The Detroit Optimist Society, the restaurant group that includes Wright & Co., Sugar House, Honest John’s, Peterboro, and Super Happy Sushi at Café 78 inside MOCAD, will debut their newest creation, Bad Luck, on Thursday inside The Albert in Detroit’s Capitol Park district.
The 800-square-foot cocktail bar, located off an alley between State Street and Grand River Avenue, offers a contemporary and classic design highlighted by an intimate floor-to-ceiling bar designed and hand crafted by Dave Kwiatkowski, a partner in Bad Luck with Chef Marc Djozlija, along with managing partner Yani Frye.
“I designed and built the space, and did all of the carpentry,” says Kwiatkowski. “There are two large banquettes with wainscoted trim and black, tuck button leather seating. The 15-foot-tall ceilings are made out of cherry wood and have isometric, hexagonal paneling.
“There are five hexagonal-shaped ceiling lights as well as hexagonal-shaped tables, and the back of the bar is all done in mirrors and has six shelves that reach the ceiling. We also used white Silestone for the bar and the shelves.”
The bar menu will offer 13 drinks that range in price from $18 to $80, and some of the selections can accommodate up to four people. The most expensive drink includes vintage rum from 1970 that the British Navy rationed to sailors. The bar will serve most every drink, and snacks may be added down the road.
Bad Luck will be open Thursday from Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. The venue will be open for private events Monday through Wednesday. The bar will have 10 employees, and no more than five employees will be working at one time, Kwiatkowski says.
