Indiana

Local author Jane Simon Ammeson leads a tasty tour of historic Region restaurants.

A wonderful diversity of flavors has defined Northwest Indiana as a dining destination from its early days to the present. Now almost a century old, Teibel's pan-fried fish carries on the tradition of "perch palaces'? like the now lost Phil Smidt's. Pierogis have been a staple at the Cavalier for decades. So great was the demand for frog legs at Vogel's that they used to raise their own. The same dish has remained on the menu at the Town Club since opening in 1947. Serving Northwest Indiana-style, crisped-edge hamburgers, Miner-Dunn and Schoops both survived the onslaught of fast food chains and continue on today.

Indianapolis Beer Stories is a time capsule of tales from the city's early taverns, to a pre-Prohibition golden era, to today's modern craft beer scene.

Meet the ghosts of Indy's brewing past. Discover the very beginning of beer in Indiana's new capital and the pioneers who carved a path for a future industry. Uncover the legacy of a bygone brewing giant. Learn how one spontaneous decision to cross the treacherous Rocky Mountains led to a booming craft beer scene in Indiana.

Indiana native Amy Beers, a Certified Cicerone® and owner/operator of Drinking with Beers, leads a heady tour of yesterday and today in Circle City brewing.

Chow down on the best foodie memories, and the places that provided them, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

With an abundance of appetizing eateries comes a wealth of memories. George Motz, author of Hamburger America, refers to Powers as "one of the greatest slider emporiums in America." The Hobby House provided the first restaurant experience for Dave Thomas, known worldwide as founder and pitchman for the Wendy's hamburger chain. Nine Mile Restaurant, which first opened as a tavern in 1837, competes for recognition as Indiana's oldest bar. During a campaign stop one month before his assassination, Robert F. Kennedy boasted that Zoli's on Broadway made "the best food I ever ate." Authors Keith Elchert and Laura Weston celebrate the savory and the sweet sides of the Summit City.

Crack open a bottle of Champagne Velvet and dive into the first complete history of brewing in Indiana, where the beer history is as old as the state itself.

More than three hundred breweries have churned out the good stuff for thirsty Hoosiers, and this city-by-city guide gives readers a sample of every spot, allowing time to savor the flavor while sharing the hidden aspects, like the brave and hearty brewers who assisted the Underground Railroad and survived Prohibition. The unmistakable Hoosier personality and spirit shine in the classic labels and advertisements, many of which are displayed here in vibrant color. Join Indiana beer enthusiasts Bob Ostrander and Derrick Morris of hoosierbeerstory.com on a pub crawl through this state's proud beer history.

The food scene in Hamilton County, Indiana sprang from humble roots and evolved into a dynamic culinary community.

Early restaurateurs made modest livings at mom-and-pop joints like Aunt Bea's Chicken in Noblesville and Brown's Drugstore in Carmel. Teen romances bloomed at the Blue Ribbon Dairy Drive-In and Burger Chef. Then Chef Dieter Puska's elegant eatery the Glass Chimney took dining to a whole new level. Local chefs carry on his legacy with new farm-to-table restaurants featuring ingredients from a multitude of growers and farmers' markets. The craft beer scene is booming, too, with exceptional breweries like Four Day Ray, Mashcraft, Books and Brews and Barley Island. Take a trip down memory lane and embark on a modern-day culinary adventure with local food writer Karen Kennedy as she presents the hardworking restaurant owners and culinary superstars who built and continue to grow Hamilton County's vibrant food culture.

Nestled in a horseshoe bend along the Ohio River, Evansville bestrides the border between the Mid-South and the Midwest. This location allowed the city to build a culinary tradition all its own. For generations, cherished eateries like Turoni's, House of Como and Hilltop Inn have served delicious and unique local fare like brain sandwiches, cracker-crisp thin crust pizza, Ski slushies, burgoo and more. In recent years, revitalized historic districts have housed cafés, coffeehouses and breweries that hearken back to Evansville's past even as they embrace the present and look to the future. Historian and University of Southern Indiana professor Kristalyn Shefveland explores the historic restaurants and contemporary legends that define two centuries of Evansville's food history.

Indianapolis boasts a few restaurants more than one hundred years old. Eateries like the legendary Hollyhock Hill and St. Elmo's Steakhouse are classic staples in the capital city. But for every legendary local restaurant that exists today, several more are mere memories. Diners can no longer feast on heaping piles of coconut shrimp at the Key West Shrimp House or sip on a Brandy Alexander at Fireside after a well-cooked steak, but their legacies still live on. Author Jeff Kamm explores the historic restaurants and most-missed locales that continue to define Indianapolis's culinary heritage.

Wine, Benjamin Franklin wrote, "is proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."

The late Patrick Baude added that wine writing is not really "about wine as such" but rather "the good life to which wine might be a tool." In this wide-ranging collection, the much-loved professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law reflects on wine, spirits, beer and their relationship to that good life. As he explores how wine fits with local food, changing seasons and even his own family dynamics, he pairs Bloomington's rich cuisine and culture with timeless wisdom and universal truths. Drawing heavily on his writings for Bloom Magazine--with revised and expanded material and tributes from family and colleagues--the voice of Professor Baude, who passed away in 2011, lives on here.