Can you believe it’s been over a decade since Indiana allowed craft spirit businesses to operate in the state? Indiana Capital Chronicle’s Casey Smith has a smart and thoughtful look at how the landscape has changed since 2013, when the Indiana Legislature created the Indiana Artisan Distiller’s Permit and kicked off what Thrillist referred to in 2016 as a local distilling boom.
These days, distillers say that complicated state-to-state laws regarding shipping pose challenges for their businesses (something I run into every time I want to send Hard Truth‘s fantastic coconut rum to an out-of-state pal), as are restrictions on how they can share their goods at festivals. And after you read Casey’s reporting, you’ll probably want to give our March cover story on the region’s craft distilleries another look—here’s all our reporting on the business on one handy page.
Diners in Carmel have two new places to stop this weekend. Moontown Brewing Company will open its first non-Whitestown location today at 1000 W. Main St., it announced on Instagram. The venue, which is restricted to patrons 21 and over, has snacks on hand but also welcomes outside food. Over in Carmel City Center, Hanami Sushi & Sake Bar (317-799-1515) has celebrated its grand opening, Current reports. Co-owner Saowalux Fary is the woman behind a slew of local Thai restaurants and says the business “had a Japanese friend consult on the restaurant’s traditional Japanese dishes.”
Soulshine Vegan Cafe is set to close. The vegan restaurant at 6516 Ferguson St. was known for its comforting throwback vibe and menu of tofu scrambles and seitan mock meats, but a recent equipment issue prompted its owners to reassess the business. Its owners announced on Instagram that, for now, it’ll be open with a limited menu on Saturdays only as they sell off their goods and wind down operations.
A new food ’zine from local high school kids launched this week. Too Many Cooks, a magazine from students in the Patachou Foundation’s summer Food Fellowship Program, had its launch party Thursday night with an issue featuring coverage of “food justice, sustainability and community empowerment through art, poetry, essays and interviews,” Mirror Indy reports. Students from Arsenal Tech, Believe, and Purdue Poly worked on the mag, which is available at Patachou restaurants and Dream Palace Books (111 E. 16th St., 317-737-1215) for $10. Yes, I have this song in my head now too.
Four out-of-state chains are plotting Indy moves. National sports bar chain Tom’s Watch Bar just signed a lease at 140 S. Illinois St., it announced via press release, part of an ambitious cross-country expansion plan. The bar’s differentiator is apparently its “one-of-a-kind venue featuring 360° viewing from every seat with a massive stadium screen surrounded by hundreds of additional screens,” which sounds a little bit like the baddie’s lair in deeply flawed 2009 action film Gamer, so if you’re into that, get stoked. Opening date is TBD.
Also in chain news: Cousins Subs, a company with 93 locations (some company-owned, some franchised) is opening its newest outpost today at 8545 Emerson Ave. (in the Claybrooke Commons strip mall). In a press release, it promises a distinctive “Milwaukee Sub Shop” ambiance. I won’t make a Laverne & Shirley joke since you’re probably still annoyed by my Gamer reference above.
Kura Sushi is Japan’s second-largest sushi chain, with 543 restaurants and counting. In recent years, it expanded to Taiwan (56 spots) and the U.S. (It boasts 64 locations across the country, with nine more on the way.) Its expansion has reached Fishers, IndyToday notes, writing that a Kura is “under construction just west of Kroger on 116th Street.” Like with Tom’s, there’s a gimmick: In this case, kitchen staff place sushi on a conveyor belt, and diners snap up the items they want. Long a standby in Japan, the rotating food trend has taken a nosedive there in recent years, with customers complaining about a lack of freshness and gross social media pranks rendering dishes inedible.
Finally, Chop5 Salad Kitchen, which boasts two Ohio locations and one in Florida, is looking for franchisees who want to open in Indy, the IBJ reports. Startup costs are an estimated $995,800, and franchise fees begin at $40,000. “This is the opportunity to take a newer brand and get a bigger territory,” a company co-founder says, which is good reminder of what big box dining is truly all about.
