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.

3 Sisters Cafe

The 3 Sisters Cafe is an Indianapolis staple. Located in a converted home in the Broad Ripple neighborhood, 3 Sisters is an internationally themed diner with tons of choices for vegetarian diners.

The restaurant decor feels like what you would expect to see at your cool hippie aunt's house. It has a comortable vibe, and service is exceptionally friendly and capable.

The place isn't just popular in Indianapolis. It carries the Guy Fieri seal of approval as it was featured as on the Food Network program Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

The menu features breakfast fare, diner items and Mediterranean dishes. All vegetarian and vegan items are marked.

There are a variety of vegetarian starters at 3 Sisters. The Fab Five Pu Pu platter allows diners to sample different items without committing to only one choice (warning: this dish is best shared by a few diners as it is generously portioned).

The platter comes with hummus, creamy gorgonzola spread, tomato concasse, pesto and cranberry-grain pilaf. It is served with pita and toasted bread as well as feta, kalamata olives and lemon wedges.Although each dish is delicious on its own, many of the items also combine into tasty hybrid dips that pick up the best flavors from each individual part.

There are many meatless sandwiches on the menu at 3 Sisters, including house-made veggie burgers, grilled cheese and pita wraps. Sandwiches are served with soup, potato salad, fruit salad or a house salad.

The King of Siam is a different take on the classic Mediterranean veggie pita. Soft, thick pita bread is stuffed with hummus, spinach, lentil pilaf, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion and kalamata olives. It is brightly colored and very filling.

The dessert case at 3 Sisters is stocked full of fresh baked pastries, pies and cakes. It can sometimes be tough to save room for dessert since the portions here are so huge.

Broad Ripple Brewpub

The Broad Ripple Brewpub is located in Indianapolis' artsy Broad Ripple neighborhood. In addition to brew pub-original beers crafted by Yorkshire transplant John Hill, Broad Ripple Brewpub has a variety of vegetarian and vegan dining options.

On the way to Chicago, I ate in Indianapolis a couple of times. The Broad Ripple neighborhood was instantly attractive to me. It is most comparable to Columbus' Short North and Clintonville. Like these two neighborhoods, Broad Ripple is very vegetarian friendly. The artistic bent of the Short North is seen in Broad Ripple's galleries, upscale retailers and craft shops. Its design is similar to Clintonville, a city neighborhood with a vaguely suburban feel.

Broad Ripple Brewpub fits right into its neighborhood. The dining rooms are wood-accented with dark lighting. There is a large patio in front of the restaurant.

The menu at BRB is heavily adorned with V's, which denote vegetarian dining options. Orders can be prepared vegan upon request.

There is a pub grub penchant from a kitchen that has a heavily British flair. The menu offers sandwiches, pizzas and deep fried everything.

The fried veggie basket is a collection of potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets and carrots. While the veggies are flavorful, the batter is fried to a dark color that masks the identity of the vegetables until their identity is revealed by biting them. The ranch dip gives the beets a bright, fresh taste.

The onion and potato pasty is a flaky delight. A cheese sauce is incorporated with sauteed onions and soft potato cubes. It was served with a side of steamed veggies and circle cut roasted potatoes.

The mushroom veggie burger was soft and loaded with 'shroom flavor. It is served with a choice of side dishes. Interestingly, this is one of two veggie burgers on the menu.

Seasonal desserts included popsicles in flavors like mixed fruit, ginger and black cherry. Specials at the Broad Ripple Brewpub that change regularly.