She's also conscious that wine bars can seem fairly daunting to novices and non-wine drinkers, which is exactly the opposite of what she's trying to create. "People feel intimidated by wine bars," she says. "I wanted to create a space for people who love wine and are obsessed, and all they want to do is drink Champagne — but also for people who are curious about wine, or who care not at all for wine. I wanted to serve both crowds."
She describes Bar Helix as if "Williams and Graham, Ste. Ellie and Mercantile had a love child." The wine list, she says, will rise to the level of the best restaurant wine programs in the city — a boon for wine-drinkers who'd like to geek out a bit in a true bar environment — and she's cutting no corners in building her cocktail, beer, cider and sake lists, either. "This is a sexy, grown-up lounge and bar," she says. "One of my guiding principles is, are we sexy? Do you feel sexy when you come in the door? Not in an overt way, but in a subtle way. I love a bar like that — where the lighting is just right, the seating is intimate and everyone looks good to each other."

A preview of Bar Helix popped up at Anderson's annual Yacht Rock party at Aspen Food and Wine.
Courtesy Kendra Anderson
Building the beer program was harder, says the owner, because she wanted to offer something exciting to beer enthusiasts that they wouldn't find elsewhere in RiNo. And while she's not ready to reveal the direction she's settled upon, she promises it will be distinct from anything that her neighbors — some of them craft brewers or formidable beer bars — are doing. In addition to beer, she's filling out a sizable cider selection, focusing on bone-dry examples in particular. "I know Colorado has a great cider presence, but I have not personally seen too many of the ciders on many programs," she explains.
And then, of course, there will be wine, which Anderson says will also adhere to the mantra of seasonal, inspirational and experimental. "I don’t want it to be very set or formulaic," she says. "For instance, when we open [in the summer], there might be no red wine. I don’t really drink red wine in the summer, especially when it’s 100 degrees out. And if there is red, it probably won’t be a Cabernet Sauvignon. I’m willing to take that risk and see if it works, and if it doesn’t, we’ll correct. But I may be able to refer them to a chilled Beaujolais, and say, 'Let’s talk about why you might enjoy this more today versus Napa Cab, which might be better in December.'"
Anderson says her main goal here is to have conversations that encourage drinkers to expand their palates and horizons a bit. "A lot of times, ordering wine is transactional — it's, 'I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay,' and then we get that glass and serve it to you. That's the opposite of what I want; I want a conversation. We might have Chardonnay by the glass, but it might not be what you normally drink, or it might not be from a place you normally drink it from, so we'll have a conversation about what it is and isn’t. Our Chardonnay might be from Burgundy, so it will have the clean, fresh, bright apple and pear flavors, but might not be what you’re used to with the oak. I want to help people expand their horizons and get out of their comfort zone. Not in a forceful way — I want people to be happy, no matter what, but I hope guests will take a journey with us, work with us a little bit and have a good time." She's also intent on offering good values, so she'll focus on lesser-known regions and varietals, and rely on those conversations to help, say, a Cabernet Sauvignon drinker make the leap to a Douro red from Portugal.
Bar Helix will likely feature twenty to thirty by-the-glass options, because, says the owner, "I think that’s where people can really play around." One big additional perk: Commit to ordering at least two glasses of wine of any particular bottle, and Anderson will open anything in the bar.

Anderson, wearing the official uniform of Denver, predicts Bar Helix will open late summer.
Courtesy Kendra Anderson
If all goes to plan, Bar Helix will open in late summer. Follow Bar Helix on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for updates.