Spoke & Steele — Restaurant in Indianapolis

I'm torn regarding this review. It's like A Tale of Two Restaurants. It was the best of experiences preceded by the worst of experiences. I initially sat at the bar because I was a single diner and didn't want to tie up a table. I asked for a food menu and confirmed I could order food at the bar. The female bartender took my cocktail order, my drink was made and delivered, then both she and the redheaded male bartender put significant effort into avoiding eye contact, distancing themselves from me, and effectively ignoring me for the next half hour. Finally, after my glass had been empty for ten minutes, the male bartender came over and asked if he could get me anything. I said "I was hoping to have ordered some food after I sat down, but no one has come by to check on me, my glass has been empty for 10 minutes, and neither of you have even made eye contact with me." He replied "We're busy, if you wanted something you should speak up!" I replied "Well if that's the case I think I'm done here. I'll go somewhere else to spend my money." His response - " Good!" The person sitting next to me looked at me with his mouth open, shocked at the exchange, and said "that's pretty lousy customer service." I paid my bill and stepped away from the bar, then asked the hostess if I could speak to the manager. The manager came out and I told her of my experience with the bartender and she was very apologetic. She asked me if I would possibly consider staying for dinner, and said she would set me up with her best server and make sure I had a great experience. I was apprehensive, but decided to accept her offer and was seated away from the bar. My server's name was Tara, and she was wonderful. I ordered the seared sea bass,and Tara commented that it was her favorite dish. I was also comped a plate of shashito peppers, and the chef, Erin, came out and introduced herself to me. She said she had heard about my experience at the bar, and wanted to make sure that everything with the meal was to my liking. She explained the shishido pepper dish and we discussed the preparation of the sea bass dish; she was very engaging. The food was amazing! I was very satisfied with this part of my experience. This would have been an excellent dining experience if it hand't been overshadowed by the abysmal service and exchange at the bar. The bar is often where people start their experience at a restaurant, and allowing someone like that bartender to be in a position to set the tone for the overall experience can be dangerous, and can pull down what would have otherwise been a...

UPDATE Four of us came in for breakfast before we got our Gen Con day started. It was a bit slow getting seated...I believe they were having technical issues with the seating chart on the iPad. Once it got sorted we were able to sit and order right away. The food came out fairly quickly and I also appreciate the Gen Con "touches" that were added around the restaurant. There was dragon themed decor added throughout. The food was a bit disappointing though. The eggs and bacon were cooked well but it was all very greasy. I actually took an extra cloth napkin from the table and dabbed the bacon dry with it. My eggs were the same way but, there's really no way to dab those. Lol The croissant definitely looked like it had seen better days...it was all squished and barely even looked like a croissant anymore. The roasted breakfast potatoes were the stand out. They were seasoned well and cooked perfectly.

We came here with a group of 7 and were able to be seated right away. The staff was extremely friendly and gave fast service. We ordered several appetizers so that we could all share them and also had several cocktails from their special menu they made for Gen Con. My favorite was the Grilled Halloumi. The flavor from the grill was amazing. Here are my dings on the food: the crostini and almonds(with the charcuterie) and pita bread(with the halloumi) were all stale. The truffle fries had good flavor but definitely could have used more time in the fryer. And we ordered the Chicken "Power-ups" but never received them. They weren't on the bill and we had enough food, so it was fine. Overall, we still had a great meal and...

We're in town for the Gen Con gaming convention and were looking to try a place none of us had ever been to. Some of the menu items on the online menu intrigued us, so we headed over. We ordered a few drinks while waiting in the comfortable lounge area and then proceeded to our dinner. Some of our group were skeptical at first, but the food and service won them over heartily. I had the duck and our server, Eric swiched out the baby corn for asparagus at my request. My friend had the steak. Everything was cooked perfectly. The duck was crispy on the outside and the inside almost melted in my mouth. The asparagus was firm and flavorful, an absolute delight. Eric recommend some drinks and ended up making a Smoke and Spice for me. It comes with a bit of a show, and the drink displayed layers of flavor and a complexity I've never before experienced in a cocktail. We talked with the manager, Will and he was as wonderful a person as Eric. This place has it all, and was worth every penny. In fact, we went back for drinks after the con the very next day. Mary was bartending, and she was a joy as well. I'm not all that well versed with the bar and she made me something with amaretto, orange juice, and spices (I forget the name) that was like liquid heaven on my tongue. She got creative for my second beverage and it was just as good, making for a second great experience. I plan to go back tomorrow for the burger. Every one of my friends that had one said it was the best they've ever had, and it certainly looked the part. Yes......