What took us so long to try out the most elegant dining experience in Muncie? We celebrated our wedding anniversary here a few weeks ago and there was nothing but top quality service and food that night! I sent over flowers earlier in the day and the Vera Mae's had the flowers on our table and greeted us with a very nice happy anniversary greeting! The waiter was great, the wine fabulous, the food was out of this world, and then to top it off the dessert was out of bounds!!
We will now make Vera Mae's a pat of our list of places to go and suggest if you have never been.........get there tonight!
I Had dinner at Vera Mae's last night and every single thing about the trip was perfect. Â We sat at a table close to the fireplace in a beautifully decorated room near the bar. Â Our waiter was professional yet not stuffy with a good knowledge of the standard menu plus specialty and feature items. Â I ordered a bottle of craft beer that was priced very reasonably for such a high end establishment and my date said her cocktail was spot on. Â Starter items were spinach feta wontons that tasted homemade rather than the frozen wholesale variety and a salad with very fresh greens and bleu cheese dressing. Â For the main course my mid-rare filet mignon was probably the best I've ever had, which hurt my pride because I typically feel that no one can make a steak better suited to my taste than myself. Â It came with a rice side topped by asparagus that were great because of the petite size of the vegetable rather than the large kind with thick crunchy stalks you get many other places that I personally don't enjoy. Â The gingham salad that she ordered was a deceivingly large size with toasted nuts and awesome strawberries that tasted great despite being out of season. Â I was too full for dessert but I hear very good things. Â After our meal we headed to the bar for a few more drinks and talked with a very nice couple as well as the owners of the restaurant who were quite entertaining which added to the whole experience. Â A very intuitive bartender suggested a few drinks I had never tried based on the little information I gave him about my preferences in liquor and I now know that I really like rye whiskey. Â After all was said and done our bill was very reasonable for such great meal in the finest dining restaurant in Muncie. Â Anyone interested in trying Vera Mae's should go as soon as possible. Â Yes you will pay a little more than the chain restaurants of Muncie but the atmosphere, service, and supporting local business make it worth every penny. Â Thank you Vera's for a lovely evening.
Review Source:I have had only good visits to Vera Mae's over the years. The staff and owners are wonderful, the atmosphere is relaxing, and the bar is super fun to sit at and have a drink or two. That being said, even though my experiences are good, I still feel a bit unsatisfied with the establishment.
My problem with Vera Mae's? In all the years they have been open, their menu has never changed. EVER. It's the same every time, except for a dinner special or two not on the staple menu. They have only one vegetarian option, Pasta Primavera, and it gets really old really quick. Seasonal vegetables in the dish are always zucchini and yellow squash. No matter the time of year, it never changes, and for this they charge $16, plus 75 cents extra if you want it with marinara sauce.
The restaurant is one of the nicer ones in Muncie; the prices are on the higher side, but that is expected of fine dining. Vera Mae's is in serious need of a more varied menu.
Again, service is great, the bar is fun, and the owners are fantastic. I just have to think the kitchen staff and chefs are bored to death making the same few things night after night, year after year.
I am in Muncie on business and happened to stumble across this gem whilst running around. I came in and was really impressed by the menu. Everything looked awesome. Everything was reasonably priced. I settled on the angus burger with a house salad. OMG, this was honestly the best burger I had in awhile. Juicy, thick, and messy....the combination of the meat, the sweetness of the shallots, tanginess of the cheese worked perfectly. I like my burgers medium well and it was cooked perfectly. There are at least three or four more dishes on the menu that I will have to try before I leave  town....
Review Source:I was born and raised in Muncie. Â Since 1978 we have lived in the Southwest...currently in the Houston TX area. Â We have top chief's restaurants in Houston and we eat out 3-4 times a week. Â So, when we returned to Muncie for a family wedding, we celebrated my birthday in Muncie instead of Houston. Â I had a guest list of 10 people and most places in Muncie could not seat us all together. Â But Vera Mae's could. Â So we reserved the Boardroom and had my birthday party the day before the wedding.
I guess I'm a bit of a snob because I didn't think Muncie could have a top chief meal like we have in Houston...boy was I wrong. Â The food is as good as any 5 star restaurant we have in Houston. Â The special of the evening was flown in Alaskan Salmon with a crab topping...it was excellent, flavorful and prepared perfectly.We had one finicky eater...he (a10 yr old) Â loved the Chicken Brie Raspberry and ate the whole thing...amazing his mother. My husband had the Apple Stuffed Pork Chops...OMG, I sampled a bite and it was fantastic. Â The appetizers of Green Tomatoes, Cajun Crab Cakes, and Hot Crab & Artichoke Dip were excellent. Â And the desserts were to die for...everyone enjoyed their choice. Â I have had the original Brennan's Banana Foster in New Orleans and Houston...and Vera Mae's Banana Foster is an equal to Brennan's.
It has been posted by others that the service is somewhat cold or detached.  But, I found our server Spanky professional and warm, and on occasion humorous,  especially when our 2 and a half year old diner didn't want to give up his plate of food for the next course...it was funny.  Vera Mae's is a gem.  We  wish they would open one in Houston...we would be frequent diners.  Next time we are in Muncie, it is another must on our list...Concannon's, Pizza King, Lowery's Candy, and now Vera Mae's.
We were so excited to try Vera Mae's in downtown Muncie. For 5 long years we've been looking for a decent place to eat dinner and finally found this place. Unfortunately, it did not live up to our expectations.
Wait staff was very casual, dining room was VERY loud. Appetizers were ok, a bit sparse on the toast points. Serving French Onion soup with a tiny pair of scissors to cut the cheese was clever. Their poppy seed dressing was very good.
But the thing that put us off were the entrees. I had the salmon, totally over cooked and hard. NY strip steak was very fatty and not prepared as asked--simply not worth the money. And the veal chop was tough which is unfortunate given the cost.
The one decent thing in Vera Mae's was the drink prices. So often the booze is waaaay over priced (yes, I know this is how they make their money) but here it was reasonable. I think they try but it just was not the rave place to go that the reviews here led us to believe. We were disappointed and won't go back. Fortunately we won't need to as our child has graduated from BSU.
The meal started out well with their soup of the night, cream of potato bacon, seasoning was well balanced and the bread served with it worked.
The staff was friendly and attentive and there was a musician who played piano, giving the place a good vibe.
Unfortunately the entrees which followed were not what we were expecting. Both the NY strip and the chicken brie raspberry were cooked perfectly (well close enough), which is what saved them...the sauce used on the steak tasted like A1, which totally ruined it and the meat was too salty for our taste, and for the chicken i feel like the raspberry brie combination on top just didnt work. The sides served with them were mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole, the mashed potatoes were dry and felt like they had been sitting out for a while and the casserole was lacking in flavor, but wasnt bad.
I don't know...maybe we chose the wrong things, or maybe eating in Chicago for the last year has ruined me, but for ~25.00 a person I expect the chefs to at least know what they are serving tastes like, because if it was me those dishes would never of made it to the table.
A special family occasion called for a special dinner out and when in Muncie Indiana, there is only one place to go. Vera Mae's!
I've previously written about VM's so I won't go on but suffice to say our party of 7 had a wonderful evening, tremendous food and even live piano music adjacent to our table to add a special touch to an already great night.
I thoroughly enjoyed the NY Strip steak, perfectly cooked, juicy and tender. Â The majority of our party went with the Lobster Stuffed Ravioli and they all raved about it.
From start to finish, it's a 5 star gem in the heart of downtown Muncie. Â It's a can't miss!
Vera's is worth coming to simply because of the decor. Â Historic and vintage without feeling old and dirty. Â The woodwork around the bar is gorgeous and the ceilings are nicely redone tin. Â With the classic music from yesterday softly playing you don't even have to close your eyes to go back in tme. Â
It is also clear that Vera Mae's has been instrumental in holding up or invigorating downtown Muncie. Â There is still a dearth of activity for a college town, but at least Vera's brings a bit of life to the area. Â This could be a gorgeous old downtown with the river and college nearby. Â
I only give Vera's a 4 star rating because my Cajun Pecan Tuna was not quite what I was hoping for. Â That is, the flavor was excellent, but the cut of fish was a bit tough for tuna. Â In addition, it came out medium instead of rare (but somehow it was still cold on the inside...odd). Â Everything else was spectacular though - salad, red skin potatoes, green beans, etc. Â Just work on the tuna and I will go with 5 stars next time.
Also, with the lack of fine dining choices in the area, I am quite sure that the other reviewers are correct...that this is the premier restaurant in Munie. Â A pleasant surprise for a one night stay such as mine.
We went to Vera's last November for an anniversary dinner and I was definitely surprised. I have to admit that I had a bad opinion of this place before this particular meal. In the times I'd eaten there before, I felt that I was charged only for the atmosphere, while the food seemed stitched together in a way that made me think they just microwaved everything (see my forthcoming verbal dump on White River Landing, as well as Albertro's review of it). In addtion to this, it's incredibly annoying to see typical mid-20s alpha male white trash play high-end, ass-kissing server for a dinner shift. You know the type, the guys that drapes wine over his forearm, says things like bon appetit, and yet acts like a neanderthal lowlife at the Heorot after his shift's ended (like the type that asks my friend if he's going to "hit that shit" after his girlfriend gets up to use the restroom). That, my friends, needed to be said.
As for the great experience I had there, we went all out. Appetizer (escargot), entrees (chicken paprikash, chicken brie with raspberry, some kind of seafood that was damn good but I don't remember), a bottle of cheap (for Vera's) red wine, and dessert to top everything off (creme brulee). What stuck with me most was how well the chicken was prepared (perfect!), how nice the place is (there's no place better to enjoy a meal in this town), and how damn good our service was this time around: Our server was excellent....never annoying us with the "how's everything taste?" routine every few minutes, and was very attentive throughout our entire stay. All in all, a very satisfying meal, and I would have definitely given it the full five stars if I were judging on this visit alone. I need to go back.
Somewhat unrelated, but I will be upper-decking the bathroom next time I go, because Vera's is simply too nice not to, and the pretentious crowd that eats every meal there needs to be reminded what town they're in.
If you are looking for quality food, quality service, and quality atmosphere for your dinner in Muncie, look no further than Vera Mae's. Located in a beautifully restored building in downtown Muncie, the cuisine at Vera Mae's is a nice change from the scarce non-chain food selection available in Muncie. The quiche is excellent - the quiche of the day is always inventive and excellent as well.
Review Source:Muncie's only fine dining option, VM's claims to emulate quaint European bistros. Â I don't know about that, but expect fresh fish, fillet mignon, and veal. Â The menu changes several times a year, but holdovers like chicken brie w/ raspberry, classic French onion soup, and delish crab cakes remain constant. Â Lunches tend to be sandwich driven. Â The high water mark of VM's is the fact that the cook staff is Muncie's young culinary talent. Â There's ambition in the back of the house, and that's reflected in the creative daily "Feature" dishes. Â Soups and sides also are created anew daily. Â Veg options are on the slim side, but the pros can whip up some amazing stuff when requested.
Beyond the food, the restaurant is beautifully decorated. Â The space had been two older storefronts (one, a shoe store, I believe). Â Patio dining and a full bar round the experience out. Â
Prices are higher than other local eateries, but the quality of ingredients, service, and overall class make a celebratory meal here memorable.
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