El Bodegon- Fishers, Indiana

Empanadas:
Arepa with cheese:

Bocata with Spanish Serrano ham:

Spanish potato omelette tapa:

Oh happy day! We were just lamenting when we got back from New York that arepas aren't as prevalent here as they are there and we found El Bodegon. They have a nice variety of Colombian style and Venezuelan style arepas. We tried the Colombian style arepa with cheese and we loved it. It is certainly bigger than we're used to getting at the New York street fairs and only $2.49. We also tried their beef and chicken empanadas and they made us so happy. These were really flaky empanadas and the meat was seasoned deliciously, especially in the beef one. We also enjoyed the Bocata de Jamon Serrano (sandwich with Spanish serrano ham). It was perfect in its simplicity; crusty bread rubbed with tomatoes and sprinkled with olive oil and tasty serrano ham. Plus, it was the perfect size to enjoy but not feel overful after eating. And just because we wanted to try as much as possible, we ordered the Spanish Potato Omelette Tapa. After all, who could resist that for only $1?

We pretty much want to try everything on the tapas menu and all of the arepas too. When we can order all that we did and still come in under $13, we should be able to justify doing that. El Bodegon is on 96th Street (the Walmart side, not the Meijer side) in the back of the building with Panera and the Beauty Brands store. We know that it is fairly new but we were the only ones in there on Saturday afternoon and we dearly want this place to stay open. It is extremely casual so don't let the term "tapas bar" make you think that you have to get gussied up for it. It is quite spacious, the service was very friendly, and the prices are budget friendly. We got our order to go which is a great option anytime but especially great for entertaining during the upcoming holiday parties and football Sundays. We also think it would be an ideal place to meet a huge group of friends so that everyone can maximize the amount of dishes that they can try.

8510 E. 96th Street; Suite D

Fishers, IN 46037

Happy Thanksgiving

We absolutely love Thanksgiving and wish everyone a great holiday. Along with celebrating with family, food, and the Macy's Parade, we are looking forward to our annual viewing of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. "People train runs out of Stubbville."

Sacred Spain at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

[No photography of the exhibit is allowed]

For some reason, Mrs. WYA! is drawn to icons in art so she was really excited about the Sacred Spain exhibit at the IMA (on display now through January 3rd, 2010). It did not disappoint. First of all, we are amazed that the IMA can offer this for free. We are lucky enough to have this great art museum that doesn't charge admission and to not have a fee for a special exhibit is really generous. We are grateful to whoever made this possible because it is obvious that a lot of planning and manpower went into the exhibit. The walls are different gorgeous hues in each room to showcase the pieces in them. Some of the paintings are really large and all of them are so vivid and bright that you can hardly believe that they are from the 1600s. There are also well preserved books and sculptures. A figure of Christ in the middle of one room is so striking; it has been used in the Good Friday procession in the Spanish town of Navalcarnero since 1652! In the special gift shop at the end of the exhibit there is a film running showing it in the procession.


Even if this art doesn't represent your belief system, anyone who appreciates beauty and history will enjoy it. Show the IMA some love by buying a little something in the gift shop (we bought a Virgin of Guadalupe magnet) and/or putting some money in the museum's collection boxes.

We like to fully savor Thanksgiving before we think about Christmas activities but, if you're ready to get in the yuletide mood, Shelbyville is having a holiday parade tonight. The Strand Theatre is getting into the spirit by showing Holiday Inn on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The holiday open houses are in full swing too. Gallery 116 in Fishers has theirs this Saturday with a demonstration of glass blowing. Gallery One 36 is having a holiday sale on Saturday from noon to 5PM in Westfield. It's also Midnight Shopper time on Mass Ave. so there will be ample time to shop at that great store for gifts, At Home in the City/Silver in the City.

Happy 100th Birthday Johnny Mercer

Woody's Library Restaurant- Carmel, Indiana

Veggie Omelet:
Chicken Crepes:

"Sunday brunch Indianapolis" is a common Google search that we see and, while Woody's is in nearby Carmel, it is a great choice for brunch that should satisfy those seekers.

Mrs. WYA! took a pal there and loved that it was in an old Carnegie library that was built in 1913. They kept that theme inside with bookshelves full of books surrounding the tables. The food was really good and, if subsequent visits are as satisfying, this one could end up on our W(Y)A-ll of Fame. Mrs. WYA!'s friend enjoyed her Veggie Omelet and the cute and tasty mini potato cakes that came with it. Mrs. WYA! thought that the chicken crepe was divine. It was filled with chicken, spinach, bacon, cheese, and tomatoes with an herb cream sauce and wonderful crunchy onions on top that made for a perfect textural contrast. We look forward to visiting Woody's again to try some of their other menu items (if we can restrain from ordering the crepes again).

(As if there aren't enough options on the brunch menu, you may also order from the lunch menu.)

Indianapolis Winter Farmers' Market

Tasty treats from Lena's:

We went to the first day of this season's Indianapolis Winter Farmers' Market along with what seemed like the rest of Central Indiana's residents on Saturday. Since Cityoga is in the spot it was held in last year, it has new digs at The Chatham Center at 901 N. East Street (if you know where the big Red Cross building is, it is just behind that). They seem to have more space there and it is a good thing because it was quite busy. The main reason we went on their grand opening day was because we were getting dangerously low on our last Willowfield Lavender candle and we read on their website that they would be there. Sure enough, they were set-up right outside in front of the building and had a new scented candle but we had to go with the original that we love. We perused the market and picked up a couple of goodies from Lena's Mediterranean Kitchen. We've never heard of Torsita's before but we figured how can you go wrong with spinach and feta wrapped in a phyllo dough spiral and it was delicious. We also had some deliciously spiced sirloin in dough (we think was a bureka) which was also quite good. Judging from the crowd and the enthusiasm, it looks like the market will have a successful season.

Artique Winter Fair in Lawrence, Indiana

Picturesque Louis Jenn Park:

We checked out the inaugural Artique Winter Fair at Louis Jenn Park in Lawrence today and were impressed with the beautiful pieces that were for sale there. There was a wide variety of arts and crafts including bird feeders (there was a gorgeous glass Buddha one that was $80 but we should have bought anyway), photography, paintings, purses, jewelry, and wooden bowls by Earlybirde Art. This looks like the start of a nice tradition by The Partnership for Lawrence and we hope that it continues.

Heartstrings Holiday Open House- Markle, Indiana

The holiday open house for one of our all time favorite places to shop, Heartstrings, is this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It's a beautiful shop where you'll find Indiana made lotions, soaps, candles, and so much more for gifts and for yourself.

Current obsession... Whole Foods Apricot Goat Cheese Spread

While we enjoy the foods that Whole Foods has out to sample, we rarely buy them. However, when Mr. WYA! tasted their Apricot Goat Cheese Spread, he knew he had to have it. He turned to the woman next to him, who was also trying it, and said, "this is almost too good", and she agreed. We love goat cheese and this one is very creamy. We can't even say that apricot is in our top 5 favorite fruits but something about its sweetness contrasting with the goat cheese is irresistible. If you're looking for an easy, crowd pleasing food for your upcoming parties and celebrations, this would be a great choice. Just scoop it in your own serving bowl and tell your guests you made it yourself.

Amalfi Ristorante Italiano- Indianapolis, Indiana

The interior was gorgeous; we liked their tile floor:

From the bread basket:

Marinated grilled eggplant:

Chicken Pesto:

Gnocchi in tomato sauce:

Even though we used to live very close to Amalfi, this was our first visit to the restaurant. It's tucked away in the shopping center at 86th & Ditch by the Cinema Grill and we greatly enjoyed our lunch there.

The atmosphere is elegant without being stuffy. We appreciated the wonderful music that played while we were there (such as classics by Tony Bennett). Service was perhaps a little on the slow side but there appeared to be only one hard-working waitress for a pretty decent sized lunch crowd.

We started with a delicious soup of the day (a vegetable based soup with beans) and the Melanzane Alla Griglia appetizer (marinated grilled eggplant with olive oil and garlic, served cold). We love eggplant and this dish was a winner with us. The chef definitely wasn't shy with the garlic but that was fine with us. There were also a few hot red pepper flakes. We found it to be a very generous starter. We were delighted to be given a basket of 3 delicious biscuit/muffin hybrids. They had a little crunch to them and really soaked up olive oil. They were a nice change from the standard loaf of crusty bread served at Italian restaurants.

For our entrees, we ordered the Mostaccioli con Pollo Pesto and the Gnocchi di Patate Sorrentina. We make pesto sauce at home frequently but we'll confess to using the Knorr packets. That makes getting pesto at a restaurant a treat because you can definitely tell the difference. The sauce covered every bite of chicken and pasta and could not have been better. Chefs who can make good gnocchi amaze us; how can they make potatoes taste so light? The gnocchi was covered in a tomato sauce that tasted decadent but not too rich.

The lunch entrees were $10.50- $16.00 and they only serve lunch Monday through Friday but they serve dinner Monday through Saturday. We were very pleased with the ambiance and the food and look forward to visiting Amalfi again.

Christmas Open House at Logan Village Mall in Noblesville, IN

It's hard to believe that it is Christmas Open House time but it is at Logan Village Mall this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We nearly have all of our holiday shopping done but, since this is one of our favorite places to browse, we'll be there this weekend.

Bacon Suckers at Whole Foods

If you're trying to stave off the natural human instinct to pack on the pounds during the winter, this might be just the tool to do it. Instead of reaching for that slab of bacon, reach for this tasty sucker from Das Foods that we found at Whole Foods. We found it to be quite tasty.

We think it sounds like really big campy fun to go see Wayne Newton in concert and we're so glad that he'll be doing a show at Hoosier Park in Anderson. If you think it sounds like fun too, tickets go on sale today for the December 6th show.

Twisted Sisters Store- Indianapolis

We were glad to get to the Twisted Sisters store this weekend after reading about it awhile back. You can't miss it in an old Taco Bell on 71st Street just passed Kroger from Binford. It's not huge but every nook and cranny is filled with unique items, many of which are made in Indiana. We bought a couple of bars of soap made by Julia's Soap Shop. We couldn't resist the coffee scented soap which we were told is good for getting the smell of stubborn cooking smells like onion and garlic off of hands. We also liked the locally made bags from Freakin' Billboard crafted out of recycled highway billboards and the bath and body products from Nature's Providence. The store also had a nice selection of scarves, home decor items, and stationery among other goodies. We liked the nice touch of our small purchase given a little flourish with a bag with ribbon for our soaps and pretty tissue paper billowing from the shopping bag.

Since the calender has turned to November, thoughts turn to gift shopping and this is a great place for that. It might not be in your usual stomping grounds but it is worth going out of the way for to browse.

(We also have to say that we love stores that have dogs and cute little Izzie behind the counter added a lot of charm to the place.)

5628 E. 71st Street

Indianapolis, IN 46220

Tel: 317.841.7177