Photo by Tony Valainis
Everybody calm down, Jockamo is fine. Misinformation on the impact of infrastructure improvements in some older sections of Greenwood have roiled social media in recent months, with false claims that the city was forcing the closure of The Suds drive-in (350 Market Plaza, 463-444-6052) prompting a mayoral statement and city council confusion in May. Now neighboring restaurant Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza (401 Market Plaza, 317-883-8993), a Johnson County favorite for flavorful, affordable pies since 2010, is the latest to fall prey to Facebook/Nextdoor nonsense.
“We know there is a lot of misinformation out there and we want to clear up any confusion,” the business announced last week. “We are NOT closing, the building is NOT being sold, the city is NOT planning to tear down Walker Plaza, etc., etc.”
The latest round of false claims seems spurred by the closure of a nearby Dollar General location, which Jockamo management says was spurred by a business decision unrelated to street construction in the area. “We have loved being in Greenwood for the last 14 years, and we look forward to serving our loyal customers for many years to come,” the restaurant’s owners conclude.
Milktooth is in its aluminum era. The influential Fletcher Place brunch and lunch destination will celebrate 10 years in business this October, it announced on Instagram this week. The restaurant at 534 Virginia Ave. is planning events throughout the month to mark the occasion including a parking lot market on October 5 and throwback menu items all month long. Keep an eye on its social media for additional nods to the milestone.
Amara has quietly shuttered. The lauded Indian restaurant and bar at 1454 W. 86th St. shut its doors without fanfare in recent days, about two years after owner Vinita Singh (Aroma) opened its doors. The inventive restaurant was known for its menu of unique specialties, but it appears it struggled to find an audience—tipsters tell me it was often empty even during prime dining hours. Attempts to reach Singh for comment on the closure were not successful as of publication time.
Taco Bell is adding some Hoosier spice. Did you know that Omar Apollo, the Hobart-raised pop star and actor (his debut turn in William S. Burroughs adaptation Queer made a stir at this year’s Venice Film Fest, I hear), is also a hot sauce magnate? It’s true: His recently released Disha Hot, made from a recipe passed down by his Guadalajara-born ancestors, is a respectable blend of roasted tomatillos, lime, and spices that’s been available in limited amounts via online preorder.
Now the condiment is going national at Taco Bell, which is offering packets of the sauce at locations across the country starting this Thursday. “I grew up always eating this sauce and dreamt of bringing it to the world,” Apollo says via statement. “If you love me please buy this because it actually is the best sauce that’s gunna touch ur tongue.”
Now here’s a true crime adaptation I’d like to see. The Netflix execs who greenlit yet another new-intel-free take on the Zodiac have a chance to redeem themselves in my eyes by considering an Indy-focused property that tackles the case of cold chicken. CBS4 has the tale: A patron at the KFC at 5890 Crawfordsville Rd. in Speedway discovered that his food was cold when he arrived to pick his order up last week and engaged in “a verbal argument” with a staffer.
The KFC staffer reportedly told the man the friend chicken had lost its luster because the patron arrived after his appointed pickup time, prompting the customer to allegedly make “threats about being in a gang from ‘South Central’” (Los Angeles, presumably) and to brandish “a black Glock handgun with a loaded magazine and one round in the chamber” in an effort to obtain either a refund or fresher food. The man has since been arrested and was booked on charges of intimidation and criminal recklessness, which if successfully prosecuted could result in a prison sentence of as many as six years.
