Six things to know about 6

1. Be sure to lock the bathroom door. You might think that in relatively sedate Indianapolis we’re immune to such über-modern tricks of lavatory décor. But the new ultra lounge 6 pushes the edge, design-wise, to the point of some harmless water closet tomfoolery. You might expect this at such an extraordinary bar. On Meridian Street, velvet ropes and rather official looking doormen greet you, ushering you into a vestibule hung with heavy drapes.

A bubbling dish of macaroni and cheese ($11)

Inside, a spacious club opens before you, filled with nooks for drink sipping and crowd ogling. Above the bar an ever-changing Technicolor panel bathes the otherwise stark white interior with vibrant shades. Having strolled past the DJ stand and a VIP screening room, you’re suddenly confronted with a bank of restroom stalls, each with a transparent — and quite revealing — door. You might think the management is making a liberal suggestion. But a solid turn of the lock mystically turns the door translucent, shielding you from customers’ stares. Only then can you attend to nature’s call with some certainty of anonymity — and plenty of style.

2. Cocktails are de rigueur. In fact, you’d look pretty square in this chic setting without one. The bartenders at 6 rival any in town at concocting one-of-a-kind aperitifs. They’re especially fond of layered cocktails styled like the French pousse café. The “Smoke and Mirrors” ($8) with vodka, peach schnapps and champagne is a sleight of hand that suspends fresh raspberries in progressively dense layers of clear spirits. An orange cosmopolitan ($8) with tart blood orange juice is a two-tone beauty a vampire would give his left fang for. The menu of creative cocktails is practically endless. So drink up!

3. 6 serves top-notch eats. But not many people have figured this out. In truth, you wouldn’t peg this as a place foodies would swarm for dinner. Zeroing in on the menu, though, you’ll find some innovative twists on bar food. Behind such creations as grilled shrimp with avocado-mango purée is Tyler Herald, the Muncie native who traveled all the way to Portland, Ore., for culinary school. After stints as personal chef for corporate CEOs and one of the Portland Trailblazers, he headed back to tackle the kitchen at 6. On the way, he detoured at Chicago’s North Pond, where he indulged his love of seasonal and local ingredients, something he’s brought with him to 6.

Almost everything Herald constructs is artful and delicious. Among “small plates,” crab cakes ($8) were somewhat heavily breaded, though cocktail sauce with Belvedere vodka added a nice kick. Crab dip ($8) had minimal crab, but with so many other flavors, we really didn’t miss it. A grilled flatbread pizza ($8) married sweet shallots and roasted zucchini with a creamy Romesco sauce on a crisp crust. It was a great vegetarian starter. Salads, or “green plates,” were fresh and packed with flavor. In fact, the house salad ($6), with its mustard-cilantro vinaigrette, was almost too aggressive, though candied almonds and mandarin oranges helped tone the peppery dressing down. The Gorgonzola ($6) was a throwback to 1950s steakhouse salads with a less show-stealing dressing but plenty of tangy gorgonzola.

“Large plates” run the gamut from beef tenderloin to trumped-up comfort food. Perhaps most sublime was the expertly charred 8-ounce burger ($8) on focaccia. We all had to have a bite. Tuna tacos ($12) were light but quite flavorful with corn and black bean salsa and a spicy Southwest cream. Similarly, the ravioli ($10) with a black bean-chipotle filling in spinach-jalapeño pesto was a tasty vegetarian dish perfect for a night of dancing. Utterly homey was a bubbling dish of macaroni and cheese ($11). While the sauce had a slight texture of flour, white cheddar elevated this above any home version. Smoky bacon gilded the lily.

4. Seating can be strange. For a larger party, you’ll likely be seated at tables that aren’t even adjoining, causing you to shout across a short chasm at your dining companions. A mammoth flat-screen monitor emanating constant psychedelic images, from aerial shots of futuristic islands to grainy footage of wildlife reminiscent of Wild Kingdom (minus Marlin Perkins), can be distracting. But the whole alchemy of funky table service, thumping music and visual stimulation works once you dispense with the banquette seating and stand, cocktail-party style. When the Grand Marnier fondue arrived ($15), we pushed the tables together and stood around the pot of melted chocolate gleefully skewering pineapple wedges and hunks of pound cake.

5. 6 is still working out some kinks with service. At bill time, the place was buzzing, and while our chatty, attentive waitress kindly split appetizers and entrées for every member of our party, it took almost 45 minutes to get our credit card receipts. Thankfully, we had plenty to occupy our attention.

6. If you’re bored with your usual options for dinner in the typically staid environs of many area restaurants, repeat No. 3. You’ll be hip — and truly well-fed.

6
247 S. Meridian St.
638-6660

Hours
Monday-Friday 5 p.m-3 A.m.
Saturday 7 p.m.-3 a.M.
Sunday 7 P.M.-12:30 a.m.

Food : 4 Stars
Atmosphere : 4 Stars
Service : 3.5 Stars