L'explorateur, Scotty's & Tango

May 27, 2008
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I've got a couple of downtown restaurant nuggets. But first, mark your calendars: The summer edition of Devour Downtown starts Monday. Enjoy a special $30 menu at many of downtown's top eateries for two weeks. Bon appetit!


L’ExAn appetizing restaurant site
Chef Neal Brown still is looking around downtown for a place to move his popular L’explorateur restaurant. He's working on a letter-of-intent for his top choice: 111 S. Meridian St., the former home of Brenner Luggage (shown here via Google StreetView). The building has condos upstairs, including one owned by Peyton Manning. If Brown and building owner Rick Coombes can reach terms, L'explorateur would move from Broad Ripple.


Jefferson PlazaGreat Scotty's!
Restaurant entrepreneur Scotty Wise is betting big that downtown is ready for his college-town institution. Very big. A Scotty's proposed for the revamped Jefferson Plaza along Pennsylvania Street calls for 200 outdoor and 300 indoor seats. Wise said he hopes to build a fire pit and a permanent outdoor bar if he can win city approval. He hopes to open in December.


Taste of TangoSave the last dance
Local real estate broker Fabricio Perez hasn't given up on his dream to open an Argentinian restaurant called Taste of Tango at 36 E. Washington St. He had hoped to open last summer, but Perez said trouble financing other projects diverted his attention. He put the property up for sale in hopes of leasing back the restaurant space but has since taken the 1882 building off the market. Perez has no target date for opening.

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  • MikeWMay 27, 2008 3:38 PM
    Very Very excited for Scotty's. I have mentioned to many of my friends the intent of them opening downtown and all of my friends and co-workers are excited, and ready. Having a larger place for outdoor seating will be very nice downtown. Especially if it attract that amount of foot traffic to that side of town. That will bode well for any development done at MSA including a proposed Target if they are still interested. Go Scotty Wise!
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  • DRTMay 27, 2008 3:50 PM
    A shame about him selling the Washington St. building to move to the Market area. Those vacant lots right across from IBJ are going to sit there for a little while longer I guess...
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  • BrettBMay 27, 2008 3:52 PM
    Go Scotty's! It is very refreshing to have a restaurant like Scotty's in Indy, it has a lot of different well priced drinks, flat screens at every view, but his food always hits the spot. I wish more menus were as wide as Scotty's but I bet the food wouldn't be as good.

    Whoever Scott is......congrats, I finally found a place worth bragging about. Keep up the great service and I hope to see 5 more in Indy.
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  • KevinMay 27, 2008 7:58 PM
    Great location for L’explorateur. It will be good to see another locally-owned restaurant in the downtown core. By the way, is Scotty's an upscale sports bar?
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  • MariaMay 27, 2008 8:03 PM
    I didn't know Peyton also had a condo downtown. Does he still own a house in the Williams Creek area?
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  • beerdrinkerMay 27, 2008 9:32 PM
    Fridays is closed, they started cleaning the place out, and the hotel on Memorial Day. Any word on them moving to another location? And when is Dunkin Donuts opening? The tile work is done and they have been working thil about 9pm at night. Any word what might replace the chili joint next to Houlihans downtown, that place has been vacant for awhile and it is a great location for convention people.
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  • all-day breakfastMay 27, 2008 10:43 PM
    Kevin: Scotty's is your typical college-town bar/restaurant... though the food quality and selection is probably a cut above the norm. Think Moe & Johnny's (Scotty's) vs. Friday's (the norm).

    Maria: Manning still owns a home just east of Butler University.
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  • JonMay 28, 2008 2:25 AM
    Kevin, It's Scotty's Brewhouse http://www.scottysbrewhouse.com/
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  • CoryWMay 28, 2008 12:42 PM
    Great restaurant news. Downtown's dining scene is making HUGE strides with so many locally-ownder eateries poping up! We are always going to have a lot of chains around CC and the Convention Centre as they are all about name recognition. HOWEVER, its great that a lot of the chains we do have are unique to Central Indiana.
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  • CrossedwiresMay 28, 2008 2:49 PM
    Will any of the outdoor seating for Scotty's encroach into the sidewalk and public right of way? or will it all be in the plaza?
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  • MikeWMay 28, 2008 3:35 PM
    From what I have heard the Scotty's dining will be contained in the plaza, for 200+ seats it should be in the plaza. The food can be expensive, most entree items are 9-12 dollars, so in par with other restaraunts downtown, but a more inviting atmosphere than say a Champps. And the food is well worth the price. They also have some good Sweet Tea.

    TGIF is not relocating or moving. They are going to remain closed until the major construction is done. I asked about them moving and they said no. In fact they stopped ordering and refilling alcohol about a month ago.

    Peyton I heard also owns a Condo in the Conrad. This has been rumored to be used by his family since they are around for almost every home game.
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  • CrystalMay 29, 2008 10:21 AM
    I heard on the news this morning that TGIF was talking to the Marriott people about going into one of the smaller hotels that is being built on west washington street.
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