What I'm Eating: 3 Sisters' Cafe (Broad Ripple)

There is an overabundance of awesome city gems sprinkled, and sometimes hidden, around Indiana.  It's always a great thing when they get their due-acknowledgements from the locals but it's even more of an honor when the likes of Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives shows up at your restaurant.  This was the case recently when he and his camera crew made their way to one of Broad Ripple's pretty well known favorites: 3 Sisters Cafe.  This restaurant serving breakfast (all day) and lunch is fashioned inside an old, historical Victorian house a little off the beaten path of the BR strip, just over the rainbow colored bridge.  The weather yesterday was so pleasant and screaming for outside dining.  I invited Fefe* along because I knew that their menu is very Vegan-friendly. 

The parking situation was a bit sticky, as is most areas in BR.  Signs made it very clear where there was designated parking or not.  The lot directly next door is only for those businesses and I got the idea that they are very tow-happy.  After all of the press revolving around the snaky tow companies, we didn't want to press our luck.  We ended up finding street parking close by; this after Fefe had an unsuccessful, yet quite hilarious, attempt at parallel parking ;) (She's probably going to kill me for that). 

Parking disaster averted, we snagged the last outside table right as the previous diners were leaving.  I took a second to sneak inside and take a peek at the decor.  The inside decor is retro fitted to match the essence of the Victorian house and was cozy; like Grandma's house!  Our table was wiped down and we were quickly sat with waters to start with. Always love that because I was thirsty.  We both ordered the Ginger Peach Tea which was super yummy, kept me hydrated and provided a punch of flavor; perfect for the Summer time. 

Fefe mentioned that although they are very Vegan friendly, they do not prepare their Vegan entrees on separate grills or areas.  This, apparently, is not true Vegan preparation and there is a high probability that the food would be contaminated with meats, oils or dairy.  Luckily she has not embraced that strict of a Vegan lifestyle.  She opted to go with the Grilled Veggie Sandwich with mixed fruit.  There was a sticky situation where the menu read "No changes or substitutions" at the bottom which was initially very disappointing for Fefe who hates mushrooms and red onions.  Luckily after some clarification from our server, we learned it only applied to certain dishes which were starred on the menu. Menu crisis averted, I went non-Vegan.  I went back and forth between Kyle's Grilled Cheese, BBQ Grains and the D'Nai (one of the sandwiches featured on DDD) but at the last minute I went with the Fish Tacos with homemade applesauce.

They were pretty crowded, even at 1pm on a weekday when the lunch crowd is usually dying down.  Our server was very attentive though and kept our drinks filled.  The food took a little longer than I would expect for lunchtime service, especially if I was on a lunch break but Fefe and I had nowhere to be so I don't think it was much of a problem.  Also, the national exposure associated with DDD probably has, and will for a while, overwhelmed the staff.  I could tell they were in the weeds so no harm, no foul.

When our food arrived, I was blown away by my meal.  I mean, check it out:


Guac + green chili sauce + chipotle mayo = the most delightful sauce menage trois

Love CORN tortillas!

I love that it was assemble-yourself because I (being a control freak) like managing the ratio of sauce to fish to veg toppings.  I'm not sure what type of fish is used but it was a large, white flaky fish that was grilled, slightly over cooked but not a deal breaker.  I'm a saucy girl so I ended up using all 3 sauces on each of my tacos: the guacamole was fresh; the chile sauce had a hint of heat; and the chipotle mayo had a smoky heat.  I was only able to eat 2 before I was pretty stuffed. 

Fefe's Grilled Veggie Sandwich looked a little bland.  All the veggies were mounded on the bread and were overcooked with very muted coloring.  There was too much minced garlic for her liking and she only ate about 1/3 of the sandwich.  The fruit cup helped to curb her appetite.

Not the prettiest plating

All in all the experience went well.  I can see why it drew the attention of Guy and look forward to trying some more dishes in the future.  Maybe next time I will take a stab at the D'Nai sandwich that made my mouth water when I watched the DDD episode.

 

 

The Verdict: Out of 5 stars

Location/Atmosphere: ****  Nestled a few blocks from the main strip in Broad Ripple.  Limited parking. 

Service: ***1/2 Our server was nice and helpful but kept referring to us as "loves" or "sweeties" which seemed a bit weird

Food: ***1/2 My meal was a featured dish and delivered! Fefe was not as satisfied

Will I eat there again: Yes

6360 Guilford Ave
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
(317) 257-5556