The Shelbi Street Cafe and Bistro in Indianapolis, Indiana

I've visited the Shelbi Street Café and Bistro in Fountain Square twice over the past two weeks. (Fountain Square is a cultural district located in Indianapolis, Indiana.) The first time I was there I simply needed a place to be in downtown Indianapolis for a couple of hours while I worked on my laptop. So I ordered a cup of coffee and they very graciously let me stay in their café for over two hours. They never gave me a sideways glance and were very polite to me even though I was just having coffee. That speaks volumes of the service there, because during my time as a waitress...I remember hating it when someone just ordered something small like coffee.

I was back last Friday while I was once again in the area filming some footage for the Indianapolis Travel Channel, and this time we decided to eat at the café for lunch. First of all, the café is simply but stylishly decorated. It's got a more chic look than your traditional diner, featuring just a handful of bold colors and burnished stainless steel tabletops. There is also a bar with café stools. There was plenty of light in the room as the café sits at a storefront position in the Fountain Square building. So it's definitely a visually appealing place to spend your time in.

Again, the staff was very gracious as we brought in our camera and bags full of stuff, as we were mid-day during some filming. They didn't seem to mind at all and worked around all the equipment without blinking. To me, service is just as important as food. Sometimes even more so, so the service was a great indication of how likely I'll be to return.

When we saw the menus, we were all surprised. The fare wasn't at all what you would expect for a café or diner. There were tuna steaks, fresh fruit, unique omelets, salads with unique ingredients such as goat cheese, blue cheese, cranberries, and more. There were a lot of fresh ingredients on the menu.

I ordered a spinach salad, my husband ordered a small pizza, and the third member of our team ordered a tuna sandwich with steamed vegetables on the side. Naturally, we all sampled each other's food. It was all extremely tasty. The flavors were simple but fresh tasting, and everything had a kind of savory quality to it. Also, unlike most traditional diners, the pizza wasn't dripping with gooey cheese. It was lightly flavored instead. The food almost had a gourmet appeal to it. The prices were more expensive than fast food, but not too steep. My dinner-sized salad was about $7 and each of the guys' meals were $10 a piece.

I would highly recommend the Shelbi Street Café and Bistro for its excellent service, the incredible and surprising food, and the light environment that lends itself to business lunches or just a good meal with friends.

For more details and directions visit the website at http://209.43.114.137/$sitepreview/fountainsquareindy.com/shelbistreet/index.asp