Indianapolis Bests - Version 1

    To get the discussion started, we will begin by posting our first Alpha Bests list, one for Indianapolis.  This list includes the restaurant for each letter of the alphabet, its general location within the Greater Indianapolis area, and the type of food it serves.

Indianapolis Bests - Version 1.0

A - Amalfi’s Italian Ristorante        North Side                             Italian        

B - Barcelona Tapas                       Downtown                             Spanish       

C - Cheesecake Factory                 Keystone at the Crossing        N.A.           

D - the Donut Shop                        East Side                               Breakfast    

E - the Eagle's Nest                        Downtown                             N.A.         

F - Frostbite                                  Avon                                     Ice Cream

G - Greek Island                            Downtown                             Greek       

H - His Place Eatery                       East Side                               Soul
I - Ichiban                                     Greenwood                            Sushi    
J - Jokamo's Pizza                          Irvington                               Pizza
K - the Kolache Factory                  Fishers                                  Czech         
L - La Parada                                 East Side                               Mexican     
M - the Melting Pot                        Greenwood                            Fondue       
N - Nick's Chili Parlor                     West Side                               Chili 
O - the Oceanaire                          Downtown                             Seafood      
P - Passage to India                        West Side                              Indian     
Q - Quarter Mile Pub                      Brownsburg                           Pub Food
R - Rock Cola 50's Cafe                   East Side                               American     
S - Seasons 52                                Keystone at the Crossing        Seasonal Menu           
T - Tegry Bistro                              Northwest Side                      Japanese     
U - Urban Element                         Downtown                             N.A.
V - Vito Provolone                          Greenwood                            Italian        
W- Woody's Library Restaurant        Carmel                                  N.A.             
X - Xtrordinary Pizza                       East Side                              Pizza             
Y - Yats                                          Broad Ripple                         Cajun/Creole
Z - Zest! Exciting Food Creations     Broad Ripple                         N.A.     

For the next several weeks, I will try to blog about these letters, one at a time.  In these blogs, I will give some general information about the prices and give a five-star scale for each letter.  Hopefully, there will be some discussion about competing restaurants for that letter and perhaps even debates over whether a restaurant should "qualify" or not under a particular city or letter.  Let me encourage you to make your own list and contribute to our project!

the Alpha Bests Challenge

A few years ago, my wife and I found ourselves in a rut.  We were stuck in Indianapolis and bored, claiming that there was nothing new to see or do in the city.  We would usually go out to eat on Friday nights, but even then, we found ourselves cycling between the same three or four restaurants.  Then, an idea occurred to us: what if we created a list of restaurants we've attended for every letter of the alphabet?  At first, this was not a very ambitious project, but it got us out of our shell.  We started trying new places and discovering a whole new world of Indianapolis that was right under our eyes.  After a few times, we were hooked, and even after we found one for every letter of the alphabet, we weren't satisfied.  There were always new restaurants we wanted to try out, always letters that needed to be upgraded.  Out of this, the "Alpha Bests Challenge" was born.

This is the Alpha Bests Challenge: In your city, find the best restaurant for every letter of the alphabet.  Here are the rules: All of the restaurants you list must be restaurants at which you have eaten that are within your city.  Try to avoid chain restaurants like McDonald's or Applebees, but there is nothing wrong with picking successful restaurants that have opened other locations, including locations in different cities.  Keep a list of your favorite restaurant for each letter, and once you have established a good letter for each restaurant, publish your list on our site!  (More instructions for this will be given soon.)  Then, join our discussion as we try to collectively create a list of Alpha Bests for each participating city.