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• Scholars Inn Restaurant & Lounge

The southwest flatbread appetizer offered by the Scholars Inn located at 725 Massachusetts. (Steve Sanchez / The Indianapolis Star)

The truffle burger offered by the Scholars Inn. (Steve Sanchez / The Indianapolis Star)

The crab cake offered by the Scholars Inn. (Steve Sanchez / The Indianapolis Star)

Earlier this year, the Scholars Inn on Mass Ave. loosened its bookish bow tie and underwent an extreme makeover. After closing to the public in January, it reopened in mid-March as S.I. Representing not only its original moniker but also "sexy" and "intimate," the new name hints at streamlined style.

Also new is the chef, Jake Brenchley, an import from the original Scholars Inn in Bloomington. Brenchley trained in France and has a degree from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Miami, and he puts that background to use in S.I.'s two new menus -- one for the main restaurant, the second for the revamped lounge.

Sleek and sophisticated, the new lounge bears little resemblance to its former persona. Gone are the swirly print fabrics and bright lighting. Instead, once my husband and I stepped through the gauzy white curtains doubling as doors, we had to stand still while our eyes adjusted to the low light.

More sheer white curtains drape from ceiling to floor, creating semiprivate nooks. Plush red high-back chairs and low-to-the-floor couches group around cocktail tables, while music, from soft jazz to Amy Winehouse, drifts through the space. Next to the bar, a vertical screen plays rotating rounds of abstract images.

A specialty drink menu ($9 to $12) lists a number of tempting beverages, ranging from a Sunlit Daydream (vanilla vodka, key lime liqueur, melon liqueur and key lime juice) to a Harmless Ricochet (mango vodka, white cranberry juice and fresh lime). The bartender described one of her favorites, the delicious but potent Starjuice, a mix of Bacardi O, Malibu rum, Soho Lychee liqueur, sour mix and apple juice.

Sitting at the bar, Pete and I perused the lounge menu, a list of six options: two flatbreads, toasted ravioli, an upscale burger, a crab cake and "dueling tartars" -- yellow fin tuna and smoked salmon. We started with the Southwest flatbread ($11), whose oval-shaped crust -- pillowy in the middle, thin and crunchy on the edges -- was topped with Manchego cheese, black beans, roasted corn, garlic, heirloom tomato pieces and a sprig of fresh cilantro.

Our interest piqued, we moved on to the crab cake and truffle burger. I have yet to find an Indiana-made crab cake that compares to fresh versions in coastal locales, and the serving temperature could have been warmer for my taste. Still, this one ($13) did have a nice flavor, and the white wine mustard sauce on the plate added oomph.

Pete's truffle burger ($15), made from "aged filet mignon and prime beef," according to the menu, tasted like steak -- rich, with an almost buttery mouth feel. And the toppings -- sliced truffles, along with an "herb salad" of mint, dill and cilantro -- made traditional condiments unnecessary.

Another treat: the large side portion of glistening, lightly crunchy confit fries. The secret, apparently, is truffle butter, and it definitely makes the fries a standout.

S.I. still has some kinks to work out. The single bartender on duty was friendly and helpful, but service was uneven and waits between rounds and for the check were sometimes lengthy.

Still, the lounge is off to an encouraging start. I'm interested in returning to S.I., this time to the dining room, to sample more of Chef Brenchley's creative fare.

Taste Test

Appetizer:

Southwest flatbread, $11

Entrees:

Crab cake, $13

Truffle burger, $15

- By Julie Cope Saetre / Indy.com Correspondent