The servers at True BBQ are usually skeptical of a head chef who’s a vegan, but they really thought Adam Brown was crazy on St. Patrick’s Day.
The 10-month-old barbecue place-cum-whiskey bar-cum-vegan joint featured a classic Reuben sandwich that day, though Brown made it true to his beliefs.
“They were looking at me, ‘Are you sure this is vegan?’ And I told them, ‘Just try it,'” Brown said. “They still couldn’t believe it.”
At first glance, the latest eatery of locally-owned conglomerate Progressive Dining Group is a carnivore heaven with an extensive whiskey list. Step inside the kitchen, and on most days you’ll find the restaurant’s kitchen-grade smoker filled to the brim with St. Louis ribs or turkeys.
But an increasingly popular and important part of the menu – the vegan options — flies in the face of meatlover sensibilities everywhere.
Brown said he and his wife were tired of having to go to Chicago to be able to eat a real vegan meal.
“We would go someplace here, ask about their vegan options and be told, ‘Well, we can take the cheese off,'” Brown said. “Now, my wife comes in here and is thrilled to be able to order and have it be exactly what’s on the menu.”
But still, how does one reconcile the epitome of meat with absolutely no animal or animal byproducts? Easy, according to Brown and manager Matt Doran: good food for both crowds.
“We’re now in our, what, sixth printing of the menu because we keep expanding our vegan choices,” Brown said, pulling two large vegan apple pies out of the oven.
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In a glut of barbecue places that popped up in Northwest Indiana over the last year, True’s vegan menu is only a small part of what sets it apart from the rest, Doran said. Housed in the former Charley Horse restaurant, the high-end interior lends a different vibe.
“I think it’s apples to oranges. They’re all really good restaurants, but we have a hip and trendy appeal,” Doran said. “We also have an extensive whiskey list.”
In the summer, True will take its menu on the road with food booths at various festivals, such as the St. Thomas Moore festival and Munster Ale Fest. The restaurant also features live music on weekends on the patio.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance writer.
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True BBQ
8940 Calumet Ave., Munster
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
$8 to $32
(219) 836-2122
Truebbqandwhiskey.com