Sidebars: Delicious comfort food is made with care at Indy eatery

Sidebars reviews and rates eateries lawyers may enjoy visiting when working at courthouses throughout Indiana. Jennifer offers this issue’s review of DeeGusto’s Southern Cooking.

Everyone has a complaint about the length of this winter, the snow, the cold, etc. The only good thing about it was that it was a carte blanche to indulge in good ol’ comfort food. That is what Fred and I, with the latest addition to our firm, Mark Busby, discovered at DeeGusto’s Southern Cooking. Now, while DeeGusto’s is not technically by the courthouse, it should be the deciding factor in moving the new judicial center to the former General Motors stamping plant in Indianapolis rather than the airport. It is within a stone’s throw of the GM stamping plant, one of the contending sites for the new judicial center. Have any of the people making this decision completed a gastro-pleasing economic study on whether the airport would be a good place for the new judicial center? Ummm, I’m guessing no (unless they own stock in Waffle House or Denny’s).

Anyway, this small building right before the train tracks on West Washington Street boasts succulent southern cooking clearly made with deliberate attention and love. Mark an hour on your calendar for lunch, grab a colleague and go get some homemade southern cooking. It was a cold day, imagine that, when Fred, Mark and I ventured to fill up on really good comfort food. The restaurant hosts a small number of tables and a takeout window. We were warmly met by the owner and cook and felt immediately welcome.

The decision-making was tough. The menu offers numerous dishes including fried pork chops, chicken wings and fish, as well as some salads and sandwiches. Mark, other than being a fantastic addition to Voyles Zahn & Paul, has a ferocious appetite, which makes him even more of a fit for our firm. He opted for the pork chops smothered in an onion-based gravy, which was plentiful. To accompany that he had sweet potatoes and collard greens. Kudos went to the greens as being perfectly done. They were not soggy and didn’t taste like they had been cooked too long. He was extremely happy with his overall choices, which was evidenced by his empty plate.

Fred opted for the hot chicken wings – big ol’ wings cooked to his spice order. By the mess they made, they were heavily coated in hot sauce. For his sides, he had mac and cheese and french fries. (He was chastised for choosing two starches – emphasizing the care the proprietors have for their customers.) Sneaking a couple of his fries, I loved the crispiness of them. I ordered the fried chicken wings which were piping hot and large. My sides were mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans. Oh, did I mention the homemade cornbread? I was happy as a pig in … well, you know.

There is something for everyone including ribs, fried catfish, meatloaf, chicken and noodles, smothered chicken and huge salads. The sides are purely southern including yams, corn and side salads such as a tomato onion salad. The desserts, for which we did not have stomach room, include a caramel cake that looks delightfully tempting. What is obvious is the care that goes into how every item on the menu is made and served.

You can find more information about the restaurant and, more importantly, the story behind it, at www.deegustoskitchen.com. It appears their menu is about to change, but I guarantee it will be as wholly good and southern as it was when we dined there. They are located at 1430 W. Washington St. and worthy of the jaunt there that may be, hopefully, next to the judicial center now being contemplated.•

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Fred Vaiana and Jennifer Lukemeyer practice at Voyles Zahn & Paul in Indianapolis, focusing on criminal defense. Both enjoy a good meal with colleagues and friends. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the authors.