- Kelly O
- This is where the as-yet-unnamed bar will be.
Liberty owner Andrew Friedman is opening a new bar. He gave us the details.
Where: 1720 East Olive Way, at the corner of Olive and Harvard, in the space in the house that for years was Online Coffee (then, briefly, Online Cafe). Friedman says, "Yeah, they really stretched when they named that one."
Name: No name yet. "Naming a bar is kind of like naming a baby. You have one chance to do it right." (Friedman's own brand-new baby girl is named Bowie Friedman.)
The concept/space: "Itâs going to be as if youâre just going to your friendâs house and having a drink. Or your friend who lives in a really nice place, because none of us live in nice places. Not design-heavyâyou just walk in and youâre like, 'Wow, this is cool.' Instead of like every other barâmine includedâhaving tables, [where] you walk in and you know youâre in a bar, you just come in, hang out, and drink at someoneâs house. A lot of couches, very comfortable, that kind of thing."
"Itâs just a naturally great space... You walk in and you feel great."
The capacity will be 60-ish people, with a 15-seat bar, which Friedman admits is not like your friend's place, but, he says: "We love being bartenders. We love being able to make drinks for people and stand behind the bar." They're also going to pre-batch specialty drinks instead of doing one-by-one craft cocktails: "You can make a really great drink without taking the time to make a six-ingredient drink every time." Of course, you'll still be able to order whatever cocktail you want, too. And they'll be expanding the deck into an all-season patio.
When: "It should not take a long time, because thereâs not a terrific amount to doâitâs just that you never know how long the city takes to give us our permitsâbecause weâre doing everything legally. A novel concept for a lot of bars. So if itâs open in two months, weâd be stoked."
Food: "Itâs not going to be a chef-centric type of food. Itâs going to be light, really tasty, really good, and very satisfying, but itâs not going to be a deep menu." He has no idea who will be in the kitchen yetâit's not a secret, they just don't have a chef yet.
On juggling a newborn baby and a new business: "You just make it work. Life puts stuff in front of you, and you just kind of hold it in, keep moving forward. The baby has no idea whatâs going on. Sheâs not contributing much to the design process." Meanwhile, the opening process is going "smooth as the bottom of a newborn baby."
Why now: He was a consultant for the previous owner, and they kept in touch. "And one day he called and said, 'Hey man, you want this space? I donât want to do it.' And I was more than happy to say yes."