I grew up in Fort Wayne, and there wasn't much good to eat. Things have improved, but there's almost nothing there you can't get here or get here better.
That said, one place you should not miss is Powers Hamburgers, 1402 S. Harrison Street. Been there since forever, and it's open all night (except closes sometime late on Saturday night and is closed Sunday). People often use the term "White Castle" as an aid to describing their product, but that's an injustice. While hunting for the exact address, I found this,
http://www.hollyeats.com/Powers.htm, which at least gives you a feel for the place. Note the grill picture and menu. I like to get a seat with a view of the grill. If you don't want to be reminded by smell of your trip to Ft. Wayne for weeks to come, leave your jacket in the car, and whatever you do, don't bring the food into the car. On the other hand, I sort of like the smell... It's an extremely affordable place to eat, and one thing I've always enjoyed about it is that you truly see all kinds of people there, a real cross-section of the town.
Another late-night (or whenever) favorite nearby is Coney Island, 131 W. Main Street. ("Our buns are steamed.") And here are more pics.
http://www.hollyeats.com/ConeyIsland.htm. They have Coke in the small glass bottles.
[Edited to remove reference to Zoli's pizza. They're closed.]
For seafood, I like the Oyster Bar, 1830 S. Calhoun Street, another very old restaurant. I prefer this location to the newer strip-mall version out north.
Good indian food can be found at Taj Mahal, 6410 W. Jefferson, and the staff is very nice. Not anything better than you can get on Devon, but very good to have in Fort Wayne!
A notable place outside of Fort Wayne is Joseph Decuis
http://www.josephdecuis.com/. It's in Roanoke, a rather backwoodsy (I'm trying to be tactful here) small town (pop. 1495). It's my impression that most people in Roanoke would find it totally crazy to spend the price of an appetizer there for a whole meal. For whatever reason, big-name sports agent Eugene Parker's office is in this town (clients include Emmitt Smith, Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders, etc.), and this restaurant is across the street. Very strange. There was an article about the restaurant in the Tribune's Tempo section a while back. I haven't eaten there, but folks apparently come from far away to do so.
I can't think of anywhere to send you for the specific types of food you mentioned, but my current knowledge is rather spotty. Good luck, don't miss Powers, and please report back!
Addendum: I should also have mentioned DeBrands chocolates. They have a few locations, and are very good.
http://www.debrand.com/
Last edited by
Holly of Uptown on September 23rd, 2007, 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.