Indianapolis Eats: Vida

For our last dinner in Indianapolis, we headed to Vida, which is part of the Cunningham Restaurant Group that we've started to look out for in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Mesh, Union 50, and Bru Burger Bar have all been some of the best meals we've had while traveling in IN.

Would Vida live up to our expectations? It is the first, and only, restaurant in Indiana to earn the AAA Four Diamond award since opening in 2016.

First, they have Indianapolis’ only in-house hydroponic wall of greens. Which left me wondering how we could do one at home. Can you even dream of how amazing that would be?! #KITCHENGOALS

They offer a seasonal à la carte menu which you can also build into your own four-course meal ($65), or a rotating, six-course chef's tastings menu ($85, $155 with wine pairings) that is preset.

Since you did get to see the chef's tasting menu in advance, we found the dishes on the seasonal menu actually appealed to us more. So we each built our own four-course dinner and did some sharing of plates. Prices listed below are if you were to order à la carte.

The kitchen sent out an extra amuse-bouche to start, which is always a nice touch.

For my first course, I had the Beef Tartare ($18) with quail egg, caper berry, bone marrow, and baguette. Pretty true to a classic tartare preparation, it was good but nothing special. I did save the bone marrow until the end and ate it separately, which was decadent as always. Maybe I should have mixed it into the tartare, but it just didn't feel right to me.

Then I headed to the Foie Gras ($18) on brioche with rhubarb, plum jam, fennel, ramp, and marcona almond crumble for my second course. Again, good but nothing noteworthy.

I ordered the Halibut ($36) pea "pistou", guanciale, trumpet mushroom, preserved lemon potato, and charred ramp for my third course. It was a pretty plate of food, and certainly prepared well. But it just didn't compare to the amazing halibut from the night before at Bluebeard.

But I enjoyed Mr. H's Wagyu Ribeye ($52) maitake mushroom, robuchon potato, broccolini, ginger béarnaise, and black garlic-veal demi ($10 upcharge) more.

While he was also kind enough to offer me a bite of his Key Lime Pudding Cake ($11) with Greek yogurt mousse, caramelized pineapple, graham crumble, macadamia, and roasted white chocolate, neither of us really cared for this dessert.

I had ordered the Ricotta Doughnuts ($11) with bourbon maple glaze, candied bacon, maple cream, and brown butter ice cream that were doughy and delicious but didn't photograph well.

This is definitely a fine-dining establishment and should be reserved for splurge meals. I loved their large leather chairs and lots of natural light at the front of the restaurant. No outdoor dining offered. Overall, the meal was good but not great, and it didn't live up to a few of our other experiences within the restaurant group.

Vida

601 E New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 420-2323