Headed over to Indy’s retro Fountain Square district tonight for some dinner and cocktails with a couple of my girlfriends. After a day in the office and with the heat & humidity of late finally giving us a break we decided outdoor dining was a must. While we have our fave locales in the city, we also try to check out new places before we go back to the same place twice. So we headed over to Fountain Square, excited at the prospect of rooftop garden dining at the shelBi street caFe & Bistro. Bummer, we were a day off – dinner hours are Wednesday-Saturday. We’d have known that if we checked their Web site before going. Not to worry, we simply crossed the street to Deano’s Vino Restaurant & Wine Bar where we snagged the last sidewalk table! Complete with a great vantage to watch traffic, people and activity on the streets, just the way I like it!

So here are my Deano’s Vino impressions:

While the wine menu was extensive, I was suprised by the rather short list of wines available by the glass. I selected a Sauvignon Blanc — it was a nice match with my salad and crab cake dinner.

My wedge salad was a bit of a different take on the usual tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese. This one featured strawberries and dried cranberries with blue cheese crumbles and dressing.

My crab cake arrived slightly *toasty* – my first bite told me me the inside would be good, as soon as I could get past the crisp outside. They took it back with no question and after a few minutes delivered a fresh one, sans the toasty edges. I love crab cakes, and this one was certainly good, and generous in size. Too often I find myself excited to order crab cakes, only to find a cake the size of a vanilla wafer when my plate arrives. Not the case at Deano’s. My complaint is really not a complaint about Deano’s at all. You see, my first crab cake experience was at Oceanaire. (Anyone who’s had a crab cake from Oceanaire is nodding right here.) They arrive perfectly formed on your plate, flake a part as easy as a perfectly cooked salmon filet and melt in your mouth. With the amount of crab meat, I wonder what keeps the cake in it’s cake-like shape. So in all fairness to Deano’s, I’ve never found a crab cake anywhere that meets my standard set by Oceanaire. But like I said, I love crab cakes so it doesn’t keep me from finding them on menus where ever I dine.

I’ve decided I don’t take nearly enough pictures of the every day things I do and see. So pre-dinner, while waiting on our third to arrive — I snapped some photos of the district. Continue scrolling for your viewing pleasure!