Oysters from Blupoint Coastal Kitchen, which will close on April 27. Credit: Tony Valainis/Indianapolis Monthly As the old reality competition show puts it, one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. Humbling words to live by, but especially true in the restaurant world, where razor-thin margins and the fickle hand of fate make things even more dicey. This was a big week for closures in the region—but it wasn’t all bad news, as several restaurants announced expansions and new outposts. Let’s get into which spots are putting the “in” in Indy and which are bidding us a sad goodbye. IN: Shin Dig ..read more

Photo courtesy MNHA/Tom Lucas The DAVID OWSLEY MUSEUM OF ART in Muncie hosts Beyond the Medici—the largest collection of Florentine Baroque art outside of Italy—until May 19. Portraits and sculptures “fix their gazes on the viewer, inspiring introspective and emotional responses,” says DOMA director Robert La France. 765-289-5242 The post Day Trip: The David Owsley Museum Of Art appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly ..read more

Photography by Tony Valainis MINA Starsiak Hawk, the former star of Good Bones and owner of Two Chicks District Co., newly reopened in Noblesville, hosts her own podcast (Mina AF), manages several rental properties, and—whew—chases after her two little “nuggets.” It’s not surprising that on Mina AF, she often chats about stress management—and the importance of a fitness and sleep routine. “Everything in life is easier when I work out regularly and get good sleep,” she says. “I fell off the wagon when my world was going crazy. Once I got back to morning workouts, within two to four weeks I slep ..read more

Photography by Tony Valainis You’re known to be active. You walk or bike everywhere. You play golf. But tap dancing? Has this been on your bucket list?No, never, not at all! It wouldn’t be until later in life, just a few years ago, that I developed an appreciation for it. What changed and prompted this new desire?Politics were involved. We always have the TV on at the Chatterbox. My preference has always been political news programs, but during the Trump administration, it became a bit overwhelming to see and hear all the time. So we switched it to the Turner Classic Movies channel. It has a l ..read more

Look for morels along creek beds; and around elm, ash, and poplar trees. A LOT of us in Indy are first-generation “off the farm,” as a former boss once teased. We grew up in or outside of a small town, went to a college in-state, and landed in the city. Some of us speak with a twang, and some don’t, but we all notice that things sound different in a place where simple things become lifestyle trends. Where we’re from, shiplap is just is your grandma’s holdover ’70s paneling. One of the latest rebrandings is mushroom hunting. Now, take it from someone who was dragged into the woods on April Sund ..read more

Illustration by Claire Harrup WHEN he’s not busy in the kitchen at Tinker Street, sous chef Eric Neylon is likely to be foraging regional terrain in search of edible treasures. Here, the wild mushroom enthusiast shares some thoughts about his passion for the delicacies, advice on how to hunt them, and preparation suggestions: I’ve always been interested in mushrooms. There are pictures of me as a child playing with huge chlorophyllum molybdites (false parasols). We had honey mushrooms in my yard that my friends and I would mess around with, and I have memories of stomping on old giant and smal ..read more

Illustration by Claire Harrup DESCRIBED AS a hardy tropical fruit that tastes like a cross between a banana, mango, and pineapple, the Asimina triloba was seemingly once so plentiful that it inspired a folksy children’s song: “Pickin’ up pawpaws. Put ’em in a basket … Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.” But these days, the potato-shaped, yellow-green treasures (which are related to the custard-apple, cherimoya, and soursop) are practically exotic fruits. They usually grow in groves of low trees and along rivers and streams, and anyone lucky enough to have access to a modern-day “pawpaw patch ..read more

Illustration by Claire Harrup OF ALL THE signs that autumn has finally arrived in the lower Midwest, few are as certain as when the persimmons begin to fall. Squishy, wrinkled, and blushing a pale peachy orange, these fruits, technically berries, look as though they’ve been dropped from alien spaceships, topped as they are with little spiked crowns. And their flavor is unlike any other: rich, honey-kissed, and just a touch meaty, like a cross between apricot and pumpkin. When I was a boy, my great-aunt, an inveterate observer of the seasons, would march us out to the tree at the edge of her pr ..read more

THE INDIANAPOLIS professional sports scene just became one of the best in America. The Pacers, the Colts, and the Fever rosters are now packed with potential all-stars. The outlook for all three teams includes playoffs and potential championships when just a short time ago, those weren’t in the cards. The Pacers are in the NBA Playoffs without having to prove themselves with a play-in game. Rick Carlisle has a solid starting five and probably the best bench players in the league. In fact, the bench, led by Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, and Jalen Smith, is averaging a league-lead ..read more

The Spark in Speedway. Credit: Tony Valainis/Indianapolis Monthly With locally roasted beans from Bee and Illumine, Speedway coffee shop The Spark (1402 N. Main St., 317-771-1062) has built a loyal fan base of longtime area residents and the town’s hip newbies in the nearly three years since it opened. Now they’re marrying their neighborhood’s roots to contemporary coffee culture with their Latte Art Throwdown, a race month–adjacent event featuring “some of the area’s best baristas from regional and local coffee shops.” It all goes down from 6:30–8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, with $10 ticke ..read more