The first time I met Terry Kirts, Indianapolis Monthly’s roving food reviewer, he couldn’t stop talking about Fusion Fish & Loaves (5893 State Rd. 135), a thrilling Mexican seafood restaurant with a Vietnamese edge. The recently opened Greenwood restaurant, the brainchild of chef Miguel Anaya and the owner of a nearby nail salon, immediately built a following—I know a Zionsville diner who’d regularly make the trip down SR-135 for the spot’s chicken sandwich and seafood burrito. That destination abruptly closed last week, with neighbors of the business saying the spot will return as “a different kind of restaurant.” I haven’t been able to reach Anaya to get more details on the closure or to see if he’s involved with the new business in his former place.
Fountain Square cantina and tiki bar Revolucion (1132 Prospect St., 317-423-9490) went temporarily dark this week after a driver slammed into the business. Via Facebook, its owners say that no one was injured in the crash and that they’re working to reopen as soon as they can. The incident follows a similar collision at the Kan-Kan Cinema and Restaurant (1258 Windsor St., 317-800-7099) that shuttered the dining operation for a few days earlier this month.
Back in March, we told you about Rosemary & Olive, a new Italian restaurant from a trio of Indy dining standbys: George Stergiopoulos (Greek Islands), Elif Ozdemir (Giorgio’s Pizza), and Gino Pizzi (Ambrosia). Pizzi tells us the new spot, which is in the 870 Massachusetts Ave. digs that used to house Mimi Blue, quietly opened this week with limited hours, a truncated menu, and only a few reservation slots. “We’re starting very slow,” he says, “We want to get everything right.” Watch the restaurant’s social media, as that’s where they’ll announce more regular service and other details.
Top Chef contender Fabio Viviani has bestowed his name on a multitude of brands, including Osteria by Fabio Viviani, a business with outposts in locations across the U.S. When one such outpost opened inside specialty grocery store Market District (Carmel, 11505 N. Illinois St., 317-561-0171) in 2021, the eponymous chef told us the plan was to “keep roughly 50 percent of our cuisine similar to other restaurants and implement a lot of local flavors and cuisines from the area.” An admirable and ambitious strategy, so it’s sad to see that the spot shuttered on May 25, which it announced on Instagram. Its management says they’re planning “an exciting new concept” in the space but declined to give details. However, the Oklahoma City member of the chain shuttered last year, shed Viviani from its ownership group, and will now be called Osteria Italian-American Diner, Dave Cathey reported at the time. Perhaps Indy will follow suit?
Mom and pop brunch spot A2Z Cafe (4705 E. 96th St., 317-569-9349) is one of our favorite Town Run–adjacent restaurants, so a chill ran up my spine when I saw this WRTV report. Owners Tom and Gina Rosenow say construction projects on 96th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway have decreased business by 25 percent, which means they have to cut hours and eliminate menu items to stay afloat. This is the kind of spiral one hates to see, especially at a nearly 10-year-old business that serves crab cake Benedicts made with legit and actual crab. It’s also all too common when roadwork deters drivers from certain areas. Places like Noblesville have created grant programs for challenges like A2Z’s, but Marion County barely has the funds to fix its streets, so support for the Rosenows will probably have to be found elsewhere.
While we’re on chains, here’s a roundup of some of that activity around Indy:
· Unstoppable chicken finger juggernaut Raising Cane’s was at 750 locations and counting in February. That number rose by one this week, the Star reports, as another outpost opened on May 30 at 14909 Thatcher Ln. in Carmel.
· Seafood chain Captain D’s, which I’ve always thought of as the Mr. Pibb to Long John Silver’s Dr. Pepper, just signed a 26-location deal with a massive franchisee group for spots in St. Louis, Indianapolis, and North Carolina.
· National Japanese chain Kyuramen says its second Indianapolis location, at 530 Massachusetts Ave., will open on June 17. According to its site, the restaurant’s goal is “to let our general working class and student population enjoy the stress-free Ramen in a stress-free environment.”
Chef James Nicholson has done time at Taxman Brewing Co. and Richard’s Kitchen, but now he’s headed to a downtown hotel. The Westin (241 W. Washington St., 317-262-8100) announced this week that Nicholson will head up the kitchen at Ten Hands Social Bar & Eatery, the hotel’s breakfast-to-late-night restaurant.
The post The Feed: Osteria Closes, Rosemary And Olive Opens appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.