Restaurateur makes comeback on Old Northside

An Indianapolis fine-dining restaurant pioneer has partnered with a Puccini's Smiling Teeth pizzeria co-founder to develop a chef-driven, wine-centric spot between Herron-Morton Place and the Old Northside.

Peter George, who opened and closed his upscale Peter's restaurant in Fountain Square years before Indianapolis' current individualist-restaurant boom, returns when Tinker Street debuts this summer.

George and business partner Thomas Main, among Puccini's 1991 founders, are renovating the gutted former office and retail building at 402 E. 16th St., between Central Avenue and New Jersey Street.

The pair envision a lively, neighborhood eatery and $16 to $20 meals.

"We want a place where you can get a nice glass of wine and not get jammed," Main said of the price point.

Former Oakley's sous chef Braedon Kellner is crafting small- and large-plate offerings, guided by fresh, seasonal produce and including vegan and vegetarian options, George said. George and Main will manage the restaurant.

"This is really his (Kellner's) show. We're putting the salt and pepper on it," George said of his and Main's role in menu development and execution.

Nothing on the menu is for certain at this point, except for a crepes cake, George and Main agreed. Similar desserts in France are called "gâteau mille crêpes." Crepes stacked as tall as a two- or three-layer cake are sandwiched with a filling, which at Tinker Street will marry chocolate, orange and almond flavors.

Expect around 30 to 40 wines, along with a few local beers, but no liquor, Main said.

Booth and table seating accommodating 36 diners fit inside the 900-square-foot space showcasing an open kitchen. Another 42 seats will be on a partially covered patio off New Jersey Street, George said. A semi-open-air bar will divide the dining areas.

The restaurant's name recalls the time when 16th Street was a dirt road called "Tinker." The William Tinker family homestead existed there around 1850, according to historicindianapolis.com.

George opened the swanky Peter's in 1985. At the time, diners considered Peter's the fanciest restaurant in the city. Frustrated at the then-slow growth of the Downtown restaurant market, George shuttered the store in 1993. At the time, he told The Indianapolis Star that the Downtown fine-dining scene was "not going to happen."

George went on to open Square 1 American Kitchen & Bar at 86th Street and Keystone Avenue. He left restaurant ownership behind in the early 2000s after his restaurants together filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

With Herron-Morton and Old Northside residential development popping, George said his passion for restaurant ownership surged. "It just feels like the right time. It feels good," he said.

Main, who opened the now-14-unit Puccini's with two partners, stepped away from the business around 2007, he said.

Call Liz Biro at (317) 444-6264 or follow her on Twitter: @lizbiro