Long before 'local food' became a buzzword, Martha Hoover - an attorney with no restaurant background - would pack up her Volvo station wagon and make the rounds at farm stands and meat markets to buy ingredients for Cafe Patachou, the flagship restaurant she opened in 1989. Today it's considered a local favorite for its use of simple, quality ingredients and fun personality (omelets have names like Hippie with a Benz, while the Pennsylvania Street location's tagline is "a student union for adults."

See more: Carmel restaurants, Hamilton County restaurants, Vegetarian restaurants, Vegan restaurants