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There’s a new bar coming to Cherry Creek North called Forget Me Not, and it’s the passion project of a group of local pros: Culinary Creative’s group partners Juan Padró, Katie O’Shea, and culinary director Max MacKissock; Ash’Kara bar star Nicole Lebedevitch; and BMC Investments’ Matt Joblon. Located inside a fully renovated free-standing house adjacent to the Cherry Cricket parking lot on Clayton Street, which once held a flower shop, Forget Me Not is being designed as a Denver cocktail destination. The bar should be open in early December.
Raw Creative is the architecture firm behind the new space and Joblon and designer Robin Smith Smith created the aesthetic, which is destined to be gorgeous. There’s a sleek black-white-red-and-gold thing happening throughout the building, from the monochrome exterior with its white picket fence-lined patio and Jeremiah Clark (aka Jher451) wall mural to the tile flooring around the blood-red banquettes and squared-off walnut-and-marble bar that anchors the interior. A gold vintage chandelier made from feathers hangs over the bar, and soon, brass shelving, large wall murals, and greenery will adorn the space.
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Most importantly for its pandemic-era opening, Forget Me Not’s front windows open accordion-style to let in fresh air, and Padró and Joblon are working on tenting and heating the 40-person front patio. About 36 people will fit inside, and there will be fewer tables and bar seats set out until COVID restrictions are eased.
Lebedevitch is creating the beverage program as an homage to the flower shop of old. “I want Forget Me Not to be a comfortable destination with accessible drinks,” she says. “The opening menu will be a combination of classics and our house cocktails, which will draw on flowers, spices, and barks from local farms.” Pricing will range from $12 to $14 per cocktail; hot drinks like toddies will also be available, in consideration of the season.
Count on Lebedevitch’s menu to wow cocktail fans; she’s led big-deal beverage programs from Boston to Denver, including her most recent work at Morin and Ash’Kara. As Padró says, “After years of trying, I finally convinced Nicole to move from Boston and join us at Culinary Creative. She is a jazz musician who trained at the Berklee College of Music and Forget Me Not is the beautiful, fun, edgy stage we built for her to shine.”
Max MacKissock, Culinary Creative’s culinary mastermind, is developing a small-plate menu to go along with the cocktails. Charcuterie plates and lobster rolls are likely to be included, according to Padró, and shucking champion Ben Wolven will bring raw oysters to the party, too.
Considering Lebedevitch’s musical training, it’s no surprise that live performances will be a part of the Forget Me Not experience. Live DJs will spin and the musical selections will rotate throughout the day and night. “We want the vibe to be sophisticated, sexy, and just a little bit weird,” she says.
“It solves the problem of where to go out for the night in Cherry Creek,” Padró says. “The demographic in the neighborhood has changed a lot in recent years, and there’s a youthful energy now. There’s a new desire for funkiness in Cherry Creek.”
Forget Me Not is scheduled to open for business in early December, and will pour drinks starting at 3 p.m. during the week and 11 a.m. on weekends. 227 Clayton St.
