Originating in Paris in the early 20th century, the Art Deco movement roughly coincided with the beginning of the Jazz Age in the United States. Its modernist, geometric aesthetic was therefore a natural reference point for Nocturne, the jazz and supper club Nicole and Scott Mattson opened 11 years ago in Denver—not least because “that industrial look matched up with RiNo so well,” said Nicole.
That period was preceded by Art Nouveau, a more ornate, organic style that defined the fin-de-siècle era of peace and prosperity in the City of Light known as the Belle Époque. So when the Mattsons decided to give Nocturne a sibling in the former Noble Riot space around the corner, they figured, what could be more apropos than another period-inspired venue, this one devoted to what the French call art de vivre (“the art of living”).
Opening September 11, La Vie en Rose is their little slice of Paris in the Mile High City, designed to inspire what Scott called a sense of “wonder and wow” in their guests one glass of Champagne, timeless cocktail, and elegant hors d’oeuvre at a time.
Farmer Fizz and Petits Plats
“We kind of got carried away,” joked Scott of “the dream list” of about 140 Champagnes he and assistant beverage director Wade Vizena have compiled, a few of which will be available by the three- or five-ounce pour as well as by the bottle.
“That’s so there’s a lower barrier of entry to just trying something out,” Nicole pointed out. “To a beginner, because it does come with a different price tag than some of the other wines they might be familiar with, Champagne can be a little intimidating.” That’s especially true given that La Vie’s selection is dominated by smaller grower-producers—that is, winemakers who farm their own fruit—without the name recognition of major houses like Bollinger and Taittinger. Of course, the floor staff will also do their part to put guests at ease by providing insight and context.
“If someone walks in and says, ‘What’s the big deal?’ I can say, ‘Allow me to be your guide [to] what makes Champagne so special,” noted Scott. “As you drive north out of Paris through cornfields and soy fields, all of a sudden, these white hills literally shoot out of the flat countryside—that’s the start of [the Champagne region]. These higher-exposition chalk hills are so different from anything surrounding them, and they imbue the wines with such edge and nerve that it’s palpable on the palate. . . . Just like Nebbiolos grown in Barolo, these wines can only taste like this from this one little speck on earth.”
The cocktail program, meanwhile, “is an opportunity for us to have one foot in the past and one in the present,” Scott added. Featuring mostly French spirits, the drinks tend to involve “light, delicate, and aromatic” twists on the classics.
Take the Place des Vosges, a Vesper-esque blend of gin, Lillet Rosé, absinthe, apricot, chamomile, and rosé cider, or the Cassini’s Rings, which he described as “our riff on a Saturn” combining gin, rhum agricole, crème de cassis, passion fruit, orgeat, Velvet Falernum, and clarified cream beneath a float of Champagne.
Champagne-Worthy Bites
As for the menu of small plates, Scott explained that he and Nicole took chef Greg Weadick on a research trip to Paris last January “to get the soul of the town in his head.” The results of that hardly arduous research excursion are nothing if not indulgent, ranging from black truffle custard to potato pavé with Kaluga caviar and crème frâiche to foie gras macarons with Sauternes gel. The presentation on two-tiered platters makes these bites all the more luxurious.
“They look so pretty,” he enthused. “It’s like tea service, just up a notch with Champagne, you know?”
But amid the luxuries, some comfort fare awaits as well. A burger gussied up with Cognac-caramelized onions, Gruyère, and roasted peppercorn sauce, for instance; and popcorn chicken with four dipping sauces.
“I think folks are going to freak out about it,” Scott promised. And then there’s the “grand gougère”— a “giant cheesy poof” of savory pastry accompanied by smoked ham and truffled Mornay sauce.
A Really Happy Place
“There was a really great tension between Nicole and me trying to [create] a pastiche of an 1890s brasserie and him trying to refine it,” said Scott of partnering with Regular Architecture founder Kevin Nguyen on the design of the bar. “Kevin has this great eye for modern and streamlined, and so . . . I think it ended up in this really happy place, [with] an Art Nouveau vibe that still feels like it has a modern context.”
Following Nicole’s description of key elements—velvet curtains, black marble, walnut woodwork, and broken tiles reminiscent of the mosaic floors “in all the little brasseries in Paris”—he chimed in about the pièce de résistance.
“It’s this really cool, wavy, sort of exotic 28-foot-long banquette that Kevin designed [to] feel like the curtains in the Moulin Rouge—floating and flowing,” he said. The end result is “a place where you can just settle down, take a deep breath, have a perfect sip of bubs, and be surrounded by something a little bit whimsical.”
Agreed Nicole, “Because of the level of hospitality that we’ve already cultivated at Nocturne, my team is just so excited to have a space where they can . . . be a part of the guest’s story. We want to help guide them, to help create this celebration around Champagne and this sense of optimism in the world through hospitality.”
Starting September 11, visit La Vie En Rose Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. 1336 27th St., Denver, lverosebar.com
