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We all have friends who we don’t see very often but when we do, it is as if no time has passed between visits. Often this phenomenon is caused by a common thread you share with that person (i.e. college roommate, sorority sister, Army buddy). Laura Iosue, staff attorney at the Indiana Disciplinary Commission, and I are like this. Our common thread is we were young attorneys at the Marion County Public Defender Agency and gaining litigation training through baptism by fire. This bred a camaraderie that does not get infected by the passage of time. It also leaves you with stories that just don’t happen at silk stocking firms – no offense. (Hey, have you ever had a client move for a change of menu or complained of the protein judge or asked to be released on their own continent? Didn’t think so.)
Laura and I met for lunch at Pure Eatery in Fountain Square in Indianapolis. It is under fairly new management/ownership and they are doing a terrific job. This area of town is really kicking it up and Pure only complements the eclectic little southeast corner of our city. If you dine here, set aside a few extra minutes to peek into the neighboring shops that offer funky and cool merchandise of all types.
The menu at Pure has something for everyone – meat lover, vegetarian, finicky eaters and palate explorers. Laura wisely chose the soup of the day which was squash/carrot bisque. Other appetizers include Gouda-stuffed jalapenos, crostinis with pesto, Vegan-Dilla (roasted yellow squash, zucchini, portabella and hummus on a tomato tortilla served with a side of corn salsa), and a chicken & apple quesadilla. I started with an entrée-sized salad, specifically the spinach & bacon salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Absolutely delicious and fresh and it had the perfect amounts of bacon, blue cheese, egg, cucumber, tomato and red onions. They kept it pure of what a spinach & bacon salad should be. The other entrée salads are Chicken Fiesta (mixed field greens, chicken, white cheddar, corn salsa, pico de gallo, and tortilla strips served with homemade spicy southwest dressing) and a cranberry & goat cheese salad.
The remainder of the menu offers a variety of sandwiches, paninis, wraps and pitas. Sticking close to home, these dishes are served with the locally owned and grown chips of the Amazing Potato Chip Company. Laura revisited her favorite – the blue cheese chicken pita – that has chicken (obviously), roasted red pepper, red onion, field greens and blue cheese. The chipotle mayo and the red pepper give the pita a slight kick. Despite the large salad I had just polished off, I ate my entire Pure BLT. The avocado spread on the sandwich put an interesting twist on this very traditional sandwich.
The panini offerings are chicken cordon bleu, portabella mushroom, turkey & havarti, Caprese, and roasted vegetable. Sandwiches can be ordered on sourdough, wheat or rye and the smoked ham with rosemary aioli comes on Italian flatbread. I should also point out the roast beef with lemon basil aioli is served on ciabatta bread. The individual character of all the sandwiches reveals the dedication to not being just a sandwich deli. The pitas and wraps consist of a southwest black bean wrap, turkey with pesto aioli wrap and a hummus & veggie pita.
Pure is located in lively Fountain Square at 1043 Virginia Ave. With the influx of downtown dwellers, I hope Pure will sustain because Indy needs indigenous and trendy options and not cookie-cutter dining options. Pure is anything but from a mold and earned a 3.5 gavel rating from us.•
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Fred Vaiana and Jennifer Lukemeyer practice at Voyles Zahn & Paul in Indianapolis, focusing in criminal defense. Both enjoy a good meal with colleagues and friends, and their Sidebars column reviews and rates eateries lawyers may enjoy visiting when working at courthouses throughout Indiana. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the authors.
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