In September, Francois Safieddine bought the building at 1414 Market Street — which is home to his clubs Oak Tavern and 24K — for $1,525,000. At around the same time, he also bought the former home of Mori, the old Nisei lodge at 2015 Market, from the Nisei Veterans Heritage Foundation, for a reported $900,000. Safieddine has already applied for a liquor license for the address; in early 2011, his Lotus Concepts will move its offices into the second floor. And what will be using that liquor license on the first floor? According to Paulina Szafranski, vice president of marketing for Lotus Concepts, they don't yet have a complete concept, much less a name for the space.
There's even less info available on what Safieddine has planned for the former Ruth's Chris Steakhouse space at 1445 Market, in a building owned by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Last month, Safieddine signed a multi-year lease on the spot; he may turn it into a bar. Only one thing is certain: Safieddine could soon have the Market Street market cornered.
Club scout: After Brewski's Pub & Grill closed, its former home just off Highway 36 at Pecos Street became a third HiccUps location, then the biker-friendly country bar Buckin' Harley's. Now Brewski's is being resurrected in Thornton, at 2100 East 104th Avenue, in the former home of Los Pinos Mexican Restaurant. Roger Holt, who co-owns the 4,500-square-foot bar with the original owner of Brewski's, says the new saloon will be an upgraded version of the old Brewski's, with a more upscale look. Watch for it to open at the end of December or in early January.
After remodeling the former La Estrella Sports Bar & Grill, at 3142 West Hampden Avenue in Sheridan, Crystal Tovar opened it last month as the eighteen-and-over Club Desire. There's now a VIP room downstairs, which Tovar says can be used for private parties as well as bottle service. Upstairs, DJs spin hip-hop, oldies, old-school and more Thursdays through Sundays. Thursdays are also ladies' night, with $1 Sex on the Beach shots and margaritas, $3 shots for everyone, and no cover.
On Saturday, December 18, another Safieddine club, Suite Two Hundred (1427 Larimer Street), is throwing a party for Al Harrington, the Denver Nuggets' new forward who signed with the team over the summer. DJ Cobra, who has multiple residencies in Hollywood and spins around the world, will be on the decks. Anyone who purchases bottle service that night has a chance to win a pair of courtside tickets.
