I'm sure this won't be the last thread on this topic, but looking for suggestions.
My husband I have been coming to Gen Con for 10 years, and our wedding anniversary is the week before Gen Con. It usually hits right in there close, so we traditionally have a nice meal out by ourselves while we're there, before all the craziness. Previously, we had always gone to Fogo de Chao (at lunchtime), but two years ago we went there with a large group instead, and then last year when we went by ourselves we just didn't have the same experience. Nothing against Fogo, just looking for something different.
Here's the particulars: We're coming in to town on July 30 and staying through August 9. We're out by the airport this year, so the restaurant could theoretically be outside of the downtown area. I'm a vegetarian (I gave myself a pass for Fogo last year) and my husband isn't very big on more traditional steakhouses, so not looking for St. Elmo's. Also, we live in Chicago, so we have a lot of dining options in our normal life, would prefer something more or less unique to the area. Other than that, we're pretty open. This is our big dinner out on our vacation, so not too worried about cost, either.
Anyone have ideas? Locals have a restaurant you love?
There's a lot of good steakhouses in downtown Indy (my gf and I met at Gen Con so we celebrated our anniversary a few years ago at Ruth's Chris), though if your vegetarian that will limit their appeal. For the record, I'd go with Ruth's Chris, St. Elmo's, Harry and Izzy's, Shula's, Capital Grille, and Morton's, but let's look at other options.
Downtown Indy is chain restaurant central. That's not inherently a bad thing, but it means you need to look a little harder for unique experiences. If you can drive a bit, try The Jazz Kitchen which has great food, an intimate atmosphere, and live jazz music. Note that one of their nights is salsa night, which will change the atmosphere considerably (not just salsa music; salsa dancing as well and lots of people come in for it) so if that's not your cup of tea plan accordingly.
Oceanaire is a beautiful seafood restaurant (not sure if you're full veg or if you're Pescatarian). Osteria Pronto (in the JW) is a wonderful upscale Italian place, so they can probably do veg better than most places. The Columbia Club's restaurant's are beautiful and secluded, but are limited to members and those staying at the hotel (maybe call them and see if there's any public access).
There are a lot of gems of restaurants in Indy. Check with Yelp and Chowhound and you'll find some great options.
Tripadvisor and Yelp both have some pages on the topic of romantic restaurants. So does Foursquare. There's another site taking votes for such places too: http://theindyalist.cityvoter.com/best/romantic-restaurant/great-meals/indianapolis . And even though this site isn't about date-night type places, the Indianapolis Monthly magazine has it's "25 best" list.
My friends and I like to sometimes go to Santorini (http://www.santorini-greek-kitchen.com/) for special occasions. They're not too far from downtown and accept reservations.
Check out the Bosphorous Cafe, the only Turkish restaurant in Indiana:
The Bosphorous Cafe 935 S East St. Indianapolis, IN 46225 (317) 974-1770
http://www.bosphoruscafe.us/
The food is excellent, and they have vegetarian dishes (their menu is on their web site).
My boyfriend and I have had wonderful meals at Mikado Japanese and Palomino - both are near the convention center. Also, if you don't mind driving a bit, the Black Swan Brewpub is a lot of fun (it was near the hotel we stayed at a couple of years ago).