Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/419349
photography by bryan hainer (the ogden); peter harasty (Carson KitChen) restaurants—Rachel's K itchen and Wild—and the new bar Scullery. Another impressive amenity is in the parking garage, where there's a station for Shift, a vehicle-sharing start-up that offers smart cars like Teslas, Chevy Volts, and even Renault's new Twizy electric car. Over at Juhl, where units rent for about $2 per square foot and one-bedrooms can cost up to $1,710 a mont h ($3, 2 50 for a pent house), for t hcom i ng amenities include a three-meals-a-day health-food restaurant, an Asian eatery from a proven opera- tor, a store that sells home theater equipment, and even a high-end waxing boutique offering "mans- caping" services. Other potential tenants include a mixology lounge and a shop selling modern furni- ture packages. None of these by themselves are neighborhood game-changers, but collectively they represent a Vegas version of Brooklynization, in which a neigh- borhood is f looded with hipster-friendly businesses in a walkable area. "This is [our] Williamsburg," says Vaknin, refer- r ing to t he ult rat rendy Brook ly n neighborhood once known for its surplus of restaurants, bars, and music venues i n l ieu of bor i ng but v it a l st aples l i ke g rocer y stores a nd pha r macies. But now Williamsburg has plenty of gourmet food shopping (including the world-famous Smorgasburg outdoor ma rket) a nd neighbor i ng condo bu i ld i ng s w it h drugstores, not to mention gyms and pools. There are a lot of families with babies, too. You'll know downtown Vegas has really changed when the strollers outnumber the Teslas. V "Kerry and I were both really attracted to what's going on downtown from a community perspec- tive," says Carson K itchen partner Cory Harwell. "The community was built even before the infra- structure was there." Hsieh notes t hat t he g rocer y, k now n a s T he Market, will employ close to 30 people, about the same number of jobs as Downtown Project elimi- nated. But layoffs are what layoffs always are: a business decision. "We remain focused on the long- ter m pla n a nd t he evolut ion of t he Dow ntow n area," Hsieh said in his statement. Or, as Vaknin puts it, "Utopian ideals are fantastic, but at some point you have to be smart businesswise. Otherwise the utopia would all fall apart." Back to reality: The goal of downtown Vegas, l i ke a ny emerg i ng big- cit y neighborhood, is to become a desirable, attainable alternative to the best com munit ies in t he world. T he new apa r t - ments at The Ogden are a good start, and Vaknin and his partners are also adding a high-profile res- taurant and retail tenants to their Downtown rental building Juhl (juhllv.com). "Tony's created an energ y and excitement that you cou ld n't repl icate," Va k n i n says of Hsieh's i mpact on T he Ogden, where K R E , Du ne, a nd Nor t hcap ow n 2 4 8 of t he 275 u n it s a nd have upg raded t he public spaces, including t he ma in lobby, elevator lobbies, club room, fitness center, and 25th-f loor rooftop pool deck. The apartments, which have been updated with hardwood f loors, granite counters, stainless steel appl ia nces, a nd recessed l ight i ng, ra nge f rom 815 - squa re -foot one -bed rooms to 2 ,0 0 0 -plus - square-foot three-bedrooms with dens. Prices start in t he low $20 0,0 0 0s a nd increase to upwa rd of $600,000, in line with the market for off-Strip con- dos. T he bu i ld i ng 's g rou nd f loor i ncludes t wo New ReasoNs to Visit DowNtowN Carson KitChen Kerry Simon's restaurant was envisioned as a place where the chef serves the kind of food he would offer at a dinner party in his loft. Beloved dishes like fried chicken skins are part of an evolving menu that swaps out about 40 percent of its items every couple of months. 124 S. Sixth St., 702-473-9523; carsonkitchen.co m sCullery Located at the base of The Ogden, Michael Cornthwaite's latest venue (for those 25 and older only) offers light bites, strong cocktails, and live music. 150 N. Las Vegas Blvd., 702-910-2396; scullerylv.com the MarKet Downtown gets its much-needed gro- cer—one with prepared foods for the lunch set and Veuve Clicquot to boot. Sunday through Thursday, 7 am to 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday, 7 am to midnight. 611 E. Fremont St., 702-586-3401; themarketdtlv.com the PerCh The Downtown Container Park has seen fts and starts, but this second-foor restaurant, with its fatbreads, salads, and steak frites, has the makings of a popular neighborhood hangout. Seventh and Fremont Streets, 702-854-1418; theperchlv.com "KErry [SiMON] aND i wErE BOTh rEaLLy aTTraCTED TO whaT'S gOiNg ON DOwNTOwN FrOM a COMMuNiTy PErSPECTiVE."— cory harwell A living room at The Ogden. from left: The rooftop of The Ogden; Carson Kitchen. 116 vegasmagazine.com haute property