You’ll Want to Come Hungry for This 2-Week Evansville Food Event
10 Evansville-Area Restaurants Are Serving Up Something Special This August
If there is one thing Evansville does not have a shortage of, it’s good locally owned restaurants. The only problem is deciding where to eat.
Well, for two weeks, you’ll have a pretty good excuse to try somewhere new.
Eat Up Evansville is returning August 18 through September 1, with 10 participating restaurants offering special menus, meals and packages at set prices.
Inspired by Indianapolis’ Devour Indy, Eat Up Evansville is designed to get people out of their usual restaurant routine and into locally owned businesses they may not have tried before.
Our friends over at Fingers, Fork, Knife & Spoon have been keeping tabs on this round of Eat Up Evansville, and so far, 10 local restaurants are on the list with some seriously good specials. A special thanks to them as well for providing the photos featured throughout this article.
And looking at this year’s lineup, you could eat your way through a pretty impressive variety of food without leaving the Evansville area.
Wait... What Exactly Is a Prix Fixe Menu?
Before we get into the good stuff and start talking food, let's talk about a term you need to know.
You’re going to see the words “prix fixe” quite a bit during Eat Up Evansville. It sounds fancy, but the idea is actually really simple.
A prix fixe menu is a special menu put together by the restaurant where you get a certain selection of food for one set price. When you visit one of the participating restaurants, just let them know you’re interested in their Eat Up Evansville offering and they’ll take it from there.
Now for the important part: What can you eat?
Start With Dumplings and End With Gelato at 2nd Language
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to try something different, 2nd Language has put together a four-item menu for $24.
You’ll start with four steamed bulgogi dumplings filled with marinated beef, followed by house-made cinnamon apple kimchi. The main dish is shredded pork shoulder stir-fried with vegetables and wheat noodles.
And because you obviously need dessert, the meal finishes with brown butter pineapple cake gelato.
You can find 2nd Language at 401 NW 2nd St., Suite A in Evansville. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Belly of the Wolf Is Bringing Out the Wagyu
This might be the menu for the person who wants to turn Eat Up Evansville into an actual night out.
Belly of the Wolf is offering a three-course meal for $45.
The first course is flash-fried Brussels sprouts topped with bacon lardons, miso ginger aioli, pistachio crumb, furikake seasoning and blood orange zest.
For your second course, you get to make a very important decision.
You can go with The Fancy Deluxxe, a house-ground double Wagyu smashburger topped with American cheese, shaved onion, iceberg lettuce, dill pickle chips and Deluxxe mayo on an I Knead Bread buttered sesame bun with pommes frites.
Or choose The Ragu, featuring hand-rolled Moonlight Hollow egg yolk pappardelle with house-ground Wagyu beef, local tomato pomodoro, Parmigiano, whipped ricotta and fresh basil.
Then there’s Curaçao crème brûlée with pistachio crumb for dessert.
Belly of the Wolf is located at 1112 Parrett St. in Evansville and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Make It a Cocktail Night at The Clover Club
Not every Eat Up Evansville special has to be a full dinner.
The Clover Club has created a $35 drinks-and-appetizer package for two, making this one an easy option for a date night or drinks with a friend.
The package comes with two cocktails: the Beppa Pig, made with bell pepper and gin, and the Little Italy, featuring tomato, basil and gin. You’ll also get four house breadsticks with marinara.
The Clover Club is located at 203 Main St., Suite A in Downtown Evansville. It is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Charcuterie, Flatbread and Dessert at Entwined
If your ideal dinner involves a charcuterie board and a glass of wine, this one has your name written all over it.
Entwined Wine & Cocktail Bar is offering an Eat Up Evansville package for **$45**.
You’ll get to pick three meat and cheese selections to create your charcuterie board, choose a flatbread and finish things off with your choice of dessert.
Entwined is located at 303 Main St. in Downtown Evansville and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m.
G.D. Ritzy’s Is Keeping Things Classic
Maybe Wagyu and crème brûlée aren’t what you’re after. Sometimes you just want a burger, chili cheese fries and ice cream.
G.D. Ritzy's Evansville is participating with a classic combo that includes a hamburger, chili cheese fries, a medium drink and a scoop of ice cream.
The price for the Eat Up Evansville special has not yet been announced.
The deal will be available at the Evansville locations at 4320 N. First Ave., 601 N. Green River Rd. and 4810 University Dr.
Pizza, Wings AND Dip-N-Dots?
This one sounds like something you order when nobody in the group can decide what they want.
Kipplee's is offering a $30 package that includes any 12-inch specialty pizza, a small order of traditional wings, a small order of Dip-N-Dots and one soda.
Kipplee’s is located at 2350 E. Division St. in Evansville and is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Patsy Hartigan’s Is Going Full Irish Comfort Food
You might want to arrive hungry for this one.
Patsy Hartigan's Irish Pub is offering a three-course prix fixe menu for $35, available daily beginning at 4 p.m.
The meal starts with smoked trout and leek boxty before moving on to hard cider-braised pork cheek served with colcannon risotto.
For dessert, you’ll get Guinness chocolate mousse with a sea salt crisp.
Patsy Hartigan’s is located at 203 Main St. in Downtown Evansville.
Sazón y Fuego Is Bringing Salvadoran and Peruvian Flavors to the Lineup
Eat Up Evansville is stretching beyond Evansville city limits with a stop in Newburgh.
Sazón y Fuego has created a three-course menu for $35 featuring Salvadoran and Peruvian-inspired dishes.
Course one features Pupusas de Cerdo con Salsa de Tomate handcrafted corn tortillas stuffed with savory pork and melted cheese, pan-seared and served with warm tomato sauce and curtido cabbage slaw.
The second course is Tacu Tacu with Lomo Saltado, followed by chocolate tres leches for dessert.
Sazón y Fuego is located at 8666 Ruffian Ln. in Newburgh. It is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 4 to 10 p.m.
Two More Evansville Restaurants Still Have Menus Coming
There are still a couple of surprises left.
Arcademie at 22 NW 6th St. in Evansville is participating, but its special menu and pricing have not yet been announced.
The same goes for Pangea Kitchen at 111 S. Green River Rd., Suite E in Evansville.
So if neither of those menus is calling your name yet, that could change once the final details are released.
Two Weeks Might Not Be Enough
Eat Up Evansville runs August 18 through September 1, and there is already a pretty wild range of food to choose from.
We’re talking Korean-inspired dishes, Wagyu, Salvadoran and Peruvian flavors, Irish comfort food, pizza and wings, charcuterie, cocktails, burgers, fries, gelato and plenty of desserts.
The whole point is to get out, support local restaurants and maybe finally try that place you’ve driven past a hundred times but never stopped at.
And with 10 restaurants participating, you could technically try a different Eat Up Evansville offering almost every night.
The real question is: Which one are you trying first?
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