Lotus of Siam

Lotus of Siam is Las Vegas' most talked about Thai eatery. It could be the most heralded Thai restaurant in the country. Every food personality visiting Sin City stops in Saipin Chutima's restaurant. The kitchen specializes in cuisine from the Northern and Eastern regions of the country, and they deal well with vegetarian diners.

Some dishes on the menu that might not be recognized by less adventurous diners, but most of the usual suspects can also be found here. The restaurant features a world class wine list full of carefully selected choices that pair excellently with the spicy cuisine.

All of this amazing fare would seem easy to miss in this unassuming location on the East Side. The restaurant shares a strip mall with Vegas' premiere swingers club and a number of seedy looking massage parlors and spas that may or may not specialize in happy endings. Though not exactly dangerous, a drive around the lot is good for a few laughs.

Sauces at Lotus of Siam are more nuanced than the Americanized Thai restaurants that fill most of the country. The peanut sauce that accompanies the fried tofu at Lotus of Siam, for example, uses crushed peanuts in oil to convey a subtle spice, unlike the sweet, peanut butter-filled goop that is common labeled peanut sauce at most places.

The panang curry is also built on layers of flavor. Coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, chili pepper, cumin and coriander coat each piece of tofu, carrot and pepper. The $2 sticky rice upgrade is a good call.

The staff is capable of putting together more adventurous Thai vegetarian dishes upon request, like the spicy mushroom dip. Of course, safer options like veggie egg rolls and curries also fill the menu. Like most Thai restaurants, it is good to inform the staff of dietary guidelines when ordering.

La Parada

On a recent road trip, I managed to grab lunch at La Parada in Indianapolis. It is an authentic Mexican restaurant on the city's East Side in a strip mall filled entirely with Latin businesses. The decor is festive, and business can be brisk.

The beans and rice from La Parada are both vegetarian. There are a number of meatless dishes on the menu, although many are made with cheese.

Everything from La Parada is delicious washed down with a glass of house-made horchata. It is light, creamy and redolent of clove and cinnamon. It is vegan.

The salsa is heavy on tomatoes and very mildly spiced. Guacamole had cilantro, onions and jalepeño. Elotes, the classic grilled corn in mayo, chili powder and Cotija cheese, is a can't-miss side dish.

The cardiac A-bomb comes in the form of a veggie chimichanga in a spicy, creamy queso sauce. It is stuffed with veggies, beans and cheese, and the plate probably registers at about 1,700 with rice and beans.

There are a couple on TVs in the dining room that were tuned to daytime talk shows. Servers were excellent, although many speak English as a second language. It is worth double checking on dietary restrictions when ordering at La Parada.

Pita House

Pita House is an inexpensive Mediterranean take-out in Bexley. The menu is small, but it offers plenty of options for vegetarians because of its Middle Eastern focus.

The Bexley area has two Mediterranean restaurants. Pita House is different from Aladdin's in that the menu is smaller and less expensive at Pita Hut. It's nearly impossible to spend $10 at Pita House. Pita Hut lacks the less authentic fare (pita pizzas and chili) at Aladdin's and instead focuses on the nuts and bolts of Middle Eastern cuisine.

All of the appetizers at Pita House are vegetarian. Choices include hummus, baba, tabouli, Jerusalem salad, matbuka, grape leaves, fried eggplant and fried zucchini.

The hummus was smooth with subtle hints of garlic, citrus and olive oil. While it was excellent, it should have been served with two pitas rather than one because it's tough for one pita to scoop up the chickpea dip. I ended up using a couple of fries to grab the leftover bits of hummus that were remained after the pita bread was depleted.

The falafel sandwich is large. About five falafel balls are tossed in a tahini dressing atop a lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle base inside a whole pita. It is a well made sandwich that is rather filling.

There is a limited selection of desserts available at Pita House. The dining room can seat about 30 people. The restaurant is brightly lit and clean.

Pita House

Yellow Brick Pizza

Columbus has seen a swarm of new pizza shops open in the last month or so. First Bono Pizza in Grandview opened (or re-opened, depending on your take); then, Clever Crow opened in the kitchen at Circus; now Downtown is getting into the act with Yellow Brick Pizza, an East Coast-style pizzeria that specializes in artisanal pies and craft brews.

Located on Oak Street east of Parsons, Yellow Brick Pizza proprietor Orin Hemminger is currently testing the waters with a low-key soft opening. There is seating for about 40 people in the dining room, as well as about 10 or 15 seats at the bar.

Yellow Brick makes pizza in small, medium and large sizes. You can build your own pie or select a few of the specialty pizzas. Yellow Brick also offers cheese pizza by the slice for $2.

There are a wide variety of meatless pizza options at Yellow Brick (sorry vegans--you're out of luck on this one!). The crust is soft and thin, akin to a New York pizza without the necessity of folding your slices.

Vegetarian pies include the Rhode Island Red (a crispy crust slathered in red sauce and olive oil sprinkled lightly with parmesan), the Big O (a red sauce pizza topped with feta, artichoke hearts, spinach, tomato, garlic and red onions in a swirl of pesto), the Mad Greek (a traditional Greek pizza), the Oak Street (alfredo sauce with mushrooms, garlic, onion and potato), Meggie's Veggie (mushrooms, artichoke hearts, green peppers, onions and tomatoes), and the Green Man (pesto sauce with spinach, green peppers, artichokes and green olives).

I sampled the Green Man, which is named after a character from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia who used to be a high school mascot that gets used by Charlie while tripping on acid at a Philadelphia Eagles try out. As seen in the picture above, the Green Man is an explosion of secondary color with both green sauce and toppings.

The crust is soft, buttery and delicious. The cheese is well-portioned. The toppings are fresh and tasty, although the spinach somewhat overwhelmed the delicate nature of the pesto. Although the flavors weren't completely balanced, the pizza was still very good.

There are also a few meatless appetizers. These include French fries, cinnamon sticks and mushroom pizza sticks.

In addition to the delicious, eats, Yellow Brick also dishes up a decent selection of craft beers. Happy hour specials include half-off drafts and $1 PBR cans from 4 to 8 pm. Taps include Abita Purple Haze, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Founder's Porter, La Chouffe, Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold, and Stone Pale Ale. There is also a large list of beer in bottles.

With gourmet pizza popping up all over the city, it was about time that Downtown was added to the revolution. If you enjoy pizza, beer and/or the continued redevelopment of the Near East side, Yellow Brick Pizza should be right up your alley.

Yellow Brick Pizza