A LoHi restaurant space is changing hands, and cuisines, again.
Blossom by SYC, a higher-end Chinese restaurant, plans to open next spring at 1691 Central St.
It will be the fifth eatery to operate in the 3,300-square-foot space in the past 10 years. The most recent one was El Chingon Bistro.
“The inside is going to be nothing like Denver has ever had yet,” said James Choi, director of operations for the restaurant group.
Choi said the spot, whose interior will be adorned with “shiny parts and contrasting colors,” will be part of a new chain of upscale restaurants, SYC Concepts. It’s the brainchild of Shuang Crossland, a chef that has been operating Asian eateries in Denver for nearly 17 years under the One Concept Restaurant Group brand. It’s an assortment of mostly one-off Asian food concepts.
SYC Concepts will be a sister company to One Concept, according to Choi.
“It’s going to be the upscale chain,” he said.
While the menu has yet to be solidified, Blossom will be a dinner spot with a full bar. Choi estimated an average ticket might be about $80.
The food will be a mixture of well-known Americanized dishes along with more traditional Chinese recipes, Choi said. Every table will come with its own enclosure to feel more private, and there will be a private dining room that can be reserved.
Choi said the buildout cost for the space will be close to $500,000. Initial plans indicate that the restaurant will seat between 75 and 85 people.
El Chingon Bistro, a Mexican restaurant, was seized by the state in May over $44,000 in unpaid taxes. Previously, 1691 Central was home to Central Bistro, Candela Latin Kitchen and Northside Eatery + Market.
Lorenzo Harris and Sam Zaitz of JLL represented the landlord. Carter Holt and Lisa Nguyen of Re/Max represented the tenants. Harris said he got the assignment in late summer.
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“The LoHi restaurant market and food scene is one of the hottest in the state,” he said.
SYC Concepts, meanwhile, is not settling for just one restaurant. Choi said it will debut SYC Temaki in January at 1573 S. Colorado Blvd. just north of Interstate 25 in Cory-Merrill. As the name suggests, it will be a spot for temaki, a type of hand-rolled sushi shaped in a cone.
Crossland, who owns SYC, which is named after her initials, opened Go Fish Sushi on Broadway in 2007, adding a second in Broomfield in 2014. These became the bedrock of her One Concept Restaurant Group brand, which will have over 10 locations by the end of next year. Crossland plans to open Miya Moon, serving Chinese food, in Broomfield and Lone Tree, along with Mikaku Ramen & Temaki in Aurora. All three restaurants will open by year-end.
“Nowadays, she’s at so many locations that you don’t know where you’re gonna run into her!” Choi said of Crossland.