MILKTOOTH

 MILKTOOTH

By Duncan 

I was divorced (for the second time) and living in a rented condo on the northwest side of Indianapolis. My religion, family, friends, and co-workers had divorced ME! I had committed an unforgivable sin. I had an affair. I married the affair. 

The affair (my second marriage) had another affair, and this time, I was ‘cast aside’ and simply considered collateral damage. (What goes around comes around.) I was living as if I were on a deserted island. I had to come to terms with my imprisonment. I needed time to lick my wounds and rethink my life. What went wrong?  

I knew nothing about it, and if I was going to survive, I had to know about it. What did I need to know right away? I need to eat. So, I decided to try my hand at cooking for myself. I was a failure at cooking, too. It can’t be this hard to figure out. I swallowed my pride and called my mother. I explained that I was trying to fix dinner and needed help preparing a dish. 

“Well, what does it say on the box?”  

I realized my mother had kept a secret from my sister and me for twenty years. She cooked by reading the instructions on the box and didn’t know how to cook unless there were instructions. So, is life all about reading the instructions on the box? What about marriage, family, children, friends, and co-workers? People don’t come with instructional manuals. 

I needed the two building blocks of life. A good night's sleep and food. I couldn’t sustain life by eating a bag of potato chips every night. Knowing how to make a healthy meal became a priority. I would figure it out. I had to figure it out.  

I’m a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. I’m not one to try fancy French cooking tricks with a bottle of red wine or fufu designer delicacies. Every once in a while, I will try something I have never tried before and realize I need to expand my culinary horizons. Learning the basics first helped me move to what might be considered nutritious meals prepared in my kitchen. 

Over the years, I have traveled and leaned on restaurants with history. Restaurants serve different demographics and, of course, different styles of food. American, Italian, Chinese, French, Thai, Indian, Japanese, and Mexican, to name a few. I’m not a fan of all of them, but there is plenty to choose from. 

In the last ten years, I have traveled the country and tried different restaurants with a long history of excellence. I also enjoy group get-to-gathers here in Indianapolis, where the group eats at a different restaurant monthly. This is most enjoyable. Yes, sometimes the restaurant is average to disappointing, but it is always an interesting experience for the most part. 

One of the groups I enjoy attending is called (G-5) which stands for “A Group of Five.” These breed of men are all retired mortgage loan officers. We also allow each member of the group to pick the next restaurant. So, with the last name that starts with an “A” and the next letter in the alphabet, “B,” we moved around the group in that order. 

We started this group by requiring the person picking the restaurant to buy the meal for the entire group. The idea was to encourage (force) each person to attend the lunch next month. 

We attended some very off-the-wall and inexpensive (cheap) restaurants. It was fun for a while, but after eating many cardboard pizzas, we abandoned the pay-for-the-entire meal requirement. 

Last month, Aaron Koenig (a member in good standing) picked the restaurant. Aaron likes out-of-the-way, off-the-wall places, so we all held our collective breath when he chose MILKTOOTH. Aaron called and said I choose MILKTOOTH. I heard a little chuckle in his voice. 

I’m required to email everyone the invitation to lunch. I also offer the address and directions. I also try to do a little research. I discovered MILKTOOTH started in an old auto repair garage in Park Fletcher. For those who don’t know, Park Fletcher is a neighborhood on the southeast edge of downtown Indianapolis. It’s considered an eclectic neighborhood and tends to cater to Generation Z (Born 1980-1994) or even younger. 

Around 1850, the Irish and Germans settled and were soon joined by the Italian, Jewish, and other European immigrants.  

I have a personal connection to the area. My Mother (Lucy) and her mother, my grandmother (Sarah), lived in Park Fletcher. They rented, but as the story goes, they couldn’t pay the rent in the 1930s and moved to a different home almost every month.  

My father (George) courted (dated) my mother, and they would walk the streets of Park Fletcher. That was how you “woo” (attracting a woman’s attention) in the middle thirties. And because of that, walking, talking, and dating, I’m here today.     

The menu is diverse from the meat-and-potatoes kind of place we normally visit. Keep the “Meat-and-Potatos” comment close by; it will appear again in this article. The first picture I noticed on MILKTOOTH’s website showed a variety of plants, leaves, fruits, and assorted nuts. I admit I was a little skeptical that I would like this place. 

The menu was Mushroom bibimbap, Cheddar grits with scallions, 64-degree eggs, Summer squash latke, Focaccia, and Ceviche Tostada. I had no idea what these menu items were and certainly didn’t know how to pronounce them. 

I continued my research to see what else I could learn. The restaurant opened in 2014. At this point in the story, Jonathon Brooks is married to Ashley Brooks. Jonathan and Ashley met at a party in 2010. Jonathan was the sous chef (the Sous Chef is second in command of a kitchen) at Recess and Greg Hardesty’s culinary playground. (now closed). Neither of these restaurants was I aware of in the city of Indianapolis. But I’m unaware of many activities in Indianapolis, so it means nothing. 

Jonathan Brooks is now the head chef and owner of MILKTOOTH. Ashley will take the reins of the “Three Letters: ”HR, PR, and P&L.” They put together a restaurant on a shoestring budget, calling on family and friends to get it up and running.  

After one year in business in 2015, Jonathan Brooks was named one of eleven Best New Chefs by FOOD and WINE and one of eleven Best New Restaurants in the United States by Bon Appetit. Then there were the James Beard Awards. How could a small restaurant in Park Fletcher, Indianapolis, find this much notoriety so quickly?

So, I asked The James Beard Foundation how the award system works. And it’s right there on their website. Send us a non-refundable $85.00, and tell us about yourself. We have rules, so tell us how your restaurant follows our rules and requirements. Each nominee must submit an “Impact Statement” describing how their work aligns with the Foundation's diversity, equity, inclusion, transparency, respect, integrity, and community values.

Damn, and all I wanted was lunch. The back story continues between Ashley and Jonathan. Ashley felt like she was being left out of the equation as the restaurant became more successful, and Jonathan got all the national attention in the press. The marriage started falling apart. As can happen, Ashley’s son, Roman (6), became more important than pounding out MILKTOOTH social media witticisms online from home. The stark realization came cascading over her that she was no longer the ‘face‘ or ‘celebrity’ of MILKTOOTH. 

“It’s just as much my place as it is Jonathan’s.”  

Amanda Kingsbury interviewed Ashley in a three-thousand-word essay in the Indianapolis Star: Ashley was quite vocal, “I wanted to burn it to the ground.” 

The day arrived, and I grabbed a table in the back of the converted three-bay garage. The garage doors were open to the outside. I waited for the others to show. Looking at the place, I realized that “Marketing” in the United States is everything. This place is considered one of the best of the best. All the national magazines tout the importance of this place. How fabulous it is and how revolutionary in design and scope. How in this environment bred one of the best chefs in the United States. 

Duncan - George Burch - Aaron Koenig - Robert (Bob) Cheek

Yes, we were having a good laugh. Aaron Koenig was having the best laugh of all. He loved the place. However, George and Bob were not as vocal about their experience. What did we order?  

Smoked Turkey Sandwich - Fletcher Farms Smoked Turkey - Arugula - Bacon - Provolone - Fancy Sauce - Picked Summer Squash, on a Chrispy Baguette.

George and Aaron ordered the “Turkey Sandwich.” 

Bob ordered Scrambled Eggs, Sausage Links, and Iced Tea. 

Two over easy, Bacon, French Fries, the Toast never came. 

Yes, I went with what might be called “Safe.” I noticed the dinner wear was a mismatch of different patterns. Is this another way for MILKTOOTH to separate itself from the other more traditional and conservative restaurants? The eggs, bacon, and French fries (They didn’t have hash browns) were all served in a different “pattern.” I looked at the presentation and wondered if they had made a massive buy of plates from Goodwill. 

Seinfeld would say, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” 

As many of you know, we do this regularly; one of us gets to pick the next restaurant. Okay, yes, I’m a little cynical about this place. It has been brought to my attention that I’m set in my ways, and I guess I should plead guilty. I happen to favor “Meat and Potatoes.” However, I have noticed that the demographics of the United States are changing. There are more younger people than old people. So, they will be in charge of everything at some point. 

I can finally admit I made it to the top of the charts. 

Hank Williams, in 1952, recorded a song, “I’ll never get out of this world alive. 

And Yoggy Berra is known to have said,  

“Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”  

Dusty, our tattooed, very thin, bleach-blond waiter, brought us the checks. I noticed something else on the bill. They (and other restaurants do it, too) add a 3% surcharge for credit cards. But MILKTOOTH adds a 20% gratuity to the total and leaves a line for additional gratuities. I can only assume that the clientele that experience this dining experience must be taught the social graces of tipping. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that!!!