Euphoria thinks ahead

Pork chops come with ancho and guajillo pepper marinade at Euphoria. (Credit: Alan Petersime / Metromix)

Will you get a side of mashed potatoes at Euphoria? Probably not. A relish of grilled radicchio, green grapes, pine nuts and olives atop your salmon? Most definitely.

Since becoming the chef at Euphoria restaurant, Muncie native Ivy Denman has carefully composed the dishes to balance flavor and texture (and maybe to surprise you a little). In short: You don't pick your side dishes yourself.

"I have a style of food that I'm comfortable with, and I'm still trying to find the balance between that and what Indianapolis diners want," said Denman, who spent nine years cooking in Chicago before leaving for Indy. "So far, people seem surprised that this isn't steak and a side or fish and a side; it's a menu . . . based on a specific ingredient and wholly thought instead of just components."

Denman, who took over as executive chef at Euphoria in October, describes her style as American with a lot of French influence. She works with seasonal ingredients and as many local products as possible, without tipping the prices over into the special-occasion-only category.

"It's somewhere between casual and fine dining," she said. "The food is seasonal yet approachable. I like to use a wide variety of vegetables and greens, and there might be some ingredients that people aren't completely familiar with."

On a recent visit, Denman's menu offered rich diver scallops over a raisin puree with bits of curried cauliflower and fried rosemary ($15), smooth chestnut soup with apples and duck confit ($9), and salad with tiny gingerbread croutons, aged gouda and maple vinaigrette ($9).

Among the handful of entrees were the pork chop ($26) that Denman said is becoming a favorite. Could be the ancho and guajillo pepper marinade or the pear fritters, but my money's on the zingy pickled zucchini with watercress and buttermilk vinaigrette. The aforementioned salmon ($25) shared a plate with parsnip puree and got a color and flavor boost from the cascade of relish that topped it.

Denman will serve you a steak (a $28 filet when I was there), sure, and it'll come perfectly cooked on a simple plate of varying flavors -- cranberry puree for something sweet, and toothsome farro with a firm nudge of fennel.

For dessert, apple tart ($7) sat in a walnutty crust, and spice cake ($7) was sided by a scoop of apple-cinnamon ice cream rolled in caramel corn.

Regrettably, we overlooked the cheese plate, which Denman says rotates regularly and will soon include more American cheeses. "There are so many great cheeses being made in the United States right now that there's no reason to go far away for them."