
A perusal of the menu from 1816 Modern Kitchen & Drinks demonstrates what culinary explorer and self-described “southern boy” Chef Scott Dickenson has brought to the table in Corydon since he assumed ownership of the establishment that opened in 2019.
Dickenson was raised in Southern Virginia and North Carolina and cooked in Cuban and French restaurants in Norfolk, Virginia. As a chef, he is always interested in mixing things up.
“I want to introduce as much as possible because I don’t want to put myself in a box,” he said. “I have to cook fresh food all the time.”
Sourced from six local farms, Dickenson describes his menu as “Southern-Asian fusion,” with familiar comfort foods like burgers, soups and sandwiches, and traditional entrées infused with flavors from all over the world. In addition to Asian ingredients, some of Dickenson’s influences, he said, derive from Spain, India, and South Africa.
Lunch starters include the diner-favorite fried green tomatoes, which are prepared with smoked pimento cheese, apple, jalapeño jam, and greens, along with tempura vegetables containing broccoli, green beans, whipped goat cheese, corn nuts, and spiced honey.
For dinner, regulars enjoy “The Loaf” — bacon-wrapped ground bison and pork with cauliflower grits, bourbon gravy, and green beans — or the hanger steak with gochujang butter, fried mushrooms, fries, and frisée.
Noting the drinks in the restaurant’s name, 1816 has an adult beverage menu with cocktails as creative as Dickenson’s other menu options. In addition to name-brand beers and regional IPAs, 1816’s drink menu offers options like the tequila-forward Crazy Dazy and the Sunbeam with vodka and a dried blueberry sugar rim. The Old Capital Fashioned honors Corydon’s history as the first capital of what would become Indiana and its establishment as a state in 1816.
With his wife Lindsi at the front of the house in the brick and exposed-beam venue, Dickenson aims for diners to enjoy the place as much as they do. “We just want to be a great place for people to gather and to help our town grow.”


Veni Fields is a journalist and freelance writer from Virginia Beach.