WE TRAVELED TO INDIANAPOLIS
Indianapolis – the land of vegan food? This is not the start of a joke. After Mama Paige and I visited Indiana on different occasions for weekend trips, we both agreed - if you are plant-based or plant-based curious, you need to go to Indiana. Before you give me the side-eye, let me tell you a little about my trip to Indiana – specifically, Indianapolis.
If you’re like me, you have an open plan when you go on a trip. What was the plan? Simple - tacos, bakeries and a bit of shopping with time in between for naps. Here are a couple of restaurants I enjoyed while in Indianapolis:
La Margarita
It’s 11:30 a.m., there is a 45-minute wait at the brunch spot you’ve been drooling over and you are starving. What do you do? I went on the hunt for plant-based tacos. A short Google search later, my partner and I found ourselves at La Margarita – a restaurant and tequila bar.
Although not entirely plant-based, La Margarita has plant-based options, including vegan al pastor and chorizo. I chose the taco meal – two chorizo and a al pastor – with a house margarita.
Here are my takeaways
The chorizo and al pastor had great texture, not too chewy or soft.
The flavor was nice. The seitan honored the traditional chorizo and al pastor flavors without trying to be imitation meat. I like spice. So, next time I will ask for chili sauce to heat things up a bit.
Most important, the tacos didn’t have the dreaded seitan aftertaste that I usually experience. Even my carnivore partner enjoyed them.
The margarita was strong and not overly sweet. Do I need to say more?
If I am honest, I was dreading my meal before it came out. Not because I wasn’t excited about tacos ( I am always excited about tacos, lol), but because of the seitan. I have never been a fan of seitan. Let me just say, these tacos made me a believer. Even my carnivorous partner enjoyed them.
Final thoughts: Can La Margarita deliver to Tennessee? Lol
Wei Ramen
A good bowl of ramen can solve almost anything – at least, in my opinion. My favorite thing about ramen? They layered flavors in the broth. After going plant-based, ramen was one of those dishes I thought I would have to give up, luckily places like Wei have made my plant-based dreams come true.
Again, this is not an entirely plant-based restaurant, but I easily put together a mini plant-based feast made of veggie croquettes, eggplant buns and wasabi shoyu ramen.
Here are my takeaways
A vegetarian mushroom kombu soup base, the wasabi shoyu ramen had a great umami flavor and was surprisingly not spicy. The tofu skin topping added a bit of sweetness to the bowl. It was pretty good. On my next visit, I will ask for some chili sauce to spice things up a bit.
While the ramen was delicious, my favorite part of the meal was the potato croquettes. Mashed potatoes, mixed with veggies, lightly breaded and fried perfectly. What makes it? The katsu sauce topping. It’s simple but oh so good. I could have eaten plate after plate of them.
The eggplant bun was ok. It was my first time trying buns, and I wasn’t quite ready for the texture. That aside, the eggplant bun was light and a great accompaniment to the rest of the meal
Fun fact: The front of Wei is a crepe shop. These are not your ordinary crepes; they are extraordinary and, depending on the topping you select, plant-based. I was too full to get a crepe to go, but you better believe it will be my first stop on my next visit to Indianapolis.
Final thought: Come for the ramen, and don’t leave without a crepe.
The wrap-up
These are just two places in a plethora of vegan options. Needless to say, I can’t wait to go back and explore some more. Have you visited or want to visit Indiana or another plant-based food destination? Tell us about it in the comments below or @plantbasedslay on Instagram.
Listen to our Let's Talk about Indiana podcast episode if you want to learn more about Mama Paige's trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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