Montrose will soon be home to a new bar that unites creative cocktails and elevated food. Slated to open in April, 6s & 7s replaces The Next Door, the bar next to Rudyard’s that shuttered last weekend.
The project unites veteran bartender Lacy Williams (Grand Prize, The Pink Elephant Room) with chef Anthony Calleo, who has created an all-new menu of elevated bar bites that will be served out of the Rudyard’s kitchen. Transforming Next Door into 6s & 7s begins soon, with an expected mid-April opening. Overall, the goal is to offer the neighborhood a companion to Rudyard’s that’s a little more elevated, with a focus on wine and cocktails.
“Anthony and I have been friends for a very long time,” Williams tells CultureMap. “It’s always been in the back of our minds to work together. I think it was a matter of right time right place.”
The bar takes it name from an old colloquial expression for chaos. While that has the connotation of disorder, Williams says she finds inspiration in those moments.
“What I wanted to do was harness that energy of creative chaos and the chaos of service and the chaos of working in the hospitality industry and all the creative things that occur with that,” she says. “I kind of love what that embodies. It’s also going to look really good in neon, which is nice.”
The duo aren’t ready to give too much away about the space’s design, but it will include custom light art and other visual elements that are designed to hold people’s attention. Williams has provided local artists with some concepts and is asking them to collaborate with her on the specifics.
“It’s going to be something that’s really interactive, with different design elements that pull you into the space,” Calleo says. “I don’t want to give too much away, because I want people to be surprised. The term I’ve been using is ‘visually demanding:’ not in the sense that it takes a lot out of you but in the sense that you’re required to pay attention to it.”
One detail Calleo mentions is a giant Plinko board. Patrons can win prizes such as drink discounts, or they can win the opportunity to donate money to a Montrose-area charity. The bar will match those donations.
Towards its goal of fostering creativity, 6s & 7s will invite guest bartenders in for menu pop-ups. Williams notes that sometimes a bartender may have ideas for a drink that don’t fit the overall concept of where they’re working. At 6s & 7s, they can test and refine those ideas with paying customers.
Having earned acclaim for both his pizza and bar food at Rudyard’s, Calleo is ready to stretch creatively with the dishes at 6s & 7s. Expect snacky items like a riff on home fries that includes guanciale and fermented garlic butter as well as lighter fare like Swiss chard ravioli in a Parmesan brodo.
Williams says her cocktail menu will focus on classics. Once she finishes assembling her team, they'll work together to create some house cocktails that incorporate ideas such as sustainability and minimizing waste.
The duo will offer future patrons a preview of the concept with a special dinner on February 13. Tickets should go on sale next via the Rudyard’s website.
This logo will look good in neon.
