L'explorateur

• Where: 6523 Ferguson St., (317) 726-6906, dinelex.com
• Atmosphere: Casual to slightly dressy.
• Details: V/MC/D/AX.
• Hours: 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

By Traci Cumbay

Chef Neal Brown is sitting pretty: The parking lot at his new Broad Ripple restaurant tends to be full of showy, shiny cars, and his name appears in articles about Indianapolis cuisine and on local food blogs with regularity.

Brown is the young fella who most recently collected kudos at Brugge Brasserie and formerly worked with Greg Hardesty at H20 Sushi and with Tony Hanslits at Tavoli diTosa, which operated in the spot Brown's new venture now occupies.

L'Explorateur offers fusion food prepared with unique ingredients that, as often as possible, were raised within an organic beet's throw of the restaurant.

The place is studiously hip, with one striking flower per table and ethereal paintings by artist/L'Explorateur server Stacy Novak on the gray walls. It's cool and spacious, and there's outside seating.

SOME GOOD CHANGES

The menu changes daily and offers cheeky dishes without explanation beyond their cryptic names: "This ain't your fraternity brothers' ramen noodles!" and "all skate, Noblesville style."

You clever monkey, you. Now tell me what's in it.

Actually, servers are happy to oblige. You might get one who sounds as if he actually created the dish and can describe it like a seduction. But, you might not. Either way, many explanations are likely to include, "It's sooo good."

It seems Brown's staff is as excited about the food as he is. It's encouraging.

A note on the stunning L'Explorateur Web site explains how Brown wants his diners to explore flavors through his concoctions: "Some you may love, some you may hate, but none that you will ever forget."

It's a bold statement. Consider yourself warned that he won't regret it if you do hate something. I did, and the server took it away, saying, "I'll see what the chef wants to do about this."

What he wanted to do was give me a dessert and leave the overpriced entrée on my bill. Seemed a shortsighted move, particularly when we'd been told that he was working on nailing down a menu and our feedback would be appreciated.

For that and other reasons (overbearing service, all-around lackluster cuisine) the experience left the mister and me unconvinced of Brown's talents.

But on our second visit, we got a glimpse of what the fuss is all about. We found a new menu with some excellent offerings and lower prices.

SECOND TIME'S A CHARM

On take two, we started with a couple dishes from the raw bar -- hamachi carpaccio ($10) and seviche of scallop ($12). The hamachi itself was buttery, in contrast with the chili oil and wasabi roe that topped it. Small crispy shavings of horseradish provided just the right salt and snap. It was the kind of dish that prohibits conversation beyond "Holy Moses!" and "Awesome!"

The seviche was topped by crumbled blue corn chips and presented beautifully with bright red ginger roe. The flavors were subtle and summery.

Coq qu vin ($26) was served atop risotto with greens, a Chardonnay reduction and crème fraiche. It was exactly as rich as it sounds, but there was a sharpness to the sauce that buoyed the dish, and the moist chicken had soaked up its deliciousness.

"Kick his ass sea bass" ($28) had a long, narrow slice of sea bass atop a square of sunchoke au gratin. The density and tangy flavor of the vegetable gave the delicate fish the substance it lacked and made for a nice combination. Nothing that elicits the intense emotion Brown strives for, but lovely.

Dessert was "deconstructed" carrot cake ($7) -- spice cake topped with cream cheese ice cream and partnered with carrot puree and a couple spears of carmelized carrots. A striking presentation that was backed up by the depth of three delectable elements.

If Brown continues to pull things together, L'Explorateur will be a force in the Indy dining scene. Its chef is no stranger to that position.