Living in New York has taught me how to judge a signature food item. NY has two of them just like Chicago; Pizza and Hot Dogs. In NY the Pizza is thin and served by the slice, very big slices. It is simple sweet red sauce, cheese and a few toppings. There is of course the White Pie, but you have to be in Brooklyn to find a good version of this mozzarella cheese upon ricotta cheese cut with olive oil creation. The hot dog debate is all based on who makes and prepares the best version of the long narrow Kosher frank and it comes down to Gray's, Sabrett's or Nathan's. The point I am making is that for an item to be a signature item it means that several places have to be producing a great product and there is a debate as to who is doing it the best.
Thanks to my recent visit to Pizzology ( http://www.pizzologyindy.com/ ) I am now confident that I know what Indy's signature food is, the Artisan Pizza. To understand how I came to this conclusion we need to look at the history of Pizza in Indianapolis. First there was Bazbeaux ( http://www.bazbeaux.com/ ) introducing Indy to the fact there were more to pizza toppings then just cheese and pepperoni. For a long time this was one the place I took out of town guest to wow them. It opened up their ideas of what pizza could be, for many of them it was their first place they tried shrimp, pineapples or feta cheese on a pizza.
Bazbeaux gave birth to Some Guys ( http://someguyspizza.com/ ) and the debate began as to who has the better pizza. Since then the scene has been joined by places like Jockamo ( http://www.jockamopizza.com/ ), WB's ( http://www.wbpizza.com/ ), and Za's ( http://www.zapizzeria.com/). I don't include places like Arni's or Union Jacks on this list because I don't think they qualify as Artisan, they are just good pizza but don't represent what I am now calling Indy Pizza.
Indy Pizza is a double entendre because while it indicates type of pie found in the Indianapolis area it also describes the pizza itself, independent ownership (say no to chains!) and independent thought (they are creative in how they build their pies). So this brings us back to Pizzology, Neal Brown's ode to Indy's signature food.
My meal started off with the Chop Salad. Light Italian dressing allowed the focus of the salad to be the cheese and olives. The ingredients are a great combination together but each one was flavorful and unique to stand on their own merits. The lunch special sounds like the best deal in town if you get this as your salad.
Next came the pizza, My Kentucky Rome. Simple in ingredients: crust, white sauce, cheese (taleggio), arugula, prosciutto, and figs. This leads to a complex taste of that salty sweet that is the ultimate in umami. You can tell that the ingredients are picked with care and thought out to give the eater the best taste combination possible. While this cuisine is a far cry from that found at L'explorateur, Neal's previous restaurant, the concepts that made that place the best food in town are found at Pizzology.
You can debate who has the best Indy Pizza in town, I have my answer; Pizzology.
I will be writing more about Indianapolis' signature cuisine (including St. Elmo's Shrimp Cocktail) if the Colts make it to the Super Bowl. If any of my New York media people need an Indianapolis food expert for a cooking segment I am ready to go!
