Fort Wayne just got one step closer to spring. The seasonal The Stand opened its doors Monday.
The Stand, 5200 Bluffton Road, specializes in hot dogs – there are 14 styles, from the Coney dog (a best-seller) to the kung fu dog (Coney sauce, General Tso’s sauce and onions) and the Waynedale dog (Coney sauce, coleslaw and mustard), owner Skip Sandels says.
This is The Stand’s seventh or eighth year in business, and Sandels estimates that during a busy lunch it can serve 200 to 300 people.
Though Tuesday’s snowstorm was a bit of a bummer for the drive-thru and walk-up business, Sandels says business typically goes well in March.
“People are dying for Coneys and ice cream. They are,” he says. “We had a guy pull up (Sunday) night. He was the last one we served when we closed in late November, and he’s beating on the window. We’re in here cleaning up and finishing up. He said, ‘Remember me? I want to be served.’ ”
The customer had to wait until The Stand opened, but “for as small of a building as we have and what we put out, it’s phenomenal,” Sandels says.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. through May and then will stay open until 10 p.m. for the summer.
Best sugar pie?
Nick’s Kitchen, 506 N. Jefferson St. in Huntington, has one of the four best sugar pies in all of Hoosierdom.
At least, according to readers of Indy A-List, the Indianapolis Star’s website for the city and state’s best businesses and products. In the bracket-style ranking, Nick’s Kitchen’s pie started as one of 16 pies in the state, and now it’s down to the final four, facing off against Parky’s Smokehouse in Lebanon. The final four is rounded out by Barking Dog Café in Indianapolis and Wick’s Pies in Winchester.
Owner Jean Anne Bailey attributes her success in the contest to social media.
“We’ve had it on my personal Facebook page, plus the business Facebook page and had several friends sharing it with their friends and family,” she says, adding that some customers have come in saying they saw the contest on The Dish blog.
The recipe, which Bailey says has been tweaked over the years, came from an employee who worked at Nick’s Kitchen in the late 1980s. What makes it stand out, Bailey says, is the mixture of textures. The pie is creamy with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping, and the crust is homemade.
To vote, go to theindyalist.cityvoter.com/bracket/my-sugar-pie-showdown/83?r=tw. The contest ends Thursday.
Fundraisers
•The fifth annual Taste of Waynedale will be from 4:30 to 7 p.m. March 19 at Kingston Residence, 7515 Winchester Road. At the event, more than 25 area businesses and restaurants will provide samples of food and beverages, including some spots in and near Waynedale such as Ellison Bakery, Phoenix Dragon, Captain Ron’s Corral and Penguin Point.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the event. Proceeds go to the Community Harvest Food Bank and Fort Wayne Trails, Waynedale Initiative. To RSVP, call 747-1523, email cgarrison@kingstonhealthcare.com or visit Kingston Residence between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
•The Fraternal Order of Police Associate Lodge No. 6 is holding an all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast from 6:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 3 to 12 and free for those younger than 3. Bob Evans is donating and preparing the food. The event will be at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 14, 2125 Olladale Drive.
Edible book, anyone?
Ivy Tech Community College is accepting submissions for the college library’s seventh annual Edible Book Festival, which will run from noon to 2 p.m. April 1 at the Student Life Center on the North Campus, 4900 St. Joe Road.
The festival is for book and food lovers to create, display and taste edible books. The dishes can be based on a book title or a pun of a book title. To participate, fill out the registration form at libguides.ivytech.edu/ediblebookfestivalnortheast by March 15. For information, call 480-4176 or email jheiding@ivytech.edu.
Closed
It appears the Yum-Mee’s Bakery shop in Glenbrook Square has closed. All signage is down, and the space – next to Starbucks, across from Barnes & Noble – is empty. A message left at the East State Boulevard store was not returned Tuesday.
Free tasting
Cap n’ Cork will have a free tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at its Covington Plaza store, 6410 W. Jefferson Blvd. The tasting will feature 16 wines (including three 14 Hands varieties, two Gerard Bertrand and three merlots), 11 beers (including four Sun King brews) and a variety of St. Patrick’s Day-themed mixed drinks.
