Gotta be St. Elmo Steakhouse. Maybe Harry & Izzy's, but I've never actually been there.

Go to Elements. Or L'Expleurateur. Or maybe Mo's, if you want a steak dinner.

another vote for Elmo, also a big fan of Webber Grill, (though prob not suitable to impress overseas vistors) Oceanaire Seafood Room, Perhaps? No, I have got it. If I were trying to impress guests I would take them to Danielli Restaurant and Art Gallery at the Canterbury. In fact if they don't have other arrangements this is a great place to stay! Before I moved to the area it is where I stayed whenever I was in the area.

With all due respect, I have to disagree with the votes for St. Elmo's. It was honestly one of the weirdest dining experiences I've ever had. They have one appetizer...shrimp cocktail. Don't like shrimp cocktail? Sorry, you're screwed. Then, in place of what would normally be a soup or salad, you get the choice of some kind of white beans or a comically small glass of tomato juice. What kind of choices are these? After such a lame experience up to that point, the steak seemed excellent. But by then, I wondered if I hadn't lowered the bar considerably.

I like to concentrate on places with a local flare, welcoming atmosphere, and most importantly great food when I take out-of-town friends to dinner. Brugge Brasserie, The Broad Ripple Brew Pub, The Aristocrat, Oh Yumm! Bistro, Cafe Patachou, Khoury's, Taste Cafe, Bourbon St. Distillery, Yats, Bosphorous, and Northside News are some of my favorites.

take them to something cooler than those standard downtown restaurants. hit up Elements or R Bistro. Europeans will totally dig those places. great, great menus that change weekly.

StellarSwarm - try the Shrimp Cocktail at St. Elmos. it'll blow your mind!

I have an extreme dislike for the texture and flavor of shrimp, and a moderate dislike for the flavor of cocktail sauce...especially if it's too horseradischy. Unfortunately, regardless of its quality as compared to other shrimp cocktails, I just wouldn't like it. I just wish they'd offer something like a salad, french onion soup, or even some freaking crackers while you're waiting on your steak.

I have been meaning to check out R Bistro though. And is Elements different than Urban Element? If so, where is it located?

Elements is at the corner of Mass and Alabama? Right where that big head sculpture is, in between Subway and Starbucks.

It's pretty damn awesome. Pricey. All small portions. Meant to be more of tasting courses instead of one big damn entree. But well worth it.

Christopher thanks! I always enjoy R Bistro, LExplorator (www.dinelex.com), Oakleys, Elements or Petersons. I have no complaints about either place, they are locally owned and the food is mega awesome!

I think taking someone to St. Elmos is a bit cliche. Though I believe they offer the best service in this city, a steakhouse is not the type of place I would take a guest to showcase Indy culinary talent.

I would throw my joint into the mix but that would be tacky!

Her place. My place. The backseat of a stolen vehicle. Heh heh. I'm immature. Sue me.

If you go for steak, Morton's is the only place to go for high dollar steak

Bynum's Steak House on SR 135 on the southside of town has excellent steaks.

Shimmercore thats good stuff! I prefer her place, her food, her stuff and her car. Its far cheaper that way.

I agree that you should try the local establishments before resorting to the chains - though many of the chains are fine. I would recommend the Scholars Inn, but I think they're redecorating at this time.

Stellarswarm - I thought I'd better point out that you can get a salad instead of the bean soup at St. Elmos. I'm not a bean fan either, so I opted for a house salad - which was delicious - especially with fresh ground pepper.

I love the ambiance and the food of Agio's on Mass. Ave. But,don't you think its kinda funny that a Hoosier is trying to impress some Europeans with our great food? We're not exactly known for our great food here, right? Most of our restaurants are copying European styles... Sorry for the insult...if I were in your shoes, I'd cook some fabulous feast at home. Or call Jug's catering...now THAT's some good Hoosier food! mmmm...fried biscuits and fried chicken and green beans that have soaked for days in bacon grease...

If you want to play along with the stereotype, you could visit Kopper Kettle on 52 in Knightstown. Good food, down-home, served family style. Fried chicken, mashed taters, green beans, et. al.

Something unique to our city is The Blue Crew Sports Grill. It is located on the north side of Indy on 96th Street. Colts theme is lots of fun. Traditional bar food, best tenderloin I have ever had with great dinner items as well.

I know for sure I'll be taking my guests to Teds Montana Grill at Traders Point Shopping Center on the NW side. I had dinner there and was totally impressed.My European visitors will enjoy the Bison and extensive menu. The wine list also rocked.

If these are Europeans, they might appreciate going somewhere they don't have in Europe. Europe is full of fancy restaurants but how many classic American diners do they have? I think Fountain Square is a cool place to take people. The food might not impress but are people who can travel to France for French food or Italy for Italian food really going to be impressed by Indy's version of European cuisine anyway?

I say take 'em out for a good old-fashioned cheeseburger and milkshakes, followed by a game of stick pin bowling and some vintage 50's arcade games.

http://www.fountainsquareindy.com/

Granted I haven't been in every country in Europe, nor every eatery, I am attracted to the same type of restaurant there as I am here at home. Quaint, funky, and filled with locals. Also there are many places in Europe where the food is NOT that good...have you ever seen what they eat for breakfast in the UK and Ireland? And don't get me started on "bangers and mash". Take your friends where you love to eat! Probobly the biggest difference they'll notice is the absence of cigarette smog settling over their dinner plates.