Bar and Poke Changes at Two Zeppelin Food Halls

Between the Source Hotel & Market Hall and Zeppelin Station, two ambitious projects from developer Kyle Zeppelin, at least fifteen food and booze vendors fuel visitors, so there are bound to be occasional changes to the lineups. While last summer's debut of the Source Hotel added Smok, Safta and The Woods, the attached market hall, which opened in 2013 at 3350 Brighton Boulevard, lost Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe and Babettes Artisan Bread.

And now the hall's central cocktail bar, RiNo Yacht Club, is also pulling up anchor. The Yacht Club was launched in September 2014 by Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges, who also run the Proper Pour, a boutique liquor store adjacent to the bar. After taking over the island bar and lounge space previously run by Caprock Farm Bar, the two made a name for the place with a menu of creative cocktails, natural wines and champagnes, and fun pop-ups, from fried-chicken nights to bagel breakfasts.

RiNo Yacht Club's last night will be January 27, but that won't spell the end of the brand. Wright and Hedges plan on christening a brick-and-mortar version of RiNo Yacht Club this summer in a yet-to-be-disclosed location. In the meantime, they're keeping the Proper Pour open, and they're also overseeing the beverage program at Morin, at 1600 15th Street.

Just a stone's throw away at Zeppelin Station (3501 Wazee Street), Chicago-based Aloha Poke Co. is out, and local newcomer OK Poke is in. While the name is new, the operators behind the fish counter are veterans of the Denver restaurant scene. James Samara and Brendan McManus, who run El Jefe in Sunnyside and three locations of Lucky Pie, have teamed up with Bobby Morgan to bring a slightly different style of raw fish to the food hall.

“Poke has gotten away from what made it popular in the first place: simple, fresh and nutrient-rich ingredients,” Samara says.The company is eschewing "the showy nature of candy-like sauces" in favor of "perfectly cut, simple ingredients." Protein options include ahi tuna, salmon, crab mix and tofu, along with a variety of toppings and sauces.

And that's what it's all about.

OK Poke is now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.