Restaurant: Adobo Grill, Indianapolis, Indiana
I almost backed out of going to this amazing Mexican restaurant on account of not feeling well due to dehydration brought on from a red flagged half marathon that morning. I wasn’t feeling good all day and I wasn’t sure how well my stomach would handle Mexican food being fed to it after the abuse I put it through just to get through the race.
In the end, however, I am glad I decided to go. And for the record…I actually was hungry when I stepped into the restaurant with my roomie and actually could smell the authentic Mexican cuisine as other diners enjoyed their meals. Yeah…Cathy made a good choice when she set up reservations for this restaurant prior to the race.
What made her choose this over say…the place up the way with gluten-free pizza? The answer was quite simple. Adobo Grill in Indianapolis had rave reviews on Find Me Gluten Free’s Web site. And with that sort of piece of mind, we both knew that this would at least be a decent dining experience if nothing else. The food, my friends, aside from the safety and the way gluten-free options were handled, was the highlight.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by a hostess who took us to a nice booth in a dimly lit dining room. The entire restaurant was decorated in warm colors, reds and oranges especially, which are said to stimulate appetite. It was working. I was…for the first time all day…actually a little hungry. We were left menus and our server came to our table to pour us some water and see if we wanted anything else to drink. As I still felt dehydrated, I stuck purely with the water. So did Cathy.
Then, we mentioned that I was medically gluten-free and the waiter said he would take my menu and return with one specifically for me. Yes…their gluten-free menu. I absolutely love when places have menus specifically for those who need to eat gluten-free. It really puts my mind to ease to some extent. What was even better was that this menu had more than just a few selections on them and many of the options were vegetarian.
Happy dance of joy. The waiter gave me another moment to look over the options and I finally made my decision.
First of all, both Cathy and I decided to split an appetizer of the Guacamole ($7.99). What makes this guacamole a must-have is that it is prepared table side. Yes. It is made right before your very eyes. You see everything that goes into it. No need to question how it is made or anything. And it was so much fun to see the woman roll the cart over with all the makings and a stone bowl. She asked us how hot we wanted our guacamole. Cathy said I like hot and she likes mild, so we’d settle on a medium. The very gracious server nodded and began the art of table side guacamole preparation. The best part was at the end, when she speedily sliced an avocado in half, hit the pit with the knife to remove it, then scooped it into the bowl with the rest of the fixings and…mashed it all together. Then it was set on the table and we were left with our chips and ready to enjoy. I spooned up a helping onto my plate and took a bite.
Rich. Creamy. Packed with flavor. I loved the hit of lime juice which would follow up each bite. It was one of the more delicious guacamoles that I have eaten. I didn’t find it to pack any heat at all, which was good for Cathy…but I do like a bit of heat with mine. But that was not an issue as the flavors were all there and none of them overpowered the rest. I could taste everything. I loved the chunkiness of the texture and how amazing it tasted when it all came together. Love at first bite.
For my entree, I chose the Enchiladas de Calabaza ($14.99). It’s their vegetarian enchilada option on the menu. Enchiladas just sounded like the perfect meal that night. And now that my stomach wasn’t feeling so…blah…I was ready for something of actual sustenance. The Enchiladas de Calabaza are corn tortillas packed with roasted butternut squash & mushrooms and then coated in creamy tomatillo salsa with cheese & red onion on top. Sour cream usually accompanies this, but I’ve never been a fan so I asked that they not include it. It came with a side of black beans. A large serving of black beans to be exact. But, I figured after the race…the protein was much needed.
Yummy. No. Really, really yummy! What I loved about this enchilada was the various flavors that came out of each bite. The butternut squash was sweet, but paired so well with the umami, earthly flavors of the mushrooms. The sauce, the corn, the onion…the pico de gallo and the cheese all brought it together. And when I would scoop up a bite with some of the seasoned and creamy black beans…it was magic. Honestly. I loved the fantastic, savory flavors that would emerge with each bite. I was in love with this meal and devoured it all. Dehydration and upset stomach be damned…this was fantastic food, bite-for-bite, and I was hungry for more.
For the record, Cathy enjoyed her Enchiladas de Mariscos, which are enchiladas filled with shrimp, tilapia, grilled peppers, corn and cheese and basted in fresh corn-chipotle salsa. She also nixed the sour cream, but it came with the pico de gallo, a side of Mexican rice and a side of black beans ($14.99)
Well…I was actually quite full, but figured I needed something to celebrate with. So when our server returned, Cathy and I inquired as to what would be gluten-free on the dessert menu. The server said the Chocolate Tamal would be without the cookie/cake part. But he would check on the rest. When he returned, he said the Flan was gluten-free and Ice Cream was gluten-free.
Instead of sharing a dessert, Cathy and I decided we’d each order one. I got the Flan ($4.99), which is a traditional vanilla custard with caramel sauce. Cathy got the Chocolate Tamal ($5.99), which we thought would be done gluten-free, but it came out regular for her. So I didn’t get to sample it. But it looked fantastic…sort of a chocolate cake/cookie wrapped like a tamale and served with vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate sauce and dried cranberries.
This was the first time I ever had Flan. And I was really impressed with it. It felt light, despite being a custard. The caramel sauce didn’t take away from the vanilla flavor. It was used as more of a topping and garnish than anything. And…there was a strawberry on top…which, naturally I saved for the very last bite. I was full when I finished eating. Stuffed, really. But I found this meal to be well worth going to that extreme. I don’t eat like that often, but my appetite was back with a vengeance and it was time to really celebrate getting through that difficult race.
Sure…the meal was pricey. But we were eating in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. It’s going to be pricey. The important thing was I was able to eat there without feeling ill afterwards. They took my gluten intolerance very seriously and provided me with a fantastic, safe dinner. And after the rough day I had, it was just what I needed. I felt full, but great as I meandered out the door after dinner and back to the hotel.
Would I return to Adobo Grill next time I’m in Indianapolis? In a heartbeat. Highly recommended for those who can’t have gluten…and for those who can. As both my roomie and I enjoyed our meals and raved about them the entire time we were eating. Authentic Mexican food done authentically right and to perfection. Yeah…I’d eat there again. No problem.
The Celiathlete 