Thanks for your input so far!
I am talking $50 a person just for the main plate. Is that really out of reach.
I'd like to stick to non-chain restaurants if possible.

I am attending a conference and staying at the Marriot Copley next week. I am trying to make plans for three nights and could use some help. I am from Boston originally but have lived in the midwest for 7 years. I would greatly appreciate any help you all have to offer with these specific requests.

One night, I am taking a group of friends out for seafood. Would like to find something that is fairly easily accessible from Copley Square. (a trip by T is fine) I'm looking in the range of 50-75$ a person for food with fresh seafood. Something more traditional than innovative would work better with this group.

Another night I am taking a friend out for a good steak dinner (for him) with other options for me. Price should be about 50$ a person for food. Close to where we are staying would be great for that one.

Finally, for me, a trip to the best sushi place in the city where I can eat for around $75. That one can be anywhere accessible by T.

Thanks again for your thoughts! :)

Just wanted to put the word out that the new Maru Sushi in West Lafayette is a welcome new addition to the sparse ethnic dining options in this area. It's a tiny place so I'm a bit reluctant to put the word out and fill the place up but hey, I want them to stay around. IMO, better sushi than any other option in the area and reasonably priced compared to other sushi places here. They are at 111 N Chauncey in West Lafayette. Let me know what you think if you go.

On our last trip to Cinci for a baseball game, we found a great little family Italian place called Campanello's. Reminded me of the kind of little family place you find everywhere in Boston. Yummy eggplant parm, and other dishes, huge portion sizes and no fancy atmosphere at all, my kind of place :) Skip dessert and try one of the local ice cream places, really good too.

We had a very good dinner at Upland Brewery. We particularly liked their spinach artichoke appetizer--yummy!
We were also impressed with the winery. We were able to taste varieties of their wine we never see in the store in Indy or Lafayette. We particularly liked the Sauvignon Blanc and the red Zin. It was a fun trip. Thanks for the tips, I'll be back to try other places I'm sure!

Thanks David, That looks good too. When I look at these restaurants it makes me feel like Bloomington is a world away from Indianapolis. So different! I can't imagine a brewpub in Indy serving such extensive veggie options. I need to spend more time down there!

Thanks Kate. Those look great. Will they be easy to find from the main route? Neither of us knows Bloomington. Also how busy will they be for an early dinner on a Saturday? I would prefer not to tie us to a reservation if possible.

Oh, I do eat fish. Not looking for a vegetarian place but someplace we can both eat.

We are visiting Oliver Winery on Saturday. Is there a good reasonably priced restaurant with easy access from the winery? I don't eat meat (my friend does). Thanks for your thoughts

If you like NY style pizza, Giorgio's next to Starbucks on the Meridian Street traffic circle is very good and they have pizza by the slice at lunch.

These are great suggestions. I have looked at their webpages and they all fit what I had in mind. We need more money and a couple more nights! :) Thanks!

If you were having one expensive (yes I know that's relative so, $75-100 total per person) meal in SF or the surrounding area (Berekley) where would you go?
Its my mom and I. I don't eat meat, do eat fish. Mom is 65 and pretty adventurous. We don't want to leave hungry and we would like to try something somewhat uniquely SF.
If you have something in mind that's really special but less $$ that's OK too. We are only going to be in SF for two nights. I've been before but Mom hasn't and its her birthday so I want to make this special.
Thanks for your thoughts!

I went to Bea One last week and enjoyed it. The atmosphere is lovely and the sushi was very good. A bit on the expensive side, but the fish was very fresh and they have some creative sushi rolls. My special requests were accommodated.

A note on La Scala. I've eaten there twice and in my opinion the main dishes are as good as any Italian food I've had in Indy (which isn't the highest bar I know) but I thought it was good for what it is. A good American Italian family type restaurant.

I really like Le Peep for breakfast. They have the standards and they are great, but also some creative breakfast twists. They have locations in Castleton and on 86th in Nora and at 71st and 495.

Indygirl gave you some great suggestions. Here's a few more. Trader's Point Creamery is on the northwest side. They have great lunches made from the organic products they make and sell. They also have an organic farmer's market on Friday evenings and the best ice cream around! That's also a part of town you may want to explore as a possible place to live. To me its the prettiest part of Indy, some hills and lots of trees.
There's a very good Thai place on 86th (near Ditch) called Sawasdee Restaurant.
For fancier restaurants, downtown there's a bunch, Oceanaire for fresh seafood, St. Elmo's for steak. R Bistro on Mass. Ave for creative food. The city market has a variety of vendors at lunch time and a farmer's market on Wednesday mornings.
I moved to Indy from Boston and although its not Boston (or Chicago), I liked a lot of things about it--not a lot of traffic, a slower pace of life, and plenty of cultural events. I just moved north to Lafayette and I miss all the fun things to do in the summer in Indy and the restaurant scene, which is improving every year.
Enjoy!

I am surprised to hear you've had those problems. Cios was like that but Stefano's has been better. If I were you I would express your concerns to the owner next time you are in, he is very attentive to detail and concerned about building his business. I was happy to see when I was there last week that it is growing.

Glad to hear you made it there. I hope he gets a good following and stays in business. Unfortunately I moved to lafayette so my real pizza days will be limited to road trips! :(

This is an old thread, but since there's not much on my new hometown of Lafayette, I thought I'd update it. I went to Kokoro last week and was decidedly unimpressed with the sushi. Sorry to be contradictory, but honestly I sat at the sushi bar and almost had to leave because it was dirty and disorganized, not exactly the ideal setting for raw food. I had three pieces of nigiri which were OK but expensive and two sushi rolls that were fairly tasteless and falling apart so that I could barely eat them. That and a glass of wine cost nearly $35. Tony the owner was snapping at his staff and I smelled cigarette smoke coming from the kitchen. I won't go there again!
By contrast I went to Heisei in West Lafayette tonight. The restaurant is lovely, very traditionally furnished, and the food was great. I had fresh delicious nigiri, including two pieces of otoro, which is hard to come by in the midwest. And two very nice sushi rolls, all for under $20. The place was immaculate and the service was congenial. So I say, if you are looking for sushi in this part of the world, skip Kokoro and give Heisei a try.
More to come as I learn my way around town (but not sushi, there's only three real sushi places and the other isn't worth mentioning!)

So what do we have to do to lure Tony Hanslits back into another Italian restaurant? :)

Try Stefano's the pizza place that took the place of Cio's in Fisher's (116th off 69-next to the target plaza). The best pizza in Indy and I have high standards having lived in Boston and near NYC. Cio's was good but the service wasn't Stefano has changed that and offers the same great food and decent service. Worth the drive.

I am not familiar with Taste Cafe, where are they and what kind of food are they serving? I have yet to go to R Bistro but its my list of places to go SOON. Thanks for your input. Its always nice to talk with other Hoosier foodies (a rare enough breed :)

Napolean is right on for what I am looking for and what set Tavola di Tosa apart. Great decription of Italian food in Italy. So sad to hear there are no real alternatives here yet, not even close. I'll try Amalfi again. I had one good meal there and one disappointing meal. Hopefully as Indy continues to grow, it'll support more great independents. I am going to try Matteo's in Noblesville too. I heard he is from Southern Italy and the restaurant has had some good reviews. Thanks for your input!

I've gone to quite a few of Indy's Italian restaurants but have also been to Italy and Indy's restaurants are really the American version of Italian. Has anyone found an Italian restaurant in Indy that really stands out? I did love Tavola Di Tosa, not really Italian, more continental, but the food had the creativity and freshness of "real" Italian food. I haven't found anything to replace it.

Thanks Lori, I did look through the old threads but I thought there might be something new out there or some new people who wanted to weigh in. I live in Indianapolis, not sushi heaven, but I grew up in New England and travel often to the west coast, most recently Seattle where I had a fabulous sushi/nigiri dinner at Shiro's. As for what I like, the freshest fish and creative preps and a user friendly sushi menu (as I'm still something of a novice) are all pluses.

I will be in SF in May for one evening on my way further north. At risk of starting a war, I'd like to know who has the best sushi/nigiri in SF? I am a quest to eat sushi at the best sushi restaurants everywhere I go. Thanks for your help!

Yes, that's the bakery, yummy cheesecake and fudge brownies!
Actually, I was born and raised in New England, so I prefer the New York style thin crust pizza I grew up with, Haven't really developed a taste for the deep dish stuff (also not "real" pizza :)

I visited Seattle for the first time two weeks ago. What a treat!
I took a bunch of Chowhound recs with me and I think I only missed on one meal, the rest were great. The most memorable was dinner at Shiro's. I got there early (the sushi bar filled up about two minutes after opening on a Tuesday night.) I asked the sushi chef to pick and boy did he. He fed me til my eyes were ready to pop out. Fantastically fresh and flavorful and creative sushi combos. Sushi in Indy tastes flat now! What a fantastic meal! And surprisingly affordable given what I ate.

I also had a lovely dinner and wine at Barola. The salad and ravioli of the day were so yummy, I savored every bite. Not traditional Northern Italian type food, but the food actually reminded me of eating in Southern Italy with the lightest and freshest of sauces and ingredients.

Serious Pie was great. Not "real" pizza as I think of it. But very delicious. Even the next day in my hotel room :)

I had French pastries every day from Le Panier in the market and another bakery in Belltown, I have forgotten the name of (started with an M).

I "grazed" for lunch in Pike Place Market every day, heavenly!

I do have to admit I found the International district disappointing compared to others in SF NY Boston, etc. But the seafood everywhere I went made up for that! :)

Thanks for the great recommendations! To those of you who are lucky enough to live in Seattle, I loved your city. People were very kind and surprisingly civil for a city. I never heard a horn honk or saw anyone flip the bird! :) (I'm from Boston originally so that was shocking! :)

Giorgio's is very good, a great lunch place for sure but I'd pick Stefano's pizza by a nose! :)

Here's another vote for Sawsadee. I am from Boston and am fussy about thai food. I think the food there is the best thai food I have had in Indy and has improved since they first opened.

I just wanted to put in a plug for a new restaurant in Fisher's IN called Stefano's. The owner actually took over for Cio's, a place people here have mentioned before. Cio's had great pizza and other Italian entrees, but horrible service. They shut down a couple months ago. The new owner is serving the same great pizza, maybe even a little better--more consistently good for sure. He is very hard working and he has hired a new waitstaff. I hope to see him make a go of it. This Boston girl finds it very hard to live in Indy without great pizza, and this place fits the bill. It was recommended to me by people from NYC and there's usually other east coasters there at dinner time!