Joseph Decuis

The service is friendly, but quite slow. From the time we sat down, it took half an hour to have our order taken, another half hour to get our appetizers, easily 45 minutes from then until the arrival of our entrees, and yet another half hour until dessert. The waitstaff was more or less invisible when they weren’t actually bringing food to the table, resulting in quite a few empty glasses.
The bread and appetizer (morels) were fantastic, as was dessert (crème brûlée). The coffee was very good and obviously fresh, but served lukewarm. The entrée (lobster carbonara) was disappointing. It was far too heavily seasoned, drowning out the lobster with red pepper and literally painful amounts of salt. The pasta was also severely undercooked — «al dente» does not mean chewy. (To be fair, I was the only one in my group to order this dish, and everyone else seemed to enjoy their food thoroughly.)
Pleasant company and beautiful atmosphere made it a nice evening, but all in all I felt the restaurant didn’t live up to its hype — or prices.

Yes,
It is my 23^rd anniversary with my husband. Was told I was getting a menu with our names on it and all it said was ’”happy anniversary”. I was also told that they accommodate vegans and guess what? They don’t. My order was very easy for them and they totally messed it up! I told them they could bring anything and they brought things that had eggs and dairy in them! Seriously!!! Wow! Super insensitive to my needs. They finally bought a vegetable medley that was just sad. I am so disappointed.

Recently celebrated our 2^nd anniversary here. They made custom menus for us that said, «Happy 2 year anniversary» with our names. Nice touch. The staff was very knowledgeable & we learned new things about the food with each course. The owner even stopped by our table to say hello, as he was dining at the bar next to our table. The food was AMAZING. So amazing that we hardly spoke during our meal. The Waygu beef was so tasty & delectable that it does not compare to any other steak I’ve ever had. On our way out, one of the staff members dropped what she was doing & gave us a tour of the whole building, which was really neat! We hope to tour the farm soon & we will regularly celebrate our anniversaries here.

I dined there recently for my birthday. I have to admit that it wasn’t a mind blowing experience. Maybe my expectations were to high, but I had multiple people recommend Joseph Decuis. I was greeted and seated promptly. The hostess who sat us wished me a happy birthday. My menu was also printed with happy birthday. Our server was not overly attentive. I didn’t notice that he didn’t acknowledge my birthday but my husband did. It’s took some time to receive our drink order. Our salads arrived before our crab cake appetizer. We went with the wagyu filet. It was good. It came with asparagus and a stacked potato side. We also ordered coffee and Lemon cake. Everything was good, but I wouldn’t say exceptional. I would say for the price our experience was fair. A different hostess wished a happy birthday on the way out. Our dining experience was pleasant but somewhat lack luster.

OMG! I have eaten at Joseph Decuis a few times over the years, and recently my husband took me there for Valentine’s Day. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. So fresh and wonderful! Even the garden salad was memorable (and I typically am not wowed by most salads.) They recently had their long time chef move on to start his own thing, which is fine, but I must say not to worry, the food is as good as ever!!!
The bartender Shawn knows her stuff too and crafts things like barrel aged Negronis. Their wine cellar is superb as well. They never cease to amaze me. And when it comes to service, they are the best and so friendly :)! It is always a special (and healthy) event eating at Joseph Decuis. Pete and Alice do it up right! If you want a unique experience I highly reccomend. I like sitting down in the bar/​lounge area best.

Drinks were good, bread was excellent, ordered the seafood cocktail for appetizer. It was served in an old champagne glass on a plate. As soon as the plate hit the table it toppled over. We just stared at it waiting for the server to do something. He said «I don’t want to touch it with my hands» indicating we would still be eating it. In shock I said we will deal with it. It was on a clean table cloth as the restaurant had just opened but looking back we should have insisted he get another one. This was not our waitress delivering it to the table & I question why someone who seemed more like a busboy was put in this position. It was $ 18 for a small portion. We don’t order by price, I am only listing as a point of reference to anyone who might want to try Decuis. I had the salmon, it was good, but for $ 32 I’ve had better. Husband ordered the ribeye. This is where it all went wrong. We know not to fall for the Kobe/​Wagyu beef hype. My father-​in-​law raises angus & has for 20 years. We know good beef. Yes we tried Kobe, not impressed & still not impressed. The size was not mentioned when the waitress told us they had a ribeye. We assumed ribeye would be a normal cut, as they are usually good size. It was maybe 6 oz sliced ribeye like it was on a salad, very strange except if they would have put that small of a steak on a plate not sliced it would have looked even more pitiful. Seriously, this wasn’t even as much as you would get normally when ordering a filet. This cost $ 55, so it better taste amazing right!!! Nope, it had no seasoning & tasted like meat. Good thing he filled up on bread.
It was overpriced, I liked the atmosphere and would go back knowing what I am dealing with, but husband said no way. There are so many great restaurants in Fort Wayne, not to mention Marcos in Decatur is excellent & beats Decuis hands down. If they are going to charge these kinds of prices along with small portions, they better be on point. That means service, atmosphere, & food tastes amazing. Decuis just didn’t hit the mark.

I saw several articles about Joseph Decuis and planned our annual Superbowl trip around a visit there. Roanoke is a charming little town filled with antique shops. The Joseph Decuis Emporium stocks meats and wines and it is a good thing they were closed on Sunday after our dining experience as I am sure we would have spent a bunch of cash there.
Since we drove 150 miles to go to the restaurant I made sure we had a reservation. We were promptly seated in the vault room. It was dark, quiet, clubby and comfortable. Dining was an unhurried affair. Our waitress/​sommelier was accommodating and helpful.
I asked for help with the wine selection. The list is extensive and 11 pages long. Wines range in price from $ 30 to $ 300. She was not put out by my request for a full-​bodied red around $ 40 and we settled on a Chilean for $ 45. Good choice.
Mom and I shared the Duck Liver Pâté. It arrived on crispy bread with a cranberry and chocolate (Yes! Chocolate!) compote on top. There were 3 large pieces and it was incredible. We also shared the Steak Tartar. It had a chopped, coddled egg on top as well as pickled mushrooms. Also incredible.
We could have happily completed dinner with a third appetizer but did have entrées. Flank Steak and Duck Breast were both sauced well. The steak came with green rice, which did not appeal to me, but Mom liked it. The duck came with an onion-​potato mix. Excellent all around.
We really did try to choose a dessert but just couldn’t do it.
Dinner with 1 cocktail and a bottle of wine came to $ 168 plus tip. Joseph Decuis was an outstanding experience and we plan to return on an annual basis. It’s better than watching some stupid game. Unless the Bears are playing.

I had very high hopes about the dining experience I would enjoy at Joseph Decuis. My husband and I went there to celebrate our first anniversary. Upon arrival we were promptly seated and the waiter took our drink order. We ordered the wagyu tartare and seafood cocktail special. The tartare was a bit underwhelming in flavor, portion size and cost of $ 18. The seafood cocktail was very good.
On to the entrees I ordered one of the specials of the evening, slow-​braised chuck roast with cauliflower mash. The meat was very tender and tasty however the cauliflower was not a ‘mash’ at all, just small florets hiding under the beef. One of the reasons I did not order one of the main wagyu cuts available was the preparation just didn’t appeal much to me. The accompaniments to other dishes on the menu just sounded more appealing.
My husband had the wagyu strip approx. 5 oz. It was very tasty of course and pricey as one might expect.
We had Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Cake for dessert. That was my favorite dish of the evening.
I imagine if we were to return and tried the Chef’s tasting during the week we might have a meal I would consider to be exceptional but that just wasn’t the case this visit. Overall I suppose I was just a bit let down considering the rave reviews I have read about this restaurant. It was good but not great for the amount of money we spent on our meal.

The best meal I have had in my entire life hands down!!! You must try the Wagyu it is to die for! Great service and ambience.

Well I finally made it to Joseph Decuis and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Stunning atmosphere, cool open kitchen concept. Wonderful food. The collard greens that came with my duck were honestly the best I have ever had anywhere. The Wagyu was on point, and they even carried Travellers Grapefruit Shandy, which shock the shit out of me. I noticed another Unilocaler was disappointed with there service here. I on the other hand was not. My service was first class. No this place is not cheap, but dammit it was worth every penny.

On the recommendation of our friends we came here. Great choice! There was an event going on the in this cute town but it just added to the ambiance. The place is a bit dark but the décor is perfect for this place. The food was wonderful! Liked the drinks and everything we ate! cant go wrong coming here. It is not inexpensive so maybe a special event it’s ok.

Months ago, husband suggested we do a couple of Indiana foodie road trips. We would each choose an Indiana restaurant that we’d never been to, but always wanted to try. He chose The Schnitzelbank in Jasper (watch for that review in about a month). I chose Joseph Decuis.
After many days of online menu perusing, we finally headed north last Saturday as a late birthday celebration for me and an early anniversary celebration for us.
Start to finish, top to bottom, this was the very best dinner either of us have ever had. The service was wonderful. The food was spectacular. The atmosphere comfortably upscale.
We were seated directly in front of the kitchen, which I loved! I so enjoyed seeing the chefs working together and seeing how the dishes were composed.
The food: a bread plate (white, wheat, and cranberry with fresh butter), tempura battered squash blossoms (heavenly), tomato ceviche salad (perfectly tangy), lobster carbonara (in husband’s word, «perfect»), Holland sole (delicious and light, and I’m not even a fish person). You can get full descriptions on their website, but just know that I doubt there is a single thing on their menu that isn’t going to wow you!
Their beef offerings vary by what is available on their farm. The night we were there, they had filet (market prices on beef items), which was by far the most heavily ordered thing in the restaurant that night.
We skipped dessert because… well, see above. We did have their house blend coffee, which was smooth and not bitter. Everything Starbucks is not.

We were so looking forward to revisiting this place, had such good memories from years ago. Sometimes you just can’t go back. From the minute we arrived to the minute we walked out something was definitely WRONG. Made reservations 1 ½ weeks before on OPEN TABLE only to arrive and have the hostess give us a perplexed look and flit around to find us a table then ask, «so there’s only the 2 of you??» Sat us in the dining room next to the bar which was packed 2 deep, very loud and when we asked to be moved to a 2 top we were told those were for people with reservations!!! Water was poured and that was the last we saw of any wait staff, we sat for about 15 minutes wondering if we’d ever be attended to. Funny thing, another table was seated and had drink and food orders taken. At that point, we walked out!!! The hostess smiled as we left and said THANK YOU for coming in. Our response was not as pleasant. Don’t know what the issues were that nite, but our memories will have to suffice, because we will NOT be going back.

Our first visit to Joseph Decuis was this week to celebrate our 42^nd wedding anniversary. What an excellent decision.
We had the Chef’s 6 course tasting selections with their specially chosen wine pairings. Everything was beautifully presented and «lick your plate» delicious!
The 6 course dinner including the chilled avocado soup, roasted beets, sweetbreads, pork belly, wagyu ribeye finished off with a wonderful pudding dessert was a culinary delight. I don’t feel my description does it justice as there were many unusual greens, sauces, spices & ingredients that made the different courses spectacular. We will definitely return as this restaurant is a special place.

It pains me to give Joseph Decuis only 3 stars. This was not my first time at the restaurant but definitely my last. When spending a couple hundred dollars on a meal I expect exceptional service and top notch food and unfortunately that was not the case on this occasion. Our waitress was the caliber of a waitress that you may find a chain restaurant. She never shared her name and gave us about 2 seconds to look over the menu before asking what we wanted to drink. We barely had time to sit down.
We were celebrating our anniversary, which they were aware of and kindly made us custom menus, and chose to sit in the dining area that is connected to the kitchen. It was supposed to be an intimate and quiet table. Apparently the kitchen was having a bad night because on several occasions the wait staff and the kitchen staff were arguing back and forth. At one point a waiter asked the head chef to split a bowl of soup for a table and he told them to tell the table that they don’t do that. Really? We then ordered the morel mushroom appetizer and avocado soup, which the busboy brought to our table. Literally before I could even try the appetizer our waitress asked how the food was and clearly we hadn’t even eaten it yet. The avocado soup was so-​so but the morels were out of this world the best mushrooms I have ever had. For dinner we ordered the ribeye which is there locally raised Wagyu beef. I ordered a lobster and pasta dish that featured homemade pasta in a spicy sauce. It was recommended by our server. Another server delivered our meal to our table. My husband’s ribeye was $ 55 and the portion was that of which a small child would be eating. Also a little too heavily seasoned with a cut of beef that fine it doesn’t need to any seasonings in my opinion, but it was cooked to perfection. Now on to my dinner, the pasta was so chewy that it was beyond al dente. Then I had a large shell from the improperly cleaned and lobster claw that I bit into and could have damaged a tooth if I had bit harder. Also my lobster had hot and cold spots in the meal which led me to believe that the pasta had been reheated in the microwave. It then took about 15 minutes for our original waitress to come back to our table to check on our food at that time I let her know about the lobster shell. She offered to have the kitchen make a new one but I didn’t feel like eating my meal by myself while my husband was almost done with his. Then the head waitress came to our table, who I thought was quite meak and unprofessional and offered a free dessert or drink with an apology about the lobster. Seriously, this is a five star restaurant in this is the best you can do? Again we’ve eaten here before and had a wonderful time but this night was just an off night. I try to keep my expectations in check based on the price point of a restaurant and therefore I expected perfection and didn’t get, it not even close. My husband and I were so disappointed our experience that we left and didn’t even consider dessert that night.

Our experience touring the farm, meeting the owner, the café, and the cuts we purchased was fantastic. Well worth a mini road trip to check out the wagyu! We gushed the whole way home. Next time, I would definitely like to stay a night in their bed and breakfast out in the country. The farm grounds are breathtaking and the perfect place to relax and enjoy a day away.

We have been here several times since it opened. Our last visit recently was for our 34^th wedding anniversary. We both indulged in the Wagyu filet. It is so tender that it melts in your mouth. We also got morels for an appetizer and I got some gumbo soup. The bread plate is worth it, so save some room for it. Service was spot on. The art displayed makes it also a cultural event. Expensive, but a wonderful culinary experience.

My fine dining experience was made possible by the excellent outgoing backup and host Abby. I normally wouldn’t go to a restaurant like this but I’ll be back again thanks to the proficient staff. ⁵⁄₅ WOW.

I must say first that our food was fabulous — We had a Waygu Carbonnade, which was a beer braised chuck — kinda like the best pot roast in the world. The seafood gumbo was the best I’ve ever had. Coming from me, that says alot because I LOVE gumbo and get a cup whenever possible. The Shrimp and Grits appetizer was perfect — fresh, sweet and firm shrimp with creamy cheese grits.
The reason I gave four stars rather than five was the inattentive service. Our server was helpful and pleasant but just never checked on us. There was a 45-​minute wait from the time we finished our appetizers until our entrees came. No one ever stopped by to explain the delay or even check on us. Similarly, after the entrees finally arrived, no one checked to see if we needed anything or our orders were correct. Fortunately, the food was perfect so there was no issue (except for the delay).
We will still make the two-​hour drive to go back to this gem in Northern Indiana (yes, it’s that good).

Great food and service. This is a formal dinner and I would recommend allowing 2+ hours for dinner here. The culinary expertise is rare in this area of the country. We had filet mignon and scallops and both dishes were prepared marvelously. Presentation was outstanding.
Atmosphere was quiet and relaxing. Big city taste in quaint small town.