Vida

The Lockerbie neighborhood scored a major victory when Cunningham Restaurant Group opened this cutting-edge stunner in the former Amici’s Italian Restaurant over the winter. The structure itself is like nothing Indy has ever seen, with high ceilings and walls of windows that call to mind some kind of funky Scandinavian bungalow that we want to move into. The entry features a lively pass-through to the kitchen and an entire wall that serves as executive chef Layton Roberts’s hydroponic garden. The menu follows the same innovative theme, with impeccably plated marvels like gossamer-skinned shrimp dumplings set in pork consomme, housemade white-fish kielbasa, and a silken puck of short-rib tartare scooped off the plate with bits of fried sweetbreads.

TIP: Decision-averse diners can opt for the five-course tastings presentation, concluding with pastry chef Hattie McDaniel’s daily take on outlandish sweets.

DON’T MISS: Any salad composed of leaves plucked from the kitchen garden and gussied up with the likes of roasted plums, parsnips, and McDaniel’s brioche croutons.

601 E. New York St., 420-2323, vida-restaurant.com

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