Jessica Williams-Gibson writes for the Indianapolis Recorder

Visitors in town for Super Bowl XLVI will get a chance to taste what we Hoosiers get to feast on. Indiana is known for its pork, but our restaurants serve avant garde dishes and cool drinks that can go head to head with any large city.

We do a lot of things well, but many restaurants stand out from the pack with signature food items and drinks. Here are a few downtown restaurants and bars that have menu items that you gotta have.
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It's rare that we just plain ol' run a recipe on this site, so you know it's got to be awfully good. We're huge fans of women who play with fire and love Jennifer Chandler's quick, fresh, fantastic style of cooking.

When she told us she had a few Super Bowl-centric recipes from the upcoming "Simply Grilling: 105 Recipes for Quick and Casual Grilling," (and the guts to say her fried chicken method improved upon the classic one), we grabbed them and ran to glory. You should, too.

Got a layer of snow on the grill cover? Brush it off and spark it up 'cause it's game time.
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Editor's Note: Patrick Connolly is the Executive Chef at The Kitchen NYC. Patrick’s brother, Dan Connolly, is a starting offensive lineman for the New England Patriots.

Generally speaking, the Super Bowl is about three things: food, drink and excessive partaking of each (for a Sunday). This year is a little different for me as my youngest brother Daniel is the starting center for the Patriots (he’s the guy who hikes the ball to Gisele Bundchen’s husband).

Normally, I’d be spending the day in the kitchen then plopping myself on the couch with a sandwich the size of a coffee table just in time for a butchered rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by an American Idol. This year, however, I’ll be spending the day with my family on the heated streets of Indianapolis and plopping myself on a cool plastic seat in Lucas Oil Stadium.

So, as I lose my voice during yet another big championship game I’ve road-tripped to, I hope you will enjoy two or 20 cold beers, something nice between pieces of bread and a big ol’ plate of nachos. Perhaps Doritos and shredded cheddar in the microwave is your style? Or maybe you’re a nacho overachiever and pull off a nine-layer dip? But if you’re looking for something a little outside the box, may I suggest one of the following:

Five Nacho Variations
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If there's dip on the table, you know you're at a party. If there are at least three varieties present, that party is probably for the Super Bowl - and lucky you.

People don't go making dips all willy-nilly for a weeknight meal or a prim Sunday brunch. They're reserved for gloppy, sloppy abandon in the company of other revelers and these dips should not hold back. We repeat - they should not hold back.

Food editors like us are bombarded with recipe suggestions from celebrity chefs and product representatives touting non-fat, mayo-free, cheese-free, joy-free options for game day. We maintain that if you're eating sensibly the other 365 days of 2012 (okay - 362, because what fun is life if you can't go a little nuts on Thanksgiving, your birthday or New Year's Eve?), a little sour cream on a Frito isn't going to spell your demise. (Though apparently insufficient safety procedures might.)

So go ahead and get dippy with it, and scoop up a few of our favorite recipes from dip devotees Richard Blais, Eva Longoria, John Currence, Marcela Valladolid and our very own recipe boxes.
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Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

Yes, it is once again upon us, the gladiatorial apex of American sports, the most exciting game of the year (well, not usually, but it’s supposed to be), the day that drives sales of more than 51 million cases of beer (not to mention 53 million pounds of avocados, which brings to mind a disconcerting image of millions of Americans sitting in front of their TV with a Bud in one hand and an avocado in the other).

Yes, that day, the day of days, the Super Bowl. And when it comes to wine pairings for the Super Bowl, well, forget that craziness. The Super Bowl means beer.

Now, you could drink some sort of generic "lite" hogwash, but why would you do that when the two competing teams come from places that are littered with terrific regional breweries? Show some support! Drink your team’s hometown - or home pretty-much-the-same-region - brew. Here’s a selection of excellent Patriots or Giants-oriented possibilities.
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Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

Here are three key chicken wings stats for Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012.

- More than 1.25 billion chicken wings will be eaten on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s the country’s biggest eating day of the year, after Thanksgiving.

- If those wings were laid end to end they would reach one-quarter of the way to the moon; they’d circle the earth more than twice.

- This year’s New York Giants vs New England Patriots match-up means chicken wings consumption will pretty much hold steady. The Mid-Atlantic, which encompasses Giants territory, are 24 percent more likely to eat wings; New Englanders, a.k.a. Patriots fans, are six percent less likely to eat wings than the national average.

Thanks to the National Chicken Council for these amazing statistics.

And here are five key places for chicken wings if you want to be part of the 1.25 billion wing movement.
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The President and Mrs. Obama are setting out quite a spread for guests at the White House Super Bowl party, making sure both sides of the gridiron are represented. Brewskis include Hinterland Pale Ale & Amber Ale from Wisconsin, Yuengling Lager and Light from Pennsylvania and White House Honey Ale.

Our pals at Political Ticker have the rest of the menu, but before you click over, take a gander at the formula for the most crowd-pleasing chili there is. (Spoiler alert - despite the picture above, it *probably* doesn't include lima beans. Or salad.)
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I put my hand upon your hip
When I dip you dip we dip
You put your hand upon my hip
When you dip I dip we dip...

Aaaaand that's all of that song we can print without getting all NC-17 on you, but seriously - mmmmm, dip. Truth be told, we're more Puppy Bowl than Super Bowl 'round Eatocracy HQ, but we'll gladly get our gridiron on if it means getting to dive face-first into a vat full of dippy goodness.

Despite all the press releases we're fielding about new, revolutionary, ground-breaking, earth-shattering, life-changing, chef-crafted, fat-free, artisanalsustainableorganic dip recipes, we tend to stick with the classics. Kat gets her Knorr Spinach on, while Sarah takes a lap in the guacamole bowl.

How ya getting your dip on this Sunday?

Previously – Richard Blais gets all Mr. Wizard on some Buffalo bleu

Jill Billante is a Senior Producer at AC360°.

Gridiron pundits say the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are pretty evenly matched for Sunday's Super Bowl. The odds-makers seem to believe the same.

The spread is a low 2.5 points to the Steelers as underdog, but when it comes to game day grub, how do the two cities stack up?

iReport: Planning a Super Bowl road trip?

I'm a Pittsburgh gal, born and bred. I'll be cheering for the boys in black and gold, with an Iron City beer in one hand and a plate of pierogies in the other, as they go for an unprecedented seventh Super Bowl win. That doesn't stop me from indulging in the rich food heritage fueling both teams.
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Our favorite (shhhh!) Top Chef All Stars contestant Richard Blais thinks standard Super Bowl snacks are a tad tame. In the debut of his weekly segment on our Senior Junk Food Correspondent Ali Velshi's show, he amps up sweetbreads, cocktails and so much more for a game day feast that's out of this world.

Ali's blog has the recipe for Buffalo Sweetbreads with Blue Cheese Foam and much more munchable magic

Previously – Blais Off! The innovative chef talks TV and tweaking traditional holiday eats