Vida — Restaurant in Indianapolis

We acquired a few Cunningham Group gift certificates for Christmas. We normally only go to Livery and Bru Burger for our entertainment dollar, but we decided to take advantage of the certificates to try something beyond our normal means. I made an early Saturday dinner reservation for my wife's birthday, which also happened to fall within the promotional Devour special.

I was a little nervous about parking as I'm not overly familiar with the available options throughout Indy. From what I found in my research, they have about 8 spots behind their restaurant, which were all taken when we arrived at about 5:00pm. The spots along the sidewalk on the same side of the street as the restaurant are apparently available for free and we lucked into one of those, although there was a still a decent mess of ice and snow along the walk from a recent storm. They do offer valet, but I already referenced that our income resides more in the value range.

We weren't certain which was the front door, and were redirected by a sign on the 1st door we tried indicating that we had passed it. As we approached, a gentleman opened the door and greeted us. In spite of being about 30 minutes earlier than our reservation, they very kindly and promptly seated us. The room we were in had a bar along 1 wall, a few tables for 2, a few for 4, and one that had 6 or so people at it along the wall of windows. Our menus actually had a birthday greeting for my wife across the top as well. The music being played was a fantastic mix of 70s and 80s that fit somewhere between soft rock and Sirius XM's Yacht Soul.

Our server promptly arrived and was very friendly in guiding us through the menu options. We elected to do the Devour Vegetarian Four Course Menu ($75 each) with wine pairings ($65 each). The sommelier was also fantastic at explaining each beverage's background and why she chose for each specific food item we ordered. In spite of that, I'm not much of a wine guy, so I honestly don't recall what each wine was to pass along. Food wise I do recall as we each got something different so that we could share and try more.

They actually first brought out a potato croquette I believe that was paired with a Champagne-type wine. This was not something we ordered, but simply offered as an extra. Our first course included Roasted Carrots and Caramelized Cauliflower. Both were excellent as I really like cooked carrots, which was accompanied by goat cheese, and my wife really liked the cauliflower, especially with the kale that was a part of it. Second, we Butternut Squash and the Baby Greens Salad. Again, both had amazing flavor combinations, with my liking the squash and its goat cheese again, my wife preferring the salad with its manchego. Prior to our third, they brought out a basket of a focaccia bread and a banana pineapple bread. I love bread, and the focaccia was one of the best ones I have ever had. Our main entrees "Cacio e Pepe" Tagliatelle and the Squash Tortelloni. While I really liked the tortelloni, we each agreed the Cacio e Pepe was one of the best things we each have ever had. For our 4th, we finished with the Ricotta Doughnuts and the Guayaquil Chocolate Cake. They were both good, but the previous round was a very tough act to follow.

Overall, it was an outstanding birthday dinner experience because of their top-notch, friendly service, combined with a consistent selection of unique flavors that were made all the more enjoyable with the accompanying beverages. It is definitely beyond our ability to return any time soon, but if we were of...

My wife and I had their tasting menu last night and it was one of the best dining experiences of our lives. In fact, every course was at or near the pinnacle of like dishes for both of us, something we established after three courses when my wife exclaimed, "that is the best scallop I've ever had." Our server, Thomas, explained why the scallops were only seared on one side and how we might reproduce at least that element of their preparation at home.

Best tuna we've ever had: flown in each day and sliced by the head chef. My wife and I are both sushi lovers and tuna is our favorite fish, so to find fish of this quality in Indianapolis was an extremely pleasant surprise. The fattier piece would literally dissolve in your mouth. And while I can eat nigiri of that quality all day, the accompanying beet, cheese and cherry added truly unique elements to the dish.

Best lamb we've ever had: well-seasoned and served medium rare over a house-made mushroom ravioli. My wife, who typically avoids mushrooms, thoroughly enjoyed the ravioli and even at the large pieces of lightly-fried chanterelles that surrounded it.

Best zucchini bread and focaccia we've ever had (and we have spent many weeks in Italy), both being moist while respectively firm and airy the zucchini bread was the appropriate density and was moist without feeling undercooked, and the flavor of the apples made it, as Thomas rightly described, more like a cake than a bread.

The tomatoes served with burrata were incredibly flavorful, and they were grown in Cunningham's greenhouse on the south side of town. The herbs that seasoned that dish and several others were grown in the restaurant itself, on a "green wall" just past the front desk and adjacent to the kitchen, which I found myself observing after going to wash my hands.

The wagyu steak, while not my favorite cut of beef, has only been bested by a couple of specialized steak houses that we have been fortunate to patronize. I cut perhaps the smallest pieces of steak I've ever cut (aided by the provisions of a sharp, non-serrated steak knife), savoring each bit of the delightfully tender and flavorful meat. Thomas mentioned that, if on our next visit we were particularly hungry, that we could request a double portion of any of the proteins, which may be the move for those who skipped lunch.

The capriole cheesecake was, again, the best I can recall, with a lovely flavor and what I consider to be the perfect texture for a cheesecake. The perfectly-ripe berries that accompanied it looked like something from a magazine and tasted as though they were straight from the garden. The dish was lighter than I expected and was the perfect finish for a summer dinner.

Presentation was meticulous, and the staff was exceptionally knowledgeable and professional while also very personable. Thomas made excellent drink recommendations and, seeing that we were enthusiastic, explained some of the "why" behind what was included in the tasting menu.

In sum, the experience was exceptional, and easily the best meal we have had in Indianapolis. The only two meals that clearly surpassed this one in our memories were Alan Wong's in Honolulu (now, sadly, defunct) and the original Bice restaurant in Milan. I said to Thomas after our meal that I would gladly eat that entire meal again at that moment, a comment that I first uttered at Bice four years ago and one that I don't make lightly. This will be our special occasion dinner spot for the...

A colleague and I are in town for a conference and had the pleasure on 9/4/2019 of eating dinner at Vida. If you’re looking for the one sentence review, I’ll simply say it is the best restaurant dining experience I’ve ever had in my life, with a special shout out to our server Mike D. For those of you who want to know more, follow along.

There is more than one reason that I give this restaurant such a high classification. One, the menu selection is only complete with options that do not fall over each other. What I mean is they’re not bringing in chicken for the purpose of making 13 different chicken dishes to make the selection seem larger than it is. No, you have what has to be a carefully selected (curated even, like an art museum) menu with purpose specific ingredients that create an amazing food (I don’t say culinary, I’m not that fancy) experience. So, what did I eat? Well, my partner and I started with the charcuterie plate. It’s balance was towards meat, but the pimento cheese was out of this world! Then started my first portion of the four-course tasting menu I chose. First, I had the beef tartare. It was my first time having such a dish, so I have nothing to compare it to. It was in short, excellent. Second, I had the foie gras. Again, my first time having such a dish. It was an incredibly delicate setting of what had a consistency and luxuriousness not far from bone marrow. I have no idea why strawberry jam goes with duck liver but man, it does. Next, I had the scallops. Three good size scallops were on my plate accompanied by pork belly, soy beans, corn, chanterelle mushrooms, and a delicious sauce. This preparation was different than what’s on the online menu, but I was incredibly impressed by the execution and flavor. Again, truly luxurious. Finally, I ended with the ricotta donuts. Maple cream is spread across the plate and topped with crumbled candied bacon, delicious ice cream, and maple glazed donuts. We gave an actual standing ovation to the kitchen team as we left. Again, I place this overall dining experience as the best I’ve ever experienced at a restaurant.

Not enough reasons? Ok cool. Ask for Mike D. Tell him the dude with a mustache from Wisconsin sent you. Mike took the time to go over the menu with my colleague and I and answer all of our questions as well as make recommendations based on what we thought we’d like. All of his recommendations were spot on, however the execution of the food we received leads me to believe I’d have been happy with anything I ordered. Back to Mike. I work for a multi year Stevie Award-winning company. Look it up. The service I received from Mike D. was not on any other level than what I would expect out of any of my coworkers. He is a great ambassador not only to Vida, but also for Indianapolis. A world class experience from a world class individual.

Thank you Vida, for making some Midwestern dude on a business trip incredibly happy with his time here. I will do whatever it takes to...