Is it Brooklyn? No, it's Indianapolis! The capital city long known for its many chain restaurants is getting a big shout-out from gourmet magazine Bon Appetit.
An article in the magazine highlights the city's "emerging restaurant scene," comparing it to Brooklyn, a hipster haven.
The writer, John Birdsall, visited Indianapolis in December, spending time with Milktooth owner and chef, Jonathan Brooks.
Milktooth is a popular breakfast and lunch spot in Fletcher Place, known for its creative food and drink.
Thursday morning, Brooks was at the stove, whipping up "a crispy, Ivory Char over bacon and scallion lentils with a little red plum dressing and a sunny side egg."
Brooks said the publicity was great for him and fellow chefs.
Read the Bon Appetit article here.
"The root of the article was 'we certainly appreciate Brooklyn and Chicago, but Indianapolis is starting to find its own voice,' and we kind of have to ignore what everyone else is doing and stop comparing ourselves to them," Brooks said.
Michael Dempsey and Grant Kinsat were among those glad to see Indianapolis recognized.
Dempsey, originally from Florida, said he used to think "quantity over quality" when he though of Indianapolis. "Most people would think of an image of large people with large portions, so it's good to see [the image] be more artisanal."
Kinsat added, "It's great. So many places are opening up you don't find anywhere else and it's drawing more people and city putting us on the map."
Annie Marshall, who's lived in Indianapolis for 11 years, agreed. "In the last five years, I feel it's exploded. I think it's really starting to change Indy's reputation and kind of showing we have more to offer than just race cars."
Marshall's friend Courtney Champion, who was visiting from Virginia, said, "I kind of judge a city on how good its food is. What do you do when you travel? You want good food and coffee. There are a lot of good places here and good restaurants can bring in tourists."
Brooks is quick to mention the pioneers before him, the local chefs who worked hard to establish themselves at a time when chain restaurants dominated.
"Certainly a lot of of older chefs led us in the right direction," he said. "My generation is ready to step up and take things further."
Bon Appetit also hailed several other popular, well-known places including Bluebeard, Amelia's Bakery, Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company, Pioneer, Black Market, Love Handle and Marrow.
Most are within Fletcher Place and Fountain Square, which comes as no surprise to Brooks.
"I think this area has a lot to to with it. There are a lot of young people here, a lot of energy. It's easy access to downtown and a beautiful place to live and hang out," he said.
While Brooks left Indy for a while, he said he has no desire to move to another place, no need to.
"We can love those other cities. I love those cities but for Indianapolis to create it's own thing, we have to find our own voice and stand up for ourselves and say Indianapolis is not Brooklyn or Chicago," he said. "We've got our own thing going on and that's pretty cool."
