I really want this place to work

I am so excited that the owners took a chance and opened a bar in Fountain Square, it is long overdue. I really want this place to work but I think it still has growing pains. I can't really tell what they want to be when they grown up... Is it a neighborhood pub or are they trying to be gourmet?

The menu doesn't match the atmosphere and I actually find it bizarre that there is a buffalo head mounted on the wall and they serve buffalo on the menu. The food is way overpriced and the menu is sparse. Cheese and meat platters are not a great value at $10+. I've been there about 15 times with different groups of friends and we always struggle to find anything on the menu that is really exciting, but I keep going back because I'm hoping things will get better.

Deanos has a good wine selection, but almost everytime I go they never have the wine that is on the menu in stock.

I applaude thier efforts to bring another independent to Indy, but the menu and atmosphere needs some help.

Good but slow

I had lunch today at Deano's and the food was very good. I had the gourmet grilled cheese and the creamy tomato soup. I had no complaints about the food at all. I was able to eat for $10.

The service was a different story. I do know that we had a new server (who didn't fill out his time sheet... long story). What should have taken us 45 minutes, ended up taking closer to an hour and a half. This was compounded by the fact that we were literally the only table in the place.

I can't claim that this place is always this slow, but it certainly was today.

Rebuttle but true.

To those of you in Indianapolis who have dinned at Deano's. This is for Ms. Johanna, J this is Deano & I just would like to explain some things and not make excuses,but give you an idea of what we go through in the great midwest. to answer some of your questions and give you a inside look at things.

1. The menu is simple because we don't have a deep fryer, kinda refreshing for the Indy dinning scene, not to have Fries and a Huge Breaded Tenderloin on the menu we shall leave that up to your neighborhood bar and grils. We did not want to be another Applebees and have 500 items on our menu. What we do is keep the menu minimal and food quality higher. In regaurds to our meat and cheese platters, you are getting Italian , Genoa, hard Salami, & Soprasetta, a total of 4 oz each. & Then to boot your getting 3.5 oz of each cheese. The cheeses are as listed Dutch Gouda 3yr Aged, not smoked retail $17 a lb Parmesan Reggiano 2yr from Parma=$19 a lb 6Yr Wisconsin Cheddar, =$19 a lb I hope you now see the value of what you are recieving. I am not tring to be a bully here just the Informer of good food, good wine.

On the decor the reason Harry the buffalo exists on the wall because we are proud to carry Indiana Bison From Gosport In. The Good Medicine Buffalo Ranch, owned by Cardio Surgeon Dr. John Brown of Riley Childrens Hospital. He has proven that Bison is healthier than Turkey or Poultry by the fat , Cholesterol, and is just plain good for heart paitents. Therefor harry will always have a home. Plus the fact that we are not fine dinning we are California Cassual Dinning. No White table cloths, no penguins walking around (Servers in Tuxes) we are relaxed and want that for our customers as well.

On the wine side of things we are improving the wine list we just added 50 more wines dedicated to Sir Richard Cottance. we had the new business blues the first 1 and a half. It has taken 1 year to rebound. We now have a fully stocked wine rack and will continue to run out of wine on a regular basis. But we have other options if we are out of what you initially wanted. I will personally make the recomendation and not try to upsale you on another bottle. I just want the general consumer to know we don't run out of things because we try to, it is because of certain customer demands. If we had the wine Budget that let's say St. Elmos or Dunnaways, where we could buy 2-3 cases of a product and then lay it down for future purchase we would.. But for right now your going to run out of product food and wine. If your interested in Wine I encourage you to try to find a wine list that is more diverse and fair on price. We are working on our end to try improve the overall feeling of dinning at Deano's and bring you a bunch of info on Wednesday wine tastings, Might I add we were the First True Wednesday wine tasting in INDY, and will be the best Damn wine tasting in town. for only $5. dollars. As far as our Dinning we are trying to get away from the quick in and out dinning that Idiana is so proud of and regaurds as the nations commitment to huury up and eat philosophy. We want customers to slow down and enjoy the dinning, which is to slow it down pop some bubbly have an appetizer, enjoy your salads, or soup, chew your entree, and drool over your dessert. I hope by this explination you now see we don't want the dine and dash customer. go To Taco bell or McD's. In and out in 5 minutes they promise you that. I guess when the trend becomes to not have deep fried everything on the menu, and the servers want you to enjoy your meal and your cost is at a minimal, then I guess we are trend setters in the good ol midwest, and to that I say, "SO BE IT!" Cheers Deano

Senior growing pains?

I must agree with the reviews that rate this place sub-par. Being a loyal fan of D'Vine up in my neck of the woods, I was invited by friends in 06 for a Wednesday night tasting, I observed Dean go on an one about, well, nothing it seemed. Calling wine good juice might be cute, but if one wishes to be a source of education, then could you elaborate? I could read labels myself. Then he went off on some people that were talking during the tasting. How classy. I asked myself; I drove 45 minutes for this?

Then the food and service were slow, I mean, really slow. Why should it take 40 minutes for a salad before the meal, and then another 30 after that for the entrees? Nothing came out as stated, not even the special that one at our table ordered.

Is the menu just an idea of what you would like to have? At least four wines we tried to order were not in and our waitress didn't seem to know any others to suggest without going to talk to someone first. Then we waited about 10 minutes for her to return, only to tell us that she did indeed have one that she said that you didn't. The server could seem to care less that we didnt' seem satisfied. When I went to use the bathroomm, there seated in the bar was the missing service staff.

I see your reply there Mr. Deano. But it says you were open in 2005, and were a business that moved before that. So how long should growing pains last? Seems that being different takes a front seat to providing good food and adequate service. Needless to say, my friends and I will not return. We are sure that you probably do not care.

Valetine's Day Dinner has won me over here

We went to the Valentine's Day dinner here and I could not be any happier with this place. The service was great, the food is now in my top 10 list of things I've had at restaurants in Indianapolis ( one of the best crab cakes I've had in the midwest, a stuffed pork loin w/ orzo that was excellent, and their cranberry lambic brownie that is awesome ), and overall it was just a great time. ( Only downside: too much food! On the way out they even gave us Valentine's Day cupcakes, which is awesome, but I think it'll be a week before we make our way through the leftovers enough to even entertain the idea of eating cupcakes )

The dining room was about half full, which was at once probably disappointing for them, but nice for those of us who wanted to talk. They even had a harpist come in, which, honestly, would've made me roll my eyes throughout were it not for the fact that he diverged from airy love songs to do covers of Boston and Chris Issaak.

All in all, I'm certain we'll go again. They have a St. Patrick's Day event and a "Welcome to Spring" event ( where they tap their first Oberon keg ) that both sound like good times. I'd definitely recommend.

Lots of Love

*Maybe our harshest critics are the ones that care the most? ...Just so you don't get the impression that Indy-Dwellers are cranky. Here are some reviews from when Deano's Vino was voted "Indy's Best Local Wine Bar 2007" on the A List:

Anonymous "Dean is great and fun!"

Monica Mulligan "Very friendly staff and a nice atmosphere."

Anonymous "Great "by the glass" selections"

Grammy "It's Dean, he is the wine guy in Indy."

Frank "The place has been doing Bison longer than anyone else in town and they don't over cook it. Trust Chef Jody and Deano with your culinary wants."

Frank "Great atmosphere and service ..."

Trish "Deano's Vino has staff that are knowledgeable and an excellent selection of wines and pairings. Best in the city!!"

Kate "Awesome wines, lots of fun, friendly staff, yummy food. Who could ask for more!"

Nancy Kurz "Great wine, music, food and best of all company."

Marla Williams "Dean Wilson is extremely knowledgeable and helpful with wine selection. We always enjoy our evening at Deano's."

Tim Oatess "Best and most helpful with wine selections in town."

Bj "Come to Deano's you won't be sorry! Best bison steaks in the metro area!!!! "

Amy Cusick "Deano's has a fun and relaxed atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, and they host a GREAT wine tasting!"

Anonymous "Lots of new choices. Fun place!" Lynn"I love Deano's!"

Mary "Great local place, very relaxed atmosphere."

Shavaun Trimpe "The weekly email updates are great!"

Anonymous "Terrific at what they do"

Don "Fantastic selection of wines (at great prices, btw) you can't find anywhere else in town. Dean has a real passion for food and wine and it shows."

Nadeen "Outstanding atmosphere - friendly, great environment, fabulous wine and just the place you want to go to relax."

Carol A. Hall "Good food, great service, perfect location, wonderful atmosphere, a wine list tied into the menu, and a very friendly restaurant. "

Julie "In a great community, they are small, but do a lot of great entertaining."

Santorini Greek Kitchen "Love the neighborhood atmosphere. Deano is extremely knowledgeable. My brother had made this his second home!"

Debbie Vondle "The servers' suggestions for excellent wines!"

Anonymous "Hidden treasure in Fountain Square."

Dawn "Great service."

Julie "A wonderful wine selection with a staff that knows their wines too!"

Alyssa Ping "Friendly environment, great family business"

Rauf Khalid "Very comfortable relaxed atmosphere, great food and a great selection of wine, and Deano's comedy lines are free. Not to mention Nick's great job behind the bar. "

matt "Great food and great service"

Kelli Heuer "Awesome selection of wines and beers, fabulous food - my favorite is potato-crusted Tilapia; great decor; great atmosphere - owners Dean and Paul are always around mingling with patrons having a laugh or two. Great place to have a drink with friends, but also elegant enough for a romantic dinner for two."

Tim aka Ted "GREAT atmosphere and knowledgeable personnel. Dean gives an excellent wine tasting complete with education that is enlightening without being stodgy."

L Horton "Good Food and Good Wine. Great relaxing atmosphere! The staff isgreat too!"

Michelle Bryant "It is wonderful and unique. Deano's Vino adds so much flair to Fountain Square. The food is great and the atmosphere is very inviting."

sharks "Good wine, good friends, come check it out."

Matt Mattera "Dean and his posse are the most knowledge and enjoyable out of the group. Plus his expansion into BarCelona proves it."

rhill "Great selection & Dean Wilson is the city's best Sommelier."

Sandy "Great selection of wonderful wines and great draft beers. Love the nonsmoking venue to enjoy good food, good drink and good friends."

Anna "Love to go there after work for a beer."

Steven Howard "Superb wine list fantastic service and friendly people."

Steven Brown "Good service, Nice people great wine "Dean Wilson "I'm kind of bias in my pick. But we do have a great staff, and if you want to feel like your part of the family then just come on down to Fountain Square, and get your Vino on with Deano and Chef. Cheers Deano"

Alyssa Coppinger. "Deano's Vino has a great atmosphere and it is a great place to have dinner."

Lazy Daze Coffee House "Deano's Vino has the ribs down pat. I buy ribs no where else. Dean, give me a call when you grill out front of Deano's again. Late Bro."

Bjava Coffee, Tea and Art Gallery "Down to earth knowledge about wine. Great food! Love the bison steaks! Jody's barbque is the best!"

Brian "The staff at Deano's are friendly and knowledgeable and a world of fun." brigitte baker "Nick is simply the BEST!"

jan "Great food.........."

Michael "Deano and Chef are the perfect pair, like wine and good food." Michael"Nobody in Indy knows wine like Deano, and Chef Jody makes some of the most original and delicious meals too. Perfect pairing is what they do best!"

Paul Dijak-Robinson "I love the live music, the great selection of wine and beer and especially the food! It's always a great time, and definitely worth the trip to Fountain Square!"

Suzanne "Casual atmosphere & excellent food. It's the Fountain Square spot everyone's been waiting for!"

To each and every wonderful customer that graces our doorstep, I'll use a quote from Deano himself, "Me love you long time!"

Re: Lots of Love

Translation: I only listen to the customers who ingratiate themselves to me and ignore everyone else who has something other than a positive opinion. Good customer service there, Deano!

I came in once last year and had an aweful visit. Some 20ish kid server in shorts chortled when I mentioned that I liked a few Indiana wines saying "Geesh, there are no good Indiana wines!" (obviously the hallmark of great customer service). He then proceeded to get snarky with me again when I didn't want to order a complete meal for my visit.

In the future, I'll buy my "juice" elsewhere!