What We're About ...
Food and Whine is the brain child of two IUPUI journalism students who got bored with the campus paper and the local coverage of restaurants. Cassandra Vires has a degree in culinary arts and is the dining editor of the IUPUI student newspaper, The Sagamore. Ginny LaRoe is the former editor of The Sagamore and is a critic of everything.
Both post recipes and reviews as well as tips on where to find different groceries including produce, specialty items and wine.
Check out our newly added events page!
Wolfgang Puck restaurant to open soon
Famed chef Wolfgang Puck made a quick visit to Indianapolis recently to check out his Indianapolis venture. The Star reported that he made a few last-minute changes to the menu including the addition of caviar and a chopped salad. mmmm. From the Star:
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck was nowhere to be seen during the early part of the evening. He arrived at the museum at 6:30 a.m. and did a whirlwind media tour touting his newest baby, the Puck's at the IMA restaurant.
He had not been at the museum in a year, and after seeing the setup of the restaurant, he decided the menu needed some changes.
"It was important for me that the food and the decor fit together," he said matter-of-factly.
The dining room, with its great view of Sutphin Fountain, called out for a more upscale menu, he thought. He even changed the Wednesday night menu a bit, adding some lobster and caviar to the chopped vegetable salad.
The IMA restaurant, Puck's, will open May 6, as will the more casual museum cafe. Read more about the re-opening of the IMA and its new restaurants
HERE.
Food & Whine visits Brugge Brasserie
The recently opened Brugge Brasserie (1011A East Westfield Blvd
Indianapolis)gets mixed reviews from Food & Whine editors, Ginny and Cassandra. Even though we disliked many things about the menu, presentation, ingredients, preparation and décor, it's a place we will probably go back to for late night lounging, beer drinking and conversation. Read Ginny's full review
HERE.
Welcome!
Our new blogger, a foodie friend, Catie, who dines out for just about every meal, lives in New York and will also be contributing reviews.
Catie 
Brasserie to open in Broad Ripple
According to INtake weekly, a new step-above-a-pub is opening in Broad Ripple April 23.
While I'm skeptical about some of the menu offerings given in the INtake article -- meatball sandwich?? -- there is potential for this to be a great place to drink Belgian-styled beer and eat pomme frites (or fancy french fries) and baguette sandwiches.
According to a preview of Brugge Brasserie (pronounced Brooshe Bra-suh-ree), it is going to be smoke free and open fairly late.
Oh, and it has a celebrity owner to boot (Roco anyone?).
It will occupy space near Netheads on Westfield Boulevard.
Get more details here.
Dining Out For Life
Most of us go out to eat on a weekly basis, even some of us go out to eat on a daily basis. If you know anything about me, you know I eat out as often as I can.
There is a community of people like me, they call us “foodies,” and we are passionate about what we eat. We are passionate about food and wine, but we should and can be passionate about so much more – like our community.
Rarely are we given an opportunity to accomplish anything more than satisfying our hunger when we patronize out favorite restaurants.
On Thurs., April 14, we have an opportunity to accomplish so much more through
Dining Out For Life, an international fundraising event that benefits AIDS victims and their families.
This year will be Indianapolis’ 10th year participating in the event, and the proceeds will go to The Damien Center, a local organization that provides services to people living with HIV/AIDS.
More than 40 Indianapolis restaurants are participating, donating 25 percent of their sales on April 14. This year’s participants include some of my favorites, like The Abbey, Bazbeaux, D’Vine, R Bistro and Yats.
Dining for Life began in 1991, by a Philadelphia group called ActionAIDS. The event has spread to almost 40 cities, and it consistently raises more than $2 million dollars a year.
This is our chance to contribute to something good while doing what we love and would be doing anyway. How terrible would it be for us if we got breakfast from The Abbey before class, grabbed lunch at R Bistro and had dinner with friends at Bazbeaux? It doesn’t sound so bad to me. Easily, you just donated $20 to a charity and had some of the best food Indianapolis has to offer.
So, call your friends, call your family and contribute to helping your community while enjoying great food and good company.
As printed in The Sagamore.
