as a host. “I now know to provide nice, fluffy towels and stock the bathroom with designer shampoo and soaps,” she says. Those touches lead to positive reviews. PREP YOUR PROPERTY Gussy up, or strip down, your rental as needed. For Laura Davenport, whose two-bedroom house near Zionsville…

1 INDULGE The most surprising thing about Lisa’s Pie Shop in nearby Atlanta isn’t the signature pie in a jar, which stays fresh—crust and all—for six to eight months. It’s not the height of the meringue crowning the coconut cream, either. It’s that owner Lisa Sparks doesn’t like pie—she just makes a darn good one. The American Pie Council has named her the best independent baker in the country several times. 5995 S. U.S. Hwy. 31, Atlanta, 758-6944, lisaspies.com 2 BROWSE Bob Moore of Bob’s Trading Post mans a quirky establishment that doubles as a golf-cart shop and a mini-museum of Native American antiquities. Moore might be convinced to play his favorite handcarved flute while a taxidermied black bear, frozen mid-growl, looks on from the balcony. 200 W. Main St.,…

EVERYWHERE WE LOOK…

AS THE SEASON HEATS UP, you can always find climatecontrolled outdoor entertainment at Louisville Mega Cavern (1841 Taylor Ave., 502-855-6342, louisvillemegacavern.com). It’s 60 degrees and dry year-round in the massive cave system 10 minutes from downtown. The zipline course has been a buzzedabout adventure for a few years, but the new mountain-bike trails are getting all the attention now. The only underground bike park in the world, the Mega Cavern features both beginnerand expert-level runs, including some jumps that will have your screams echoing off of the rocks. If you prefer sunshine, check out the Louisville Loop (thepark lands.org). The 100-mile path will wrap around Louisville upon completion, connecting several city parks and other recreational facilities. Right now, 39 miles are open, with the longest contiguous section (more than 20…

What was the first thing you did after finding out that your latest album, Mandatory Fun, had hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts? I had a celebratory burrito. Extra guacamole. “Word Crimes” was one of the hit songs off the record. What is your biggest linguistic pet peeve? People mixing up their, there, and they’re. The your/you’re thing is a very close second. What song is stuck in your head right now? That jingle from the 1980s Honeycomb cereal commercial. A chart-topping album, a world tour—you’ve had an outstanding year. Describe the last 365 days in three words. Un. Freaking. Believable.…

TOM CORBETT “Dave, Mike Kirby, and I formed a little broadcast production company that did a lot of jingles and commercials. Back then, radio stations used little comedy vignettes that they would purchase from syndicators. So Dave wrote a series of 65 stories called The Adventures of Captain Clifford Swish and Wongo the Norwegian Scab Camel. It was bizarre. Each episode was about 60 seconds long, and it would start with, ‘As you remember from last time, boys and girls …’ Then it would recap something, and finish with ‘Be with us again next time, when …’ So it never actually got to the episode. And there was always some strange commercial pitch at the end, like ‘By the way, have you ordered your magic Wongo eight-pound bag of wet…

MARIO ANDRETTI Winner of the 1969 Indianapolis 500 “It was 1971, and I had just crashed out of the race in Indy. I’m relatively short, and I saw this tall young guy coming over to the fence to interview me. Dave was trying to be aggressive, but it was obvious he was nervous. He was shaking. Then a few months later, I saw him on TV as a weatherman and I thought, Wow. This guy is trying to break into sports reporting at the same time he’s doing the weather. He’s quite the entrepreneur. Before I knew it, he was in New York. He still claims I was his first interview.” BOBBY RAHAL Winner of the 1986 Indianapolis 500 and co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) “I met Dave…

ANGELO’S FOOD MARKET Bargain-hunters love Angelo’s no-frills shelves filled with a rotating stock of discounted groceries like Earth’s Best, Red Gold, and some high-end gourmet packaged goods (don’t miss the rock bottom– priced Clifbars). The boxes may be crushed and the cans sometimes dented, but it’s hard to resist the deals and thrill of discovery at this foodsalvage shop. INSIDER TIP: Follow the store’s Facebook page for special alerts on its occasional $5 case nights on nonperishables. GO THERE FOR : Cheap organic products 201 S. College Ave., 634-6552. Hours: Mon., Tues., Fri. 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; Wed.–Thurs. 8 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m.– 2 p.m. ARTISANO’S OILS AND SPICES Inspired by an expedition to Europe, David Burcham opened Artisano’s as a spot to get vinegars and more than 300 spices,…

TRACK STARS Fans might struggle to make personal style statements at the Speedway, but drivers don’t. On Sunday morning, May 29, 2005, while holding my first Indianapolis 500 press pass, I grappled with a number of important questions: How early should I leave to beat traffic? Where should I park? Could I subsist merely on the six cans of Tecate that fit in my insulated shoulder tote, or should I dump the whole 12-pack into my bulky, wheel-less cooler? And, finally—what should I wear? I was a new journalist in the Circle City, dispatched to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to immerse myself in Indy’s signature event, so I knew I had to look somewhat professional. But I didn’t want to stick out. A couple of weeks earlier, I had watched…

WHAT 54th annual St. Margaret’s Guild Decorators’ Show House and Gardens to benefit Eskenazi Health. WHEN April 30–May 10. Tours run daily 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE 4038 N. Pennsylvania St. and 4044 N. Pennsylvania St. COST Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 for guests 65 and older, and $5 for ages 2–12. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate. SPECIAL EVENTS THE SECRET INGREDIENT STYLE SHOW Friday, April 24 | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Basile Opera Center 4011 N. Pennsylvania St. A sneak peek of the homes is preceded by brunch and a spring-trends fashion show by Butler-Tarkington boutique The Secret Ingredient. Tickets are $50. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS DESIGNER TEA Monday, April 27 | 2–5 p.m. Basile Opera Center The Indianapolis…

FOODIE GROWING UP, Toby Moreno hit the mother lode of home-cooked meals. More accurately, it was the grandmother lode. His Grandma Highland hailed from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Biscuits with chipped-beef gravy and fried chicken formed the foundation of her Southern-cooking oeuvre. And then there was his Grandma Moreno, who treated the family to pork-butt tamales after church. When the young chef started studying culinary arts at Ivy Tech in Bloomington (graduating in 2010 and winding up in the kitchen of James Beard–nominated Restaurant Tallent right out of the gate), he sought to channel that diverse lineage into his work. “I wanted to cook like my grandmas,” Moreno says. His clientele at Plow & Anchor might detect some of that early influence in dishes like kielbasa with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, pork…

1913 Restaurant UPSCALE COMFORT Farm-table standards get a glossy do-over at this hotel restaurant tucked just off the polished marble lobby of the Omni Severin. The dining room, all dark lacquer and leathery browns, feels a bit stuffy, but diners easily warm up to a menu that includes a root beer–cured pork chop as big as a catcher’s mitt, topped with sweet bacon marmalade; and half a chicken roasted to a juicy, rosy hue and plated with succotash and a little tin pan of sweet corn “milk” for dipping. The sides—such as macaroni-and-cheese pie and sauteed Brussels sprouts—get passed around the table, and vintage cocktails come courtesy of skilled mixologists. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. 40 W. Jackson Pl., 634-6664. Adobo Grill MEXICAN Impressively poured margaritas and guacamole mixed tableside…

MY PIANO CAREER WAS, at best, undistinguished. After several years of lessons, I could barely plink out a recognizable tune. I can’t blame Mrs. Marks, at whose northside home I took instruction every week. She was elderly (who wasn’t, in the eyes of a 10-year-old?), and I recall waiting my turn while seated on her living-room davenport, which, if memory serves, was edged with ropey fringe. My heart pounded in anticipation of my likely failure, and there was little to occupy me except to take in the old-people chairs, the old-people paintings, the old-people porcelain figurines. Mrs. Marks nicknamed me “Teen-Insy” for my diminutive stature, which necessitated piling phone books on the bench so I could reach the keyboard. I never understood how my best friend’s brother could play “by…

THE UPSTAIRS HOUSES BEDROOMS AND BATHS for family and guests, the main laundry, and a media room for the kids. “The upper level is the family area,” says interior designer Linda Mordoh. “Each bedroom reflects the personality of the person who’s going to be living in it.” Several repeating themes from the main level carry through to the upstairs: the innovative use of stone and tile in the baths, terrace access from most rooms, and a dedication to marrying convenience with beauty, even in the tiniest details. A bit of the unexpected The upstairs “rock ’n’ roll” room is where the kids can congregate to watch TV, listen to music, or socialize with friends. The expanse of window on one curved wall provides a fantastic view of the water, while…

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WHEN WE LET people into our homes every day through the television set, we start to think of them as family. It’s why my mother and I dish about the scandals plaguing Days of Our Lives on our weekend phone calls; after spending countless hours of my childhood with the soap opera’s Brady and Horton families, I’m still attached to them—even though I haven’t watched the show regularly in 15 years. I feel the same way about Late Show host David Letterman, the Indy native and TV legend whose retirement we celebrate this month with the help of notable Hoosiers like Reggie Miller and Jane Pauley (“Dave!,” p. 60). My father works for an NBC station, so we were network loyalists at home: Today with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel,…

SPEED READ Vehicle-lovers, start your engines— and make tracks for Dream Cars: Innovative Design, Visionary Ideas. Organized by the IMA and Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, the show opens May 3 and features 17 ultra-rare rides that prove just how artful autos can be. 1 Dream Cars debuted at the High last year and drew a whopping 180,000 people, partly because it was the museum’s second car exhibit. IMA CEO Charles Venable hopes attendance for the museum’s first foray into vehicles reaches 75,000, which would make Dream Cars one of the IMA’s largest events ever. 2 Manufacturers such as Chrysler, Porsche, and Ferrari built these concept cars between 1934 and 2010—not for mass production, but to push automotive innovation. 3 But dream cars can come true. “Many of these cars are…

Book your post-race massage now. / Finding parking can be stressful. Rise early for a meter on Illinois or Capitol and skip the price-gouging garages and lots. You’ll get some quality walk-jogstretch action as you head to the start. / Plan B: Ask a friend to rise with the sun and drop you off. “Tuck and roll!” / Apply some anti-chafing balm to key areas. / Think you could use a Porta-Potty pre-race? Just do it. / Don’t try to chat with people who don’t want to talk. Some aren’t in it for the social life. / It saps no energy to smile at strangers rooting you on. / Watch for the belly dancers in White River State Park and the cloggers near Allison Transmission. / Pass the time by…

Helsinki native Siro Derrer-Brooks has always had an eye for fashion. During her 20-year career as a personal shopper at Jacobson’s and Nordstrom, customers came to rely on her innate style sensibilities. So it’s no wonder many of her former “personals” are becoming regulars at her Zionsville clothing shop. Siro’s Chic Boutique evokes a streamlined Scandinavian vibe, and the range of inventory (sizes 0–22) spans $15 casual tank tops to $700 Lafayette 148 New York jackets. Several exclusive brands are in residence, including Scapa by Lauren Perre, Frank Lyman, Liverpool Jean Company, and Lisette. Armani and Donna Karan make occasional appearances in the designer-resale section toward the back. “We have several new lines coming in—Joan Vass, Jana, City Girl—and are looking forward to some trunk shows and private fashion shows,”…

MY FATHER-IN-LAW, Howard Apple, passed away when my wife was 13, leaving his wife and two daughters to fend for themselves on a Southern Indiana farm. He didn’t have life insurance or any appreciable wealth, except for some acreage of rocky clay and woods on a gravel road. My mother-in-law learned to drive and became the cook and housecleaner for an elderly couple in town. My wife and her sister took after-school jobs to keep the wolf from the door. Those thin years made my wife skittish about retirement, so when we married, she reined in my free-spending habits. We’ve been saving for 31 years and are now pulling down a robust .05 percent interest rate on the money in our bank account. The same bank only made $4.2 billion…

1 Which of these local meteorologists did Letterman introduce as “one of the best gay weathermen in the country” at a Clowes Hall event? A. Chuck Lofton B. Bob Gregory C. Chris Wright D. Randy Ollis 2 When he spoke at the opening ceremony for the Letterman Communication and Media Building in Muncie, which of the following was not one of his “Top Ten Good Things About Having Your Name on a Building”? A. On weekends, maintenance crew lets you ride on the floor buffer. B. Great way to show up that jerk down the street with a vanity license plate. C. When people say Letterman is cold and empty, they might be talking about the building. D. No more annoying pledge-drive calls because everyone assumes you’re dead. 3 What…

THE FIRST TIME I sensed David Letterman would revolutionize television was when I saw him with Mr. T. This was back in 1982, not long after he had begun hosting Late Night. The experimental program proved the perfect showcase for Johnny Carson’s smart-aleck disciple. Letterman was interviewing Mr. T, who was turning heads thanks to a breakthrough role as heavyweight Clubber Lang in Rocky III. Mr. T had won the world’s toughest bouncer competition, but it was difficult to tell if his bravado—gold chains, Mohawk, work boots—was a clever put-on or something authentic. “That’s why I’m squeezing this ball, so I won’t get too mad,” Mr. T said on the show that night, scowling as he held up a small black racquetball. “If you see me squeeze this ball over…

1. Learn while you drive. Barker often passes the one-hour commute to and from her Morgantown home by cueing up podcasts, radio shows, and audio books. Let the record reflect her playlist: On Being with Krista Tippett “It’s Lilly-funded. She interviews a wonderful array of very thoughtful people who are grappling with big, tricky issues, like quality of life, spirituality, and religion. It’s a rich discussion.” The Fourth Presbyterian Church podcast “I’m a Protestant through and through, and I’m a little bit of a church groupie. Fourth Presbyterian in Chicago is a pretty famous church.” Rachel Maddow “I’m not sure I want you to tell people that I listen to MSNBC. But she’s smart. She’s on top of it. I’m not a Fox News person. It’s not factual; it’s more…

The 2015 Decorators’ Show House and Gardens tour, running April 30–May 10, will have visitors seeing double. Instead of checking out one tastefully restored classic home, this year’s visitors will traverse through two separate structures, each offering a fresh vision of what can be done with homes of any age. Bob Donaldson built the new Colonial Revival home at 4038 N. Pennsylvania St., whose classic character allows it to seamlessly share the spotlight with its 90-year-old next-door neighbor at 4044 N. Pennsylvania St. “The homes flow,” says co-design chair Kathleen House. “The 4038 house is a little more adult, whereas the 4044 house is a little more family centered.” Proceeds from the popular event, hosted by St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild, benefit Eskenazi Health. 4038 N. PENNSYLVANIA ST. A Modern Take…

SOMETIMES NEGATIVE NEWS FROM THE healthcare sector—like ever-increasing costs and the shortage of doctors—seems to eclipse the positive breakthroughs that make life a little easier for those in need of care. Central Indiana boasts plenty such advancements. Here, five procedures, products, and programs whose ultimate goal can be pinpointed to one thing: improved quality of life. NEW USES FOR EXISTING TECHNOLOGY LUNA fluorescence angiography technology was originally introduced as a way for surgeons to evaluate blood flow through the skin in real time while performing delicate surgeries. But Tracey Ikerd, M.D., infectious-disease specialist with Riverview Health and medical director of Riverview Health Wound Care, saw its potential outside the operating room. “We took this technology another step and rolled it into wound care,” he says. “Ninety-nine percent of the time,…

RECIPE COREY AND LAURA BEATUS jumped on juicing long before it was the cool thing to do. They met while working at New York City’s first-ever shop devoted to the trend, eventually quitting to hit the festival scene there with a mobile juice bar. They returned to Laura’s hometown of Indianapolis in 2008 and started parking their Natural Born Juicers truck at the downtown farmers market. It didn’t take long for the city to fall under the spell of drinkable fruits and veggies, leading to a booming Natural Born Juicers brick-and-mortar storefront on Mass Ave’s east end. Here, the Beatuses whip up a nutrient-packed treat to try at home. POWER-UP PEACH SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS • ½ frozen banana • 1 frozen peach without pit • 2–3 frozen strawberries, depending on size…

FOOD FIGHT let’s not sugar-coat the situation. General American Donut Company (827 S. East St., 964-0744) and Rocket 88 Doughnuts (874 Virginia Ave., 737-2614) both opened epicurian bakeries last year within five months and as many miles of each other. At each location, trays of artfully conceived sinkers sit behind glass-case walls, calling to early risers with puffs of powdered sugar, crushed pretzels, torched marshmallows, and an entire candy aisle of sweets. How do the two dessert-for-breakfast joints compare? Here’s the hole story.…

2015 Indianapolis Monthly Dream Home HOURS Noon to 6 p.m. daily, Saturday, May 9–Sunday, May 24 TICKETS $15 if purchased in advance at diin.org/events, $20 at the door. Coupons for $5 off at-the-door admission are available at Central Indiana Kroger stores. All proceeds benefit the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana. PREVIEW PARTY 7–10 p.m., Thursday, May 7. Tickets are $75 and include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Ticket quantities are limited; buy online at diin.org/events. DIRECTIONS From 116th Street: Drive east to Olio Road. Turn right to head south on Olio. Turn right onto Springstone Road. Turn right onto Beam Ridge Drive, and then right onto Lake Ridge Lane. Park along the street. FOR MORE INFORMATION IndianapolisMonthly.com/Dream-Home…

TONY REHAGEN During his seven years as IM’s IndyCar correspondent, Tony Rehagen covered the 500 from every angle—the garages to the grandstands, the press box to the infield. Now a freelance writer, he drew heavily on that experience to write his essay on fashion at the Speedway (“Checkered Past,” p. 88). “The hills inside Turn 3 are my favorite place to watch the race,” he says. “It’s the perfect balance of scantily clad partygoers and people actually interested in the action on the track.” Rehagen’s work has appeared in ESPN The Magazine, Men’s Health, and the anthology Next Wave: America’s New Generation of Great Literary Journalists. MEGAN FERNANDEZ When executive editor Megan Fernandez interviewed Judge Sarah Evans Barker for this month’s Q&A (“Sustained,” p. 82), she asked for a ruling…

Wilt is something of a folk hero in the world of pro soccer, known both for building successful teams and being uncommonly accessible to fans. Under his leadership, the Indy Eleven scored the highest attendance in the North American Soccer League as a rookie team. IM: YOUR FIRST HOME WIN DIDN’T COME UNTIL NEAR THE END OF THE SECOND SEASON, IN THE FALL LAST YEAR. WERE YOU WORRIED? Yes. The fans were incredibly patient. Much more patient than either the coach or I was. IM: BEFORE TALKS TURNED TO RENOVATING THE EXISTING STADIUM, YOU ASKED THE STATE TO BUILD A NEW 18,500-SEAT VENUE. COULD THE CITY REALLY SUPPORT IT? I think it’s important to study the history and demographics of soccer. Look at Kansas City and Salt Lake City—two markets…

Truen Jaimes, the creative director and co-owner of the Indy-based House of 5th accessories line, relocated from New York City several years ago and channeled the city’s spirit when he settled on the artist-friendly near-east side.…

MY LOOK Jonathan Wyatt “can’t go into” what he does for the federal government, but the part-time Pattern Store stylist is an open book about fashion. WHAT A COOL WAY TO JAZZ UP A JACKET. It’s Oscar de la Renta, and I’d worn it for a couple of years and then put it away. It was boring me. So I got safety pins in different colors and created an ombre effect. [And later, a silver version.] I’m not a designer; I’m a tweaker. I enhance things. OSCAR—HOW FANCY. I work for a living and don’t mind buying a good-quality piece now and then. My father always said, “With every paycheck, pay your bills and then buy something for yourself. Because that is what keeps you going back to work.” OTHER…

MUSIC 5/1 VINCE GILL His solo career has earned him 20 Grammys, but when the Country Music Hall of Famer plays the Palladium, we still want to hear “Amie” from his Pure Prairie League days. thecenterfortheperformingarts.org 5/6 YING QUARTET This foursome performed at the grand opening of the Indiana History Center. It returns this month for an evening of chamber music. ensemblemusic.org 5/14 GEORGE CLINTON If you think the Vogue has always been a little funky, wait until this guy comes to town with Parliament Funkadelic. thevogue.com 5/16 BELLA HRISTOVA This violinist will join the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra at the Schrott Center to celebrate Kirk Trevor, retiring as ICO music director after 27 years. icomusic.org 5/28 LANA DEL REY The smoky-voiced seductress (right), on her first-ever tour, has a one-night…

RON PEARSON Retired owner of the Pearson Group ad firm “I was in Wagner Hall, and Dave was next door in Elliott Hall. I had an afternoon shift at a small radio station there, and a girl I knew told me, ‘My boyfriend is funnier than you are.’ Well, her boyfriend’s name was Dave Letterman. And when he came over to the station and started doing shifts, it turned out he was indeed funnier than I was. Our friendship grew, and eventually we started a comedy group called The Dirty Laundry Company. Apparently Dave had a thing for clothing, because, of course, his company Worldwide Pants came later. Anyway, Dave knew a girl in the theater department named Joyce DeWitt and thought she was pretty good. So he recruited her.”…

KENNY ARONOFF Drummer for Elton John and others “I was filling in for Dave’s drummer Anton Fig for the first time, and I had to fly in from Japan, so I was a nervous wreck. We were doing Stupid Human Tricks, and they brought out a guy who said he wanted to do a handstand, and Dave needed to attach a yo-yo to his toe. Dave goes, ‘Oh, no. I don’t do stuff like that. Anton does. Oh, Kenny, come on up here.’ The guy goes up, and his feet are wobbling all over the place. Dave said, ‘Come on, get that yo-yo on, Kenny.’ I was trying, but his foot wouldn’t stay still! Finally, Dave said, ‘Just go back and give me a snare-drum roll.’ So I went back…

YOUR EVERYTHING GUIDE TO THE CITY’S BEST SPECIALTY MARKETS…

UDGE SARAH EVANS BARKER has just offered to do the dishes. She appears in the doorway between her assistant’s office and her conference room, where two staffers and a guest are finishing brown-bag lunches at an imposing table, and says she has just started a pan of soapy water, motioning behind her toward the employee kitchen. She wears not a judge’s telltale robe but a long gray skirt and dark knit sweater. Plain, but they fit and hang like expensive clothing. The attire is the only clue that the seeker of the sullied salad forks is, arguably, the most powerful woman in Indiana. The venerable 71-year-old, celebrated for being the first woman on the federal bench in the state, isn’t above handling housekeeping in her homey chambers, a stroke of…

Censorship (1984) When Indianapolis tried to ban the sale of pornography, Barker ruled in favor of a protesting adult bookstore because the law was too broad. It could have prevented, say, the Indianapolis Museum of Art from selling a book with nude portraiture. Civil rights (1992) Fred Sanders, a Catholic-school teacher, shot and killed a police officer who entered his home—illegally, Sanders contended. He took a plea deal but sued the city and Indianapolis Police Department officers in civil court. A jury found that the cops had used excessive force and conspired to cover up the truth, awarding Sanders $1.5 million. Barker reduced it to less than $100,000—not an uncommon action for a judge, but one viewed by some as usurping citizens’ power. Freedom of speech (2001) Barker allowed the…

The list of Benjamin Moore paint colors in this year’s Decorators’ Show Houses reads like a travel wishlist of someone dreaming of relaxing waters. The little girl’s bedroom in 4044 is Caribbean Cool, and the lowerlevel walls feature a wide stripe of Poseidon. The powder room in 4038 is swathed in Aegean Teal. The bright peach and rich red hues in 4038 are equally inspiring. They’re quite a departure from the grays and taupes that have dominated interior colors the past few years. But does this mean gray is giving way to more colorful tones? Let’s not be hasty, designers say. “Gray is still very strong,” says interior designer Shelby Rouse, who helped tackle the master-bedroom suite at 4044. “I don’t think gray is going anywhere.” Color tends to run…

Budgets, builders, and blueprints: a walk through the homebuilding process In many new homes, gone are the days of formal living rooms, dining rooms, and bathtubs. Today’s new homes are being built with the informal lifestyle in mind— for example, outdoor-living spaces adjacent to an in-kitchen eating area, which is also integrated with a spacious great room to best utilize square footage for entertaining. Trends for new homes continue to move toward creating areas that will be used for family gatherings, not formal dinners. Living rooms are often being eliminated or replaced with studies or other spaces deemed more useful. New homebuyers are choosing to have a larger kitchen instead of a formal dining room. These trends span all price ranges for new buyers. “Single dining areas, large kitchen islands,…

IT SEEMS ODD, at first, finding a dish named Mormon Funeral Potatoes at a restaurant as posh as Spoke & Steele. What business does a lowly hashbrown casserole, baked in its own cast-iron skillet and crowned with cornflakes, have here—among barrel-aged cocktails and deep clamshell make-out booths, in an establishment that bills itself as “the next big thing in downtown Indy”? You get your answer in one bite of creamy, crunchy, church-potluck umami, its cheesy depths touched by sour cream, studded with potatoes cooked into submission, and sweetened by a delicate crust of breakfast cereal— a hot dish as lusciously complex as any bespoke cuisine. Spoke & Steele is full of surprises like that. Opened over the winter with the $13 million renovation of downtown’s historic Canterbury Hotel, now part…

TASTE TEST LOCALLY GROWN GARDENS 1050 E. 54th St., 255-8555, locallygrown Gardens.com Ron Harris’s cheery garage–turned–country market also peddles some of Indy’s best salmon, which you can pair with either baby greens or ginger coleslaw. It’s such a simple treatment, loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, that you might even go in for a slice of housemade sugar-cream pie. BENT RAIL BREWERY 5301 N. Winthrop Ave., 737-2698, bentrailbrewery.com Housed in the former location of Monon Fitness, Craig Baker and Derek Means’s spacious new hangout off ers retro features (exercise your wrist with a game of Pac-Man) and wholesome pub fare, including one of the best hummus plates in town and vegetarian sandwiches such as a roasted-poblano torta with black beans. WHOLE FOODS 1300 E. 86th St., 706-0900, wholefoods market.com The Nora…

WHOLESOME Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe 6516 Ferguson St., 255-3972, ezrasenlightenedcafe.com Two-hour classes held each month address a variety of holistic topics like herbal remedies and dishes, how to prep healthy raw food on a budget, organic blender recipes, and vegan picnic fare. The sessions cost $35. OUTDOORSY Chef JJ’s Back Yard 1040 Broad Ripple Ave., 602-3828, chefjjs.com Guests interact with the chef while picking up Big Green Egg grilling techniques. Two-hour $60 classes are offered every week and include recipes, nonalcoholic drinks, beer tastings, and four medium-plate courses. GOURMET Oakleys Bistro 1464 W. 86th St., 824-1231, oakleysbistro.com For those who want to experience what it’s like to work the line at a fine restaurant, the bistro’s “Chef for a Day” program offers total immersion in a professional kitchen environment. Expect to…

THAT BOUTIQUE-HOTEL-MEETS-LAKE-HOUSE feel extends to the Dream Home’s lower level, where luxury materials, entertaining spaces, and soothing spa options mingle with the casual feel of a waterside retreat. Designers and builders worked with the homeowners to create a space that would feel like home to their family and their guests of all ages. An extravagant bar, a media room, a game area, a workout room, and a spa all pitch in to meet the challenge. “Being on the lake, we can take advantage of everything it has to offer,” the homeowner says. “But we also wanted the feel of a lower level.” Interior designer Linda Mordoh worked with Gary Nance to fashion an open expanse with areas divided by mood and character rather than walls and doors. The space has…

FOUR YEARS AGO, JACKIE STEIN WONDERED if her daughter was having trouble in school. Although teachers reassured her that Alexandra was one of the strongest readers in her first-grade class, she seemed disconnected, and Stein sensed that the child was secretly struggling. “At that age, they do a lot of choral reading [reading aloud in unison], so she would simply memorize the material or employ another coping mechanism to get by,” Stein says. “However, she couldn’t cold-read at all. It only looked like she was doing well, but in reality, she wasn’t.” Alexandra was evaluated and diagnosed with dyslexia, a specific languagebased learning disability characterized by difficulty recognizing words accurately or fluently, poor spelling, and struggling to decode words on a page. “Once we knew what was wrong, we could…