Indianapolis restaurateur Martha Hoover’s Patachou Inc. concepts have become such beloved institutions here that it’s impossible to imagine one of them closing, but that was the sad news when the company announced its fledgling fried chicken place Crispy Bird was done.

January 12 is the last day for the year-old Meridian-Kessler restaurant, according to a lengthy Jan. 5 statement from Hoover on the restaurant’s Facebook and Instagram.

Crispy Bird, Hoover wrote, “was designed to be short-lived — the foundational team that formed the DNA of Crispy Bird was committed to staying in Indianapolis for a year, and, as forewarned, they have moved on to culinary adventures around the world — literally, they have flown the coop.”

“It is time to transition the space into its intended use — a food and restaurant incubator space where Patachou can develop and test recipes, mock up concepts, host visiting chefs and advance culinary education.”

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A collaboration between Hoover and her son, chef David Hoover, Crispy Bird, 115 E. 49th St., across the street from Hoover’s popular Café Patachou and Napolese pizzeria, won local and national accolades for its sophisticated home cooking, in some cases even before Crispy Bird opened on Dec. 7,2017.

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Eater, Tasting Table and Food & Wine magazine threw the restaurant accolades. Twitter’s @TravelFoodGuy Larry Olmsted, writing for USA Today, said of Crispy Bird’s chicken, “The cooking is perfect, with a standout crispy breading that is so deliciously seasoned I keep picking up little pieces that fall on the plate and eating them on their own.”

But in a state with so many notable fried chicken restaurants that there are various unofficial fried chicken trails, Crispy Bird’s fowl never found a solid home in Hoosier hearts.

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In my review, I favored sides over chicken, especially the macaroni and cheese which I wrote “flying drop kicked the chicken off the stage.” Indianapolis Monthly reviewer Julia Spalding said, “This is not legendary fried chicken.” Yelpers gave Crispy Bird just three stars, with critics noting prices were too high. A chicken breast with slaw and pickles costs $14.

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Crispy Bird uses a heritage breed chicken humanely and naturally raised at Gunthorp Farms. The meat is flavorful but firmer than typical Indiana fried chicken, and Crispy’s Bird’s breading is crackly and deep bronze rather than lacy golden brown.

The chicken is not for everyone, but there have been things to love at Crispy Bird: thick, crunchy-coated breaded tenderloin on white bread sliders with tangy sauce gribiche; a chicken liver pate tart topped with green apple curd and fresh herb salad; those creamy mac and cheese squares sizzled in a skillet until the cheesy outsides become tawny and crispy; barnyard chic walls peppered with Ernest Goh photos of the Malaysian Ayam Serama breed of chickens.

Crispy Bird may be out, but Patachou Inc. continues. A new Public Greens is scheduled to open this month at Cummins tower in Downtown Indianapolis. The 2,400-square foot restaurant, under development at the intersection of Market and New Jersey streets, will host 59 seats inside and 16 on the patio. Another Public Greens recently opened at Fashion Mall.

Meantime, Martha Hoover continues to expand efforts to feed Indianapolis’s food-insecure children via Patachou Foundation efforts.

“For the next five months, Crispy Bird will be used as the interim production kitchen and office space for the growing Patachou Foundation, whose permanent headquarters will not be completed until June of 2019. The Patachou Foundation is on track to feed approximately 45,000 scratch-made meals to hungry kids in 2019 — meaning that a dedicated work space is paramount,” Hoover said.

With Crispy Bird still in the mix, Patachou Inc. owns 14 Indy-area restaurants also including Petit Chou Bistro & Champagne Bar and Bar One Fourteen cocktail lounge, which opened shortly before Crispy Bird and across the street.

Follow IndyStar food writer Liz Biro on Twitter: @lizbiro, Instagram: @lizbiro, and on Facebook. Call her at 317-444-6264.