Cool new restaurant set to open in the Pearl District

Blake Ewing is a businessman but along the way he's an artist as well. Ewing hopes to blend the two passions seamlessly when he opens his newest restaurant venture in the next few weeks. Ewing told KRMG news he hopes The Phoenix Cafe will spread its wings for the first time in early December in the Pearl District near 6^th and Peoria.

“We’re really hoping that with new things start to come to life in this area that The Phoenix can be a part of the rebirth of the Pearl District” Ewing told us this week.

Ewing designed the new spot with more than just a restaurant in mind, he wanted a meeting place. “It fits here” he began. “I think the young, urban minded person looks for things like this, they want places to hang out and just have conversation” he noted.

Listen to the entire interview with Blake here.

And the look of the restaurant will fit in nicely as well “it’s got a cool old vibe on the inside” he told us. “We’ve got reclaimed wood all over the inside of the walls and we left the exposed rafters and exposed brick, I really wanted it to feel like it’s been around for a while.”

Ewing said the look was easy to come by due to the buildings past. “It’s been an auto repair place, it has big garage doors on the front that we turned into windows.”

The kind of food served by the restaurant will reflect the same sensibility “it’s kind of a coffee shop, café, bagel shop with a bakery” Blake said proudly.

Even the name is meant to reflect the area. ”It’s kind of symbolic for us” Blake pointed out. “We wanted it to lead the way in the Pearl District neighborhood to bring it back to life.”

Ewing wants people to know his joint will be there for them nearly 24 hours a day. “It’ll be open from 6:30 in the morning until at least 2:00 a.m.” he pointed out.

Ewing owns several restaurants as well as a T-shirt shop and he's a city councilor. KRMG asked if running a restaurant was easier than the business of the city. "Hah" he laughed "it makes city council look easy."