Last month, Future Restaurant Group opened Scullery, a 2,000-square-foot space in the Ogden. It’s a unique footprint—bar/eatery up front, booths in the middle, performance space in the back—and, as such, boasts unique sources of inspiration. Here are a few:
New Orleans “I went to [jazz venue] Snug Harbor on Frenchmen Street and there was the restaurant in front, and I remember going to the back and feeling that exciting sense of discovery where the band was playing,” says FRG’s Michael Cornthwaite. “It [had a] very semi-secret underground vibe.” Programming for the black box-styled theater will vary, but Cornthwaite is already scheduling jazz acts.
Portland Another of Cornthwaite’s favorite U.S. cities played a particular role in Scullery’s artisanal small-bites menu, as many of its cured meats hail from Portland’s heralded Olympic Provisions charcuterie. And the bar’s proprietary cocktails feature alcoholic standouts from elsewhere in the Beaver State. “I think a lot of the products that come out of Oregon come from groups of people and companies that really care about what they’re doing.”
The kitchen Cornthwaite wanted his bar to not only operate like a kitchen, but to feel like one, too. “I always thought that it was interesting how people like to gather in the kitchen,” he says. “We came to the conclusion that people like to eat, and they drink a little bit more when they’re eating, and how can we do that without a kitchen staff of 10 or more people? This is what we came up with.”
Scullery The Ogden, 150 Las Vegas Blvd. N #190, 910-2396. Tuesday-Saturday, 5 p.m.
