Liz Biro

liz.biro@indystar.com

Shuck corn.

Hard-boil 12 eggs.

Toast hazelnuts.

Make peach preserves.

That was part of the to-do list facing chef Jonathan Brooks two days before he unveiled Fletcher Place's newest restaurant, Milktooth, which opened this morning.

Behind an old-fashioned counter with chrome swivel stools — where diners watch chefs cooking just a few feet away — Brooks simmered a pot of fresh peaches.

He grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine and poured an ample dose into the fruit. The peach preserves would accompany fried, made-to-order, chocolate doughnuts, one of various pastries on the breakfast/brunch-centric menu.

"We call ourselves a fine diner," Brooks said with a grin before turning to stir the peaches. "We're not pretentious, but we're not just bacon and eggs."

Brooks; his wife, Ashley; and devoted staff, friends and business partners transformed a former auto repair shop at 534 Virginia Ave. into what could quickly become one of Indianapolis' go-to restaurants.

The menu is on target. Breakfast and brunch have been especially hot on food trend lists over the past couple of years. That's all Milktooth serves, starting with pastries and beverages such as coffee and tea from 7 to 9 a.m., and then moving into entrees from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Tuesday, when the restaurant is closed.

Half of Milktooth's menu is deemed "classic," albeit with a twist, say a lamb patty melt, red flannel brisket hash with beets or sweet tea-marinated fried chicken with a biscuit, sausage gravy and a fried egg.

The other half is billed "divergent." Think spelt berry porridge with cashews, coconut milk and caramelized pears; chicken-fried steak bibimbap; and miso soup with pickled kombu, beech mushrooms and tofu.

Every corner of the 58-seat spot, plus 24 patio chairs near an herb and vegetable garden, displays interesting décor.

Old, golden, church lanterns hang over the barista station, where coffeemakers brew via drip, Chemex, V60, cold brew and espresso. A Brooks family butcher block stands against the wall.

Communal tables that Jonathon Brooks crafted from cherry wood balance atop the hydraulic lifts that elevated vehicles when the building was an auto repair shop. The open, industrial ceiling also reminds patrons of the building's past.

Bathroom décor is up to artists to change every few months, Brooks said. The ladies room debuts with photos of race car drivers celebrating their wins with milk rather than champagne.

The restaurant name is an ode to various elements. Milkteeth are better known as baby teeth, the ones children lose and leave under their pillows for the tooth fairy.

The name evokes nostalgia for home, family, being a child, all feelings owners want patrons to experience at Milktooth. The Brookses are parents to 3-year-old son Roman. Jonathan Brooks previously worked nights cooking at Recess. The breakfast/brunch concept allowed him more time with his family, he said.

Milktooth also represents the cast of newbies staffing the restaurant, including a first-time barista, first-time sous chef and fledgling chef/restaurant owner Jonathan Brooks himself.

"We like to think of this as cutting our teeth in the restaurant industry," Ashley Brooks said of she and her husband's first shot at owning a restaurant.

Call Liz Biro at (317) 444-6264. Follow her on Twitter @lizbiro, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at elizabeth.biro@indystar.com