4 Years and the Best Steak of My Life

What a holiday season! Between winning Thanksgiving drink-making contests, throwing winter wonderland parties, and celebrating Jesus’s birthday, I have been having a blast! And to top it all off, Mr. O&O and I just celebrated 4 years of marriage, which leads me to recommend this darling romantic get away and the best steak EVER, based in none other than Roanoke, Indiana. 

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Yes, this town of about 2,000 people has discovered the recipe for a great special-occasion celebration: a cozy B&B and mouth-watering Wagyu beef. Joseph Decuis is a whole experience, including a fine dining restaurant, retail shop/café, and two bed and breakfasts. We began at the Emporium, the store and café location, and with only a few minutes remaining until they closed, quickly purchased some Wagyu ground beef to take home. We regretted not coming earlier to enjoy what looked to be a delicious lunch special of grilled cheese and tomato soup, but now we have an excuse to return! We then drove about 500 feet up the road to the bed and breakfast and settled into our King suite. This was the only suite with a private bathroom, so I’d recommend choosing this one if it is available.

After freshening up for our special NYE anniversary dinner (we actually married on January 1, but facing the dilemma each year of everything being closed, we typically celebrate on the 31st), we returned a block down the road to enjoy dinner at Joseph Decuis's fine dining restaurant. Everything from appetizer to dessert was absolutely delectable, but Indy Monthly dropped the ball not including this fine establishment in their January 2015 steakhouse edition, because their NY strip was worth the 1.5-hour drive alone. I am typically a filet mignon kind of girl because I like my steaks super tender, however, this was my first time having Wagyu beef, and wow, baby, did this strip surpass any filet I’ve ever had! The outside was seared and flavored to perfection and the inside melted in your mouth like butter. 

Butternut squash soup

Jasmine rice pudding and mango sorbet

I was so excited I about the Wagyu I forgot to wait to take a picture before I dug in!

The only wrinkle in our evening was the wine: we brought a very special bottle of 2001 Banfi Brunello that we had been cellaring for this very occasion, only to learn that it is illegal to bring your own wine into Indiana restaurants - whoops! Luckily, we had stopped by Two EE’s Winery in Huntington on our way up for a celebratory tasting, so we weren’t too upset. We settled on a red blend for dinner that ended up being fine, but for any other spoiled southerners, be warned: leave your own wine at home. 

Two EE's wine tasting

The Banfi we drank the next day on our actual anniversary

Roanoke being the quiet town it is, we finished 2014 off back at the B&B with a cup of tea and a Christmas puzzle, and started 2015 with a hearty breakfast around a cozy table filled with the other guests. Getting to know them was the true charm of the place, and we even learned we had a close mutual friend with one of the other guests; Indiana small-town charm at its best. Next time you are looking for a great steak and a quick overnight escape, Joseph Decuis is your place!

Stay warm,
Victoria